Regional Queenslanders' Aus Day gongs

The CEO of the online giving platform GIVIT was announced as the recipient at the Australian of the Year Awards in Canberra yesterday.

Her vision, hard work and determination have resulted in donations of more than 126,000 items to disadvantaged members of the Australian community and helped alleviate poverty around the country.

With her husband Glen Juliette runs 1000 breeders at Brookvale, Killarney, and grows cattle for the feeder market.

Last October, when she was named the 2015 Queensland Local Hero, she announced plans to establish a GIVIT for Farmers initiative to “pull every drought-affected community in Queensland up by the bootstraps”.

In 2011, when the State was hit by devastating floods, GIVIT became the Queensland Government’s official website for matching donors and recipients.

Some 1.8 million hits resulted in 33,500 goods matched in just three weeks.

Now Juliette is doing the same thing for young people and wants to bring a similar philosophy to drought-stricken Queensland.

GIVIT Kids, launched in mid-October, is in response to statistics that one in six Australian children are living in poverty.

Although encompassing children in need everywhere, Juliette said it was a great way to get regional and rural schools involved.

“It’s so important to include isolated people in this, who are marginalised by their distance, and now finding it so hard with drought as well,” she said

Juliette attended the annual Local Government of Queensland conference in Mackay last October to share her idea of extending the GIVIT concept to rural communities, and said she was overwhelmed with the response.

“I won’t be able to do this without the support of councils and they were 100 per cent behind me,” she said. “I’m yet to confirm where to start but north west Queensland seems very much in need.”

Focusing on one community at a time, the idea is to work with local charities to supply people with whatever it is they need to function.

“It’s not just farmers, it’s about making sure the local hairdresser with no clients has help too.

“She might not be able to fix her washing machine – what we need to do will be on a case by case basis.”

Help for farming equipment would be to a certain cost.

“We can’t give people tractors, for instance, but something like a couple of kilometres of barb wire – I’m sure someone else would have some in a shed they can donate.”

Juliette is confident of endorsement for her plan from State local government and agriculture departments, and now hopes her plan isn’t too late for some communities.

“This drought is dire. People have been very proud and self-sufficient but now they’re sharing their stories and their needs – I hope we can put this into action soon enough for them.”

“Making a more lievable community” is how Blackall grazier and solicitor Peter Skewes describes the many years of service which have seen him receive a Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division in the Australia Day honours list.

Mr Skewes has over 30 years combined experience as a solicitor and accountant and served on the Blackall Shire Council and Blackall-Tambo Regional Council as a Councillor and deputy mayor for 26 years, and has a long-standing record of community service for various health, aged care and art initiatives.

“You don’t expect to get a reward for doing what you enjoy,” he said.

“I’ve been part of teams which have seen us end up with a major retirement village and nursing home, plus a renovated civic centre and pool, all of which makes for a more liveable community.

“I’m just humbled that people went to the effort to nominate me.”

The list of Mr Skewes’ contributions to the Blackall community include:

• Deputy mayor, Blackall-Tambo Regional Council 2009-2012

• Councillor, Blackall shire 1986-2008

• Treasurer, Barcoo Retirement Village 1984 – 2014

• Committee, Barcoo Living 2003 - present

• Chair, Red Ridge 2009 – present

• Treasurer, Blackall Local Ambulance Committee 1990 – present

• Member, Central West Hospital and Health Services Board 2012 – present

• Fire warden, Duthie Park Rural Fire Brigade 1994 – present

• Blackall Citizen of the Year, Blackall-Tambo Regional Council, Australia Day 2013