Australia Day Regional Citizen of the Year – Luke Terry
The world is a better place due to the influence and compassion shown by people like Luke Terry. He has a passion for social enterprise and the drive to see his big-picture ideas come to fruition.
Luke leads the Toowoomba Clubhouse as Executive Director. The Clubhouse is a social innovation centre that works to support people living with a mental illness in the Toowoomba Region. The Clubhouse is a space that allows members to gain the skills and confidence to gain employment, housing and education and assist with the recovery from mental illness.
In 2016, Luke won the Social Enterprise Award, which acknowledges projects that increase awareness of the role and diversity of social enterprises in Australia. He has helped businesses and government agencies to see the value in social procurement and support job seekers across the Toowoomba Region.
Luke also was successful in securing funding from a number of sources for a new laundry service, Vanguard Laundry Services. The new venture that was opened by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently is Toowoomba’s only social enterprise commercial laundry service. Its tagline, ‘we change lives one wash at a time’ is most fitting.
Luke continues to be a driving force in the Toowoomba Region’s future as a social enterprise and procurement hub.
Regional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Citizen of the Year for 2017 – Adelayde McKellar
Fifteen-year-old Adelayde has offered amazing support to the Oakey community in recent years. She is passionate about the community and has been involved in supporting events from a young age.
In 2012, Adelayde was named Miss Junior Show Princess at the Toowoomba Royal Show. In 2015 she received the most improved dancer award for her commitment to dance at the Oakey studio. She added to her individual honours when she was judged Oakey Teen Showgirl runner-up.
She has been an active fundraiser and was acknowledged as Miss Fundraiser for 2016 at the Heritage Bank Royal Toowoomba Show. Adelayde also entered the Miss Teen Queensland awards and was named as a finalist for Queensland in Mackay. The experience gave her added confidence and opened a number of exciting new avenues.
She is a member of the CWA young women’s group and passes on the importance of networking and leadership to the younger women. Her community work extends to a passionate involvement in the campaign to prevent domestic violence and support for events like the Butterfly Ball. Adelayde actively encourages other young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to become active and find the confidence to succeed in anything they want to do.
She has successfully performed Welcome to Country openings at community events including Reconciliation Week and Sorry Day.
Regional Young Citizen of the Year for 2017 – Sophie Ryan
Sophie Ryan’s academic career recently received a tremendous boost when she was awarded a scholarship through the New Colombo Plan 2017. She has a keen interest in peace and conflict studies.
The New Colombo Plan is a signature initiative of the Australian Government. The scholarship will allow Sophie to complete internships in Singapore and Cambodia. Sophie will live and study in Singapore from mid-2017. The opportunity will directly expose her to key areas in her studies around Indo-Pacific relations, the law, languages, international relations and diplomacy.
Sophie is a fine role model for all young people who are looking to further their careers and find their place in the world. She displays many admirable qualities that are an extension of her broad areas of study.
Sophie is passionate about righting wrongs and always standing up for what she believes in.
Complete List of Toowoomba Region Awardees
