Cyclist with heart is our top citizen

The founder of an iconic charity bike ride has been named the Cairns region’s 2019 Citizen of the Year.

Having been born with a congenital heart defect, Peter McNally founded the Cardiac Challenge in 2006 as a means to improve cardiac services in Far North Queensland. Since then, the annual ride has grown to become an event in its own right.

Attracting hundreds of cyclists each year, the ride has raised in excess of $3 million for cardiac services, in turn providing Cairns patients with services for which they previously needed to travel to Townsville or Brisbane.

In addition, Mr McNally assists disadvantaged local youths to train and participate in the Cardiac Challenge through the “Deadly Treadly” program.

“The Cardiac Challenge is one of Cairns’ best-known charity events, and it all started with Peter McNally,” said Mayor Bob Manning, who presented the Cairns Region Australia Day Awards this morning at the new Cairns Performing Arts Centre.

“It gets bigger every year, attracting people who want to challenge themselves by taking on the ride, and it’s our community at large that also benefits.

“Peter is a shining example of everything great about our region and it’s my absolute honour to present him with the award for Citizen of the Year.”

Young Citizen of the Year, Shai Ager is recognised for her tireless efforts to protect the region’s wildlife, most notably through The Agile Project.

“We’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Ms Ager in relation to the wallabies at Trinity Beach and she has proven to be a compassionate and thoughtful young person with maturity beyond her years,” Cr Manning said. “We are very lucky to have people like her caring for our region’s wildlife.”

For the first time, this year’s suite of awards includes two Lifetime Achievement awards, recognising people who have gone above and beyond in their ongoing service to the Cairns region community.

“We felt there was a need to recognise two people who have given enormously of their time and effort to help others over many years,” Cr Manning said.

“We’re very pleased to present Lifetime Achievement Awards to Peter Digweed and Clive Gordon.”

Mr Digweed has been involved in the Scouts movement for more than 40 years, more recently as the FNQ Regional Commissioner.

Mr Gordon has contributed significantly to equestrian sports in the region over an incredible 70 years and is the Patron of the Cairns Show Association.

Rounding out today’s awards recipients are Volunteer of the Year Sarah Grainer, Sportsperson of the Year Portia Louise Eden, Junior Sportsperson of the Year Braden Plath, Cultural Award winner Jan O’Donnell and Junior Cultural Award winner Amber Farnan.

Cr Manning said all of the award recipients and nominees had displayed exceptional service to their communities and thanked those who took the time to nominate these outstanding citizens.

AWARD RECIPIENTS:

Citizen of the Year – Peter McNally

Peter McNally is the driving force behind the now iconic Cardiac Challenge, having established the 333km bike ride from Cairns to Cooktown in 2006. Having been born with a congenital heart defect, Peter was aware of the need for improved cardiac services in Far North Queensland. The Cardiac Challenge has since raised more than $3 million to provide Far Northern cardiac patients with services for which they previously needed to travel to Brisbane or Townsville. Peter is an advocate for improved cycling infrastructure and making cycling a genuinely inclusive activity. This is supported by his involvement in the “Deadly Treadly” program, through which he engages and trains disadvantaged youths with the aim of participating in the Cardiac Challenge and other significant rides.

Young Citizen of the Year – Shai Ager

As the founder of The Agile Project, Shai has brought together and trained more than 70 volunteers committed to protecting native wildlife. An Ecology graduate, Shai is also a licensed wildlife carer and rescuer, caring for injured and orphaned native animals and seeking to educate others about their plight. Shai has also coordinated local clean-up events, including a ‘Clean Up Moore’s Gully’ day that was attended by more than 60 people. Through The Agile Project, Shai has proposed and developed a plan – which is supported by Council – for the relocation of agile wallabies from Trinity Beach.

Volunteer of the Year – Sarah Grainer

In 17 years as a foster carer, Sarah has offered a safe and loving home to more than 90 children. She has dedicated her life to the welfare and wellbeing of children and is presently the Treasurer for Foster Care Queensland and a Foster Care Advocacy and Support Team representative. Her support of children’s wellbeing extends into the school community, where she has been heavily involved with the Woree State School and Woree High School P&C Committees over the past 12 years. Currently she serves as President on the high school committee. She was also an integral member of the team that saw Cairns State Special School become a reality.

Sportsperson of the Year – Portia Louise Eden

At the tender age of 11, Portia now holds two World BMX titles and is the current Number 1 in the world for her age. Portia is the only female rider in her age group in Cairns, so she lines up next to the boys and embraces every challenge thrown at her. Portia has actively positioned herself as a role model and advocate for girls entering BMX, determined to raise the profile of the sport and encourage female participation. She is also active in achieving new BMX infrastructure for her region to make the sport accessible to all residents. A huge future awaits this tremendously talented and hardworking young rider.

Junior Sportsperson of the Year – Braden Plath

The current World Junior Motocross 65cc Champion, Braden is a rising star with a true passion for the sport.  The 12-year-old has a host of titles under his belt and rates the opportunity to represent his country as the pinnacle of his sporting career so far. Already an accomplished public speaker, he has positioned himself as a role model to other young riders, teaching them about motorbike safety and healthy living.

Cultural Award – Jan O’Donnell

When Jan arrived in Cairns in 1976, she wasted no time in finding her place in the local performing arts scene. She was appointed the official accompanist for the Junior Eisteddfod and went on to become an integral force behind the Cairns Choral Society. Now the Society’s Musical Director, Jan has guided the group to numerous Championship victories at North Queensland Eisteddfods and has helped countless others to discover the joy of music. After 40 years’ involvement, Jan conducted the full choir for the final time at the recent gala opening of the Cairns Performing Arts Centre.

Junior Cultural Award – Amber Farnan

A young songwriter with a big future, Amber recently wowed the audience as the opening act – accompanied by the North Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra – at the gala opening of the Cairns Performing Arts Centre. Her song, Symphony for Tomorrow, was in fact adopted as the title of the event. A self-taught musician, Amber plays guitar, ukulele, saxophone and bass and possesses a captivating voice. She won the Emerging Songwriter Award at the 2016 Tablelands Folk Festival and has gone on to perform at a range of events. Amber is currently working on a new EP, to be released later this year.

Lifetime Achievement Award – Peter Digweed

Peter has given extensive service to the Scouting movement over the past 40 years – more than 20 of which have been in Cairns. For the past eight years, he has been the Regional Commissioner for Far North Queensland, overseeing activities from Mission Beach to the Torres Strait. Peter has been instrumental in the expansion of the Scouting brand in FNQ, resulting in the most successful recruitment and retention rate of any Queensland region.

Lifetime Achievement Award – Clive Gordon

Clive has been described as a “local legend”. He has accumulated more than 70 years’ involvement in equestrian sports, having started out as a 12-year-old competitor at the Cairns Show in 1946. In the early 1960s, he was the first course-builder under what was a new concept in Australia, known as “Olympic Style Show Jumping”. Clive continued to be involved in the evolution of equestrian sports in Cairns and across the North Queensland over many years. Now, at 84 years young, Clive is the Patron of the Cairns Show Association.