A RARE collection of 40 Series Landcruisers is about to go to auction in Central Queensland, sparking huge interest from potential buyers nationwide and overseas.
Pickles auctioneer Geoff Payne said he’d been taking calls all the way from the United States.
“Everybody we talk to, it’s nostalgia,” Mr Payne said. “They have a story about why they want it. They’re buying them for nostalgic purposes.
“They’re slow and uncomfortable but they’re just part of Australian history.
“I’ve been in this for 20 years, I’m not into cars but even I’ve been swept up in it. Even I want to buy one.”
40 Series Landcruisers ready for auction. IMAGE: Kentos Komms
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The collection of 45 cars and chassis, along with 50 pallets of parts from the 1970s and 80s, is thought to be the most extensive in Australia for these types of vehicles.
The rusty cruisers represent decades of dedicated collecting by two Central Queensland mates.
The pair would venture far and wide to rescue the abandoned and forgotten vehicles from paddocks and sheds.
Speaking exclusively to the Caller, one of the collectors, who asked not to be named, said it was “all about the adventure”.
“We’d get a call saying there was an old 40 at Clermont, we’d jump in the car to go get it,” he said.
Ready for their next adventure. IMAGE: Kentos Komms
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When asked why people have such a fascination with the iconic outback vehicle, the collector said it seemed like almost everyone had a story about a 40 Series Landcruiser.
“I’m getting a lot of people saying they had one when they were a kid,” the anonymous collector said.
“Malcolm Douglas was in them, Steve Irwin was in them. Anyone who was anyone had a 40s series,” he said.
The pair said they didn’t have time for as many adventures these days, prompting the decision to finally part with the enormous collection.
As for where these vehicles might go next, Geoff Payne said he had a few ideas.
Geoff Payne in one of the cruisers for sale. IMAGE: Kentos Komms
“A lot of this is going to go to collectors,” Mr Payne said.
“Some people will put them in their front yard and reminiscence, some will go back on the road. Someone might just buy one for one part.”
He said he was gearing up for hot competition when the auction goes live on the Pickles website, this Friday May 6th.
“Toyota fanatics are fanatical,” he said. “There’s a massive following.”
HURTLING down the dusty, dirt road towards Burrandowan always stirs in me a thrilling mix of anticipation and nostalgia.
I’m not just heading into the bush for some racing action; I’m almost travelling back to a simpler time, where country communities learned to make their own fun. And I’m not the only one who feels this way.
“Even the drive there is exciting,” says Damien Martoo, president of the Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce.
“The countryside, the history and the anticipation of who will you see… It is an event that simply brings multiple communities together and has become tradition amongst so many friendship groups.”
It’s a dusty race to the finish line at Burrandowan.
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This weekend Burrandowan Picnic Races celebrates 100 years of country racing. No mean feat for a tiny but tenacious club, which has endured a world war, state government changes to racing funding and most recently, a pandemic.
Race club spokesperson Georgie Somerset believes community is at the heart of the event’s longevity.
“The district pitches in to make the event the success it is and we have multiple generations of families involved,” she says.
“The other magic element is the crowd – people who return year after year, alongside those there for the first time.”
The crowd goes wild trackside.
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It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how this niche event achieved legendary status, but life-long racegoer Kathy Duff believes it’s all about the atmosphere.
“It’s just a great family atmosphere, out in the bush in the middle of nowhere. Particularly city people love to get away. It’s just a wonderful country day,” Kathy says.
Kathy’s family has strong ties to Burrandowan going back to the very first meet in 1922.
Her grandfather, John Patrick Duff, trained and rode a winner that day, nominating the horse ‘Buckshee’ in the Ladies Bracelet Race on behalf of a special young woman named Dorothea Mortimer Evans.
Not only did he win a gold watch for his efforts, he married Dorothea four years later!
The Duff family will have a horse in the field again this year to mark the centenary.
‘Muwarrad’ will proudly be ridden by John Patrick Duff’s great grand daughter Hannah English, in the family’s colours.
John Patrick Duff at Burrandowan,1922.John Patrick Duff and Dorothea Mortimer Evans on their wedding day. Kathy Duff with ‘Muwarrad’.
I’m the fourth generation of my family to make the races an annual affair and grew up listening to my mother, Virginia Holding, tell her particularly wild memories from the 1980s.
“My best stories are people behaving badly,” Mum smirks.
“People used to do terrible things, like bus surfing. When the buses were leaving, they’d be getting dragged behind the buses!
Kathy Duff can remember a year when a car ended up being burnt in a fire pit.
Thankfully they’re activities long-since outlawed, along with racing utes down the track after the last horse crossed the finish line.
Watching the races from your bonnet with a picnic in the boot in the 1970s.
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Back in the 1930s there was a trackside boxing and wrestling tent. In 1956 the clay pigeon shoot was added to the program and is still popular today.
“Going as a kid with my uncle and aunt who trained racehorses, we weren’t allowed up with the humans, we had to hang out down with the horses,” Mum says.
Things improved significantly for her when she started attending with her best friend from boarding school. Sally Maunder (nee Downes) lived just up the road on the property “Strathmore”, and her father Graham Downes was the event’s proud patron for many years.
My mother, Virginia Holding (centre), with Sally Maunder at the Burrandowan fire pits.
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A central feature of their Burrandowan experience, and my own, is the fashion.
The painstaking selection of the perfect race day outfit can be half the fun. Planning often starts months in advance, particularly if a Fashions on the Field entry is on the cards.
“It was a running gag with Sal and I to say, the morning after the races, oh god what am I going to wear to Burrandowan next year!?” Mum laughs.
Burrandowan has to be one of the few places where you can rock up in stubbies and a singlet, or a three piece suit, and either is completely appropriate.
But for most racegoers, Burrandowan offers a rare chance to dress up and embrace Autumn racing fashion with gusto.
Fashions on the Field
“The best race days are at the end of a dirt road!”
Emma Clarke
Fashions on the Field veteran Emma Clarke travels thousands of kilometres to contest at race days nationwide, but Burrandowan has a special place in her heart.
“The best race days are at the end of a dirt road!” Emma says.
“I always feel welcome as an out-of-towner. At Burrandownan, everyone’s a local. If you have a camp chair and a wine glass you’ll fit in.”
That’s something Emma proved last year when she attended the event alone. Walking in, sky high heels on and a camp chair under her arm, it wasn’t long before she found a table of welcoming racegoers to join.
“In that moment, that’s when I realised, that’s what we do this for; to make those kinds of connections,” she says.
She also relishes the creative process of putting together a winning ensemble and believes that’s why so many people now enjoy competing in Fashions on the Field.
“It’s kind of a nice challenge to have to comply with the criteria. It challenges us to think in different ways,” she says.
Even if that means getting up at 4am to start hair and makeup and putting the finishing touches on your outfit, on the side of a road somewhere.
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When you’re out here, you’re off the grid. Mobile phone signal is almost non-existent, and that’s just the way I like it.
If you become separated from your mates you’ll have to find them the old fashioned way. Hot tip – they’re probably out in the carpark unwinding at someone’s camp site.
One year I didn’t see my husband for five hours. Usually I’d be worried but I knew he’d come looking for food at the barbecue pits eventually.
You can’t get a more authentic Burrandowan experience than cooking your own steak over red hot coals.
The iconic barbecue pits at Burrandowan.
Community is key; if you didn’t come prepared with at least some long-handled tongs, don’t be afraid to ask the person next to you. We’ve saved many a first-timer from leaving with one arm.
“Sally melted the back of her skirt one time,” Mum laughs.
Sally Maunder admits “it was definitely a bit close for comfort!”
Snags and steaks sizzling over the coals after dark.
Southern Queensland Country CEO Peter Homan says Burrandowan is exactly the kind of authentic bush experience that’s luring an increasing number of city tourists to rural areas.
“People are fascinated by what people do on the land and in remote communities,” Peter says.
“They’re mesmerised and enchanted by how people live in remote areas.”
He’s expecting a record crowd for Burrandowan’s centenary this Saturday, May 7.
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“It’s all about the authenticity,” Peter says. “They’re not trying to do anything more than be the Burrandowan races. They’re doing what they’ve done for the last 100 years.”
South Burnett mayor Brett Otto is also expecting to see caravans and camper trailers rolling into the region well before race day.
“We’re expecting a huge crowd; we see all our motels and caravan parks booked up. It puts us on the map,” he says.
From left: Caitlin Crowley, Johannah Holding and Bronte Holding.
My sister will be among this year’s campers. She’s making the epic trek from Nebo, west of Mackay, to the South Burnett.
But no matter where you come from, I promise it will be worth the trip.
As Emma Clarke says, “the further away the race day is, the better it is.”
BOB Holder’s story is well known in rodeo circles – a veteran of the game who, now 90, seems to defy the laws of nature by continuing to compete professionally in one of the toughest sports in the world.
Now the Australian rodeo community’s collective belief, that Holder ‘would have to be the world’s oldest professional cowboy’, has been validated.
The International Professional Rodeo Association recently confirmed to the man from Cootmundra NSW that he is indeed the most senior rodeo regular competitor in the world.
Bob Holder, with some words of wisdom for Longreach Road to Rodeo’s youngest competitor, 9-year-old Byron Kirk from Mount Isa. IMAGE: Country Caller
Saddling up for the team roping event in Longreach this weekend as part of the inaugural Road to Rodeo, Holder is two months shy of his 91st birthday.
It’s been 64 years since he last competed at the Longreach arena. This time around, he’s recovering from a hip replacement that he had just eight weeks ago.
“I just love rodeo and if I stopped I’d frizzle up and die, I think,” Holder told the Caller, from the back of his gelding at the Longreach Showgrounds.
“I just enjoy doing it. I enjoy going out there and catching that steer, and turning him off and getting him roped up.
“I enjoy riding my horse. I enjoy the crowd and the way they respond to things like that.”
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Veteran rodeo rider Bob Holder with daughter, champion barrel racer Kerrie Holder. IMAGE: Aaron Skinn
The amount that Holder travels for a man of his age is remarkable, let alone the incredible physical ability he displays in the rodeo arena time and time again.
Together with his daughter, reigning Mount Isa Rodeo open barrel race champion Kerrie Holder (pictured), and other rodeo family and friends, Holder has driven close to 5,000km on his current rodeo circuit.
He’ll have a spell back at Cootamundra following the Road to Rodeo event, before hitting the road again in June for a journey of about 15,000km.
This year he plans to compete in 25 rodeos.
“I enjoy the people,” Holder said.
“They’re the most wonderful people in the world, rodeo people, and the crowds that get to it are great. All of the organisations concerned are great. The stock are good. They’re tough, but they’re good.”
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A successful roping for Bob Holder at Road to Rodeo Longreach. IMAGES: Country Caller
Rodeo has taken Holder around the world. A former champion bull rider and buckjump bronco rider, he’s competed “everywhere” including Canada and Mexico, and has almost lost count of the number of times he’s attended the USA National Finals in Las Vegas (23 times).
Does he plan to ever slow down?
“Not yet. I’m too young. Later on I might… four, five, ten years time,” he said.
“But I don’t know what I’d do. I’d have to go on the old age pension.
“I think a lot more of them (senior folk) should do it. They’d last a lot longer, instead of sitting around reading the newspaper and talking about people and spilling their breakfast down their front.”
A WESTERN Downs library trainee has taken out the AFL SportsReady First Nations Trainee of the Year award.
Nicole Egel completed a Certificate 3 in Business as part of her traineeship with Western Downs Regional Council and said it was amazing to hear she’d received the award.
“Because I have been out of the workforce for nearly 20 years raising my children, I knew I needed experience to get back out there in the workforce, and this provided the perfect opportunity to do that,” Miss Egel said.
“The traineeship program has given me so much, and my advice to anyone thinking about it, is to go for it and never hold back,” Miss Engel said.
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Western Downs councillor Ian Rasmussen said it was fantastic to see a council employee recognised for excellence in their field.
“It’s the people that make the Western Downs so wonderful, and it’s so encouraging to see another outstanding trainee recognised across Queensland and northern New South Wales for their commitment to their role,” Cr Rasmussen said.
Council has supported eight trainees since first partnering with AFL SportsReady.
“Council offers a range of career pathway opportunities designed to grow skills across a variety of professions, and AFL SportsReady is focused on giving our region’s First Nations residents a competitive edge in the workforce,” Cr Rasmussen said.
“Nicole has not only completed a qualification with Council over the past 12 months, she has also gained full time employment with Council as a Library Services Officer which is a great outcome,” Cr Rasmussen said.
AFL SportsReady is a not-for-profit company dedicated helping young Australians develop careers through traineeships, cadetships, direct employment and educational opportunities.
Applications are open now for the next AFL SportsReady Traineeship with WDRC. To find out more contact Council on 1300 COUNCIL (268 624).
A SWARM of city-based cyclists will roll into Longreach today, marking the end of a gruelling 1311km journey which has taken them from the bright lights of Queensland’s capital to the open plains of the Australian outback.
RideWest is a biennial charity bike ride which is well on its way to raising $2 million for the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS).
More than $1.4 million was generated over the first decade and the tally from this year alone is $400,000.
“It’s about giving back a bit,” said event coordinator Petrea Sloman, when asked by the Caller why 33 fitness enthusiasts would put themselves through such a physically and mentally arduous challenge.
“We eat amazing food in the city, it’s all available and it’s all because of the farmers who grow it out here.”
RideWest director John Sloman and coordinator Petrea Sloman. IMAGE: MRP Images
But Sloman is far more specific about the ethos behind RideWest.
The charity raises money for the RFDS’s Wellbeing Out West program, which provides mental health services for people living in rural and remote areas.
“We’re basically the primary funder for that program,” Sloman said.
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“If we weren’t doing this ride the RFDS would have to be scrambling to find some funds elsewhere, so they rely on this funding every two years to be able to plan ahead and have a continuity of staff.
“Rather than that traditional first aid where someone’s broken their arm and you have to triage it, the Wellbeing Out West program is about how you deal with someone who is depressed or anxious.
“Not everyone knows how to deal with those situations, so it’s all about that education and awareness.”
The ride from Brisbane to Longreach has taken the team of 33 cyclists and 14 volunteer support staff up the Toowoomba range, along the country roads from Toowoomba to Roma, then west on the Warrego Highway before heading north to their final destination.
They’ve travelled up to 200km on the big days and 80km on the “easy” days with qualified health staff and support vehicles in tow.
Each of the riders paid $2,500 to take part, and then individually raised money to contribute to the RFDS fund.
“People are raising the money from their connections in the city to show that there’s a whole group of people in the city who care about people in the country, and we want to make sure that you guys are being looked after,” Sloman said.
“Most of them have a country connection, they’ve got family out here or they grew up out there, so it’s about a group of people who like riding and want to do it for a reason, and this is a really good reason.
“It’s a big commitment from everyone involved but it’s so much fun.
“This sort of charity attracts the same sort of like minded people who have a good heart and want to do something good.”
MORE children in rural and remote parts of Queensland now have access to kindy services.
The state government has extended its kindergarten program to 14 new rural and remote communities, including Bell and Leyburn on the Darling Downs and Winton and Glenden in Central Queensland.
Education Minster Grace Grace said the free program for four-year-olds was now being delivered at 116 rural and remote state schools across the state
“The expansion of this program means up to 177 extra children will have the opportunity to attend a face-to face kindy program at their local state school,” Ms Grace said.
“Up to 800 children are anticipated to attend state delivered kindergarten across Queensland during this year,” Ms Grace said.
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Keppel MP and Assistant Education Minister Brittany Lauga said the state-delivered kindergarten program started with 11 state schools but more were added due to its success.
“Byfield is a perfect example of a community that will greatly benefit from the Palaszczuk Government’s State Delivered Kindergarten program,” Ms Lauga said.
“Previously, many families in the Byfield community were unable to access a local kindy program for their children before they started Prep.
“We all know how important kindy is for children’s learning and development so this is wonderful news for local families in Keppel,” Ms Lauga said.
Byfield State School principal Stacey Cottam said the school community was very happy to be able to offer a kindergarten program to local families.
“This program is a great fit for our school and for early childhood learning in our community,” Ms Cottam said.
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“We’re in a small rural community and because of our location most of our kids weren’t able to access kindy before starting school.
“We have two children enrolled in kindergarten now, who will attend two days a week this semester and three days a week in second semester.
“This will make a huge difference for the children in our community,” Ms Cottam said.
The 14 schools joining the State Delivered Kindergarten program this year are:
THIS weekend Road to Rodeo takes over Longreach in the heart of Outback Queensland, and some of the best riders in the business have signed up to contest for the titles.
Among them are local Longreach sisters, 13-year-old Jacy and 12-year-old Tyler Morton (pictured), both emerging rodeo stars who are just as comfortable on a horse as they are on the ground.
Also making the trip west are The Wolfe Brothers, who last week were named winners of the Golden Guitar for Contemporary Album of the Year and for Country Music Capital News Group or Duo of the Year at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
The pair and their band will be performing live at Longreach at the Rodeo Rock concert on Saturday night.
Longreach cowgirl sisters Jacy and Tyler Morton
Tyler Morton said she’d dreamt of competing in the American Rodeo circuit as a barrel racer and in two weeks at Longreach she will compete in the Junior and Open Ladies Barrel.
“I love the speed, the turns and the accuracy of the sport,” she said.
Tyler’s sister Jacy will also compete in the Junior Barrel and then swap saddles for the mini-bull ride.
The girls have been riding since they were babies. Their father, Scott Morton, is a former bull rider who competed in two professional rodeo tours in NZ and as well as around Australia. Mother Meg is also a country girl and horse lover.
In what will prove a moment in Australia rodeo history, Longreach will welcome one of the youngest competitors in eight-year-old Byron Kirk from Mount Isa, who in 2021 shared the poddy calf ride title at the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo.
Australian rodeo legend, 91-year-old Bob Holder, is believed to be the oldest rodeo rider in the world and will grace the saddle in roping events. There’s a staggering 83 years between Holder and young Byron Kirk.
Holder hails from Cootamundra in New South Wales. He’s competed for 76 years and is featured in the sport’s Hall of Fame.
He’s inspired generations of riders, including his daughter Kerrie Holder, who is well known in the APRA circuit and the current Mount Isa Mines Rodeo Open Barrel champion. All eyes will be on this father-daughter-duo at Longreach.
Byron Kirk (pictured) is making the 700km journey from Mount Isa. His mother Melissa said she remembered him seeing his first PBR belt when he was two years old, and saying, “I want to get that belt”.
Siblings Byron and Willow Kirk with reigning Mount Isa Rodeo bull riding champion Troy Wilkinson. IMAGE: Pete Wallace
Also confirmed to ride at Longreach is reigning Mount Isa Mines Rodeo open bareback bronc rider Fred Osman.
Osman stepped out of retirement to compete last year, having last won the title in 2013. The Cameron’s Corner rodeo star also took out the second division bareback bronc title.
Rounding out the trio of champions from the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo set to compete at Longreach is Sam Weston, who scored a remarkable 140 points in the second division saddle bronc competition last year to take the coveted Mount Isa buckle.
Proof that rodeo is a family affair, APRA chair and superstar Shane Ikerwill compete at Longreach. Iker said he couldn’t hang up his boots because he loved practicing and competing with his son, Jordan.
“If you’re going to be beaten, why not get beaten by your son?” Iker said.
Other famed rodeo names headed to Longreach include Clancy and Tenielle Middleton from Hughenden, the Ferguson family from Cloncurry and Leanne Caban from Emerald.
The Wolfe Bothers, headliners of the Longreach Road to Rodeo
Road to Rodeo Longreach features a full rodeo program and a knockout country music line-up, starring national music makers and multi-award winners The Wolfe Brothers, Bella Mackenzie, Luke Geiger & Bareback and James Johnston as well as locals Corinne Ballard and John Hawkes.
Between the rodeo action, the country music lineup, the low & slow BBQ on offer and the iconic big outback skies under which it all will happen, Longreach Road to Rodeo is set to host a party for the ages.
The Road to Rodeo series aims to create four new annual rodeo events across Queensland by 2024, representing a long-term economic injection to the state of over $4 million.
FROM what photographer Trish Sloan described as the “helicopter flight of a lifetime”, stunning images have been captured of a usually arid Winton region spilling with huge Autumn rainfall.
Sloan is an employee of Winton’s iconic Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum and also the proprietor of Trish Sloan Photography.
She was flown this week over Winton and its surrounding channel country, capturing the district in flood following 200mm of rainfall in a matter of just days.
That’s nearly half of Winton’s annual rainfall, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The museum itself recorded 160mm of rain since Saturday, isolating the tourist attraction by road.
See Sloan’s and the museum’s amazing images of the channel country in flood below.
Cliffs become waterfalls at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum at Winton. IMAGE: Trish Sloan
Flooding channel country in the Winton region. IMAGE: Trish Sloan
Flooding rains inundate channels in the Winton region. IMAGE: Trish Sloan
Flood water cuts road around Winton. IMAGE: Trish Sloan
Streams for in the usually dry Winton region. IMAGE: Trish Sloan
Flood waters have cut roads in the Winton region. IMAGE: Trish Sloan
Flood waters have cut roads in the Winton region. IMAGE: Trish SloanFlood waters have cut off access to the renowned Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum. IMAGE Trish SloanRising flood waters in the Winton region. IMAGE: Trish Sloan
Streams for in the usually dry Winton region. IMAGE: Trish Sloan
THE Moonie Highway at Westmar was expected to remain closed until late Tuesday afternoon after three trucks collided at the Meandarra-Talwood Road intersection.
The crash occurred about 11am out the front of Westmar’s well known local pub and roadhouse.
Both an an empty cattle truck and B-double ended up on their side, while a prime mover – understood to have been parked at the time – also become involved.
Emergency crews work to free a man trapped in a cattle truck wreckage at Westmar. IMAGE: RACQ LifeFlight Rescue
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman told the Caller three people were injured.
There were concerns a man in his 30s who became entrapped in the cattle truck had critical injuries. He has since been cut from the vehicle and medically stabilised. He suffered serious head and shoulder injuries and was flown to Toowoomba.
Wreckage from three trucks colliding at Westmar
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Wreckage from three trucks colliding at Westmar
A man in his 60s suffering neck pain and a man in his 40s suffering head lacerations were treated at the scene.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service had three crews attend the crash scene.
A RACQ LifeFlight Rescue chopper was also tasked.
“The chopper pilot was able to land on a stretch of road near the scene, where the aeromedical crew met with local Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) paramedics, Queensland Police Service (QPS) officers and Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) personnel, who were already on scene,” a LifeFlight statement said.
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Wreckage from three trucks colliding at Westmar
“The rescue chopper crew worked alongside QFES personnel to free the driver from the cabin of the truck.
“The man was treated for shoulder injuries and minor lacerations to his head and leg.
“The patient was flown to Toowoomba Hospital in a stable condition.
THE arrival of Wandoan’s newest resident harks back to some of the town’s proudest history.
A life sized metal sculpture of the iconic Soldier Settler has been installed at the Avenue of Honour and will be unveiled at 12pm today as part of the town’s Anzac Day commemorations.
Soldier Settlers was the name given to honourably discharged servicemen who were selected in a ballot between 1952 and 1954 to settle in Wandoan and given land to establish working farms.
The Wandoan Soldier Settler Scheme saw the arrival of 103 returned soldiers in Wandoan and is regarded as integral to the development of the small town, helping to shape its success as an agricultural centre and close-knit community.
The Wandoan Arts Council commissioned Chinchilla based sculptor Dion Cross to build the exhibit, which contains old tools and scrap metals found on properties owned by the Soldier Settlers.
“The intention of our soldier sculpture is to create a timeless memorial with national significance,” said Tania Baker, Wandoan Arts Council spokesperson.
“We hope it entices family and friends of serving military personnel and everyday Australians to come and remember, reflect and be reminded of the sacrifices that have been made for the freedom we all enjoy and yet can so easily be taken for granted.
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“Dion has created a powerful and distinguished sculpture that represents all Australian servicemen and women.
“It stands as a testament to their inspiring sense of pride and purpose. It is a reminder to generations to come of the enormous debt our nation owes to their bravery.”
Dion Cross said it was an honour to build an artwork which represented such significance to Australia and to the Wandoan community.
“As an artist, to work on something that’s such an important part of Australian history is great, but also as an Australian to build something that commemorates the wars of the past really means a lot to me,” he said.
“The Wandoan Arts Council collected a whole lot of tools and scrap metal from the Solder Settler properties and these have become some of the key pieces of the sculpture.
“There’s a lot of meaning in the sculpture and it really gives the community a sense of ownership.
“The community up there in Wandoan is tremendous. I think they’ve got a sculpture that they can call their own and I’m sure it will mean a lot to them.”
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The Wandoan Arts Council would like to acknowledge:
The Western Downs Regional Council for their contribution towards the lighting of the sculpture and surrounding landscaping.
Wandoan Coal Project – Glencore representative has been very generous in sourcing the large sandstone rock from the property “Kimbarra” and donating all of the plants featured in the garden
JB Backhire Hire donated their time and the transport of the rock from “Kimbarra” to Wandoan
Brett from Darling Downs Freight Service in Dalby for the freight cost of transporting the flame tree from Dalby to Wandoan
Elite Cutting Tech Dalby for the donation of the dedication plaque
