CHINCHILLA’S cultural and entertainment hub will undergo an $8.4 million facelift aimed to better “open up” the precinct and reach its full potential in the middle of the town’s main street.
Maranoa MP David Littleproud today visited Chinchilla, his home town, to announce $6.9 million of the federal government’s Local Road and Community Infrastructure fund to be spent revamping the Chinchilla Cultural Centre.
The initiative will give the entertainment hall, courtyard and cinema a new, modern facade and also involve the complete redevelopment of Chinchilla’s renowned Lapunyah Art Gallery.
(L-R) Maranoa MP David Littleproud and WDRC mayor Paul McVeigh announce the redevelopment of the Chinchilla Cultural Centre
“This facility does need an upgrade and it’s about the amenity of life in regional and rural Australia, and making sure Chinchilla keeps pace,” Mr Littleproud said.
“We have to attract people to the bush and by putting these kinds of investments – upgrading our cinemas and our libraries and art galleries – means that people can come and live out here.”
“It’s pretty exciting for me as a Chinchilla boy. The art gallery used to be the library when I was a kid, so to see the progression with these kinds of investments is very exciting. I think Chinchilla will be proud of this investment.”
SLIDESHOW – Artist impressions
The balance of the total $8 million upgrade will be funded by the Western Downs Regional Council.
Redevelopment works are scheduled to start in July this year and be completed by June 2023, supporting up to 40 local jobs during construction.
Western Downs mayor Paul McVeigh said the design of the new Chinchilla Cultural Centre would “open up” the facility to Heeney St and make the centre more inviting for visitors.
“This project will breathe new life into this popular local precinct, which is home to our Customer Contact Centre, Cultural Centre, Library, Cinema, and Lapunyah Art Gallery,” Cr McVeigh said.
“The revitalisation is unique to the local area and will create new opportunities for the community to come together to enjoy activities and community events, while also encouraging visitors to spend more time in the region.
Maranoa MP David Littleproud and WDRC mayor Paul McVeigh with (L-R) Helen Dennis and Gail Taylor of Lapunyah Art Gallery
“This project was fast-tracked as part of Council’s COVID-19 Recovery Package to secure and create jobs and enhance the liveability of the region, and we are delighted the Australian Government has partnered with us to deliver this exciting project for the region.”
Lapunyah Art Gallery president Gail Tailor said its redevelopment would greatly improve the experience of gallery visitors and create new ways to showcase the region’s artistic talent.
“It’s absolutely fantastic. We’ve been waiting for something like this for so long and it’s just wonderful,” Ms Tailor said.
“To know that we have a completion date to look forward to is very exciting and we can’t wait to see what new opportunities it will bring.”
NINETEEN outstanding individuals and groups will receive a prestigious Australia Day Local Award on January 26, recognising the incredible achievements of the people who make the Western Downs such a special place to live.
Western Downs Regional Council has revealed the recipients of this year’s Australia Day Local Awards, which acknowledge the amazing achievements of residents in the areas of sport, creative arts, volunteering, and community organisations.
Mayor Paul McVeigh said the Awards were about recognising excellence in the region’s local towns across a variety of categories.
“Our region’s prestigious Australia Day Awards are a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the people in our community who are achieving incredible things in their local towns,” Cr McVeigh said.
“This year we have 19 individuals and organisations receiving special recognition for their outstanding contributions to the region and excellence in their chosen field whether it be a talented sportsperson, creative artist, outstanding volunteer, or incredible community group.
“Here in the Western Downs, it’s the people that make it – and myself and my fellow Councillors look forward to officially recognising our winners at this year’s Australia Day events.
“This is a special time to come together as one community and celebrate the people that make our region so great, and I encourage everyone to head along to their local event and be a part of the festivities.”
2022 Australia Day Awards – Local Award Winners
Local Volunteer of the Year
Chinchilla & District – Ross Cardillo
Dalby & District – Paige Cartwright
Jandowae & District – Linda Wells
Miles & District – Kerry Mulholland
Tara & District – Brigetta Sternes
Wandoan & District – Robert Williams
Local Creative Arts Award
Chinchilla & District – Grant Dolbel
Dalby & District – Rachel Redlich
Miles & District – Miles Regional Arts Council Playwriting Development Program
Tara & District – Glenmorgan Art Group
Wandoan & District – Wandoan Arts Council Inc
Local Community Organisation Achievement Award
Chinchilla & District – Chinchilla Community Commerce and Industry
Miles & District – Miles Back to the Bush Festival
Wandoan & District – Wandoan Camel Races Committee
Local Sports Award
Chinchilla & District – Gabrielle Hicks
Dalby & District – Jessika Bliesner
Miles & District – Amity Salisbury
Tara & District – William Hallinan
Wandoan & District – Paige Miles
The Regional Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year will be announced on Australia Day.
For more information about this year’s local winners, visit Council’s website.
SMALL businesses across the Western Downs are reaping rewards from a free business growth advisory service which helps to take their ventures to the next level.
The Western Downs Business Navigator program, an initiative of Shell QGC’s business, has helped the region’s entrepreneurs grow in all areas of business since 2018.
The Business Navigator team comprising Paulene Rorich, Ailsa Cass and Suzanne Wood provide tailored coaching and support to local businesses with expertise across accounting, advertising, digital, brand and strategy.
Lead business coach Paulene, whose background is in HR, business systems and strategy, said the Navigator team was excited to help business grow as the Western Downs begins to embrace the post-pandemic recovery.
“There’s a very diverse economy in the Western Downs, the region is bustling, and that creates a lot of new opportunities for sole operators who are just starting out or small business wanting to expand,” Paulene said.
“One of our focusses is on business model diversification – helping businesses take what they do well and adapting it for wider market.
““We can also support clients to expand and extend their reach. Just because a business is based in the Western Downs, doesn’t mean they can only serve the local community. There’s a global community for a product that has wide appeal.”
Paulene Rorich, lead business coach with the Western Downs Business Navigator program
Clients engage with the Business Navigator team at various stages of their small business journey.
The program has been vital in helping to commercialise what began as a simple product idea or a working passion- through assistance with business fundamentals, marketing or strategic direction.
The team also works with more established clients looking to super-charge their growth, whether by employing more staff or finding new markets for their product or service.
“Everyone starts off small. A lot of our clients are owner-operators who wear multiple hats and fill different roles within the business at one time or another,” Ailsa Cass said.
“They’re doing the HR, the marketing, the payroll. This can have a real impact on business owners. We help them take a step back to understand what is needed for the business to thrive and grow.
“Business Navigator can step in and help them with functions such as planning, marketing and strategy. We can also be hands-on with things like writing marketing content and developing social media posts, helping clients get to a point where they then can engage an outsourced service.”
Western Downs Business Navigator consultants Ailsa Cass and Suzanne Wood
Business coach Suzanne Wood, an accountant, said the team worked together to support clients with their individual needs and business fundamentals.
“Projects or clients are welcome to ask us for help or advice at any stage, whether they have just launched a start-up or have been up and running for a few years,” Suzanne said.
“We tailor the advice and support to suit the client and their specific business needs; one might need cashflow and budgeting assistance, another might need digital marketing help to better define their online presence.
Ailsa Cass’s background is in marketing, having previously held senior marketing roles in successful organisations based in Toowoomba, Brisbane and Sydney.
“We’ve helped a diverse range of clients from launching Jubri’s wedding and boutique function venue, helping bricks and motor stores launch online, delivering visual identity to pubs and hotels with their branding, and much more,” Ailsa said.
“A lot of small business owners are solo operators which can be lonely. Our clients really appreciate having someone to bounce ideas off and to provide structure and purpose to move their business forward.”
Judy and Brian Harms, grateful clients of the Western Downs Business Navigator program
Among the success stories from the Business Navigator program are Jubri’s Hideaway, a boutique venue based in Dalby which this year won both the local Chamber of Commerce’s Tourism Award and finished in the Top 5 of the Brides Choice Awards from Country Queensland Weddings in its 12 months in business.
Having launched their venue in August of 2020, Jubri’s Hideaway owners Judy and Brian Harms said the Navigator service was crucial to their business’s success.
“Words could not possibly describe how helpful they’ve been,” Judy said.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today without them. They’ve been so important with all of our website, social media and marketing, and we’re still using their services today.”
Another grateful client of Business Navigator is Miles-based homewares, clothing and accessories retailer Lisa Kennedy Collections.
With the help of the Business Navigator team, Lisa Kennedy has been able to take her products to a national and international market with a new online venture to complement her bricks and mortar store on Murilla St, Miles.
“We all know retail is tough in regional areas. To grow and expand, I knew I needed to get online, so I was delighted to be introduced to the Business Navigator Western Downs team,” Lisa said.
“Just having someone to push me along who is as invested in my business as I am is great. I’ve really appreciated the advice and assistance of their marketing guru Ailsa Cass in creating the online store.”
Business Navigator Western Downs is supported by Shell’s QGC business and delivered by Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise. The social investment program, supported by Shell’s joint venture partners Tokyo Gas and CNOOC, contributes to a strong and diverse economy within the Western Downs.
The program was developed in consultation with Western Downs business communities, who indicated that a strong, diversified economy that was important to them; Business Navigators was designed to support and enable local small business to grow sustainably.
TWO cars and four motorbikes were stolen and dumped in a wild crime rampage around Goondiwindi overnight which culminated with two robbers in balaclavas threatening a farmer at knifepoint.
The thieves also stole thousands of dollars worth of tools and attempted to break into a gun cabinet, in what locals say is a dramatic escalation of an ongoing crimewave that’s making the wider Goondiwindi community increasingly fed up.
The Caller understands two utes and three bikes were stolen in the township during the night, before the rampage continued throughout this morning across several rural properties just over the NSW border towards Yetman.
One of the utes has since been found burnt out near Boggabilla.
The last property off Tucka Tucka Rd was hit about 6am, when the culprits brazenly waved to a 7-year-old boy playing in the front yard of his rural homestead before stealing a quad bike which had been parked in an adjacent farm shed.
Map showing the location of the robbery near Goondiwindi
“I was just inside at the time and my wife was out jogging, and they came past in broad daylight and said g’day to my son,” said property owner told the Caller.
“They’d already stolen one quad bike and two two-wheelers from in town, then came and took off with one of ours.
“I jumped in the car and chased after them on two of the bikes and managed to run them off the dirt road a couple times. They dumped one of the bikes and then both got on the second one.
“Eventually I caught up with them and they started ramming my vehicle and calling me scum. When I bailed them up one of them pulled out a knife and that’s when I backed off.”
The victim said he understood the knife was a large pig hunting tool which had been attached to the bike they’d stolen from the first property.
“It was a big knife, the size of a large kitchen knife,” he said.
The culprits, both estimated to be aged in their early 20s, took off together on the bike, sparking a search involving local police, sniffer dogs, neighbours and one local farmer with a helicopter.
Eventually the remaining four-wheeler was spotted from the helicopter, dumped upturned in an estuary of the Macintyre River.
The Caller has contacted local police for further details about the incidents.
A neighbour with a farming helicopter spotted a stolen quad bike, upturned and dumping in an estuary of the Mactinyre RiverA new Toyota Landcruiser stolen from a Goondiwindi property in 2018
In 2018 the family had a new Toyota Landcruiser stolen from their property and torched nearby.
“It’s just a game for them. There’s no purpose, they’re not selling anything, they’re just bored,” he said.
“Everyone’s getting absolutely sick of it, and someone’s going to get hurt one day.”
SEVEN NEWS STORY FROM JUNE 2021
According to police statistics, crime, particularly vehicle thefts and break-ins, have been rampant in the Goondiwindi area over the past year.
There was a peak of 138 criminal offences in May alone last year but there’s been a downward trend in recent months. So far there have been 55 offences for during the month of January.
Crime trend in the Goondiwindi local government area of the past twelve months. IMAGE: QPS
BY THE time lot number 1229 goes through the ring at this year’s Magic Millions Yearling Sales on the Gold Coast, the Gleeson family of Chinchilla will be celebrating their growing success as a bush thoroughbred breeding business that’s making its mark on the Australian racing industry.
Lot 1229 will be the last of 10 yearlings bred by Gleeson Thoroughbred Connections (GTC) to go under the hammer at the iconic Glitter Strip horse sales. An 11th horse of theirs was withdrawn because of an injury.
In a sign of the Gleesons’ expanding operation and growing interest in their horses, last year GTC had only one horse sent to the Gold Coast in January and four the previous year.
Wally Gleeson and stable employee Jordon Fox prepare GTC’s yearling consignment for the 2022 Magic Millions sales
“This year we bred 13 foals and we’re flattered that Magic Millions has taken 11 of those to the sale,” said Wally Gleeson.
“On this occasion we’re sending our first Gleeson-bred filly from one of our foundation mares, which we raced (Bimini Road). She won in the city and she now has a foal here in this consignment by Impending.
“It’s not something that happens overnight. We think we’re only halfway after 12 years, but we’re developing to the extent where we have sold horses now racing all over the eastern states of Australia.”
The success of Gleeson-bred champion Rothfire, nicknamed “The Thriller From Chinchilla”, is well documented.
Other top performers of late include Alleboom, Love For All and Menari Magic – the sole horse sold by GTC at last year’s Magic Millions which won the Pat O’Shea Plate in its first start at Toowoomba last September.
Tough debut win for Menari Magic in the Pat O'Shea Plate @RaceQLD! Congratulations to trainer Paul Butterworth and connections 💪 pic.twitter.com/VFOJSeFeKY
Wally’s wife Jill and their sons Jacob, Simon and Tom and families make up GTC.
Wally manages most of the hands-on day to day aspects of the business. Jacob and Tom work as doctors in Toowoomba and Victoria respectively while Simon heads up the Droughtmaster Stud Breeders Society from Brisbane.
Come sales time, it’s a full family affair to prepare and process the horses and hopefully watch a year’s worth of hard work pay off in the sales ring.
“We all really enjoy going down to the coast every year, catching up with immediate and extended family,” Wally said.
“Jacob says he works all year just to go to the sales in January, so everyone’s pretty hyped.”
Bloodstock agent Jim Clarke, a cousin of the Gleesons who purchased one of their 10 Magic Millions yearlings
In a pleasing family coincidence, one of the first GTC horses sold this week was purchased by Jim Clarke of Clarke Bloodstock, a cousin of the three Gleeson sons.
Lot number 157 is by Spirit of Boom out of Jefe, and was one of the GTC horses which Wally Gleeson was most excited about.
“She’s really impressed me in terms of attitude, balance and physique. She’s a really nice type coming through,” he said.
Jim Clarke said: “The sire is one of the best in Queensland and wins city races week-in-week-out. The prize money on offer with the QTIS bonus for Queensland-bred fillies is outstanding.”
“I grew up watching and working with the Gleeson family on their horse property. Knowing that they are outstanding horseman gave me plenty of confidence to buy a horse from their draft for the first time.”
From the GTC consignment, there’s also been significant interest in Lot 781, a chestnut colt by Neorealism out of Be Alle Belle.
MORE than 2000 revellers from as far away as Cooktown, Mackay and Winton descended on Taroom for the D & E Murray Builders New Year’s Day race meeting.
Taroom is one of only four racetracks in Queensland to race anti-clockwise as it was surveyed by the same surveyor who surveyed the Moonee Valley racetrack in Victoria in 1883.
The threat of rain brought the race schedule forward, but the clouds held off allowing for a beautiful day of summer racing without the high temperatures experienced earlier that week.
Dawson Jockey Club past president Graham Rewald said the field was a good average with only a few scratchings due to being a jockey short.
“The track was a good four and the race results were shared around by the trainers and jockeys,” he said.
A1 Gabby Cheesman, Emerald, and Isabella Hanson, Theodore.
Alicia Saville, Dirranbandi and Will Hacker, Muckadilla.
Alicia Saville, Dirranbandi, Elizabeth Reis, Toowoomba, Louise Wagner, Toowoomba, and Sarah Mayne, Bonshaw.
Best Dressed Lady Aiva Williams, Aramac
Best Dressed Lady Aiva Williams, Aramac
Cassandra and Leah Kath, Forsayth.
Cody Hill, Clarke Creek and Jasper Dando, Brisbane.
Georgia Otto, Emerald and Remy Streeter, Marlborough.
Laura Maeyke and Carly Augustine.
Riley Flynn, Miles, Chloe Scott, Emerald and Mikayla Davey, Stanthorpe.
Jockey Robert Faehr took out Race 5 The Taroom Welding Worx Des Johnson Memorial on Try To Be Good trained by Warwick’s Michael Hemmings.
This was a return to form for the five year old gelding which had had a disappointing run recently after winning the QTIS Maiden Plate at Chinchilla in November, 2021.
Dawson Jockey Club President David Parry-Okeden said despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, the race meet was very successful.
“This is a highlight on the country racing calendar and it is great to see more and more young people making the trip and to hear them say that it’s one of their must attend events,” he said.
“We’ve had to adjust how we move forward with Covid, but our patrons respected this which made the day run a lot smoother.
“The races are only possible due to our generous sponsors and the tireless behind the scenes work by our committee and all our other volunteers so thank you to anyone who assisted.”
A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN major upgrade of the Tara Lagoon parkland will be complete with the addition of a “bush tucker trail” aimed to acknowledge and celebrate the Western Downs region’s proud indigenous heritage.
The popular recreational and caravan camping spot on the northern side of town has undergone a $4.8 million facelift which the local council said would drive economic activity and entice more visitors to the area.
There are now some 28 powered caravan sites with upgraded ammenities blocks, children’s playgrounds, exercise facilities, and a 2.8km footpath around the lagoon which includes a modern boardwalk along the southern banks.
The project has been led by the Tara Futures Group, which secured funding from the Western Downs Regional Council, the state and federal governments, and major regional gas companies Origin and Shell QGC.
Tara Futures Group president Bob Duncan, group members Joe Abbott and Ken Riddiford, and Western Downs mayor Paul McVeigh
Former Tara Futures Group president Joe Abbott said the concept and planning of the Lagoon Parklands upgrade was carried out solely by community members.
“It was a big effort but it was a community effort and we were able to carry it through,” Mr Abbott said.
“To begin with, we decided to have what we called an ‘inspirational walk’ to see what we could do down here at the lagoon, and from that we got a whole lot of ideas – there were 48 people involved in the walk.
“We consulted with the community the whole time about what we were doing and how we were going about it.
“It’s a big area, there’s a lot of room here, and there’s even more room to do more. We’re looking at a few add on projects.”
Tara Futures Group member and local indigenous leader Ken Riddiford, with a plaque at the lagoons acknowledging the Barunggam people
Tara Futures Group member and local indigenous leader Ken Riddiford will spearhead the addition of “bush tucker trail” at the parklands aimed to celebrate the Barunggam indigenous people who are native to the area.
He said fruits, seeds, nuts and plants used to make tools and medicines would be planted around the lagoon to educate visitors on the native flora and fauna used by local Aboriginals.
“We’ve talked about having Aboriginal content within the parklands, and probably one of the easiest and best ways to do that in the beginning is to put a bush tucker trail down,” Mr Riddiford said.
“Bob Duncan and I will be looking for places to do it and types of trees we want to plant.
“We want to have trees that were of use to the local Barunggam people, so that we can create the foods they were eating and building gunyah huts and that sort of thing.
Barunggam land covers are large part of the region between Moonie, Dalby, the Bunya Mountains, Barakula and Condamine.
“The Barrangum people would have been living here during good seasons like we have now, because the food sources wouldn’t have been great during drier times.
“Generally they would have followed the Condamine River around. That was their main sources of finding food. Most of our boundaries were defined by waterways and ridges.”
Some 28 powered caravan sites have been added to the Tara Lagoon ParklandsSisters Cassidy and Reagan Shaw enjoy the new playground facilities at the lagoon
Western Downs Regional Council mayor Paul McVeigh said the upgrades at the Tara Lagoon Parkland had delivered safe, modern facilities that promote the natural beauty of the Lagoon Parklands.
“This project which has delivered a variety of exciting new facilities including a beautiful new boardwalk over the lagoon, nearly one kilometre of new concrete footpaths, water bubblers, fire pits, picnic settings, significant landscaping, new barbeque areas, new amenities and new bitumen roads,” he said.
“This is a great example of Government and community working together to achieve a fantastic outcome for the area, and I thank the Tara Futures Group for their integral role in the projects.”
The lagoon has 2.8km of upgraded concrete walkways, as well as a boardwalk
AUSTRALIA’S proud ovine industry has done it again.
In time for Australia Day and true to form, Lamb Australia has partnered with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) to produce another hilarious annual advertisement for our most tender meat delicacy.
Eccentric sports commentator Sam Kekovich returns as the face of MLA’s Australian Lamb campaign, which taps into our national psyche in famously amusing and irreverent fashion at the height of every Summer.
The clips are known for featuring cameos of well known Australian identities and making us laugh with self-depreciating Aussie humour – and this year is no exception.
Titled “The Lost Country of the Pacific”, the ad this year pokes fun at some of the more questionable situations Australia has found itself in amid the pandemic, all the while promoting lamb in time for Australia Day celebrations.
HIS record and accolades as a rugby league five-eighth speak for themselves.
But John “Jack” Gleeson, the man beneath the Kangaroos jersey, has been remembered by loved ones as a generous community member and family man with a proud singing voice and “beautiful” handwriting, who grew up on the back of a horse in his hometown of Chinchilla.
Gleeson passed away peacefully on Christmas Day, three days shy of his 83rd birthday.
His beloved wife Dawn previously passed. Gleeson is survived by his six children and 11 grandchildren.
His life was celebrated at the Chinchilla Catholic Church by family, friends and generations of rugby league identities from Chinchilla and across the Darling Downs.
Jack Gleeson passed away on Christmas Day, three days short of his 83rd birthday
Gleeson’s gifts as a footballer were recognised in his very early days.
The local state primary school would routinely poach him from the convent school whenever they played in a carnival around the district.
“He stood out, and that is where the seed sprouted to set him off to become one of Australia’s finest rugby league players,” said close friend David Fuller, who delivered the eulogy alongside Gleeson’s brother, Trevor.
“John was always a humble man with strong humanitarian values. He never traded his success in rugby league to further his position in life.”
John “Jack” Gleeson, Kangaroo No. 391
But Gleeson’s talents on the sporting field took him a long way.
Throughout the 1960s, he captained the Queensland maroons and made 32 appearances in the green and gold Australian Kangaroos jersey, playing on three international tours to the UK and Europe.
He was inducted into the Queensland Sporting Hall of Fame and the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame, and was made an honorary member of the Men of League.
Gleeson’s representative career included 32 appearance for the Kangaroos
Gleeson’s career as a professional footballer began with his move as a teenager from Chinchilla to Toowoomba, where he’d become a legend of the Toowoomba All Whites football club.
Scouts from the big smoke came calling soon after, and Gleeson would go on to excel as a playmaker for the Wynumm-Manly Seagulls and Brisbane Brothers.
Headlines in the press throughout those years included “League bushie who came good” and “Toowoomba has found a new star”.
Jack Gleeson (centre) played for the Kangaroos on three international tours
As David Fuller remembered, Gleeson’s brothers were also fine footballers.
Beneath one article in a scrap book kept by family, he’d written in his “beautiful handwriting” the passage “to my brothers, the best footballers I know”.
Trevor Gleeson spoke of how his brother would don full footballing attire, even for training, and abided by his personal belief that, “if you’re going to be a footballer – look like a footballer”.
“He was playing five-eighth for Brisbane one year, and I was picked to play five-eighth for Toowoomba,” Trevor Gleeson remembered.
“We ran out onto the football field in front of the grand stand. We shook hands and I said to him ‘good luck’. He said to me ‘look at your dirty bloody boots!’.”
Jack Gleeson and his beloved wife, Dawn
He excelled on the world stage, but perhaps where Gleeson left his most profound impact was in his home town of Chinchilla.
After his playing career, he made an enormous contribution to the local Chinchilla Bulldogs rugby league club as a president and coach. The main oval at Bulldog Park is named in his honour. He was a life member and patron of the club.
“John had great empathy for his fellowman and wore his heart on his sleeve,” Fuller said.
“He spent many hours of his own time over many years helping people who might be doing it tough and endeavouring to lighten their burden a little.
“He also found time while president of the Chinchilla Bulldogs to host Christmas parties for people who had lost a partner or who might be spending Christmas alone.”
Following his funeral, Gleeson’s daughter Jacqueline said: “It was his time to go. He lived a good life.”
THE devastated family of Chinchilla teenager Kurt Budden has confirmed the tragic news that the 16-year-old has died as a result of injuries suffered in a workplace accident in town last Friday, just a few weeks into his mechanical apprenticeship.
Kurt was airlifted to hospital in Brisbane about 2.30pm on Friday after becoming trapped between the tray of a truck and its chassis at the mechanics business on Taylor St where he worked.
He’d suffered severe head and chest injuries and was flown to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition.
Kurt’s father, Steve Budden, shared that tragic news online that his son had last night succumbed to his injuries. Kurt is survived by his parents, Steve and Sandra, and older siblings Brooke and Jackson.
“It is with the heaviest hearts that we need to say that last night Kurt Budden couldn’t win his fight,” Steve Budden wrote.
“We love you Kurt more than you ever imagined and that will live with us forever.
“Never in my wildest dreams would anyone imagine that their son could go to work on Friday morning and then never see him smile and talk again.”
A report about the circumstances of the fatal incident will be prepared for the coroner.
Family and friends have remembered Kurt Budden as a hardworking young man who enjoyed football, motorbikes and the outdoors.
Friends paying tribute to Kurt Budden online have remembered him as a hardworking young man who enjoyed football, motorbikes and the outdoors.
“They say only the good die young, and while it doesn’t make it any easier for anyone, Kurt lived an incredible 16 years because of his generous, hard working parents,” one friend wrote.
“It’s been humbling to see the support our little community has given the Buddens, we know firsthand the comfort it brings to know everyone is behind you every step of the way.
“Rest in paradise Kurt, you’re so loved and you’re going to be so very missed.”
Another friend wrote: “Rest In Peace my little brother. Am very grateful to have such an amazing mate. Fly high mate. I love you”.
Another friend wrote: “Our mate Kurty, god only takes the best. No words in this world will describe how much your beautiful soul & your cheeky smile will be missed. Our hearts are broken for you, your Mum Dad Brother & Sister. Fly high darling boy, you will forever be young & forever be a football star up in that sky. We love ya buddy & will always think about you everyday.”
Kurt Budden is being remembered as a hardworking young man who enjoyed football, motorbikes and the outdoors.
