State of our region

David manages the IFYS Housing and Support Services within the Sunshine Coast region, which delivers complex homeless case management, outreach, specialist homelessness accommodation services and emergency relief services. David has a passion for leading and working with individuals and families that are marginalised. David enjoys building strong collaborative relationships with stakeholders and has contributed greatly this year within the Sunshine Coast Housing and Homelessness Network (SCHHN) as well as being on the steering committee for “Hope for Homes” which is a Council-led initiative.

Mason Hope, 2023 Sunshine Coast Young Citizen of the Year, is a talented local musician, known for his advocacy and support for youth mental health and his involvement with arts planning for the region. 

Mason is a local committee member and national ambassador for Headspace and also recently assisted with the delivery of the REWIRED: Youth-led Mental Health festival, an initiative of UniSC’s Thompson Institute in partnership with Council. Earlier this year, Mason also attended the 2032 Legacy Forum along with other Sunshine Coast community representatives to help secure a positive legacy from the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games for our region.

Tim serves as a founding director of the Manufacturing Excellence Forum Sunshine Coast (MEFSC) in Queensland, Australia. This not-for-profit initiative aims to develop an advanced manufacturing cluster on the Sunshine Coast. The MEFSC fosters collaboration and innovation within the local manufacturing community, offering support through popular monthly events, manufacturing databases, behind-the-scenes facilitations and integrating industry and education.

Mathew is an environmental scientist and conservation advocate, with vast experience in environmental protection, community education and visual conservation media. He is passionate about environmental protection both locally and globally and has been a valued member of the Sunshine Coast TurtleCare Volunteering program since 2018.

Natasha is dedicated to working alongside people to strengthen local communities, particularly to build resilience in the face of disasters and other life challenges. As a resident, volunteer and community development practitioner, Natasha has co-created many groups and community-led initiatives across Glasshouse Country over the last 14 years.

Rhondda moved to Currimundi from western Queensland in 2002, after retiring from a cattle property.

Rhondda’s volunteering roles have been many and varied, including time spent at a Landcare group, Land for Wildlife, BushCare and TurtleCare and she is a member of Friends of Currimundi Lake. She has also published three books on plants.

Rhondda was the recipient of a Sunshine Coast Australia Day Environment Award.

Through BushCare, Rhondda is now looking at clean overland flows and drainage through local creeks and rivers to the ocean and revegetating and caring for the dunes.

Lachie is a world record pilot, speaker on emerging talent development, and chief executive of Sunshine Coast-based MedTech company Smartline Medical, an innovative manufacturer of high-tech medical equipment for endoscopy and sterilising departments within health facilities. In 2016, after 45,000km of hair-raising adventure, Lachie became the youngest person to fly solo around the world at the age of 18 with the mission of inspiring young people to raise their goalposts.