A Minute With The Mayor Ramon Jayo

On Sunday 6 April 2025, I had the pleasure of attending the Ingham Region Catholic Parish celebrations of the Jubilee for the World of Volunteers, an occasion to honour and show our appreciation to all the valued volunteers working in our district.

It was an opportunity to express our community’s gratitude and appreciation to the many people who stepped forward and volunteered to assist during the recent flood event, and an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the incredible selflessness and dedication of so many in our community that help throughout the year in our district in so many different vocations.

We must rightly recognise and formally thank the army of dedicated people who devote significant time and effort to assisting our community such as the State Emergency Service volunteers, the Salvation Army, Red Cross and Rural Fire Services.

We also have our volunteer community organisations such as Lions International and Rotary. We have organisations such as Meals on Wheels that could not function without their valued delivery drivers, and sporting fixtures for the juniors of our community would not exist but for the generosity of many who give their time so selflessly every week to make sure that grounds are prepared and matches organised.

Council's very own TYTO operations would not be supported to the current level of activity but for the tremendous volunteer support it receives, and these examples are but just a few of the areas that immediately come to mind where volunteers are assisting and making a substantial difference in all walks of life in our community.

I would also like to acknowledge the many members of our community who simply hooked in and helped where they thought help was needed as our recent flood crisis unfolded.

Whether it was manning a boat and helping with evacuations, providing shelter, cooking, sharing or distributing food and supplies, helping to clean up or moving equipment or furnishings, or simply offering emotional support, efforts no matter how small or trivial that you think they were, was nothing short of heroic to others impacted by the event, to some who lost a lot or everything.

These ordinary everyday citizens from all walks of life, including many from our various sporting clubs as well, showed the true sense of community, the caring neighbourly principle and the power of community — how together, we can face challenges and overcome adversity.

You put aside your own needs, your own safety, and your own comfort to help those in need in a manner that clearly evidenced that spirit and compassion for others still exists in our community.

Volunteers like you remind us that in times of crisis, there is always hope, because of people like you who dedicate their time and energy to making our community a better place.

On behalf of Council and our Hinchinbrook community, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our volunteers and we want you to know that your efforts on our behalf are truly appreciated and make a distinct difference in our community.

Thank you everyone.