Woodford Folk Festival great gets gong
The driving force behind the Woodford Folk Festival, a baseball player and a parenting expert are among those to be recognised with one of Queensland's top gongs.
The 2018 Queensland Greats winners were revealed at an event at the Queensland Art Gallery on Friday night, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk praising them for their passion to go above and beyond.
The individual winners were: founder of Woodfordia Bill Hauritz, equality activist Gail Ker, education and heritage advocate Associate Professor Henrietta Marrie, baseball legend David Nilsson and parenting academic Professor Matthew Sanders.
Ms Palaszczuk said all five of the Queenslanders were great in every sense of the word.
"They have made a profound and sustained difference in their respective sector - differences that have reverberated across the state, and will leave a lasting and positive impact on many Queenslanders," she said.
The institution award was presented to the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland.
"The commitment, empathy and generosity of St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland brings critical support to the lives of so many Queenslanders," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"We are thankful for the support they provide to our communities, and those who need it most."
The late Councillor Graham "Butch" Lenton, mayor of Winton Shire Council, received a posthumous award for his commitment to Winton and his lasting legacy to the region.
Queensland Greats are honoured with commemorative plaques displayed at Roma Street Parkland in Brisbane.
Mr Hauritz is the driving force behind the Woodford Folk Festival, the biggest community-driven cultural event in the nation and which injects millions into the state's economy every year.
Under Mr Hauritz's leadership, the festival has engaged more than 47,000 volunteers, helped build the arts sector and created opportunities for more than 30,000 artists.
Ms Ker is the CEO of Access Community Services, and she has used her industry experience in the multicultural, humanitarian and community sectors to change lives for more than 20 years, and also recently launched her 99 Steps to End Domestic Violence program.
Associate Professor Marrie is a Gimuy Walubara Yidinji elder. After lecturing at Griffith University in Brisbane, she returned to Cairns to develop the Cairns College of Technical and Further Education's Aboriginal ranger training program, and inspired thousands of Indigenous students.
She became the first Indigenous Australian to gain a professional position with the United Nations in 1997.
Mr Nilsson is a retired professional baseball player, who purchased the first Australian Baseball League in 1999 to keep professional baseball alive in Australia.
He represented Australia at the Olympics in 2000 and 2004, and has been the head of the Brisbane Bandits since 2014.
Professor Sanders is the founder of the positive parenting program known as Triple P, which has been translated into 22 languages and used in 28 countries by more than 76,000 practitioners.
Mr Lenton spent more than 20 years within council pursuing his vision for the region, including his drive to rebuild the Waltzing Matilda Centre and the introduction of geothermal power to the area.