Following a successful visit last month to Rockhampton schools, Capricorn Enterprise was pleased to welcome Olympic and Paralympic champions with Brisbane2032 representative Georgie Baumann to Yeppoon to participate in a “CQ Youth Game Changers” half day workshop with students from St. Brendan’s, St Ursulas and Yeppoon State High School. Nearly 100 students were challenged to think about where they will be in 6 years time, what are the Games going to look like for young people in CQ, with teams challenged to design a mascot for the 2032 Games which reflected a CQ theme with inclusivity.
Rugby Seven’s Olympian Maurice Longbottom and Paralympian swimming champion and record holder Rachael Watson, along with Brisbane 2032 rep Georgie Baumann and Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll encouraged the students, and were then given the difficult challenge of judging the winner across 15 teams. Two highly commended were “Chompa the Croc” and “Kylie the CrocaRoo”, with Bronze awarded to “Pete the Pineapple”, Silver awarded to “Benny Boy the Bull” and GOLD awarded to “Dan the Dingo”! Year 11 St Brendan’s students facilitated the day and did a fantastic job in encouraging the Year 9 students to work together with each other from three high schools, stepping out of their comfort zone. Our special guests thoroughly enjoyed the morning!
Also a shout out to Adrian Salkeld from GetMobilityCQ, who created his Rockhampton business eight years ago with purpose built vehicles to cater for wheelchairs.
Starting with one vehicle, his fleet has grown to nearly ten which demonstrates the need for this bespoke business, which allows the efficient and safe transportation of guests without the need of climbing in and out of wheelchair to car.
Our guests then enjoyed a whirlwind familiarisation tour of our beautiful region, visiting Mount Archer N/P Nurim Skywalk, Capricorn Caves, Koorana Crocodile Farm and Great Keppel Island. They thoroughly enjoyed a couple of nights stay at Salt Yeppoon and exceptional meals at The Clubhouse KBSC, Vue Wine Bar & Restaurant, The Waterline Restaurant Keppel Bay Marina (and CocoBrew Yeppoon drive through!) on our busy schedule. Very special thanks to the team at Keppel Konnections and Great Keppel Island Hideaway who particularly helped with our visit, with our Paralympian special guest Rachael Watson needing special assistance with her wheel chair. A buggy ride to Long Beach and The Lookout on GKI was something she said is truly memorable as a first-time experience for her! With the Olympics and Paralympics only six years away, as a destination, our reputation is one of inclusivity and sustainability for which we are proud, however Capricorn Enterprise will continue to work hard with our industry to advocate for a much needed Jetty on GKI so that it is more accessible for all visitors into the future.
Read previous article – Olympian & Paralympian Visits To Local High Schools: https://capricornenterprise.com.au/2026/07/olympian-paralympian-visits-to-local-high-schools/
