The busy person in this case is Theresa Scobie, mother of four, owner of Cloncurry's gift shop, Gidgee Baskets, part-time nurse and secretary to the Cloncurry Arts Council.

The last position is the one that makes her squirm; she never feels quite up to the job.

"It's like a roller-coaster that never ends.

I'm not the world's best secretary, but somehow we get there," she laughs, admitting that if she won Lotto, she would pay someone to be assistant secretary.

It's her love of art that gets her through and feeds her passion for the Arts Council and what it achieves.

"People from the bush can experience art through our exhibitions.

"You're looking at someone who flew to Sydney at the age of 21 to see Renoir's world exhibition!"

Theresa joined the Curry Arts Society when she was 18.

The society amalgamated with the Ernest Henry memorial Art contest which is still the main project for the Arts Council.

She has been involved in helping with the art contest since she was pregnant with her first child, Angus, now nine.

"Each kid has been dragged around - thank goodness for portable DVD players!"

She likes to keep it in the family; her husband, Percy Scobie is now president of the Arts Council and she proudly explains they have only had four presidents in 53 years.

Percy is the superintendent of the Concentrator at Ernest Henry Mine.

It's a busy household with Theresa working two shifts a fortnight as a registered nurse.

She has travelled the world but has lived in Cloncurry all her life.

"I haven't found anywhere else that interests me to live," she says simply.

Now in its 52nd year, the annual Art Exhibition is an all consuming project that starts soon after the last one finishes.

It attracts artists from all over the state and has a generous prize pool of between $15,000 to $16,000.

Theresa ticks the program off on her fingers, speaking rapidly in short sentences:

"In February we send sponsorship letters out; in May the entry forms go out to every arts committee in the state.

"In June we start the fundraising, and on the second Saturday in September we hold the exhibition."

The contest is open to all forms of art - paintings, photography, drawing, a junior section.

"Every year we try and build the numbers up a bit more."

The weeks leading up to the exhibition are hectic.

"We organise the catering, a makeshift bar is set up.

"The entry forms are catalogued, then we have to pick up the paintings and art work."

They come in by bus and land at the Post Office.

On the Sunday before the exhibition, all the works are unpacked and put into categories and catalogued.

"We put all the stands up, organise the lighting, the hanging.

"Our local artist Barb Hansen always helps us.

"The booklets are put together by the Thursday.

"Saturday night it opens and runs till Wednesday lunchtime.

"Then we start packing up all the art works and sending the ones that haven't sold back to the artists."

Theresa said she has to shut up her shop while the art show is on.

"I just couldn't manage the two of them!"

The kids fit in around the event, she says.

"I've always had a kid in tow, and we just get into it."

She is very excited about the art exhibition this year.

"We'll be in the new precinct, and I'll have a dishwasher!"