Pat Fennell wants people to get involved in their community

But then, why would she, as a Queensland Great herself. 

Pat was one of five esteemed recipients – and the only woman – to earn the honour in 2015 alongside the late Steve Irwin, humanitarian scientist Professor James Dale, philanthropist Andrew Brice, artist Robert MacPherson and broadcasting pioneer John Gleeson.

Pat said there was plenty of organisations around that were looking for passionate volunteers.

“If you want to make a difference, join an organisation that is going the way you feel you want to go and put your heart and soul into it,” Pat said.

“Don’t be afraid to go along and say what you think because sometimes very good ideas come out of that.”

Over the years Pat had many good ideas and she was deservedly honoured as a Queensland Great for her extensive community work and her fearless advocacy for the bush.

Now retired on a cattle property near Mount Isa with husband Mark, she was involved with numerous groups including the Women's Council for Rural and Regional Areas, the National Health Council and she was also president of the Mount Isa Landcare Council.

But it was especially during her time with the Cattle Council of Australia that she established her reputation for getting things done.

Pat was one of the instigators of the live cattle trade into Indonesia and the Philippines and was on the Minister’s advisory committee into the practice.

"As I travelled around the Gulf country, it became very evident to me there was a golden opportunity to assist northern graziers to be on an equal footing with their southern counterparts," Pat said.

“I organised a big meeting in Karumba and invited the Indonesians and the Chinese and others.”

Pat said the live trade was a great thing for people of the north Pacific, who needed protein.

"They have surplus labour and fodder there, so to me it was a win-win situation,” she said.

Her experiences living on isolated cattle stations - including often calling upon the Royal Flying Doctor Service for an injured stockman or a sick child - inspired Pat's passion for improving remote health services.

When the Fennells moved to Mount Isa two decades ago, Pat did something about it with Professor Dennis Pashen of the National Health Council.

Together they helped found the Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health as a place where medical students could train locally. 

“We trained people who don’t want to leave home and who want to get into medical services,”  Pat said.

"Prior to that, they all had to go to Townsville or Brisbane, and many of them never returned,"

"Allowing them to stay here and work in their community means we've retained many of those nurses and doctors."

Pat’s other big area of influence was communications.

“As I was getting involved in it, we were just getting into teleconferencing. Prior to that all the meetings you had to go to, you had to travel everywhere,” she said.

“When teleconferencing came in, you could all get together on your own phone and have a really good meeting.”

Pat said her suggestion to anyone where they can see something that really needs doing, was to roll their sleeves up and do it themselves.

“Don’t just sit back and think someone will do it, don’t be afraid to come forward and investigate how you can help do it.”