These have been tough times for the North West Star as well as everywhere else in recent months with my colleagues stood down and our print publication suspended.
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But I'm fortunate enough to be still here and filing stories for our website and one of the joys of my job is meeting remarkable people from time to time.
I sat down with one of those, Father Mick Lowcock, to discuss his Queensland Greats award, announced on Saturday,
As ever he gave the matter much thought when I asked him what it meant.
gave the matter some thought when asked what did he think the award recognised.
"I think it is good for a priest to be recognised in this day and age when there is so much abuse and everything else," Father Mick said.
"There's a bit of recognition too for the North West because a lot happens in the South East corner, so it is good for some in the country to get an award."
It was indeed as was the OAM given to Pat Fennell in the Queen's Birthday honours list.
Now almost 87, Pat remains as sharp as a tack as she reflected on an extraordinary lifetime of achievements most notably the creation of the Centre for Rural and Remote Health in Mount Isa with Professor Dennis Pashen.
"We could see what was happening, our young people in tertiary education were no longer training on the wards, we were losing our young people who wanted to be nurses, they'd go to the big city and they didn't come back," she said.
"It was my dream that young people could get their training here, and stay with their families with the support they needed."
With Professor Pashen's medical contacts and Pat's lobbying and communication skills, together they helped found the Centre for Rural and Remote Health in Mount Isa as a place where medical students could train locally and affordably and "it gradually grew from there".
A wonderful legacy from a wonderful person.
Congratulations to her and Father Mick. Oh and also to Bruno Cullen on his AM.
Derek Barry
editor