35 SARA HALES

TOOWOOMBA Wellcamp Airport general manager Sara Hales has charted an unconventional path to hold the position of influence she does today as the operational boss of the nation’s newest airport.

From the dusty plains of sprawling cattle stations in the Northern Territory and Gulf country, Mrs Hales has channelled her considerable experience into running the operation, having worked her way up from a grassroots level.

She joined the airport endeavour at its infancy as a community liaison consultant in November 2013, charged with listening to neighbouring landowners about their concerns and working with them to see the project progress.

By March the next year, Mrs Hales had become the community and tourism development manager, shifting her focus to include developing the economic benefits to the wider Darling Downs region through increased visitor numbers.

She led the establishment of the international cargo business at Wellcamp Airport, making commercial and operational arrangements for Cathay Pacific’s 747-8f weekly cargo service to Hong Kong in November 2016.

Mrs Hales was a key figure in securing Australian Border Force and immigration approvals for the first international passenger flight from Toowoomba to Shanghai in October 2016 run by Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise. The inaugural flight’s success led to the second staging of international passenger travel, with a TSBE cohort chartered to New Zealand this year.

It’s an impressive list of accomplishments for the former jillaroo who remains at the helm of the $250 million airport which has been hailed as a cornerstone of the region’s economic growth.