CITY’S NO. 1
MAYOR Paul Antonio has today been named Toowoomba’s most influential person by The Chronicle.
Cr Antonio said he was very proud to have been unveiled as number one in the 2020 Power 100 series.
“It’s nice,” Cr Antonio said.
“But when you look at what has happened under my leadership, it’s not been done by me, but collectively by the council I have led.”
THESE are Toowoomba’s most influential people, the men and women who make our city what it is today.
Some of the faces you will know, others might come as a surprise.
Over the past two weeks,
The Chronicle has counted down our 100 most powerful people, online and in print.
Power and influence are a subjective thing, so you might not agree with everyone we have put, or haven’t put, on the list.
Email who you think should be on the list and why to news@thechronicle.com.au.
10. Ali Davenport
Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise CEO Ali Davenport has quickly become one of the most passionate advocates for the Toowoomba region.
She took over the top job at Toowoomba’s economic development board in 2018 and quickly set about building up the region’s export potential.
She is regularly seen championing projects such as Inland Rail, gas projects and renewable energy projects.
In the past year, Ali has been one of the leading voices in finding solutions to some of the biggest issues facing Toowoomba, as set out in The Chronicle’s Future Toowoomba campaign.
Before joining TSBE, Ali worked as a regional general manager across various media organisations, including News Corp and Southern Cross Austereo.
Ali placed 40 in the last Power 100.
9. Shirley-Anne Gardiner
Shirley-Anne Gardiner has been the executive director of the Toowoomba Hospital since 2016.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, not only has she been one of the leading health responders in the region through her role at the hospital, but she has also driven the community response to the pandemic.
A board member of Safer Toowoomba Regional Partnership, Shirley-Anne formed the Vulnerable Communities group just after the start of the pandemic.
At the height of the crisis, the group, made up of 56 local organisations including the council, NGOs, faith groups and more, was meeting virtually several times a week to discuss the challenges they were facing and to come up with solutions to local problems.
“The power of the community working together, led by Shirley-Anne, sees us now in a much better place than many other communities,” Deputy Mayor Geoff MacDonald said.
“She’s been almost like a beacon of hope for a lot of community organisations at a time when they might struggle to find a solution.
“She’s brought people together.”
This is Shirley-Anne’s Power 100 debut.
8. Gary Gardner
Gary Gardner is the executive chairman of FKG Group, one of Queensland’s big construction and civil engineering companies.
Under his leadership over the past four decades, the company has grown from the small business started by his father to the large player it is today.
He has spearheaded some transformative projects for Toowoomba, such as the Pulse Data Centre and the planned Toowoomba Technology Park at Charlton.
Those projects have made Toowoomba a technology hub and attracted the eyes of investors from around the country.
Mr Gardner, who has also survived prostate cancer, was one of the founders of the It’s A Bloke Thing Foundation.
Gary placed seventh in the last Power 100.
7. Kerry Betros
Heritage Bank chairman Kerry Betros oversees Australia’s largest mutual bank and one of Toowoomba’s biggest success stories.
He’s been chairman of the bank since 2012. Prior to that, he was the bank’s director from 1991.
In the 2018-19 financial year, under his leadership, the bank recorded an after tax profit of $43.28 million.
He is also the managing director of well-known family company Betros Bros Holdings, the fruit and vegetable wholesaler/retailer that has been operating across the Darling Downs since 1938.
Mr Betros has received wide recognition for his role in the Toowoomba community, including a Centenary of Federation Medal and last year received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business from USQ, recognising his lifetime of service to Toowoomba in business, commerce and management.
Kerry placed sixth in the last Power 100.
6. Clive Berghofer
Clive Berghofer has been many things throughout his life, mayor, state politician, real estate magnate, developer, philanthropist.
In The Australian’s rich list for 2019, Clive placed at number 246, with an estimated total wealth of $344 million.
Clive has donated $60.1 million to the Queensland Institute of Medical Research to assist in finding a cure for cancer and then in 2020, he gifted them a further $1 million for research into COVID-19.
He has also made sizeable contributions to LifeFlight, Red Cross, Ronald McDonald House, the Toowoomba Hospice and USQ. Many buildings across Toowoomba and Queensland, and even a helicopter, bear his name.
The new emergency department and Queensland X-Ray Radiology Centre at St Vincent’s Private Hospital would not have been possible without a $3.5 million donation from Clive.
At 85 years of age, he’s showing no signs of giving up soon, as he is the primary developer behind several projects in the region such as the Highfields North Estate.
Clive has been named a Queensland Great and holds an Order of Australia medal.
Clive placed fourth in the last Power 100.
5. John McVeigh
A former councillor, state politician and Federal MP, Dr John McVeigh has served in all levels of government since his entry into public service in 2008.
Before politics, Dr McVeigh worked in banking, agriculture and was the managing director of market strategy firm Ellis Foster McVeigh.
He was the Queensland Agriculture Minister during the Campbell Newman government and the Federal Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government under the Malcolm Turnbull government.
Before the 2019 election, he easily brushed off a challenge to his preselection, which came about after he voted for marriage equality.
Despite some local anger at his position on marriage equality, at the 2019 election he easily retained Groom, winning 70.48 per cent of the two-party preferred vote, up from 65.31 the election before.
Dr McVeigh served on several Australian Parliament committees, including a committee looking into the government’s response to PFAS contamination.
John placed 10th in the last Power 100. This ranking was locked in before he resigned last week. He is expected to have a strong say in who his successor is.
4. Geraldine Mackenzie
Professor Geraldine Mackenzie was appointed as the University of Southern Queensland Vice Chancellor in 2017.
Since her appointment, the university has featured highly in the Good Universities Guide Ranking, most recently showing USQ graduates had the highest starting salary in Queensland, and that 89 per cent of postgraduates found full-time employment in the first four months after a degree.
She is responsible for the largest employer in the Toowoomba region, as well as hundreds of more staff members at the university’s Ipswich and
SPRINGFIELD Campus.
During her time at the university, courses have been refined and massive investments made in space research and aviation courses.
She is a massive advocate for regional Queensland, and after The Chronicle’s Future Toowoomba campaign where we called on leaders to find ways of keeping and attracting young people to the region, introduced game-changing scholarships to encourage students not just from the region, but all of Australia, to come and study at USQ.
Her leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic ensured the university did not have to cut staff, all while introducing new ways of studying higher education content through the university’s UpSkill program.
Geraldine placed fifth in the last Power 100.
3. John Wagner
The public face of the Wagner family in the Toowoomba region, John Wagner is the man responsible for Wellcamp Airport.
He pushed for the airport to be built, and in 2020, took over the responsibilities of the airport’s general manager and has seen the facility sign large storage agreements with major companies.
The airport has also increased its export capacity under his watch, with extra flights to Hong Kong and Singapore taking off in recent months.
He campaigned hard for the Qantas Group Pilot Academy, and won the game-changing aviation facility for the city.
He continues to advocate and push for a motorsport track and entertainment centre at the Wellcamp Business Park.
After a prostate cancer diagnosis, Mr Wagner joined with some of his business mates to launch the It’s A Bloke Thing Foundation in 2014, which has raised millions for prostate cancer research and support services through luncheons in Toowoomba, the Gold Coast and Darwin.
He is the non-executive director of Wagners and the chairman of Wagner Corporation.
John placed third in the last Power 100.
2. Denis Wagner
Denis Wagner is the nonexecutive chairman and public face of Wagners, and under his leadership, Wagners has grown to be one of Australia’s building and construction material giants.
The company has also worked on many international projects, including in the United States of America and Abu Dhabi.
He is the driving force behind the company’s continued success from its foundations in 1989 as a maker of concrete, transport and logistics business and heavy construction materials manufacturer.
Under his leadership, the company has developed the world-first low-emissions Earth Friendly Concrete and has expanded its composite fibre technology manufacturing facilities.
The company is also supplying precast concrete tunnel segments for one of Queensland’s biggest infrastructure projects ever, the Cross River Rail project in Brisbane.
Denis is also a director of Wagner Corporation, the family’s property and infrastructure development and asset management company.
Denis placed first in the last Power 100.
1. Paul Antonio
Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio is a political machine.
In March, the long-time politician was re-elected to the Toowoomba mayoralty with 72.51 per cent of the first preference vote, 77.88 after preferences were divided.
He was unstoppable against political opponents Chris Meibusch and Douglas Doelle.
Cr Antonio was a former councillor and mayor in the old Millmerran Shire Council and was a central figure in the fight against amalgamation in 2008.
That position helped him get elected to the newlyformed Toowoomba Regional Council, where in 2012 he ran for mayor, defeating Peter Taylor.
His popularity has just grown, and grown, and grown, since then, leading to him having the title of Queensland’s most popular politician.
He has been the key figurehead for the city through times of unprecedented growth and pandemic.
Since his election to the top job, he has spearheaded Toowoomba’s recovery efforts from the floods, implemented new planning schemes for council and was a vocal supporter of the Inland Rail project.
He was also a strong advocate for Toowoomba being designated a refugee welcome zone, which has seen a strong surge in refugee resettlement in the city.
In recent years, he has been a driving force for the 2032 southeast Queensland Olympic Games bid, an advocate for fast rail between Toowoomba and Brisbane and greater water security for the region.
He is also the deputy chair of the powerful South East Queensland Council of Mayors group. He has the ears of both the State and Federal governments.
No one could ever question Cr Antonio’s loyalty to Toowoomba.
Cr Antonio has previously told The Chronicle this would be his last term in the top job, but no matter when he decides to leave, he will leave gigantic shoes to fill.
He is by far Toowoomba’s most powerful person in 2020.
Paul placed second in the last Power 100.
Winning reaction
TOOWOOMBA Mayor Paul Antonio said he was proud to have been named Toowoomba’s most influential person for 2020.
“It’s nice,” Cr Antonio said. “But when you look at was has happened under my leadership, it’s not been done by me, but collectively by the council I have led.
“The work by the staff that I work with, from CEO Brian Pidgeon and senior staff and all the others who help look after me on a daily basis.”
Cr Antonio said being mayor of the Toowoomba region was a task he never thought he would be performing when he was growing up on his family’s Millmerran farm.
“I’m very thankful for the upbringing and the chances I’ve had,” he said.
“My dad was a very hardworking person, and I got my work ethic from him.”
“The period of time I spent at the Gatton Agriculture College
(now UQ Gatton) prepared me for who I am today.
“If it wasn’t for being in debating, being the captain of the seconds rugby side … everything happened accidentally and I took a bit of notice of my community.”
Cr Antonio was first elected to the Millmerran council in 1982. He moved to the Toowoomba Regional Council when it was formed in 2008. He was elected Mayor in 2012.
“I never thought I’d be Mayor of the Toowoomba Region, as I was going to serve my time at the Millmerran council,” he said.
He said some of his greatest achievements included the formation of the South West Queensland Council of Mayors, serving as the deputy chair of the South East Queensland Council of Mayors, and the political alignment that led to the Toowoomba Bypass being built.
“Toowoomba has also embraced multiculturalism,” he said.
“We’ve led Australia in terms of multiculturalism. I’m extremely proud of that.”
Cr Antonio said he still held his childhood roots close to him.
“My real home is my beautiful property at Millmerran,” he said. “I miss it. I love farming. I love my Angus cows.
“That’s where I’ll go back to in four years time.”