Queensland – Jessica Logan

Hello! My name is Jessica Logan, and I am very honoured to be the 2016 Queensland Rose and to represent the Irish community of Queensland. I am incredibly excited to be travelling for the first time to Ireland to experience my cultural heritage! I am 27 years old and have lived in Queensland my entire life, having grown up in the south-west on remote cattle properties. My younger brother and I didn’t really go to school, and instead did the Charleville School of Distance Education which meant our mother taught us and we had lessons on the two-way radio. My high school years were spent as a boarder in Brisbane. I have since stayed in the city, where I studied my BA in Linguistics & Psychology, GradCert in Editing & Publishing and GradDip in Applied Linguistics. I utilise these degrees in my work at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, where I primarily assist academics as an editor for their research grants and applications. I am studying an MBA in Philanthropy and Non-Profit and have a keen interest in using my experience in disability services, research and the arts to transfer into the fields of development and advancement. A huge part of my life is pipe bands, and I have been playing in bands for 10 years this year! As a tenor drummer I have attained the highest level in solo competition and I am the Vice-Chairman of Pipe Bands Queensland. I have been incredibly lucky to have travelled twice to Scotland to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships. I love making old things new again and have a passion for repurposing vintage and pre-loved clothes, homewares and furniture. My Irish ancestry is from my father’s family, who emigrated from Leitrim, Tipperary and Kerry.