This Scenic Life

Jennifer Ironside appears at first glance to be a bubbly whirlwind.

She is often dressed in her favourite colour - pink - and it matches her energy and effervescent personality to a tee.

But Jennifer wasn’t always as outgoing as she is today, her journey has been one with a lot of twist and turns.

Since arriving in Canungra only 18 months ago, Julia Schafer has certainly made her mark. The passionate public speaker started Scenic Rim Toastmasters and has also continued sharing her love for sustainable living.

Becky Bell-McNee has a great attitude to life. Here she talks about growing up in the theatre and so much more!

The saying, ‘if you want something done, ask a busy person’, could have been written for Janine Rockliff. She’s a woman who has a busy family, challenging career and at the heart of it all is a great passion for her community.

It sounds like the title of an Australian soap opera, but when David Christensen bought Canungra Valley Medical Centre it felt like he was where he was meant to be. His journey has been from radiographer to bouncer and GP and owner of a country practice.

Well known as the face behind ‘Little Bee & Me’, Alex Griffiths’ previous careers were a huge step away from the native bee and garden shop she loved.  She shares some insights into her time as a police officer with Queensland Police and Taskforce Argos.

Rather embarrassingly, I don't know a lot about indigenous culture and history, especially in the Canungra area.  This is probably reflective of my age and demographic, which is no excuse.  But I want to learn, so I asked Wangerriburra elder, Ken Markwell, to have a yarn with me.

Roshni Shivers is a powerhouse.  Her tiny stature hide a woman who has great strength, both physically and mentally.  She lives to help others achieve their goals, as she has achieved her own.

From draftsperson to Zumba instructor and Graphic Designer, to mother and therapist, Sue Leyshan has worn a few different hats in her time, but she has found her happy place treating horses and humans with her new passion.

Col Ford has overcome many challenges in his life, but his way of facing them is to help himself by helping others.

A peer mentor for Arthritis Australia, he also is one of the founding members of Canungra’s Men’s Shed.

I’ve seen many whimsical photos of Simone Jelley surrounded by a field of flowers at her beautiful property, Pretty Produce. The reality is that and so much more. Intelligent, driven and passionate about her business and the environment, she epitomises a new breed of farmer.

Damon Rockliff is well known in Canungra as the First Officer of the Canungra Rural Fire Brigade. He was mentored in the role by Stephen Geiger and led the Brigade through the 2019 bushfires. He now urges people to have their properties ready for the fire season.

With a name like Elton Farmer it was inevitable that he would end up a musician who breeds cattle. This self-professed city boy from Brisbane has embraced country life, breeding Angus cattle on his farm and returning to Brisbane on weekends to play the music he loves.

Monique Morcus came to Canungra in 1996 and since then she has been a business owner and worked tirelessly for the community as a volunteer in several positions, including her current role as President of the Canungra Chamber of Commerce.

Courtney Guerin talks about art, life and moving to Canungra.

After a successful career as a financial advisor, Bill O’Sullivan and his wife Carol moved to the Scenic Rim and bought a 306 acre property in the Kerry Valley in 2014.

The plan was to grow their own fresh organic produce and to become as self-sufficient  as possible.

Eight years on, Tullamore Farm has six vegetable garden beds and over 500 fruit trees and vines. They produce enough fruit and vegetables to not only be self-sufficient, but to also sell produce to their loyal customer base.

Stu Comley started the Canungra Times newspaper in 2005 when he was also running the Canungra Motel and Possums Coffee Shop.  I talk to him about life in Canungra and what it was like to start a newspaper from scratch!

This Scenic Life shares stories of the people, places and events that make up the beautiful Scenic Rim area in South East Queensland.