By the time you read these lines, the Australia Day Awards will have been announced. Did you know a local Townsville person was a nominee for Young Australian of the Year?

No, not JT, although Jonathan Thurston deserves all the accolades he receives. He is a shining light for Indigenous Australians, a great ambassador for North Queensland, and a legend of his sport. He was the 2017 Queenslander of the Year, which had him nominated for the 2018 Australian of the Year Award.

But there is another 2018 Australia Day Award nominee from Townsville. Any idea?

Here are some clues: at 27, he is a wounded veteran, with two tours of duty, one in Timor and one in Afghanistan, where he sustained his life-changing injuries. He was part of the Australian team at the first Invictus Games in London in 2014 and was a Coach at the 2016 Orlando Invictus Games. He sits on multiple state and national committees representing wounded service men and women. He is a national spokesperson about mental health, self-harm and suicide.

He won the Young Queenslander of the Year in late 2017 and we are fortunate to have him as a member of our very own Chamber Projects Committee.

Still don’t know?

He’s Phillip Thompson. He works at Selectability, a mental health service provider based in Townsville, where he helps ex-servicemen have meaningful employment and connection to the community. He is also the face of veteran’s issues across the nation.

“There are locals changing the world. We need to invite them to our boardrooms and our advisory committees.We need to seek their opinions… their voices need to be heard.”

Why is it that Phil is better known in Brisbane and Canberra than he is in his hometown?

Phil is one of many local professionals in their 20s and 30s doing great things, receiving praise and recognition everywhere but here. Gen Z’s and Millennial’s are often quoted in unemployment headlines. The rest of them go quietly about their achievements and their future.

People like Zammi Rohan, the architect who helped designed the NQ Stadium. Kyle Page, Dancenorth Artistic Director, and his wife and collaborator Amber Haines, who won not one but two Helpmann Awards this year, an impossible feat. Luke Anear, who helped change safety procedures for hundreds of corporations and organisations across the planet, and his whole Safety Culture team from all over the world.

And there are more locals changing the world. We need to invite them to our boardrooms and our advisory committees. We need to seek their opinions, not just about their subject of expertise but about current issues and about our future. Their voices need to be heard.

They could live anywhere but they choose to be here. They deserve recognition at home.

Note: This article was written in the weeks before the 2018 Australia Day Awards were revealed.  Congratulations to Phil and JT!