
Welcome to the Aramac-Muttaburra Branch
Aramac is one of the oldest towns in the Central West district with a rich history and an abundance of different tourist attractions including Lake Dunn, The Sculpture Trail, Tramway Museum and the iconic White Bull.
In the thick of sheep and cattle country, Aramac is located 174km northeast of Longreach and our branch consists of a small but very dedicated group of members.
The inaugural meeting of the ARAMAC SHIRE branch of ICPA was held in Aramac Park on 24th November 1971. This meeting was chaired by Angus Cameron and Richard Harrison was nominated as our first Branch President. The beginnings of our branch saw a huge membership of thirty-five and these members were highly active lobbying to get allowances for our children from 1971 to 1975.
1976 was a quiet year for our branch. In 1977 there was a name change for the branch which then became known as the Aramac/Muttaburra Branch of ICPA. As we had a lot of members travelling distances to get to meetings it was decided to hold meetings at Bowen Downs to minimise the travel. A motion from our Branch at Emerald State Conference resulted in a Speech Therapist being appointed for isolated children.
From 1979 to 1982 meetings were held at Aviemore, Bowen Downs, Leebrook & Woolthorpe. Unfortunately, during 1983 the branch went into total recess, but in 1984 with Charleville BOTA Branch requesting that you belonged to a Branch as well as to them helped revive interest. Membership for the branch rose from 27 to 44 and we had delegates attend Federal Conference in Townsville & State Conference in Longreach.
The Community Directory was commenced by Cheryl Neill & Zilla McAuliffe and remains one of our top fundraisers. The 11th edition of this handy little book was published in 2024. This particular edition was dedicated to our Branch Life Member, Zilla McAuliffe as a gesture of gratitude and acknowledgement of the many years of dedication and hard work that went into producing the previous ten editions!
From 1986 to 1991 we were able to send delegates to State Conferences. Motions at these conferences were nearly always asking for a quality service, as well as equal access to education.
In 1991 the branch applied to become incorporated as a trial for other branches and incorporation was granted in 1993. Queensland ICPA became incorporated on 8th June 1995 and Branches then came in under State's umbrella, so our Branch became unincorporated.
During 1991 our Branch established the “Anthony Neill Bursary”. This bursary was put in place in the memory of Anthony Neill, who lost his life suddenly at a young age, while competing in a marathon. Anthony was passionate about sport with the bursary awarded to a local family, to assist with travel costs incurred taking children to extra-curricular activities and is offered each year to our branch members. This very generous bursary continues to this day with many families in our district benefiting.
With 28 members in 2025, our branch continues to thrive.
We are so excited to announce the Aramac Muttaburra Branch is hosting the 2027 Queensland State Conference. Our school and children are the absolute heart and soul of our community! We can’t wait to showcase our area and share our passion for rural education with you all.
Members elected to State Council and positions held:
Zilla McAuliffe
- Qld State Council 1984 - 1985
- Qld Secretary 1986 - 1989
- Assisted with the launch of "I Can Provide Answers", Mackay State Conference 1986
Lee-Ann Boyd
- Qld State Council 2001 - 2003
Carmel Elliott
- Qld Assistant Secretary 2002 - 2005
- Qld Webmaster 2002 - 2007
- Federal Webmaster 2002 - 2007
- Federal Web Manager 2002 - 2009
Sharon Tindall
- Qld State Council 2002
- Qld Treasurer 2003 - 2005
Awards to Branch Members have been:-
Branch Life Membership
- Angus & Denise Cameron 1986
- Paul & Zilla McAuliffe 1997
Branch Certificate of Appreciation
- Sharon Tindall 2000
- Don & Cheryl Neill 2001
Qld Certificate of Appreciation
- Zilla McAuliffe 1998