Catherine McMillan – Cloncurry Branch Life Member, 2023
Catherine McMillan has been part of the Cloncurry Branch of ICPA since its inception in 1975. Her membership has remained continuous ever since, representing almost five decades of commitment to ICPA and the rural and remote families of the Cloncurry district.
Throughout her long association with the Branch, Cathy took on leadership responsibilities, including serving as Branch President for two years. She also represented Cloncurry at ICPA conferences, attending conferences in Mt Isa and Cloncurry, with two attendances at Cloncurry, as both a delegate and an observer.
Cathy’s contribution has extended well beyond formal positions. Over many decades she has been a consistent supporter of Branch fundraising and community activities, helping with catering, street stalls and other fundraising events. She became particularly renowned for the fruit cakes she made each year for the smoko tent at the Cloncurry Show, a much-loved contribution that reflected the practical, hands-on support she gave so generously to the Branch.
For Cathy, one of the greatest strengths of ICPA has been the connection it provides between rural families raising and educating their children in isolated areas. She valued knowing there was a network of people supporting families in the bush—“rural people looking out for rural people.”
In recognition of her continuous involvement since the establishment of the Cloncurry Branch in 1975, her leadership and almost five decades of dedicated service, Catherine McMillan was nominated for Life Membership of the Cloncurry Branch on 27 March 2023. Her Life Membership recognises an enduring contribution to ICPA, her Branch and the generations of rural and remote families it has supported.
