Gillian Bryant – Cloncurry Branch Life Member, 2025
Gillian Bryant has been a dedicated member and generous volunteer of the Cloncurry Branch of ICPA for more than 20 years. Throughout that time, her support of the Branch has been continuous, reflecting a strong belief in the importance of equitable educational opportunities for rural and remote children.
Gilly has supported ICPA conferences at both Branch and State level. She worked tirelessly behind the scenes when Cloncurry hosted the ICPA Queensland State Conferences in 2001 and 2015, and in 2023 attended the State Conference in Julia Creek.
Much of Gilly’s contribution has been through the practical work that keeps a Branch active and successful. Described as someone who was always among the first to volunteer, she regularly assisted with Cloncurry Branch fundraising activities, including catering at bull sales and working in the smoko tent at the Cloncurry Show. Her willingness to lend a hand wherever needed made her a valued and dependable member of the Branch.
At the heart of Gilly’s involvement has been a firm belief in the importance of education. She described education as “paramount to success” and believed everyone should be given the same opportunities, values which underpinned her longstanding commitment to ICPA and its advocacy for isolated families.
After 45 years in the Cloncurry district, Gilly and her husband Mark made the decision to leave the area. Her departure marked the end of a significant chapter for the Branch, whose members acknowledged how greatly her friendship, volunteering and longstanding support would be missed.
In recognition of her more than two decades of dedicated service, generous volunteering and unwavering support of ICPA, Gillian Bryant was nominated for Life Membership of the Cloncurry Branch. Her Life Membership recognises her enduring contribution to the Branch and her passionate belief that rural and remote children should have access to the same educational opportunities as their peers.
