Leichhardt Champion of the Month - June
IN an electorate the size of Leichhardt, with more than 170,000 residents and a range of diverse communities, there are many people who are doing unusual things, contributing above and beyond, or just have a special tale to tell.
They might not always get acknowledged for it, but we think it’s important to share their stories because it might just brighten someone’s day and put a smile on our readers’ faces.
To help these special people get the recognition they deserve, Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch has partnered with Tropic Now for a new feature called ‘Leichhardt Champions’.
Each month, Tropic Now will feature someone that Warren has been fortunate to meet in his travels around the electorate, or has been nominated by a community member.
The inaugural ‘Leichhardt Champion’ is 10-year-old Alegra Real, from Redlynch, who recently wrote to Warren to suggest that more people should ride horses to reduce the amount of pollution in the Far North from cars.
“I get a lot of correspondence in the mail, but when I received the letter from Alegra it stood out and I thought it was just gorgeous,” Warren explained.
“She’s really put a lot of thought into it, about how people of different ages need different sized horses, where they need to be housed, and the practicalities of what you do with your horse when you go to the shops.
“The fact that she’s addressed it to the ‘North Queensland Government’ shows that we have a politically-aware youngster on our hands – it’s great that she’s had an idea about how her local environment could be improved, and she’s taken it on herself to write to those who can make change.”
Warren invited Alegra to his office so he could meet her and thank her for the letter. He also presented her with two books – the classic novel ‘Black Beauty’ and a guide to the horse breeds of the world.
Alegra told Warren that she has loved horses “her whole entire life….. they’re beautiful and intelligent”. She enjoys going riding up at Wondecla on the trails, and her favourite breed is Paint horses.
Alegra’s mum Emma West said the Redlynch State College Yr 5 Student enjoys learning about different issues and presenting an argument for or against them.
“I like writing letters,” says Alegra. “I love talking about my weekends during speeches at school, and doing speeches on topics like why we should ban homework. I said we should keep homework.”
Warren said it was great to see a young person engaging with their elected representative, putting forward ideas that are a bit ‘out of the box’ based on their interests and passions.
“It really made me smile and I wanted to share it with Tropic Now readers so they can appreciate Alegra’s ideas and imagination.”
If you know of someone living in the electorate who could feature as a ‘Leichhardt Champion of the Month’, send your suggestions including contact details to [email protected]
