Artist, community role model, father of seven children and foster father to four more, Bowen dad Gary Prior, was recently awarded the 2016 Queensland Father of the Year.

Passionate about teaching his children the value of giving back to the community and educating them about their Indigenous heritage and culture, the doting father and grandfather has dedicated his life to helping young people find their purpose in life.

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Those with a great dad will tell you just how much he has impacted their life. Fantastic parents give their children a solid foundation and a great head start. Fathers play a unique role in this development.

The Queensland Father of the Year Award pays tribute to the vital role fathers play in our families and communities by honouring and celebrating those fathers who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to raising their children and for their exemplary contribution to developing young people in the community.

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The Eames Family are an SU QLD Camp dynasty.

Incredibly, there hasn’t been a SchoolzOut camp over the last decade without an Eames Family member involved, either as a camper or a volunteer leader. And that’s just the beginning of the family’s history with SU QLD Camps.

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Imagine you’re the parent of a child starting primary school…

But now imagine that you’re struggling… you’re struggling to know if your child is developing normally, you don’t feel supported, and you have no idea where to get help.

Knowing who to talk to and getting good advice can make all the difference.

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Queensland Father of the Year 2015’s 6 Regional Winners revealed

Those with a great dad will tell you just how much it has benefitted their life. Fantastic parents give a child a solid foundation and a great head start on life. Fathers play a unique role in this development and Queensland Father of the Year began many years ago to celebrate outstanding fathers for their exceptional commitment to raising their children, or their exemplary contribution to the development of children in the community.

The Regional Winners have been selected from the many nominations we received and the following dads will attend the Queensland Father of the Year award ceremony Wednesday 2nd September, where the 2015 State winner will be announced.

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Michelle Sprenger remembers the day her family’s world changed forever.

It was back in 2005, and it was nearing her son Caleb’s 3rd birthday.

“Caleb is our second son and when he was born he completed our ‘perfect’ little family of four. We had our first son, Joshua, 21 months earlier and as they were so close in age, we intended the two little brothers to grow up together and be mates,” Michelle recalls.

“As a baby, we were delighted to discover Caleb’s calm and placid temperament. It was a striking contrast to Joshua who was always busy and on-the-go. But as our babies became toddlers, the gap in the milestones widened.

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Just ONE parenting tip by Terry Williams, SU QLD Children’s Ministry Specialist

As a parent of three and grandparent of three, I know it’s a busy world – there are dozens of mini events taking place every day, a thousand decisions to be made, and millions of pieces of information flying at us.

In a world that’s become so driven by and focused on achieving goals, it’s easy to lose sight of the most important goal for those whom you helped bring into this world.

Take a moment to reflect on what your goals are for your kids. For me, there is ONE goal that sits atop the list…

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Can a night of dancing help young girls understand their value? Chaplain Jenny Schleusener, from Palmwoods State School, thinks so.

For the last two years, about 160 have attended the ‘Fathers and Daughters Dance’ at Palmwoods State School. The group crowds into the school hall for a night of dancing, games and quality time.

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Children and their families are doing it tough in the bush – they are struggling to remain hopeful while facing the reality of drought, with its debilitating effects.

One of our amazing chaplains, Helen, paints a picture of life for kids in the outback:

“I’ve been a chaplain for three years now, but only started at the Charters Towers School of Distance Education in second semester last year.

“At the moment, a lot of families are struggling with the drought. They’ve got rising debt as they try to keep drought affected stock alive. There are no returns from unsaleable stock, just costs. Outback communities and families are caught up in a drought that has gone on far too long, and the impact is heartbreaking. Sometimes, that extra burden means less time in the school room. They have to restructure their school times with feeding runs and checking waters. And that puts pressure on families, which makes it tough.

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