New heights

The founder and CEO of not-for-profit BushED Australia, Lyn French has a long history of volunteering for major rural organisations from her remote Queensland cattle station.

Story Kate Newsome  Photo Diewerke van Leeuwen

"I've taught our kids there’s always someone worse off than what you are, and I find it rewarding helping people,” says Lyn French, on 35,600ha Gilberton station, 6 hours west of Townsville, Qld, where she and her husband Robert run cattle and a luxury outback retreat.

The 2019 Queensland Volunteer of the Year is a volunteer firefighter, the founding president of a local Landcare group, and has dedicated decades to supporting the health and education of outback families, now as the founder and CEO of BushED Australia. Lyn, 58, has also worked with Angel Flight, the Bureau of Meteorology, Drought Aid and Aussie Helpers, assisting with setting up its Volunteers for Isolated Student Education (VISE) program, as well as hosting field days for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and assisting that organisation with funding submissions. “A lot of people have helped me over the years, so it’s my way of giving back,” she says. “If you want to do something, you find the time.”