The Committee
Gem Lewis, President
Gem is in her third year with the Coolum Kite Festival and takes up the President’s role this year. She has 18 years experience in the hospitality industry, with various event experience while working at the Hyatt Regency Coolum, including CHOGM Liaison Manager (a major event which attracts 52 Heads of Government from the Commonwealth) and Volunteer Coordinator for the Michael Crawford concert. Gem found that being a volunteer parent at her son’s school camps were her greatest challenge. She was a past member of Coolum Toastmasters Club and currently works as an office manager for a Sunshine Coast town planning firm. Gem has lived in Coolum for the past 20 years and has a 17-year-old son.
Gillian is a Sunshine Coast original - she was born here and loves everything the coast has to offer. She became involved in the festival through her husband, Noel (who was president from 2003 till 2008) and both are still heavily involved with the event. They say behind every great man is an even greater woman, so Gillian initially provided general back up to the committee, then took on the role of Secretary. It was a lot of hard work but worthwhile and says it has been great for their kids to see how such events work. While Gillian and Noel love the festival, the new team of dedicated committee members will give them much needed time for their family and business, which means they can now hop on the Harley and go for a two hour ride instead of a two minute one. They will also have more time to "hunt and gather" aka fishing at Teewah. Gillian enjoys walk her dogs and spending quality time with her kids and special friends. She never passes up the opportunity for a party and has a reputation for her amazing renditions of ABBA songs. Her motto in life is: "Work hard to play hard."
Noel Mooney, Kite Flyer Coordinator
Noel has been involved with community projects and events for about 10 years. His interest began at the local Rotary Club with projects such as fundraising for a beach rake to keep local beaches clean. He also assisted in the organisation of the Coolum Gala Fundraising Ball held at Hyatt Regency Coolum. Noel is a small business owner and member of the Coolum Chamber of Commerce, which worked with other significant events, such as the Australian PGA Championship, by organising events to promote what Coolum had to offer golfers and visitors.In 2003 the Coolum Kite Festival committee approached the Coolum Chamber of Commerce to take over organising the event. The Festival already had its own corporation so a few Chamber members got together, formed a committee and started running the Festival with Noel as the Chairperson. The budget was $25,000 and the committee rallied all the businesses in town to help during the first year. The Festival budget is now $250,000 and the event has grown ten times the size since 2003. As part of the succession planning for the Festival, Noel stepped down as Chairman this year but remains in the capacity of Kite Flyer Coordinator.
Turina Marchant, Merchandising Coordinator
Canadian-born Turina is a graphic designer who has lived in Coolum for 20 years with her Australian husband. She is one of the original committee members of the festival which began in 2000. She was part of a group of talented energetic women who wanted to see a festival for Coolum, similar to the kite festival at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Turina had a break from the festival for a few years, but came back to help in 2007, offering her assistance with the graphics and merchandise. Her hobbies include painting, jogging and tennis. Turina donates her paintings for “Give me 5 for kids” and other school charities. She says spending time with her two young boys is the best part of her life. She enjoys the weather and beach life of the Sunshine Coast and the friendly faces of Coolum residents. Turina has her own graphic design company in Coolum Beach - Vivid Graphics Art.
Kylie grew up on the Sunshine Coast so her first love is her family and friends and secondly the beaches and lifestyle. She originally came to a committee meeting as a teacher to help with the school side of the festival, but was assigned to the kite surfing management after voicing her interest in kites. At the time she had taken up kite surfing and was keen to become more involved in the sport. The kite surfing event had also attracted her to the festival in the past. Kylie is a past president of the women’s surfing club, and has organised and managed surfing events. Her hobbies range from reading to running and is an active sportsperson – surfing, netball, touch football, oztag, dancing, kite surfing, running (although it is more like a slow jog). She also enjoys gardening, scrapbooking, painting, renovating, but most of all she loves laughing and being with friends.
Cathy Blanchard, VIP tent Coordinator
Cathy manages the VIP tent at the festival. She became involved about four years ago to help Di Stevenson with the secretarial role. Cathy loves the festival and while the month leading up to it is a “nightmare” she says it is all worth it when the weekend is such a success. Cathy works a great deal and is on the Board of the Community Titles Institute of Queensland. She is also involved in the Mudjimba Surf Club and says her patrol is her sanctuary, as it’s the only time she gets to be on the beach and doing something just for her. At other times Cathy enjoys spending time with my family and watching them play their various sports. Her four boys play soccer and her husband is a highly ranked lawn bowls competitor who has won Australian championships. Cathy loves the Sunshine Coast lifestyle and friendly people here. She wants her children to grow up in this area which has plenty of outdoor activities available to them.
Hari joined the festival committee soon after moving to the Sunshine Coast from Sydney earlier this year. She has extensive experience in tourism, customer service and events, with a background in journalism, teaching and training. Hari also worked at the Sydney and Athens Olympic and Paralympic Games, and was a volunteer at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006. Hari works as a Business and Training consultant. She is President of Coolum Toastmasters Club and Vice President of Mercury’s Motivators Club. Her hobbies include traveling, yoga and walking on the beach. She enjoys the relaxing pace on the Sunshine Coast and the opportunity to be involved with community groups and events.