Cr Alana Purcell with celebrity chef Mark Olive (“The Black Olive”) … Cr Purcell is getting on with enjoying life despite living with a disability

September 14, 2016

Alana Purcell proved earlier this year a wheelchair can’t stop her from playing a valuable role in the community, and she’s keen to share that message in Kingaroy this Saturday.

Alana and her motorised chair are a common sight on the streets of Cherbourg, and at The Ration Shed where she is a valuable member of the Many Threads sewing and social group.

But in March, Alana was elected to Cherbourg Council, easily securing one of the four spots on offer from a field of 14 candidates.

Alana’s inspiring story was recently made into a video (see below), and she will be the special guest at the 2016 “All Walks And Wheels” Fun In The Park Day in Kingaroy.

The fun day in Memorial Park on Saturday (September 17) is the culmination of Disability Action Week activities in the South Burnett and everyone is invited to come along.

There will be a free sausage sizzle, wheelchair races around an obstacle course, prizes to be won and a “liberty swing”, a special swing for anyone with mobility challenges.

There will also be a celebrity medley race featuring Alana, Cr Danita Potter, chef Jason Ford and JobMatch Kingaroy manager Jenny Vale.

Other games will include:

  • Neck-a-Race: Want to know what it would be like to be vision impaired? Have a go at the Neck-a-Race event where participants have to thread a necklace of beads whilst wearing special goggles.
  • Brekky Race: How hard would it be to prepare breakfast with only one hand? This game will test everyone’s skills!

The “All Walks And Wheels” Fun In The Park will run from 10:00am to 2:00pm this Saturday.

As well as the sausage sizzle, there will be hot and cold drinks available to buy, and Murgon’s The Gumnut Place will have a stall of goodies.

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Cr Alana Purcell

Members of Cherbourg’s “Many Threads” group at the video launch in Maryborough … from left, Gloria Bell, Shirley Law, Francine Miller, Alana Purcell, Tegan Miller and Grace Bond
(Photo: Torkit Solutions)

A video about Cherbourg councillor Alana Purcell’s inspiring story was officially launched at the 2016 Queensland Disability Conference in Maryborough last month. 

The video was commissioned by the Department of Community, Disability and Child Services, and made by Tina Torrens and her team from Torkit Business Solutions, in Kingaroy.


 

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