TNQ Tourism Award Judges


 Gary Young - Head Judge
Gary Young has been involved in the tourism industry for over twenty years. Originally from Melbourne he has been involved in the budget accommodation market, adventure tourism, superior accommodation, day tour operations and is currently a tourism and business consultant in Cairns and the Managing Director of AFL Cairns.


Chris Northam - Judge
Chris began his career on Green Island in 1987 before moving to The Sebel Cairns where he held various Front Office management positions including membership into the prestigious Les Clef’s D’or. Chris opened and managed the Harbour Lights Hotel in 2006 before moving to the Sebel Reef House & Spa as General Manager in 2008. Most recently Chris has been consulting on a variety of projects. Chris has lived in Cairns and worked in hospitality for some 25 years. 


Donna-Maree O’Connor - Judge
Donna-Maree O’Connor is the Deputy Institute Director, Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE (TNQT), with responsibility for the educational training across the Institute, which covers an area from Cardwell in the south, the Gulf of Carpentaria in the west and the Torres Strait in the north. Donna-Maree has worked in the community sector as well as operating her own consultancy business. She has worked in a range of government departments, including Education, Health, Justice, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy Development and Local Government. Her qualifications are in Education, Management and she has a Masters Degree in Gender Studies.


Elmarie Gebler - Judge
As director of Fortis One, Elmarie specialises in business mentoring work; including business coaching, human resources consulting, organisational development and strategic planning. Elmarie has a solid knowledge of the Cairns market and strong association with the Far North business community. Elmarie greatly appreciates the valuable relationships she has had the opportunity to establish in this diverse region.


Helen Laird - Judge
Helen has worked in the professional communications field in Tropical North Queensland for over twenty years. She has provided a range of communications services to many individual operators and organisations within the tourism industry during this time. Helen filled the role of Corporate Communications Manager for Tourism Tropical North Queensland from 2004 – 2008 and is currently Communications Advisor for Cairns Airport Pty Ltd.


Julie Johnston - Judge
Julie Johnston has been actively involved with tourism awards for the past ten years, writing winning submissions at a regional, state and national level.  Formerly Communications Manager at Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, Julie now assists at her husband's on-line businesses RJ New Designs and Cairns Dive Adventures and works part-time at Tanks Arts Centre.


Lloyd Smith - Judge
Lloyd Smith joined the Hospitality Industry as the Accountant of the Cairns Colonial Club Resort in 1987 and soon afterwards moved into the position of General Manager that he maintained until the Resort was sold in 2007. He served on the board of TTNQ 3 times as well as Zone Chairman of the Queenland Hotel Association for many years. Upon retirement he relocated to NSW to be near family but the call of the North has brought him back to where he is now the Manager of the Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort and could not be happier to be working at the best Holiday Park in Australia.


Megan Bell - Judge
Megan Bell is the Group Manager Media, Incentives and Charters for the Quicksilver Group. Megan has spent nearly 30 years in the tourism industry with a total focus on promoting tourism to Queensland. She is passionate about this destination with 15 years experience with Tourism Queensland including 10 years in North America, returning to Australia to join the Far North QLD Promotion Bureau (now TTNQ) and the past 13 years with the Quicksilver Group.


Michael Linnan - Judge
Michael Linnan is the Regional Executive Director (RED) of the Far North Queensland Region in Department of Communities, Queensland Government. Michael has a rich history of managing and leading a department in times of organisational change. He is also a well respected leader in Cairns and the Far North Queensland region, especially in the business sector as well as social development and human services, with the aim of supporting the development of fair, cohesive and vibrant communities.


Paul Fagg - Judge
Paul Fagg is a Principal Tourism Development Officer with the State Government. A Town Planner by profession, he has extensive experience in commercial property development in the UK. Paul originally moved to Australia to project manage the construction of a major new tourism development at the Skybury Coffee Plantation, before taking on the role of Sales and Marketing Manager.


Peter Goulding - Judge
Peter Goulding has spent most of his long working life in tourism. After 18 years with Tourism Australia, which included postings to New York, Auckland and Singapore, he settled in Cairns and established, ran and then sold several successful tourism businesses, including Acacia Luxury Transport, a multi outlet tourism transport business. Peter has been a Director and Chairman of TTNQ and has served on many other industry and community organizations.


Rod Punshon - Judge
Rod Punshon is Managing Director and co owner, along with Quicksilver Connections, of Pro Dive Cairns which is one of Australia’s largest, most renowned and awarded dive operations. Rod has lived in Cairns since 1982 and is married with 3 adult children. He has been actively involved in the Cairns Marine/Dive Industry since 1984. Over his 27 years of active service in the local tourism industry he has served as a director of TTNQ for 5 years as well as sat on various Queensland Government WPH&S advisory committees as a representative of the recreational dive industry. He has also been a judge for the Regional Tourism Awards for the past 2 years.


Wade Bowen - Judge
Wade Bowen is the Area Sales Manager for the greater Cairns and Townsville regions for QANTAS Airways and has been employed in the Travel and Tourism Industries for over 27 years, including 4 years experience at the Queensland Government Tourist Bureau based in Cairns, Brisbane, Newcastle and Sydney. As a previous Tourism Awards judge, Wade is once again looking forward to working with his fellow judges to pick the best of the best, from Tropical North Queensland’s leading Tourism and Hospitality operators.