ian mcdougall
  • Ian McDougall
    • Background
    • Humbled by Honour
  • Projects
    • Bloke's Lounge
    • Mentoring >
      • He said, she said
      • Helping the Homeless in more ways than one
    • Save the Post Box
    • Racism
  • Articles
    • MUSICAL MADNESS
    • MY EARLY CARS
    • This (mechanical) life
    • The Thorpe Ascension
    • Goolie grippers
    • Bewdy Bonza guide to Australia
    • Wine descriptors
    • Notes for shop assistants
  • McDoggerel
    • Political >
      • WAR IS A WHORE
      • Joe Hockey
      • Blue Ties
      • Kevin, The Musical
      • LNPeeing in their own next
      • Flegg flogged
      • Your Job
      • We're Shot to Shit
      • Can Do (A Political Pantomime)
      • Bwuce Almighty
      • Election in the Air
      • What The Hell
      • How 'ard?
      • Parly rap
      • About face, about facing the truth
    • Social issues >
      • On The Streets
      • Ready & Able
      • Where I Live
      • Telephone font
    • Here Be Demons >
      • The Truth Comes Out
      • Yeah mate, I know
      • Dread Head
      • Sometimes
      • Black Dog Barking
      • Bark you black dog
    • Other >
      • My car
      • Bloody lawn
      • Night noise
      • The Dunny
      • My Kind of Blue
      • THE CHRISTMAS FRIDGE
      • Kiss Me
      • The Stick
      • Magpie mornings
      • Delhi belly
      • Hinkum booby
      • GRIEF IS THE PRICE OF LOVE
      • Darts for Old Farts
      • Surfers ain't paradise
      • The March
      • CALLIPYGOUS
      • Bangalow Markets
      • Meanderthals
      • Four small words
      • Bessie
      • The Devil Drives a Prado
      • Desert Dawn 1991
      • Your Mobile Phone
      • Your Honour
      • The Tellie
      • I Hate The Train
    • Haiku >
      • Blokey haiku
      • Hospital haiku
      • Other haiku
  • People
    • Surf legend
    • On ya bike, Mal!
    • VALE >
      • Vale: Roger Crook
      • Vale: Nev Brough
      • Vale: Ron Dix
      • Vale: Joan Small
      • Vale: Dal Withers
    • Lieut Clarry McDougall MC >
      • Race meeting at the front
      • March to the Rhine
      • Daybreak surprise
      • Cooyar Cenotaph unveiled
    • J.F. McDougall - Queenslander >
      • J.F. McDougall - family stuff
    • Partners in Recovery >
      • Getting it out there
      • Funky postcards hit the streets
      • Phil's pouches popular
      • New life for Naomi
      • There's magic in music
      • Lessons from the edge of darkness
      • Crafting a future
      • From misery to happiness
      • Dominique - Shades of day
    • Book People >
      • Matthew on road to recovery
      • #1 Kevin Jones
      • #2 Melissa and Ann
      • #3 David Oldfield
      • #4 Multicultural moments
      • #5 Peter Burt
      • #6 Brendan Lauritz
      • #7 Matthew's mutt
      • #8 Dal loves his Wilburs
      • #9 Books found
      • #10 New shoes, new vigour, new hope
      • #11 Up there for thinking
      • #12 Jo's lessons
      • #13 Cowboy takes teens on reality ride
  • Out & about
  • Grumpy Old Fart
I have a bent for grassroots yarns and from 2103-16 published a community website, Southport Star, yarns about the people, the places and the power of one of the Gold Coast's oldest communities - and its CBD.

Honorary Member:
​Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Picture
In my community development role, I volunteer in the areas of older men's health, seniors issues, social isolation and mental health.
​
  • Founder & Life Member: Bloke's Lounge
  • Vice-President, Management Committee: Transcord Community Transport Inc
  • Founding committee member and former Southport coordinator Gold Coast Street Library 
  • Inaugural secretary Labrador Men's Shed

My journey

I left the public service after 18 years in 2011 to pursue community development work and now volunteer in the areas of elder abuse prevention, older males and homelessness. I am a victim representative for the Youth Justice Conferencing program.

I was an early but temporary secretary of the foundation committee which established the Labrador Men's Shed, the first one for the Gold Coast.

I founded and was inaugural President of Bloke's Lounge Inc, a welcoming and friendly place where blokes aged 50+ can meet new people and make new mates. Through that I joined the management committee of Transcord Community Transport Inc.

I helped establish the Gold Coast Street Library and co-coordinated its Southport service for some years.

I am an active participant on the Gold Coast City Council community consultation panel and previously the Medicare Local (now Gold Coast Primary Health Network) consultation panel/forums. Through the Network's Partners in Recovery program I helped people with mental illness record their journeys to recovery.

For some time I was a member of the Gold Coast Senior Regional Roundtable, helping develop the Gold Coast Seniors Action Plan. Previously I have been involved in Apex, Neighbourhood Watch, Community Youth Support Scheme, Inverell Police-Community Liaison Committee, Inverell Shire Council Tourism sub-committee and the Australian Inland Fishing Championships.

Earlier journeys:

I worked as a menswear shop assistant, trades assistant and labourer before entering journalism at The Northern Miner, Charters Towers.

I was a journalist, sub-editor and editor in Charters Towers, Townsville, Mackay, Inverell (NSW) and Brisbane, winning many state awards.  I also worked for some months in the secretariat for a regional organisation of local government councils. I was briefly a media officer for a Federal MP.

Upon the demise of Brisbane's afternoon newspaper The Sun in 1991, I joined the Queensland public service as a media and communications officer.

In my younger days in North Queensland and NSW I was also a bit of a pot stirrer, known for in-your-face headlines - Poofs in the Park is the most infamous -  and (often too-dogged) coverage of council affairs. However, I mellowed after 18 years working in challenging but rewarding areas including vocational education, child safety, disability services, youth justice, homelessness, seniors, domestic and family violence, disaster recovery and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs.

As a "ship's drover", I accompanied live cattle shipments to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. My task was to ensure the safe carriage of the cattle, which were destined for breeding programs, not slaughter. I reported on Indonesia's fledgling Transmigration Program, which aimed to encourage people to shift from the over-populated Java to Sumatra by offering a small plot of land, a house, a cow and seeds for two seasons.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.