Canungra volunteer Wayne Reiser has been recognised as one of Queensland’s Local Legends, receiving a 2026 Queensland Day Award for his decades of service to the community through the Canungra Sports and Recreation Grounds.
Mr Reiser was one of five Queenslanders honoured in the Local Legends category, which celebrates people who have made an outstanding contribution to their communities through service, leadership and volunteerism.
Despite the recognition, Mr Reiser was quick to share the credit.
“It’s for everybody,” he said.
“The committee did the work. We had a really good committee and a lot of people put in a lot of years.”
The Canungra Sports and Recreation Grounds Committee, which manages the community-owned grounds commonly known as the Canungra Showgrounds, was formed in 1988 after concerns the facility had fallen into disrepair.
Mr Reiser found himself elected president and, alongside volunteers including the late Bob Murphy, Rose McCabe, Bill Zastrow and Erin Quinlan, began the task of revitalising the precinct.
“The grounds were going nowhere,” he said.
“There was no money and no real plan for the future.”
One of the committee’s most successful initiatives was the “Six Pick”, a weekly lotto-style fundraiser run through the Canungra Hotel.
Over a decade it generated more than $100,000, helping fund projects at the grounds as well as a new cold room at the School of Arts Hall, a defibrillator for the ambulance service, computers for Canungra State School and support for the local fire brigade.
As funding improved, so too did the grounds.
The committee oversaw major upgrades including improved power infrastructure, a new sewerage system, an amenities block and a camp kitchen that remains popular with visitors today.
One project, the construction of the amenities block, became something of a local legend itself.
“It cost us 50 cartons of beer,” Mr Reiser said.
“We got a substantial grant, and it was up to us to build it. So, everybody got paid in beer. All the local tradesmen kicked in – the chippies, the bricklayers – and it was built over about five or six weekends.”
Today, the grounds welcome thousands of visitors each year and remain a central gathering place for the community.
“The young ones have taken it over now,” Mr Reiser said.
“It’ll be interesting to see what the next 20 years will bring.”
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