Bundaberg Ambassador goes to Brisbane

BUNDABERG girl Summer Farrelly has been selected as a finalist for the 2018 Autism Queensland Creative Futures Recognition Awards, thanks to her great work as an advocate for people living with a disability.

Summer, who featured as one of Bundaberg’s ambassadors for Options Day 2018, is an 11-year-old girl living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and has been nominated in the Individual Achievement section of the Awards.

She has a lot of passion, particularly when it comes to chickens, art and therapies. With some help from her mother, Cynthia, she delivers Chickens to Love at CLS in Bundaberg every Tuesday morning. The 2.5 hour sessions provide a safe space for people of all abilities to come and learn how to care for chickens, and how to engage with them.

For people living with ASD, engaging with animals can be quite therapeutic and healthy.

Summer’s mother, Cynthia, said the activities involved with Chickens to Love were attracting people of all abilities.

“It’s about breaking the stigma that this sort of thing is just for people with disability, when it can be for anyone,” she said.

An IWC spokesman said IWC was proud to have walked the journey with the Farrelly family, as part of the organisation's role as Local Area Coordinator for the NDIS in this region. 

"Summer, and her family for that matter, bring great energy and enthusiasm to the disability space. By choosing to approach ASD as a superpower, rather than a limitation, Summer has been recognised as a beacon of positivity both in the community and on social media. It's great to see her nominated for this award," he said.

Winners of the Autism Queensland Creative Futures Recognition Awards will be announced at a special event hosted at Government House in Brisbane, on December 4.

To learn more about Chickens to Love, click here. ​