LOCAL LEGEND
Shining her light Words Ingrid Nelson
A long-time advocate of the small business community on the Sunshine Coast, we catch up with Leanne Layfield about how she is enjoying her “retirement” and were not surprised to discover she hasn’t quite hung up a few of her many hats just yet.
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he has been a familiar smiling face at the many networking and business events on the Sunshine Coast over the years. And although she has officially retired from her role at the helm of the Caloundra Chamber of Commerce, Leanne Layfield continues to support local businesses and share her knowledge and passion for community with the younger generation. Hailing from a background in tourism, Leanne has always extolled the virtues of small businesses and the important role they play in economic development and community prosperity. Initially specialising in destination marketing and development, her passion for the Sunshine Coast Region and its people has always been at the heart of who she is. “One of my most memorable career highlights was in 2000 when I was working for Tourism Sunshine Coast (now Visit Sunshine Coast) when we won the Queensland Tourism award for destination marketing. We put an enormous amount of work into the nomination and were over the moon to be recognised among our peers and other regional tourism organisations,” says Leanne. But it was her role as Executive Chair of the Caloundra Chamber of Commerce that was perhaps the most rewarding of her esteemed career. “The six years I managed the Caloundra Chamber and achieving 500 members was the real highlight of my career,” says Leanne. “Those members were people who were part of our tribe. We valued each and every one of them individually and personally. “I worked with a phenomenal group of people in an incredibly dynamic organisation. A membership-based organisation always keeps you on your toes and I loved every minute of it.”
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However, in 2018, it was time for Leanne to hand the baton over to allow her to spend more quality time with her family and her husband who had recently retired. And although she is no longer officially employed, it comes as no surprise to those who know her that Leanne continues to support the business community today. “I felt there was no way to do the job other than giving it 100 per cent or not at all,” says Leanne. “My husband was scaling back his building business and we wanted to travel more, so I decided to retire. As much as I was happy to walk away from paid employment, I still have a lot of drive and a lot of connections and interest to continue to support the business community.” These days, when she is not travelling around Australia in her caravan or spending time with her new grandchild, Leanne continues to give her time and expertise to several organisations including the Sunshine Coast Chamber Alliance, Regional Development Australia Sunshine Coast and is on the advisory board for Your Employment Solutions and The Community Collective QLD. Still heavily involved at the grass roots level of the 4556 Chamber, Leanne says she has been a supporter of notfor-profits for as long as she can remember. “I have always been involved in some sort of not-forprofit community organisation because I have always liked to give back, that is part and parcel of who I am. “I thrive on activity and engagement, conversation and connections. I’m an inquisitive person so it satisfies my curiosity of what’s going on. “It’s a very full life but it keeps me very happy.” Her advice to other senior members in our community looking for ways to engage with the community is to find something that connects with your heart. “Do something you are passionate about, the reward is really significant. It makes you feel whole, and you can still contribute in a valuable way to your community,” says Leanne. No matter how busy her life gets, something tells me this go-getter won’t be hanging up those hats any time soon!
LIFESTYLE 55 +
