Seven inspiring stories: Fraser Coast's most courageous
THE Fraser Coast region is full of people who get up fighting when they are knocked down.
Whether they're a parent, a child, the entire community or the everyday Joe, there is a number of people who don't realise their stories have the ability to inspire.
Like the old saying goes when life gives your lemons; why not make lemonade.
So if you're not feeling it today? Here are five stories which are sure to inspire you.
HERO: Brave 8yo crawls through car wreckage to save sister
CRAWLING through a twisted car wreckage to save someone's life is a gruelling task usually reserved for hardened firefighters, not an eight-year-old girl.
But that's just what Jade-Elle Brown did three years ago when she rescued her younger sister who was trapped in a crushed vehicle cabin after a crash near Torbanlea.
Tinana Jade-Elle, now 11, is being recognised for her act of heroism with a bravery award by the Governor of Queensland.
Read more about brave little Jade-Elle here
Museum fundraiser to re-build following devastating fire
TO RECOVER from the fire that gutted part of the Hervey Bay Historical Village and destroyed irreplaceable items, a community fundraiser has been organised.
About 6.30pm on December 1 last year fire engulfed about 40m of display sheds, ripping through antique materials and a 1934 Ford Tip Truck.
Coen Ashton talks to students despite kidney failure
MARYBOROUGH teenager Coen Ashton has started The Coen Ashton Foundation to help raise awareness and fund research related to cystic fibrosis.
While his health has improved since his double lung transplant in 2012, Coen was admitted to hospital in Brisbane in March 2015 due to "a bit of" kidney failure.
But despite the health scare, he still persuaded his doctors to give him a day pass so he could speak to about 3500 primary school students from around Brisbane as part of a Halogen Foundation Forum.
Read more about the brave teen here.
Aiden, 10, saves mum's life after medication reaction
AT JUST 10 years of age, Aiden Parish is already a hero.
Thanks to knowing how to dial for emergency services, Aiden was able to save his mum Michelle's life after she suffered an adverse reaction to prescription medication in their Urraween home.
Read about how Aiden saved his mum's life here.
Cooper to live on through new boardwalk
THE loving memory of six-year-old Cooper Christensen, who passed away from a rare brain tumour earlier this year, will live on through the new Torquay boardwalk.
Surrounded by friends and family, Cooper's parents Amanda and Michael Christensen held a ceremony to officially open 'Cooper's Walk', which runs for 300m from Neilsen's Park to Aquaview.
Mrs Christensen said that particular stretch of the Esplanade was one of her son's favourite places.
Read about the walk dedicated to brave little Cooper here
Maryborough couple awarded for bravery during assault
CHILDHOOD sweethearts Greg and Joan Darlington saved somebody's life on April 9, 2010 - and that action has changed their own.
The Maryborough couple's lives changed forever the day they heard screams coming from a nearby house.
Although they are both aged in their late 60s, they raced outside and discovered a neighbour lying on the ground being attacked by three men, as another man and two women stood watching
They begged the attackers to stop before they too were turned on and threatened by the violent offenders.
Despite their own lives being in danger, Joan managed to return home to call triple zero, while Greg confronted the attackers and warned them police were on the way
Read more about the Maryborough couples brave act here.
Mum deals with dyslexia by becoming an author
IT'S not hard to see the irony in writing this article about Amber Bates.
These words that come so easily to most of us are the 34-year-old Fraser Coast resident's weakness
Amber is one of about 2.3 million Australians with dyslexia - a disorder that makes spelling and reading extremely hard because of the way their brains process information
But she is also a talented author, illustrator and entrepreneur who refuses to let the disability that almost destroyed her childhood education hold her back from achieving her dreams
