Helen is Mayor of the Bundaberg Region and was born and raised in Bundaberg.
She attended Central State School and Bundaberg State High School and worked at some iconic local places from tomato picking at Winfield to the Café Royale and Marell Engineering.
Helen left Bundaberg to join the Army and spent four years as a soldier.
After starting a family Helen moved back to Bundaberg, working at Austchilli and Bundaberg Brewed Drinks before commencing with CQU.
She worked in community-based organisations such as Bundaberg Area Sexual Assault Service, Lifeline and Bundaberg Area Youth Service before going on to own a small business and becoming an awarded business leader.
Her achievements include Diplomas in Counselling, Psychotherapy and later Business Administration and Project Management and a Company Directors course.
She served as Division 4 representative on Bundaberg Regional Council between 2016 and 2020, the only Councillor to hold two portfolios, those of Governance and Sport and Recreation.
She also chaired the CBD revitalisation consumer reference group and was instrumental in forming the trader group which has now transformed in the Love Bundy program
Helen is an active member of her community having served on Rotary and various management committees of community-based and charity organisations and being a patron for the Small Bore Rifle Club and Defence Veteran Drop-in Centre.
Passionate about her role as Mayor she believes “we all have something to offer and that we need to be willing to do the offering”.
Her focus is the region’s economic health and aims to see the Bundaberg Region become a regional capital by working with all levels of government to deliver sustainable, long term solutions to foster growth for the region in all sectors.
Register of Interests - Cr Helen Blackburn(PDF, 193KB)