Ballina Region

Distinguished and Famous people from Ballina Region

Ballina Shire's connections with distinguished people extend from the coast to Alstonville on the plateau. Athletics, maritime enterprise and military service each have a documented place in the district's history.

🏅 Kerry Saxby-Junna

Race walker Kerry Saxby-Junna moved to Ballina as a teenager and developed her athletics with the local club before moving to the Australian Institute of Sport. She competed at the Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney Olympics, and won Commonwealth Games gold in 1990 and 1994. Her international career included medals over different walking distances. Ballina's named walkway recognises a connection that began in local sporting participation, long before the major championships.

⚓ Thomas Fenwick

Thomas Fenwick's tug operations helped make the Richmond River entrance a working port. He acquired a Ballina waterfront site in 1875, with a slipway operating there from 1891, and used his vessels for towing and other commercial services. His prosperity supported the construction of Fenwick House at Shaws Bay. Together, the house and the former industrial waterfront connect a prominent local name with the business of moving people, goods and ships.

🎖️ Paddy Bugden VC

Patrick Joseph “Paddy” Bugden's family lived at the Federal Hotel in Alstonville after his mother and stepfather bought it in 1914. Born at Tatham, he served with the 31st Battalion during the First World War. His actions at Polygon Wood in 1917 included rescuing wounded men and attacking machine-gun positions. He was killed during the fighting and received the Victoria Cross posthumously. Alstonville's memorial preserves the district's connection with his family and service.