Community
29 January, 2025
Mount Isa's Young Citizen of the Year is leading by example
Ashlea Lavell is putting most of us to shame with her long list of achievements and group involvement.
Ashlea Lavell already has an exhaustive list of achievements in visual art and music despite being only 16 years old.
Mount Isa’s Young Citizen of the Year has performed the national anthem at the Mount Isa Rodeo, sung in front of tens of thousands of rugby league fans at a Cowboys NRL game in Townsville and has painted murals adorning the walls at The Music Shack and Mount Isa Dirt Bike Club.
The Year 11 Spinifex State College student will also represent her school at the North Queensland State Honours Ensemble Program in Cairns in March.
Ashlea was recognised at Sunday’s ceremony for her tireless dedication to honing her creative instinct.
She spends hours each week in school and community groups, rehearsing and learning new instruments to be able to contribute to the local arts community.
Despite being nominated for an award, she still managed to perform in the Mount Isa Community Ensemble choir which entertained the audience throughout the Australia Day ceremony.
While ever-modest, Ashlea says she enjoys the challenge of adding new instruments to her already impressive list of talents.
“I have been playing piano since I was five years old, I joined the band at school and play percussion, I also play euphonium, viola, ukelele and recorder,” she told North West Weekly.
“I like to try something new.”
Ashlea’s main passion is singing classical music, studying with a Brisbane-based Opera tutor via Zoom lessons.
Ashlea says she has ambitions to study singing at the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane in the future.
“Pursing the arts is difficult because it is hard to find a job in that area – but I still want to try,” she said.