Community
29 January, 2025
Pastor’s community work draws praise in the Gulf
Doug Christie was named Carpentaria Shire Council's Citizen of the Year.
Just call me Doug.
Those were the words of Doug Thomas, who on Sunday was named Carpentaria Shire’s Citizen of the Year.
He was responding to North West Weekly’s question of: should we call you Pastor Doug or Mr Thomas?
Doug it is.
A teacher at Gulf Christian College, Doug first arrived in the region almost 50 years ago.
“I actually taught here at the state school in 1978. That’s where I met my wife, she’s a local Normanton lady,” he said.
“Then we moved down the coast to look after my ageing parents. They ended up living until they were both 92, so we were down there a lot longer than we expected.
“Then once they passed away it was time for us to move back up here to put time into my wife’s family.
“So Normanton is now home and it has been home for the last 10 years.”
Doug has built a reputation as a shoulder to depend on within the Gulf community. He also usually the first to get a call when there is a tragedy in the tight knit town.
“It’s nice to know that people trust you enough to rely on you to step up to do different things that you’re asked to do, whether it’s a wedding or a funeral, or just assisting somebody who’s going through a difficult time,” he said.
“Not everyone gets to be a part of that journey with people, so it’s gratifying, I guess, to know that people in the community have enough trust and enough faith in you to share themselves with you like that.
“Not everybody asks for support either. Sometimes you’ve just got to keep an eye out and just check on people. I
“We’re not immune to people committing suicide in Normanton and it’s important that we keep an eye out on our fellow citizens in the community to make sure that we’re all tracking OK.”
Doug said he was proud to be named Carpentaria Shire’s Citizen of the Year and paid tribute to the other award winners for their work in the Normanton and Karumba communities.
CARPENTARIA SHIRE WINNERS
Arts and Cultural Award
David Hamman
Community Event of the Year
Normanton Sprint Races & Rodeo
Volunteer of the Year
Irene Fitzsimmons
Junior Sportsperson
Carla McGilvary
Senior Sportsperson
Troy Gallagher
Citizen of the Year
Doug Thomas
Mayor’s Award
Corrine Long