Going fishing & giving back

Dyed-in-the-wool bushie, GemLife Highfields resident Noel ‘Willie’ Williams, combined his love of fishing and the bush by donating boxes of unneeded library books to women living on remote Queensland stations.

Born in the rural Queensland town of Taroom, Willie, a former oil rigger who once worked in Libya’s Sahara Desert as well as south-west Queensland outback areas, has harboured a lifelong love and appreciation for the beauty of the Aussie bush.

An avid fisherman, Willie regularly heads to the outback on weekends for freshwater fishing, often camping at various stations in the Western Downs region, including the 9000-hectare Warkon.

When he heard about the excess books at the GemLife Highfields’ library, he knew exactly how to put them to good use.

“I loaded up boxes full of books, took them to six stations and left them at the mailbox,” said Willie.

“The women really appreciate it and like to swap the books too. They can’t go into town all the time, so they really like it,” he said.

Willie sees the gesture as a way of saying thank you for the enjoyment he gets from camping and fishing on the stations.

“I love the bush – the isolation and the peace and quiet. I love travelling by myself,” said Willie.

Catching cod, perch and catfish among others in the Condamine River, Willie usually returns his catches back into the water.

“Fishing is a cool little sport and I love it. I also take my son fishing and camping, and the grandkids too.”

A skilled handyman, Willie built his own trailer, barbecue and other handy camping necessities both for himself and others.

“I make my own cooking equipment and I’ve built all my fishing rods and equipment by myself,” he said.

“I love the security of GemLife and the low-maintenance aspect of the houses, you can just lock-up and head out for long periods of time and not have to worry about a thing.”