Community & Business
7 August, 2025
Long serving Goombungee-Haden Show Society Patron dies
Lyle Voll, patron and stalwart of the Goombungee-Haden Show Society died last week.
“It is with sadness that we have lost our Patron and Life Member, Mr. Lyle Voll,” a spokesperson for the Goombungee Agricultural Horticultural and Pastoral Society said in a statement.
Lyle Voll lived in the district his whole life and served as an active member of the Haden Rural Fire Brigade for over 50 years, sharing his extensive knowledge of the area with younger members.
He helped his father, brother and other community members build the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at Haden in 1956 and was a choir member, Lutheran Youth Leader and Church Council member for many years.
“We had to carry all the bricks, and move all the sand with shovel,” he recalled, speaking to the Oakey Champion in 2023.
“It’d nearly take us half a day to load all the sand into an Austin truck.”
Lyle was most well known as a Life Member of the Goombungee Haden A. H. & P. Society and had served as its patron for over 30 years.
As Show Society patron, Lyle was an exceptional host, showing guests around the Showgrounds with great ease.
He had also been involved in the planning and preparation of the Goombungee Rodeo and Showgirl fundraising events.
“Don’t talk to me about barbecues!” he said.
As a Rosalie Shire Councillor for six years, Lyle worked tirelessly to build community connections.
“I was in Division 3,” he recalled.
“We used to have meetings every month.”
“The main thing in those days was roads, most of them were dirt which eventually changed into gravel.”
His time as a Councillor had its own challenges, as he explained in 2023.
“One time we voted on a new machine to chop up some of the big rocks in the gravel,” he said.
“Next minute, we’re getting complaints saying people are getting flat tyres because of the sharp-edged rocks!”
Lyle didn’t let his age get in the way of his community involvement and stayed active in the community for as long as he was able.
Lyle’s recollection of fighting to get to the front of the crowd to see Queen Elizabeth II on her first tour of Australia was read out in Federal Parliament by Garth Hamilton MP on the occasion of her death.
Lyle Voll was farewelled by his family and friends during a service at the church he helped build, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, at Haden yesterday (Tuesday August 5th).
