Community & Business
11 August, 2026
New beginnings at Neighbourhood Watch
After a period where it looked like the group might fold, Oakey Neighbourhood Watch has found three new members, including an Area Coordinator.
After leading Neighbourhood Watch Oakey 4401 for two decades, Glenda Underwood stepped down from the position of Area Coordinator in 2022 due to ill health.
Ellisa Parker very ably took the reins, raising the group’s profile in the community in the post-Covid era. However, community groups not only struggle to attract new members, but also to stay alive when key members retire.
In October 2025, Neighbourhood Watch Oakey was on the brink of disappearing when Ellisa stepped down as Area Coordinator due to other commitments, and there was no-one in the group to take her place.
For a tense five months this hiatus remained, and it seemed inevitable that after 23 years the group would cease to exist.
That is, until a fairly recent arrival in town, Donna Taylor, expressed a willingness to take the lead owing to her belief in the enrichment and depth provided by community groups in small town communities.
Since Donna’s election in February 2026, three new members joined the group, bringing great enthusiasm and vibrancy to monthly meetings.
The first event under her leadership was a raffle that started at the 118th Annual Oakey Show and ended with a prize draw a fortnight later at 2026 Cuppa with a Cop attended by a large contingent of QPS members from Oakey, Toowoomba and Jondaryan.
Planning for a number of events in the second half of the year is under way: a Sausage Sizzle at Bunnings Dalby this Saturday, the annual drawing competition at the Under 8s Day at St. Monica’s School in Oakey, an engraving day with a focus on pushbikes and scooters during the September school holidays, a Protect your Plates event in November, and the annual Oakey Santa Fair in December.
Neighbourhood Watch Oakey 4401 version 3.0 is now firmly in place. New beginnings. New challenges. New adventures.
- Hennette Calitz
