Agricultural
22 February, 2023
Oakey’s Rural Ambassador
Laynae Okkonen says as someone who loves rural Australia and country shows, she’s excited by the challenge of representing a proudly agricultural area in 2023 at the Oakey and Toowoomba Royal Shows.
This year’s ambassador is Laynae Okkonen, from Cooyar.
Laynae grew up near Grafton where she was raised on a farm.
“I’m going to become more involved in the community with supporting the Oakey Show Committee,” she said.
“I’ve grown up in the ag department with cattle.”
Laynae said she wants to let people know about the value of shows and the life skills they teach young people.
“Going to shows and meeting people has given me a lot of confidence,” she said
As well as representing Oakey, she’ll be representing her home - Cooyar.
“Cooyar’s really small.
“You’ve got two shops, a pub, a school and a café that’s open sometimes.”
As part of her new role, Laynae will be actively involved in the Oakey Show.
From there, she will progress to the Darling Downs Sub-Chamber Final which will be held at the Toowoomba Royal Show.
If successful, she will have the chance to represent the Darling Downs Region and compete in the State Final held during the Royal Queensland Show (EKKA).
The winner of the State Final competes at the National Final held at a State Royal Show.
The Rural Ambassador Awards are open to males and females, 20 to 30 years of age who have a strong commitment to the rural industries and a passion for the agricultural show movement.
The aim of the Awards is to highlight the importance of young people who are associated with the Show movement.
