Lochie’s sunny disposition a great fit for Gladstone Regional Council
By Greg Chapman
CQUniversity IT student Lochie Cathcart is shining bright as a volunteer for Gladstone Regional Council, using his know-how to help promote its sun smart campaign and its Youth Council.
The 23-year-old Bachelor of Information Technology student has been assisting Gladstone Regional Council since 2024, something he says he’s very proud to do.
Lochie was part of a team that helped secure funding for the Council’s sun smart project and his IT skills came in very handy with its promotion.
“As the project evolved, I worked on how best to engage users through utilising Instagram’s algorithms,” he said.
“At the time, it appeared the algorithm would show more of a certain topic - in this case, sun safety - if a user was to scroll past a post and then flick back to it. This would indicate to the algorithm that it was more engaging as it was considered as rewatched.
“These days I mostly assist with the marketing of "Sunny", the Council’s sun smart mascot.
“I get a sense of pride and ownership out of this experience, and I get to see a project that has meaningful impact and will have meaningful impact well into the future.”
He said the learnings from his IT degree (which he is majoring in cybersecurity), helped spur the Council’s sun smart project along by giving him understanding of how Instagram and other social media platforms tend to serve posts and reels to the user.
“Some of the work I have done as part of this degree included a module that taught me different ‘tells’ for how people are feeling, such as when they are engaged and confident or worried and are self-soothing,” he said.
Lochie said he also enjoys being a member of the Gladstone Region Youth Council.
“I get a sense of pride in my community and some incredible networking opportunities,” he said.
He encouraged anyone thinking of study or volunteering to take the step.
“I think everyone should have something that they are passionate about. For me, it is advocacy - making sure that the people who are least heard - and seen - have someone to ensure that their needs are heard,” he said.
Gladstone Region Youth Council councillor representatives, Cr Leanne Patrick and Cr Mellissa Holzheimer, said the group was leading the way with youth health advocacy.
“The Youth Council discovered that invasive melanoma rates in the Gladstone Region are 82 per cent higher than the national average, with up to 85 per cent of young people getting sunburnt last year,” Cr Patrick said.
“During 2025, Lochie and the Youth Council brainstormed ideas that could help lower these statistics and the sun safety campaign evolved from there.”
Cr Holzheimer said the sun safety campaign began locally before branching out to a wider audience.
“The sun safety campaign has created many opportunities to create awareness within the community, has helped build connections with Cancer Council Queensland and even resulted in Sunny sharing his message at Gold Coast Schoolies Week,” she said.
“Not only does their sun safety campaign resonate with young people, the installation of a free sunscreen dispenser at Tannum Sands Beach gives community access to sunscreen for those who have forgotten to bring it, or may not be able to afford it.
“We are incredibly proud of the work that our Youth Council has done for the future health outcomes in our region.”
