
Life Journey TV
They Won a Piece of Queensland — Then Had 5 Years to Make It Work -The Brigalow Scheme
The Brigalow Development Scheme changed Queensland — and changed the lives of hundreds of families who were given the chance to build a future on the land. In this episode, I sit down with grazier and historian John Heelan, whose family were fortunate to draw one of those blocks. John shares what life was really like: strict development deadlines, black-soil roads, no mains power, floods, the 1970s beef crash and the extraordinary community spirit that helped families survive and succeed. For me, this story is personal. My own father drew a Brigalow block, giving our family a life on the land that shaped generations. A remarkable story of opportunity, resilience and the building of regional Queensland. Thank you to Isaac Regional Council and the Regional Arts Development Fund for helping me bring this story to you.

