Toowoomba resident Demi Mutch will have a home crowd advantage this week as she carries the Queen’s Baton in the Toowoomba leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay ahead of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).

Demi completed four qualifications in hospitality and events at TAFE Queensland in Toowoomba and her success and commitment to her academic pursuits were recognised as she was nominated as a baton bearer in the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR).

Demi was the student speaker and recipient of the Bob Walker Memorial Prize for excellence in Vocational Education at her graduation in 2017, and will travel to the Gold Coast next week to serve as a volunteer in the Aquatic Centre at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

Demi was nominated by the TAFE Queensland team to represent the region in the QBR and said she is honoured to have been recognised by her peers and thrilled to have the opportunity to take part in the longest relay in history.

“My teachers and peers have always supported my endeavours, and to be able to take part in the QBR and to be a part of such a major sporting event throughout Australia and the Commonwealth is very exciting,” Demi said.

TAFE Queensland South West Region General Manager Brent Kinnane said he was excited to see Demi represent the region as a baton bearer.

“Baton bearers are people that inspire others to be great, and we’re very excited to have Demi participate in the Queen’s Baton Relay,” said Brent.

Brent Kinnane said as the Official Training Partner for the Games, TAFE Queensland is training 15,000 volunteers to provide them with the skills needed to make a great Games. “Leading up to GC2018, we are training volunteers in both online and face to face environments across a variety of role specific and venue specific training including spectator services, press operations, anti-doping, protocol and transport,” said Brent.

The QBR celebrates the Commonwealth’s diversity, inspires community pride and excites people about the world-class festival of sports and culture to come.

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