Meet a CA | Peter O’Regan FCA, Queensland Regional Council Chair 2019
Peter O’Regan FCA sees the role of accountant in a country community as something more than just doing the numbers.
In Brief
- As chair of the Queensland Regional Council for 2019, Peter O’Regan FCA wants to reach out to as many country-based members as possible.
- O’Regan believes CAs working in regional and remote areas offer a lot more than just accountancy services – they contribute positively to the community in many ways.
- He says it’s important for the accounting profession to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.
Peter O’Regan FCA knows the important role chartered accountants play in Australia’s regional communities. For more than 26 years he has been part of O’Regan & Partners, an accountancy practice with five offices across Central Queensland and another two in Townsville and Brisbane.
The practice provides accountancy and business services to enterprises and local government in remote and regional Queensland, and O’Regan has owned and operated two cattle and sheep properties himself.
The accountant has been a member of the Queensland Regional Council for a number of years and, for five years, he has represented Queensland’s regional accountants on the CA ANZ Regional & Rural Advisory Committee.
In 2019, O’Regan steps up to the role of chair of the Queensland Regional Council, after serving as deputy chair in 2018. So what would he like to achieve in his year of service?
Peter O’Regan FCA
What are your top three priorities as Queensland Regional Council chair?
- To assist in giving meaning to our vision and strategy to our members.
- To actively engage with as many regionally based members as possible.
- Support our incoming president’s theme with its emphasis on professional and societal ethics.
What makes you proud of the CA community in your region?
In regional Australia and, in particular, remote Australia, CAs are always much more than chartered accountants. They contribute to their communities in many positive ways.
“In regional Australia and, in particular, remote Australia, CAs are always much more than chartered accountants. They contribute to their communities in many positive ways.”
What’s an important priority for the future of your region?
The development of Northern Australia, particularly in mining and agriculture.
What do you consider the most important issue for the future of the profession?
Continuing relevance in a rapidly changing world.
What have you learnt about achieving strategic goals?
That it’s fundamentally important to never, ever give up.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A farmer!
What’s on your reading list?
I’m looking forward to reading 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson and the Joseph Conrad classics Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness.
What do you like to do for fun or to unwind?
I always enjoy reading. And travel and taking walks are at the top of the list, too.
And what’s your top tip for visitors to your neck of the woods?
- Calling in on Mount Isa is a must. Visit between April and September because the climate is at its best during that period.
- The Mount Isa rodeo in August is terrific because it offers much more than the usual rodeo events. It’s also the biggest in the southern hemisphere.
