Pastor Dale Dowler is a well known face around the Nambour community.

If he’s not listening to someone who needs a friendly ear or talking to someone who needs some good advice, the Co-Founder and Manager of The Shack will be organising assistance to service the needs and concerns of his diverse community.

Pastor Dale and his wife Donna head up The Shack which, since 2002, has established itself as a vital thread in the fabric of Nambour and the surrounding district.  He leads the organisation with a committed group of volunteers, the community of churches and many families who have given their time and resources to support over 10,000 people.

It’s only fitting that Pastor Dale was recognised in The Queen’s Birthday 2021 Honours List, with a  Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community.

The Shack team has assisted in excess of 1000 drug-dependant individuals into detox, rehab and one-on-one counselling. It runs addiction programs, youth and children’s programs and provides clothes, meals, showers and community to many in need.  

“We have referred numerous people to accommodation and have established an addiction program (run once a month) that has graduated over 450 individuals,” he said.

The Shack offers a range of small group programs for men and women ranging from Drug and Alcohol groups to Domestic Violence support groups.

Everything is achieved without government funding. “The Nambour community and surrounding partners have been generous beyond human thinking,” Dale said. “After 19 years, we are  stronger and more passionate than ever. 

“I like to say we do life with people. It may be fleeting. But it may be lasting. It’s a privilege to be involved with people at critical moments in their lives, be it hatch, match or despatch, as they say. It’s a privilege being able to help and send people on their way as well as welcome them in. And it’s all possible because of connections through community.”

Despite the unpredictable nature of his work, Pastor Dale displays  an air of calm. “That’s our faith element shining through I guess,” he said. “It’s a bit of a duck syndrome as well. There’s a fair bit going on under the surface.

“We’re in a lot of situations where, if you appear over excited or over-hyper, if things need to be de-escalated you need a bit of a demeanour that says you know what you’re doing. Being a conversationalist and being able to connect with people helps too.

“We often connect with people who are seen to be unlovable and then we may mix with politicians and businesspeople as well. But underneath it all people are all pretty much the same and the conversations are the same. 

“God’s business is about people and the reality for us is that we have to have money to function. But the most important conversations we have are about people.”

The former Canterbury-Bankstown rugby league player said he was honoured to receive the award. “To be honest I got quite emotional. To get something that is so reflective and recognising of being an Aussie was overwhelming. 

“And although it’s wonderful, it’s not important, if you know what I mean. It’s the lives that we connect with every day that are important. I can put this medal back in the draw at the end of the day. The lives we connect with can’t be put in a draw. They need to be brought to a place of recognition every day.”

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