Under The Tiaras Of The 2025 Burdekin Water Festival Winners & Runner Ups

Burdekin Water Festival Senior Ambassador Winner Molly Julyan
It started as a childhood dream, and now it’s become a crowed reality for 2025 Burdekin Water Festival Senior Ambassador Winner, Molly Julyan, proudly representing Liessmann and Sons.

Right from the moment she walked on stage, Molly fell in love with the magic of the annual event, and on Saturday, the 30th of August, Molly was prestigiously crowed as the 2025 Senior Ambassador Winner at the beautiful QMN Manufacturing Burdekin Water Festival Long Lunch.

“To say I was truly shocked and speechless is a big understatement, I had literally no words and could only say “wow”,” Molly reminisced.

“I feel really proud to have won and to me, being the Winning Ambassador means representing my community with pride, celebrating the traditions of the Burdekin Water Festival, and sharing in the spirit of unity and celebration that the festival brings each year.”

Across the entire course of her journey, Molly represented her organisation with honour and carried herself with grace as she hosted and attended the fundraising and community events of her fellow Junior and Senior Ambassadors, where her attendance was always felt, and warmly welcomed.

Reflecting on how far she has come from the commencement of this year’s Burdekin Water Festival, Molly recalls how excited she felt when the opportunity to become a Senior Ambassador arose.

“My journey started when Seb and Kari came into my work on a busy afternoon and asked me if I was interested in being an Ambassador and I thought it was a perfect opportunity to show everyone the Home Hill side of the Burdekin,” said Molly.

“My dad had been part of the Liessmann and Sons family for over 20 years and all the staff are like family. I asked him if Liessmann and Sons would Sponsor me and they said yes.”

“Being able to bring home the winning title personally means a lot to me because I represented Liessmann and Sons with pride, gratitude, and the chance to represent something bigger than myself is an achievement I’ll always carry with me.”

Burdekin Water Festival Senior Ambassador Runner Up Eliza Worlein
On the afternoon of Saturday, the 30th of August, Eliza Worlein, representing the Rotary Club of Ayr, was crowned as the 2025 Burdekin Water Festival Senior Ambassador Runner Up at the beautiful QMN Manufacturing Burdekin Water Festival Long Lunch.

Eliza has been a long-time lover of all that’s involved in the annual celebration, and she always hoped she would have the opportunity to grace the stage as a Burdekin Water Festival Senior Ambassador.

“A big factor in motivating me to participate as an Ambassador this year came from being a Junior Ambassador when I was a kid, and I always knew that given the opportunity, I would say yes to being a Senior Ambassador as I know what the experience can be,” explained Eliza.

“While a lot has changed since when I first did it, the morals of friendship and community have remained the same.”

Over the course of her journey as a Senior Ambassador, Eliza felt extremely grateful and honoured to have had the opportunity to represent a treasured organisation within the Burdekin Shire.

“The Rotary Club of Ayr are organisation that is well known in the Burdekin community for their generosity and tireless efforts to carry out humanitarian work throughout the globe,” Eliza said.

“I feel very fortunate to be their ambassador for 2025 and do what I can to give back to an organisation that does so much for everyone else.”

Burdekin Water Festival Junior Ambassador Winner Giulia Sarri
Giulia Sarri's journey to becoming the 2025 Burdekin Water Festival Junior Ambassador Winner stands as nothing short of inspirational, and she feels beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to represent the Burdekin Christian College.

In the beginning of the Ambassador Program, Giulia recalls feeling extremely nervous for what the next few months had in store, however, once the crown was placed on her head on the evening of Saturday, the 7th of September, those feelings completely slipped away.

“I was shocked and excited! I didn’t think that I would win as all the Ambassadors were worthy of winning. I’m very grateful to be crowned the Winner and feel honoured to have been part of an event that I believe is very important to our community,” Giulia shared.

“Just being chosen to represent Burdekin Christian College (BCC) as a Junior Ambassador was an honour and a privilege in itself, so being crowned the Winner was an extra special bonus and a very special moment for me.”

Right from the second she was asked by her school principal, Ms Creed, Giulia represented BCC with pride.

“If it wasn't for Ms Creed and the school believing in me to represent BCC I wouldn’t have had the amazing experience that I did as a Junior Ambassador,” said Giulia.

“In my time at BCC I have been encouraged to find my strengths and supported to challenge myself, so, to have the winning title representing BCC is very special.”

With her crown, sash and robe handy, Giulia cannot wait to spend more time with her fellow Winning Ambassadors over the next year, and she hopes anyone considering the experience puts their hand up ahead of the 2026 Burdekin Water Festival.

“The whole program is the best thing you could possibly do, and the entire experience exceeded my expectations. It was fun, challenging and very rewarding! I made new friends with both Junior and Senior Ambassadors, and the program has helped me with my confidence overall and especially in public speaking,” added Giulia.

“It is an experience of a lifetime.”

Burdekin Water Festival Junior Ambassador Runner Up Jorja Vasta
2025 Burdekin Water Festival Junior Ambassador Runner Up, Jorja Vasta, representing Burdekin Junior Rugby League, was celebratorily crowned on the evening of Saturday the 7th of September – a heart stopping moment she’ll never forget.

“I was so shocked when Kari (BWF Ambassador Coordinator) announced my club, and my name – I just couldn’t believe it – I felt excited and proud,” Jorja enthused.

“Being named Runner Up means so much to me, and it boosts my faith that dreams really do come true as it doesn’t matter where you come from, determination and being true to yourself is success.”

Jorja has been an active member of Burdekin Junior Rugby League for almost three years, and she could not feel more honoured to have represented her club over the course of the 2025 Burdekin Water Festival season.

“I was so honoured and proud to represent my club, and I have built confidence, experienced new things and made community connections,” added Jorja.

“This ambassador experience has been filled with a lot of memorable moments like going to events with things I have never done before - playing night golf was definitely an exciting experience and talking to the other Ambassadors both past and present to help calm my nerves has helped me a lot.”

Right from the moment she was asked to become a BWF Junior Ambassador, Jorja knew she wanted to make the most of every moment, and with all the festivities now concluded, she feels nothing but gratitude for the entire experience, and she hopes others will leap at the opportunity to become an Ambassador in the new year.

“I would encourage others to give it a go, and if you have a business or organisation, I encourage you to nominate an ambassador!”

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Senior Ambassador Runner Up Eliza Worlein (Rotary Club of Ayr) & Junior Ambassador Runner Up Jorja Vasta (Burdekin Junior Rugby League) with Junior Ambassador Winner Giulia Sarri (Burdekin Christian College) & Senior Ambassador Winner Molly Julyan (Liessmann and Sons) (Photo Credit: Sharon Bozzetto)
Senior Ambassador Winner Molly Julyan (Liessmann and Sons) & Senior Ambassador Runner Up Eliza Worlein (Rotary Club of Ayr) (Photo Credit: Sharon Bozzetto)
Junior Ambassador Runner Up Jorja Vasta (Burdekin Junior Rugby League) with Junior Ambassador Winner Giulia Sarri (Burdekin Christian College) (Photo Credit: Sharon Bozzetto)

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