Mayor Sally O’Neil was born and raised in Longreach before going away for her secondary education.  She later returned to the region to learn the art of opal cutting and opened a retail opal shop.

After about five years, she decided it was time to further her education.  Sally first completed a Diploma of Fine Arts majoring in Silver Smithing and soon realised the Arts were not going to make a living and went on to complete a Civil Engineering Degree. Since then, she has worked on projects in the South East corner of Queensland in civil construction and later mining infrastructure.

The following is a list of major projects she has worked on.

• Ipswich Motorway Centenary Highway Intersection upgrade
• Port of Brisbane – Captain Bishop Bridge and Port Drive Upgrade
• Springfield – Various subdivisions
• Port of Brisbane – Port of Brisbane Motorway Upgrade
• Moranbah – Daunia and Caval Ridge Mine Coal Infrastructure
• Rolleston – Sections of the Dawson and Carnarvon Highway rehabilitation
• Stanwell Corporation – Black Creek Diversion Channel

In 2016, Sally completed a Graduate Diploma of Secondary Education and returned to Longreach to teach at the Longreach State High School. This opportunity gave Sally’s daughter Louise, then nine, the opportunity to experience the freedom of growing up in the bush that both her and her husband Brett had.

Sally’s teaching career was short-lived when she saw an advertisement for the position of Director of Works and Services for the Barcoo Shire Council and applied.  Sally was successful and was appointed to the Director role in October 2017.  At that time, Sally and her daughter relocated to Jundah.

Since then, Sally and her family have thoroughly enjoyed living in the Barcoo Shire. Her love for the Barcoo Shire is what led to her decision to stand for Mayor in the 2020 elections.

Councillor O’Neil became Mayor of the Barcoo Shire in 2020 and was re-elected in 2024.