Wood Chook Gallery is a business operated by volunteers with a commitment to establishing a customer-focused space, showcasing a rotating range of products crafted by local artisans.

The storefront is located in the city centre of Mackay, however over the past thirty years it has done the rounds, residing in various locations before settling on Victoria Street.

The business is unique as it is a one-of-a-kind establishment in Mackay, purchasing selected handmade products on consignment from the local community, with proceeds funding rent and electricity.

Over a dozen creators currently have stock residing on the shelves at the Wood Chook Gallery, with the business constantly rotating their merchandise to create variety and diversity of their product range.

Head of Wood Chook Gallery, Therese Townley keeps the stock fresh and the storefront inviting, with a strong support of local makers.  

With Christmas just around the corner, you can stock up on essential home and giftware items from tea towels, washers and soap sets to baby gifts, scarves, rugs, hankies, tea cozies as well as various artworks and crocheted items.

You can also purchase Mackay-themed souvenirs to send to loved ones overseas, and personalised giftware with name embroidery.  

Wood Chook Gallery are competitive with these items, as they are open six days a week, compared to market stalls that usually only operate weekends.

Take a gander at Wood Chook Gallery on 106 Victoria Street, open 9am to 2:30pm weekdays, and Saturdays 9am to 1pm or find them on Facebook for more information.

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Volunteer Francis Camilleri with a beautiful array of stylish tea towels

Giftware as far as the eye can see!

A handcrafted selection of crocheted items

Photo Credit: Sinead Porter

Mackay City Centre is a growing hub of opportunity for locals to explore a range of goods and services. Experience a relaxed atmosphere amongst a blend of architectural styles including unique Art Deco heritage buildings.

The recently revitalised city centre is seamlessly linked with the central business district, allowing busy commuters, tourists and local families to intermingle in the heart of our beautiful city.

The city centre boasts a unique art scene, including walls of magnificent artistry on Fifth Lane, designed by talented local creators. You can also indulge in a range of accommodation, restaurants and a wide variety of assorted apparel and boutique stores to get your fix of retail therapy.

In this feature you can further your explorations of the superb businesses operating within Mackay’s vibrant city centre and familiarise yourself with the friendly faces who work tirelessly to provide a superior shopping experience for all!

Prepare your land with Mackay Forestry Mulching Services

Mackay Forestry Mulching Services offer specialist eco-friendly land management strategies, including vegetation mulching and flail mowing, slashing, high-quality stump grinding, general earthworks, site-levelling as well as posthole and trenching services.

Mackay Forestry Mulching Solutions provide cost effective and environmentally friendly forestry mulching services, leaving behind a natural mulch layer that provides soil enrichment, erosion control, and moisture retention.

Their forestry mulching process is low impact and can be used to clear rural land for multiple purposes, including farming, fire hazard reduction, flood preparation and flora and fauna protection across Mackay.

Completing a waterway clearing or firebreak on your land can be vital to prepare for natural disasters, such as flooding and bushfire events.

Mackay Forestry Mulching Solutions have you covered, with a selective process to precisely remove vegetation such as lantana and invasive regrowth, whilst avoiding taking down high-value trees and native vegetation.

Reducing erosion will positively reduce the impact of flooding, by allowing rainwater to penetrate the ground rather than creating a high run-off effect. Destruction of your topsoil will cost you more in the long-run by having to regenerate the ground.

With vegetation control, mistakes can often be made - High chemical usage which reduces soil nutrition and increases environmental risk, excessive bulldozing removes topsoil increasing erosion and over burning.

All three control methods can have negative effects such as run-off into creek beds and waterways, killing wildlife and removing nutrients from the soil.

With Mackay Forestry Mulching Solutions, the main aim is to reduce vegetation quickly, cost effectively and with methods that can deliver effective clearing.

The business implements specialised industrial machinery with a high output-to-weight ratio, to avoid compaction whilst still delivering high-powered mulching.

Providing site services such as site levelling, posthole digging and trenching and experience in road cutting, dam building and fencing gives a more complete package.

Accessing properties with ease, this business has a competitive edge of efficiency and allowing future land management to be much smoother for their clients.

Contact Mackay Forestry Mulching Solutions at mackayforestry.com.au or call 1800 819 008.

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Digging a hole

Trenching

Photos supplied

Following on from the informational video created by the State Emergency Services Mackay Regional Unit, we discover why it is vital to pay attention to external home maintenance in the lead-up to storm season.

To start with, check on the status of your insurance policy, whether it is up-to-date and what it covers. If your policy doesn’t adequately cover your home, contents and car, you could be liable to pay out-of-pocket for damages.

On top of that, if your gutters and downpipes haven’t been regularly maintained, you could be unknowingly voiding your home insurance.

A good clean out of your gutters and downpipes is pretty much a non-negotiable part of storm preparation. If your gutters are full of debris, water can’t drain away from your residence.

This can cause a host of problems, such as water flowing into wall cavities and roofs, leading to serious complications like electrical short circuits and power outages.

If you have storm water sumps or drains around your home, it is critical to make sure these are cleaned out to ensure that they can drain water effectively.

Trim tree branches and remove any weak or dead branches from trees around your property, as they can fall onto your home or become airborne during strong winds.

It is important to check the condition of your roof. Look out for loose tiles, eaves or screws that need repairing.

Once these problems are resolved, there will be a limit on the amount of damages that can potentially occur during rough winds or intense storms.

OPINION PIECE

There’s always some debate about how long you must have lived in Mackay before you can call yourself a local. I can trace my family back to my great-great-grandfather, George Hardwick, who arrived in the Pioneer Valley in the mid-1860s. Generations of my family have lived here, with me being fifth generation, and my children and grandchildren also born and raised here.

My mother and her brother attended Mackay West State School, as did myself and my siblings, and then my four children. It’s a great school that has produced many outstanding community members who have gone on to do great things.

Mackay West State School will celebrate their centenary in 2024. The school, originally known as South Ward State School, opened in 1924 at the Bridge Road campus. The campus later became known as West Mackay Infants School, and the Pinder Street site as West Mackay Primary School with grades three to seven. In 1994 there was an amalgamation of West Mackay Infants School and West Mackay Primary School to become Mackay West State School.

The Centenary Committee, of which I’m the Treasurer, meets monthly and are coordinating events, memorabilia and displays for the community. We are inviting local families and businesspeople to sponsor a page in the centenary book or sponsor an event during the centenary celebrations, being held from May 24 to 26, 2024.

The weekend celebrations will begin on Friday, May 24, 2024, where past and present staff, students and family members will gather under the trees of the junior campus. A static display will be set up at the senior campus, giving attendees an opportunity to walk down memory lane and reminisce. A Meet and Mingle will be hosted at Harrup Park that night. Tickets will be available for purchase early in the New Year.

On Saturday, May 25, the school grounds at Pinder Street will come alive with our annual Mayfair. This traditional fair has been bringing the West Mackay Community together for over 50 years.

On Sunday, May 26, we will be welcoming families to have a picnic at the Pinder Street campus and have a look through the static display.

A centenary book is being produced by a dedicated team of past students and teachers. Local historian Lyall Ford is collating information to include an accurate history of the school and its community.

For more information, please email mackaywest_centenary2024@outlook.com or check out our Facebook page – I went to Mackay West SS 1924-.

Councillor Belinda Hassan

Mackay Regional Council

For long time local, Phil Geddes, navigating the Airlie Beach pathways hasn’t always been an easy task.

A wheelchair user, Phil broached the Airlie Beach Festival of Music last weekend, to get involved with the fantastic scene.

“And the people were awesome. It was quite surprising,” Phil said.

Having moved to the area over 20 years ago, Phil found that general attitudes about his wheelchair were fairly negative.

“People used to say ‘get out of the way’ and weren’t very receptive to me or the wheelchair at all,” he reflected.

“But going into town on the weekend, I was quite surprised. It was awesome. People were very aware and receptive and encouraging. They are conscious of the difficulty and challenges of the wheelchair and were very helpful.

“I had so much anxiety and was so nervous, but looking back, I am just like ‘wow, that was awesome’.”

For Phil, it was very reassuring that the mentality has changed, and that people were eager to help him out and help him experience the music festival.

“But this isn’t about me, it’s about the people out in town. The appreciation and respect for everyone who was considerate and understanding to me, that’s what it’s all about. The respect for the people that are struggling.

“I just want to thank everyone.

“I just wanted to see what I could see from my wheelchair.”

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Phil was pleasantly surprised last weekend. Photo: Shutterstock

Hi Everyone,

This week I would like to talk about cancer.

It can often be a subject that people shy away from, perhaps for fear that it can be caught, or if we talk about it, we are somehow inviting it in.

It is also a topic whispered about in quiet corners, sad eyes sharing news of a dear friend with a recent diagnosis. Sorrow for the other person, but relief that it is not you.

Well, just over four years ago, it was me.

In August 2017 I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Bowel Cancer and, fortunately, after an operation and six months of chemotherapy, I survived.

But cancer does not stop there, even after it has left your body, it is something you live with for the rest of your life.

Last week I had my annual PET scan and, as usual, the weeks leading up to it were an anxious haze where imagined symptoms kept popping into my head.

Luckily, on Tuesday this week my oncologist called to say I had been given the ‘all clear’.

Relief washed over me, and tears swelled in my eyes, it wasn’t me this time – phew.

And while I felt relief, I also felt survivor’s guilt wash over me.

I knew a woman the same age as me who received exactly the same diagnosis as me four years ago who is no longer with us today.

I know a local lady in her thirties who is just beginning her cancer journey, enduring chemo and the uncertainty of whether it will work, and my heart bleeds for her.

I also remember young Cody Gibbs who should have been celebrating his birthday this week.

All these stories are the reality of cancer, and it breaks my heart to see people going through such trauma and tragedy.

And while cancer still scares me every day, I think we all need to talk about it with hope in our hearts – for there are many more survivors these days than there have ever been before.

Rach

Quote of the Week: “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible” (Christopher Reeve)

Red Cat Adventures, Whitsunday Jetski Tours, and Wildcat Mackay join SeaLink

It’s the beginning of a new era and an exciting fresh start for one of region’s biggest tourism players with Red Cat Adventures selling to SeaLink, the largest marine transport operator in Australia.

Asher and Julie Telford started Red Cat Adventures in 2015 and experienced massive growth, employing 75 crew, expanding to five custom-built vessels and 22 jet skis by the time they sold this week.

The couple had been approached by big companies before, but Julie said it was only now that it felt like “the right time to sell” and that SeaLink’s people and environment focussed values were “the right fit” for their business.

SeaLink launched its Whitsunday-based marine transport and tour company in 2021 and, while their business portfolio now includes Red Cat Adventures, each of the businesses will carry on as usual.

The Whitsundays overall tourism offering just got stronger and significantly bigger with SeaLink’s acquisition of Red Cat Adventures, Whitsunday Jetski Tours, and Wildcat Mackay.

And while the new look business will operate the same as before, it will undoubtedly have more clout in the market, becoming arguably one of the biggest tour companies in the region.

Previous owners of Red Cat Adventures, Asher and Julie Telford say that it will be ‘business as usual’ for consumers, agents, and staff, with all brands continuing to offer their much-loved national-award-winning experiences.

The Telfords will also remain at the helm of the business.

“Red Cat Adventures has been part of our family and supported by the Whitsunday community and tourism industry for almost a decade that has been the most rewarding years of our lives,” said Julie Telford.

“We knew when the time was right, we could only move to this next chapter with people we can trust and whose values align to ours, to build on Red Cat’s bold brands, iconic experiences and impeccable customer service levels we’ve worked so hard to create.”

Asher Telford, shared his personal ties to SeaLink, saying, "I have a close connection to SeaLink, having been born on Kangaroo Island.”

“I travelled on the SeaLink ferry many times growing up, and before starting Red Cat Adventures I did my Master IV in Adelaide with some of the SeaLink crew; I love that we are joining the SeaLink family with our shared vision of providing award-winning brilliant experiences to visitors from around the world.”

Over the years, Red Cat Adventures has garnered a string of accolades, including a triple National Gold rating.

In 2022, they were awarded Gold for Australia's best Adventure Tourism Business. They also secured gold at the 2018 and 2019 National Awards for Australia's Best Major Tour and Transport Operator.

Donna Gauci, CEO of SeaLink Marine & Tourism, enthusiastically welcomed this significant partnership, stating, "We are thrilled to welcome the Red Cat Adventures team into the SeaLink family”.

"Our companies are committed to showcasing the best the Whitsundays has to offer and providing brilliant unforgettable experiences for our guests. This collaboration denotes a significant milestone for both organisations," she said.

Asher Telford co-owner of Red Cat Adventures, Rob Mitchell General Manager of SeaLink and Julie Telford co-owner of Red Cat Adventures. Photo supplied

Crew from four of Australia’s top marine tourism companies are joining together. Photo credit: Rachael Smith

The second annual coral reef fin fish closure occurred earlier this week, banning fisheries from catching coral reef fin fish, including cod, grouper, coral trout, and emperor.

Taking affect from November 10 to 14, from the northern tip of Cape York to south of Bundaberg, the ban joins the East Coast Spanish Mackerel and Barramundi, snapper and pearl perch, snapper crab, and tropical rock lobster season closures.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities, the Honourable Mark Furner MP explained that these closures are integral to replenishing fish numbers.

“Closed seasons are vital for ensuring fish stocks remain plentiful, not only for Queensland’s valuable commercial fishing industry, but also for future recreational anglers to enjoy,” Mr Furner said.

“October and November have been shown scientifically to be the most effective months for closures to protect coral reef fin fish,” he said.

“I thank fishers for their efforts to follow the rules and I hope you enjoy your time on the water.”

However, locally, these closures put pressure onto businesses and residents who rely on the fishing trade.

Kev Collins, owner and operator of Fish D’Vine Restaurant in Airlie Beach says that this season’s closures and the increasingly constricting quota reductions are harming local industry.

“It’s becoming harder and harder to supply local fish. Fish is our thing and we’re being increasingly denied, and it’s becoming difficult to meet expectations,” he said.

“I calculated that these closures equate to 25 million meals now out of the supply chain, which have to be substituted with other meats and protein, which is putting extra strain on other agriculture industries.”

Trevor Draper has been a commercial fisherman for over 50 years, and he believes these reductions in quotas and season closures are “ridiculous”.

“I’ve been fishing for over 50 years, and there’s more fish than I’ve ever seen, and there’s definitely a lot less fishermen out there. And the operation is becoming unviable. If half I’m pulling up has to be put back, it’s just not viable. It’s some bureaucratic bullshit,” he said.

“I don’t know what the agenda is, but it’s ridiculous. People want local catch, not imported stuff, and it is not happening, not here.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol said that “Most people are doing the right thing, and we want to get the word out to those anglers who may not be aware of the closure.”

“If you can just give these reef species a break for five short days, it can really help ensure fish stocks are sustainable for future generations.”

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Fishing closures and unseemly quota reductions hindering local commercial fishers and industry.

By Paul Gellatly

Bowen could one-day be home to the largest over-water cable car system in Australia if plans by a Bowen developer go ahead to connect Flagstaff Hill, North Head and Stone islands with a cable car.

Jarrod McCracken, speaking at the November meeting of Bowen Chamber of Commerce, said the project would be the first $130 million stage in a Stone Island development plan that would ultimately be worth $1 billion over 15-20 years.

The audience heard how the cable car project, if it passed all Council and planning processes, could be up and running by 2026, providing what he called "a game changer" for Bowen tourism.

Mr McCracken has taken on the Stone Island development as a long-term concern and has already spent about $12 million on upgrades to the island's seawall, wharf system and a pontoon.

He said as the island was outside the barriers of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, he had been successfully able in 2016 to negotiate with Whitsunday Regional Council to have the island zoning changed, in effect making it something like another suburb of Bowen, opening it up to development with limited potential for third-party objections to the project.

With about 7800sqm of land available to develop, there would be space for a range of businesses to set up on the island, including accommodation, food and beverage outlets, and tourism. He said he had also acquired a 1.5ha lease on the seabed on the resort side of the island, also attractive for tourism ventures.

Mr McCracken said work was still to be done in answering parking/traffic concerns at Flagstaff Hill and visual amenity as towers would be erected on the three sites to support the cable car wires.

The cable car project would be provided by Swiss firm Doppelmayr, with whom Mr McCracken said erection cost/cost recovery issues were yet to be determined.

The plans will be submitted to a full council meeting in mid-December for a year-long draft development application. If it passed, Mr McCracken said the cable car project could be constructed within 18 months.

He said sewerage works had already been undertaken to service 3000 people, enough to service 500-bed, 500-staff facilities envisaged for Stone Island.

"It's a way to get visitors to Bowen to stay longer here in the Whitsundays," Mr McCracken said. "It's a way of ending the idea of Bowen as an afterthought for tourists."

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Artist's impression of how the Stone Island cable car service and associated infrastructure will appear. Photo courtesy Jarrod McCracken

Queensland schools now have the option to opt for a four-day school week from term 1 2024, with new procedures set in place by the Queensland Department of Education.

The updated policy, effective from January 22, 2024, applies to all Queensland state schools, and outlines the responsibilities and processes for making changes to school hours in state schools.

“The Department of Education has updated its policy to ensure a consistent approach when schools are contemplating changes to school hours,” a spokesperson for the Department of Education said.

“Any changes to school hours must occur in consultation with the school community including parents, staff, students, and other key stakeholders and be approved by a Regional Director.”

Changes that schools can suggest include changes to school hours, such as altering start and end times of the school day, the length of the school day, the number of school days in a week or a fortnight, or a combination of the aforementioned.

Each school must hold a trial period, minimum of one term, to test the feasibility of the changes, before the change is implanted permanently.

The Department of Education will provide approval prior to any school commencing consultation on changes to school hours,” the spokesperson said.

“It will also review the outcome of consultation prior to considering the approval for a trial of modified school hours. Consultation will consider a range of factors with the overwhelming focus of ensuring students are actively engaged in learning for the whole school week. Changes can only occur where the school community determines it provides benefits for students and families.”

Regarding supervision, schools must provide appropriate supervision for students who are at school before the day begins and afterwards.

The spokesperson said, “It is expected that all Queensland state schools continue to operate for five days a week and the new policy does not give schools a green light to implement a four-day week.”

After 25 years owning Whitsunday’s McDonalds stores, well-known faces Mike and Jane Muller have hung up their aprons and settled into an active retirement where they plan to travel Australia in a campervan and enjoy hiking together.

The couple first considered becoming McDonald’s licensees when they travelled to Thredbo for a skiing holiday when their children were young.

“We could see how busy McDonalds was and we thought – there could be a bit of money in this!” reminisces Mike.

It took the couple several years to make the leap, however, with an ad in a local newspaper for the Airlie Beach store acting as the final impetus.

Mike remembers that McDonalds was going through a massive expansion at the time and that he had to pass 11 interviews before he was permitted to become a licensee.

It was 1998 when they opened the Airlie Beach store and 11 years later in 2009 when they decided to take on a second branch in Bowen.

Their empire expanded further in 2010 when they opened the Cannonvale store and again in 2019, when Moranbah was added to the list.

By the time of their retirement, the couple owned four stores and had over 350 staff working for them.

When asked what he will remember most, Mike said it would be “our people” and fondly remembered mentoring countless teenagers, helping to give them a purpose and a good work ethic in life.

On Monday this week, Mike and Jane’s McDonalds officially changed hands and the new owners, Andrew Paranomas and Jaide Hunt took over.

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Jane and Mike Muller with Andrew Paranomas and Jaide Hunt. Photo credit: Bronte Hodge

The people of Collinsville, meet Siobhan Scott, new nurse and midwife of the Collinsville Multi Purpose Health Service.

As of November 10, Collinsville Multi Purpose Health Service has recommenced Child Health and Midwife Clinics, with Siobhan eager to get out and servicing the community.

Siobhan brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience as a child health nurse and midwife, and she is committed and passionate about midwifery, care for women and mothers, and families that live in rural and remote communities.

Siobhan will provide antenatal and postnatal care, as well as child health services, including immunisations, for children four years old and under.

To make an appointment to see Siobhan, contact the hospital administration officer during business hours on 4785 4777.

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Siobhan, baby Lara Henry and mum, visiting the Collinsville Multi Purpose Health Service. Photo supplied

Galbraith Park in Cannonvale is facing a face lift and upgrade, with the Whitsunday Regional Council opening up public consultation regarding the park’s Land Management Plan.

Comprising of four State reservations, the park hosts the Whitsunday Organic Community Gardens and is well used by local groups.

The Council, as trustee of the reserves that make up the park, have drafted a Land Management Plan, outlining the short-term and long-term proposals.

The short-term plan is to redefine zoning to part of the reserve to be ‘Recreation’, in order to develop and construct a new community facility, to provide the proposed needs of the community in 2040.

The long-term proposal is the freehold of the area, so that the facility will continue to benefit the community.

The new facility plans include hot desk facilities, arts and cultural displays, provision of a library service, and community meeting rooms.

This proposal has the scope to attract a Regional University Study Hub, local business growth, address the growth of residents in the region, and increase community connectivity.

Residents of the region are welcome to submit their thoughts on the Whitsunday Regional Council’s Your Say website.

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The reserves of Galbraith Park in Cannonvale and the 3D rendering of the proposed facility. Image supplied

With just two days’ notice before an additional 4,500 passengers were due to disembark an unscheduled cruise ship, the volunteer Cruise Ship Ambassadors rallied together to assist.

Quantum of the Seas needed to call in at Shute Harbour over the weekend, diverted to the sunny Whitsundays due to bad weather on its planned itinerary.

Fortunately, the guests were greeted by a team of six friendly Cruise Ship Ambassadors, and, by lucky coincidence, our visitors came to town on the same weekend as the Airlie Beach Festival of Music.

“The ambassadors were very flexible and rallied to the call,” said Cruise Ship Ambassador, Lyn Blanche.

“It was extra special to be able to offer the passengers all the activities around the music festival in addition to our town's other activities.”

Buses were running between Shute Harbour and Airlie Beach all day, with Cruise Ship Ambassadors positioned at both the ferry terminal and drop-off location.

Armed with town maps, abundant knowledge and friendly smiles, the ambassadors were able to provide a warm welcome.

A total of 31 cruise ships have called into the Whitsundays between August and December this year.

There are also 103 ships scheduled for next year.