Primary producers in the Mackay district have the opportunity to expand their knowledge, free of charge, at a series of Rabo Client Council workshops.
The workshops are designed to help provide the financial skills essential to managing an agricultural enterprise and will provide farmers with an opportunity to both upskill and network.
The initiative has been spearheaded and funded by food and agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank’s Rabo Client Council, a group of the bank’s farming clients who volunteer their time implementing programs that contribute to the sustainability of rural and regional communities.
Offered free of charge to participants, the interactive workshops provide practical, hands-on advice for understanding financial statements and banking requirements and explore topics such as taxation versus management accounting, essential business management ratios and understanding key components of a business’s financial profile.
Northern Queensland & Northern Territory Rabo Client Council member and Mackay-based accountant, Tony Olsen said “financial skills are important for our producers and the next generation of producers.
“Many of our next-generation farmers may be highly educated, or have extensive on-farm experience, but understanding financial reporting and banking requirements is often foreign to them which is why these workshops are so valuable,” he said.
Mr Olsen said the workshop content would consider cash flow implications of a variety of enterprises and there will also be a focus on preparing annual cash flow budgets.
He said the content had been specifically tailored for the workshop locations – focusing on beef and sugar enterprises at Mackay and sugar and horticulture operations for Ayr.
“The workshops have been designed so couples and family members can attend together – it is a really valuable opportunity to get away from the farm for the day to take in the same information and develop an understanding of financial reporting together,” he said.
Rabobank head of relationship management for Northern Queensland and Northern
The workshops, limited to 30 participants each and are not restricted to the bank’s clients, will be presented by director of Hudson Facilitation, Tony Hudson.
The workshop will be held at the Windmill Hotel and Events Centre, North Mackay, on Tuesday, April 9 from 8:30am to 3:30pm.
To register to participate, visit rabobankaunz.eventsair.com/financial-skills-workshops/registration/Site/Register.
Morning tea and lunch catering will be provided.

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Northern Queensland & Northern Territory Rabo Client Council member Tony Olsen

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This time last year, post the annual Dubai sugar conference, there was a reasonably consistent view that the market had upside potential on supply constraints. In effect, the fundamentals played out for most of the year and the speculative money helped push prices to record highs. This spectacularly unwound at the end of our season, and we are now in the mid to lower end of last year’s trading range.

The views this year are much more two-sided.

The Brazilian crop is obviously the primary focus, and we will soon start to see some results as the dry period for February and March allowed for an early start to harvest. A recent forecast of rain may be viewed as a short-term positive for the market, as it will delay harvest output.

It is early in the 24/25 season and global production and consumption forecasts are very contingent on a few key variables. With Brazil providing around 80% of the global raw sugar trade, the focus is rightly on the expected Brazilian cane tonnage, ATR, and sugar mix, which will be driving the expected change in global raw sugar stocks.

Wilmar is currently forecasting a reduced crop, from the record 665 million tonne crop harvested last year, of more than 600 million tonnes. This, combined with an increase in the sugar-to-ethanol mix of over 50%, results in a sugar make not unlike last year’s record sugar production.

In addition, there has been a supply response in the mid-tier production countries with Russia, Ukraine, and the EU all seeing an increase in sugar beet production, as the economics stack up against a depressed wheat and corn price.

Likewise, China is expected to increase sugar beet production for the same reasons.

By adding half a million tonnes here and there around the globe, the supply total creeps up. As underlying demand or consumption is expected to increase its relentless rise at roughly 1.5-2.0 million tonnes a year, the supply total needs to creep up.

The period of sustained high sugar prices last year did little to erode this momentum.

Currently, we are forecasting a small surplus of stock for 24/25 season which will keep global sugar prices under pressure. This is contrary to many other trade house views around the world who forecast a more bullish outlook.

As noted, it is early days and a small change in one of the key assumptions around Brazilian output can have a significant effect on the market in either direction - so nothing is assured at this point.

Growers will need to have their risk management hat on this year as we are likely to see a more volatile market as opposed to the one-way traffic we enjoyed last year – until we didn’t!

For more information, please get in touch with your local Grower Marketing consultant.

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Sugar price movements over the last two years

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Greater Whitsunday Alliance and the Resources Centre of Excellence are hosting the region’s first ever decarbonisation summit in May, to help local businesses understand their role in carbon reduction.

Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) chief executive officer Ms Kylie Porter said the Decarbonisation Accelerated Summit is focused on unlocking thinking around decarbonisation and to provide a platform for actionable change across our region’s businesses, industries, and economy.

“This summit will be a pivotal event for our region’s businesses, charting a course towards unlocking new value stream opportunities associated with decarbonisation in the Greater Whitsunday region,” said Ms Porter.

“As the world changes, we want our region to be well on the way to diversify its economic base through decarbonised industries and business practices, ensuring long -term social and economic prosperity.”

The Decarbonisation Accelerated Summit will bring together thought leaders, industry experts, and innovative minds to delve into the transformative potential of decarbonisation.

Bestselling author and international trend specialist Michael McQueen will be one of the day’s featured keynotes.

Mr McQueen will provide insight into the shifts toward a decarbonised world and how local change can have a global impact.

The summit will also hear from sustainable development specialist and founder of ThinkZero Cle-Anne Gabriel who will give businesses the tools to commence their net zero journeys but will also explore case studies from her own experiences and where businesses have successfully changed to a decarbonised future.

Ms Gabriel has provided advice on sustainability and decarbonisation projects in four Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) countries. She has also provided advice on regional level policy and planning in Japan, the European Union, and New Zealand.

Along with being the project manager and co-designer of the European Commission funded zero emission certification pilot program Ms Gabriel founded Australia’s first Carbon Literacy program, certifying corporate clients on their journey to Net Zero.

Also featured in the summit program will be some of Australia’s leading decarbonisation experts and leaders from industry and government including BHP, Clean Energy Council, Main Sequence, Sedgman, Cauldron and the Sustainable Minerals Institute.

The Decarbonisation Accelerated Summit is a joint initiative of the Resources Centre of Excellence (RCOE) and Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3).

Resources Centre of Excellence (RCOE) Mr Steven Boxall said the summit is an initial step for businesses, especially those in the METS sector to take, as we support the region's industries to decarbonise.

“Our focus is to drive innovation and collaboration and rapidly accelerate our region’s adoption of low carbon activities, initiatives, and product development within all sectors.

"The summit will transform regional business and industry thinking and fast track our region’s approach to climate- positive action,” Mr Boxall said.

Tickets for the Decarbonisation Accelerated Summit are now on sale. To find your tickets and learn more, visit https://events.humanitix.com/decarbonisation-accelerated-summit.

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Queensland mining company QCoal and its partners have launched a public campaign against the State Labor Government over a decision which they say will force 800 mine workers to live in a town without shops, permanent police, or medical facilities.
 
QCoal, which owns and operates six mines across Queensland, says it was blindsided by the State Government “cynically introducing targeted legislation attached to a child protection bill”.

“The secret legislation will force the closure of an established mining camp and threaten the future of Byerwen mine and its 800 jobs,” a QCoal representative said in a media statement.

QCoal group’s website for the campaign says that the effect of this is to force workers who are happily living in regional Queensland to uproot themselves and their families to move to the tiny mining town of Glenden.
 
“Families and children of workers would be torn from the homes, schools, and jobs they love or have the awful choice of living separately from their loved ones,” the campaign reads.

“And these workers would then be forced to travel up to two hours to and from work each day, on unsafe roads, after long 12.5-hour shifts.
 
“Unhappy workers who don’t want to move, uproot their families, give up their lifestyle or travel while exhausted are out of luck.

“The State Government says it’s this or lose your job!”

QCoal has joined with other companies affected by the legislation to form Energy Resources Queensland (ERQ) to run a campaign against the State Government decision in the lead-up to the State Election.
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Image source: qcoal.com.au

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Emerging engineers at Moranbah State High produced pulley systems, programmed roaming robots and completed a design challenge as part of the Big STEM Day last month.
 
Over 120 Year 8 students participated in the full-day event rotating through activities delivered by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) with the support of BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA).  
 
School principal, Michelle Pole, said the Big STEM Day gave the students an introduction to a range of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) activities in a fun setting.
 
“The students worked in groups to complete each of the activities throughout the day and there were points awarded at the end of each round,” said Ms Pole.
 
“They are competitive, so the team challenge gave them plenty of incentive to be creative and collaborate to solve problems,” she said.
 
Mick Thomas, General Manager of BMA’s Peak Downs Mine, said BMA was proud to sponsor the Big STEM Day again after it had been successfully introduced last year.
 
“There is a great community here in Moranbah and we are keen to get involved in activities which benefit the school and students,” he said.
 
“Four of our team members helped facilitate the day and were able to provide some real-life context for how these STEM activities reflected in a larger scale on site – like the use of pulley systems to move large loads and robotics to remotely control vehicles and equipment.”
 
Katrina-Lee Jones, Director of Skills, Education and Diversity for the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) said the STEM activities had been specifically selected to complement the Australian curriculum and reflect local operations at BMA.
 
“Days like these have been designed to excite students about studying STEM and create greater understanding of how these subjects apply to solving problems in the real world,” said Ms Jones.
 
The QMEA is the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council and partners with industry and government to show school students how studying STEM and trades can open up a world of career opportunities in the resources sector.

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Photos supplied

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One evening recently I noticed our family dog curled up next to my wife in a tight, protective ball, clearly scared and seeking protection from me and positioning herself as far away from me as she could get while remaining in the loungeroom.
This dog that I take running and play-fight with and pat and hug and spoil was scared of me and hiding behind my wife.
I said: “What’s wrong with Millie?”
My wife said: “You’re watching the footy.”
I’m an AFL person and a Sydney Swans fan and I was watching the first game of the year on a Thursday night against the Melbourne Football Club. I had high expectations, and still do, for the Bloods this year.
And as any sports fan knows (and I know it’s no different in rugby league), the way you speak, the volume of your voice, the apparent anger you display in the privacy of your own loungeroom when your team is playing can be somewhat different to the way you normally conduct yourself.
I reflected on what my dog would have witnessed: Me standing up from the couch, arms in the air, yelling, “Bull…. umpire, you friggin’ idiot!!”. Even my words of praise for my team were animated and shouted at the top of my voice; “Well done boys, stick it to ‘em!!”
I remember turning to my wife at one stage and angrily asking: “Why would that be a bloody free kick?”
Now I knew, and my wife knew, that I wasn’t blaming her for the poor umpiring decision and that it was a rhetorical question asked out of exasperation.
But my dog clearly hadn’t picked up on that nuanced, yet very important, detail.
I realised that all my dog knew was that this normally predictable, friendly member of the pack had suddenly gone rogue, apparently now a threatening, aggressive beast preparing to unleash all manner of ill-will on those around him.
She misinterpreted the situation.  But that wasn’t her fault, it was mine.
I was in a text exchange recently when the property buyer I had been talking to misinterpreted what I had said.
The buyer had texted me an offer in the high $500,000s on a property and I texted back, saying the seller was “looking for something in the $600,000s”.
The buyer texted an explanation for why her offer was at the price she had given. I was worried that she did not realise the offer was rejected. So I texted back, saying “Sorry, just to be clear, the seller has rejected your offer”.
Now I was only saying that because I wanted to make sure I had been clear. But the buyer misinterpreted the text and said: “There’s no need to be so rude.”
I apologized straight away and said I had not meant to be rude. But when I re-read the text I could see how she might feel that. We moved on very quickly and she ended up buying the property and during the process we became quite friendly and I really enjoyed working with her.
But the lesson for me was that texting doesn’t convey the emphasis or nuance of the spoken word.
If I had spoken to the buyer she would have picked up in the tone of my voice that I was not being rude, but quite apologetically clarifying that her offer had been rejected as I felt I had not been clear enough with my initial response.
It was a reminder to me that the important conversations must not be made via text or email. An agent needs to pick up the phone and convey things clearly, allowing tone of voice and emphasis to have their role in clear communication.
Meanwhile, Millie has taught me to calm down a bit during the footy and things seem a lot better for her. Although, she might become an outdoors dog during the September finals.

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While others were collecting easter eggs over the busy Easter weekend, the team at Mackay Pet Rescue Inc were collecting kittens.

Two mother cats, Fifi and Persia arrived in foster care pregnant with their previous set of kittens and have been at the forefront of attention since. Despite the challenges, the team is thrilled to announce that all of their previous kittens have found loving homes.

On Saturday, Fifi surprised everyone by giving birth to another litter of six kittens, meanwhile, on Sunday night, Persia also went into labour, adding seven more bundles of joy to the rescue family. Persia is just 12 months old herself and is receiving extra care and attention to ensure both herself and her newborns are safe and healthy.

As Mackay Pet Rescue provide the best possible care for the mother cats and their kittens, high-quality kitten food is essential to sustain them during the crucial period of their growth.

The rescue team are kindly asking for any donations of wet kitten food to assist in this time. Donations can be dropped off at Petbarn or National Mobile Phone Repairs, where they will be put to good use in supporting the ongoing efforts of the rescue group.

As Mackay Pet Rescue extends its gratitude to the community for their continued support, they emphasise that the work of saving animals never stops.

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Mother cats with their bundles of Easter kittens
Easter bunny brings baby kittens. Photos sourced from Mackay Pet Rescue Inc

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If you are a community group attending the Mackay Anzac Day main ceremony and would like to lay a wreath as part of the service, please submit the name of your community group and your contact details on Mackay Regional Council’s website before 4pm on Thursday, April 11.

Website link: www.mackay.qld.gov.au/community/events/anzac_day_wreaths

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I want to move out of Mackay and the Whitsundays. Yep, you read that right. I don’t want to live here anymore – in fact, if I’m completely honest with you I don’t want to live in Australia anymore.

Why, you may or may not be asking? It couldn’t be the incredible reef on our doorstep, it couldn’t be the spectacular hiking trails or the secluded waterholes and it definitely couldn’t be the amazing venues to dine and drink with your nearest and dearest… so, what in the bloody hell made this proud local decided “that’s enough, I’m out”?

Well, you can blame one woman. Her name is Trudy and she (not-so) innocently put a post in the Whitsunday Chat on Facebook asking for people to help her ID a spider she found on her property that I can only describe as ‘the bringer of death” or at least a heart attack, as I was scrolling over the long weekend. It was then that I learned that Queensland has spiders that look like the deadly Eastern Funnel Web but they call it a Queensland Tarantula.

Thanks to one of the commenters Tenielle I also learned that they are “out because the rain floods their burrows and they don’t want to drown so they go walkabout at night”.

If you ask me, they can walkabout their way into a can of bug spray but alas I know they do their bit for the environment so, instead of going into battle with an insect I’ll never win against, I’ve come to the conclusion I need to leave. I don’t know when it will be but my guess is the first time I see one of them at my place.
I’ve only just come to terms with the idea there’s Huntsman living in my garage and now this, I don’t know how much more of this arachnophobia I can take!

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In a fun-filled event last Thursday, families gathered at the Great Barrier Reef Arena, Harrup Park, for the Triple M Jay and Dave Easter Egg Dash. Attendees of all ages eagerly hunted for tokens, with lucky winners taking home an array of Easter eggs and fantastic hampers. With separate hunts for Tiny Tots/Under 5s and school-aged children, plus the added treat of an onsite coffee van, it was a delightful day out for the community. The crew from Kool Beanz childcare centre made the most of the event across the road with many of the under 5’s hunting for chocolate before daycare and kindy got underway.

Photo credit: Amanda Wright

The crew from Kool Beanz Suns were eager to hunt for chocolate before daycare and kindy started

Breakfast announcers Dave Peters (far left) and Jay Shipston-Fife (centre right) from Triple M were joined by egg-hunting fathers Hamish Wright (centre left) and Adrian Young (right) with their children for the Easter Egg Dash

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This year marks eighteen years of artistic excellence with entries now open for Mackay`s prestigious Woollam Art on Show Awards as of March 22, 2024.

Mackay Show Association is proud to announce the launch of Mackay`s highly anticipated National Art Prize as the event returns on the 2nd of August and will remain open until August 5, introducing new additions to further enhance art and culture within the region.

Susi Muddiman OAM, is a special guest that will be the judge of the event, bringing over 25 years of expertise to her role as Director of Gallery and Visual Arts at HOTA, (Home of the Arts) on the Gold Coast. She is passionate about enhancing the professional standing of galleries and artists, and advocates for financial sustainability through grants, philanthropy, and strategic management. With a rich history of curating exhibitions and serving on advisory boards, Susi's contributions extend nationally, promoting cultural enrichment and artistic growth within communities.

Art on Show Awards Coordinator, Melissa Broadhurst said, “Many local artists have gained further exhibition and invitation opportunities through guest judges visiting our region, and this connection with Susi Muddiman OAM, and HOTA, on the Gold Coast, is an important step in recognising local artists and shining a light on our regional talent.”

The event offers the opportunity for local, interstate, and nation-wide artists to showcase their creativity with a chance to win the Woollam Art on Show Award valued at $3000, with the total prize purse increased to $12,000!

Since Art on Show’s establishment in June 2006, the event has attracted a combined 6000
competition entries and is achieving substantial ongoing support from local artists. Up to 20 leading Mackay Businesses, including major sponsor Woollam, share a commitment to invest in the cultural future of the region, while acknowledging the imagination of talented Australiana artists and directly supporting the art community of Mackay.

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Photo credit: Coffee and Hops

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Taylors Property Specialists announced this week that they’ve purchased long-standing Proserpine real estate agency, Whitsunday Realty.

Principal of Taylors Property Specialists, Rob Taylor, said that Proserpine is an exciting and energised place to do business and he anticipates further significant growth in the township.

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Troy and Mani Liesch from Whitsunday Realty have sold the business to Rob and Lauriely Taylor from Taylors Property Specialists. Photo supplied

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New Shirt, Same Faces
At Taylors In Proserpine

After 18 years running well-respected real estate agency, Whitsunday Realty, owners Troy and Mani Liesch have decided to sell their business to Taylors Property Specialists, a company they believe will facilitate a new era of further growth.

Rob and Lauriely Taylor, owners of Taylors Property Specialists, had seen Whitsunday Realty for sale several months ago and, after observing a recent and renewed energy in the Proserpine community, decided the time was right to expand further into this dynamic and rapidly growing township.

“The amount of traffic going through the whole community shows the incredible growth of our overall region,” said Rob.

“In Proserpine we’ve noticed so many new businesses starting up and the town seems really energised, people are spending money and the whole town is looking to grow – confidence breeds confidence – and we are excited to be part of it.

“We are really looking forward to being involved and getting closer to the Proserpine community.”

Whitsunday Realty has the largest rent roll in Proserpine, and this will now become part of the Taylors Property Specialist’s portfolio, along with their extensive connections both in domestic and commercial sales.

And while the shopfront will change its name to Taylors, Troy Liesch assures customers that their friendly faces will remain the same.

“Not much will change for our customers, just a different colour shirt, but Mani and I will still remain working in the business indefinitely,” he explained.

“We are proud to have brought the business this far and we know Rob can now take it onto the next level.”

Troy will continue to assist with managing the property and commercial sales side of the business, while Mani will oversee general office administration.

“We are looking forward to handing over the reins and letting Rob and his team do what they are doing best,” said Troy.

“We would like to thank the community for their support over the last 18 years.”

Taylors Property Specialists are celebrating their sixth year in business next month and the company has a team of almost 20 people who are handpicked for their professionalism, customer service and integrity.

It is these qualities that Rob is now looking forward to continuing to uphold with the expansion to Proserpine.

“Thank you to Troy and Mani, we really appreciate the opportunity, they’ve done a great job, and we really look forward to working with them.

“Thank you also to the community, we appreciate the trust and loyalty you have placed with us, and we will make sure we do you proud!”

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Hi Everyone,

Whether you are enjoying some time off with the family, working extra hard over the busy school holidays or simply continuing with life as normal – I hope you are having a happy and satisfying week.

I had a very inspiring meeting with the Trudy Crowley Foundation ‘Teal Angels’ recently and was incredibly touched by their dedication to helping people living with cancer in the Whitsunday community.

As many of you will know, I had bowel cancer five years ago and, after six months of chemo, was lucky to get the all-clear.

My journey with cancer will always be part of my life and, now that I am healthy, I feel called to do everything I can to help others who are now enduring similar experiences.

I find that people who have lived with or been around cancer have an instant connection, and that is exactly what I felt with the two cancer care nurses, Rosie and Chris, when I met them last week.

Not only are they two of the loveliest people you will ever meet, they have also guided countless people through cancer over the years.

During this time, they’ve made friends, lost friends, grieved all and had many wins along the way – throughout this, they have continued in their mission to lighten the load for anyone living with cancer.

Based in Mackay, the two nurses come to the Whitsundays regularly, attending free home visits with anyone in the community needing cancer support.

You can read their full story on page 4.

These inspiring ladies and the broader group of volunteers are hoping to start a local support group soon, bringing together people who have or did have cancer.

There is a vibrant group called the Bowen Cancer and Ostomy Support Group, but for those living in the southern end of the Whitsundays, there is nothing yet.

If you are interested in getting involved, please let me know and I will pass your details onto the nurses.

Rach

Quote of the Week: “For every mountain there is a miracle” (Robert H Schuller)

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An abandoned gold mine in Proserpine is being re-opened after extensive metallurgical test work revealed a major mineralised system exists, with only a small portion drilled to date.

The historic Dittmer Mine forms one of several old high-grade workings along a 2km north-northeast trending corridor which is also crosscut by a series of structures with associated historical workings.

The mine, which was discovered in 1934, had produced over 54,000 Oz of gold by the time it closed in 1951. 

Since that time, the mine has been abandoned, before interest was reinvigorated late last year when Ballymore Resources conducted extensive field work, including mapping, rock chip, soil and stream sediment sampling to assess Dittmer’s size potential.

The results of this exploration identified a number of high-grade shoots that compelled the company to reopen old underground workings earlier this year.

A drill program, comprising 3,000 metres of diamond drilling, has now been designed to test these high-grade zones.

An area of 513 square kilometres is being explored further.

A Queensland Government CEI grant for $300,000 has also been awarded so the project can undertake an 8,051 line-kilometre survey of the entire Dittmer Project area.

The survey area covers numerous historic mines and prospects including porphyry-related copper deposits and vein- and stockwork-hosted gold-copper epithermal and mesothermal deposits.

If mining does resume, the method of extraction is likely to be via both cyanide leach and flotation processes with test work confirming the ore is amenable to this type of processing.

The Dittmer Mine is located near the town of Dittmer, about 20 kilometres west of Proserpine.

A small population of 79 residents live in the area and local groups have already come forward to protest against the mine stating there are significant concerns about the extraction process and how it is going to impact the water quality for the entire region.

Dittmer resident, Jeudi Croker, has started a petition to appeal against the pending mining licence applications for the site.

“The entire Dittmer community rely solely on underground water for drinking and household use with most homes having bores on their properties fed from fractured rock aquifers,” she explained.

“We hold grave concerns about this mining operation being considered for approval given the nature of gold production, toxic heavy metals in proximity to Kelsey Creek watercourse and the 79 resident’s bores.”

The mine site is also within the Proserpine catchment area and water drains to Proserpine Dam which then provides drinking water to the thousands of Whitsunday residents, as well irrigation to agricultural land.

Ms Croker says she is working alongside the Whitsunday Conservation Society who are also concerned about the damage to local wildlife, namely the rock wallabies, northern quoll, Greater Glider and numerous koalas which call the area home.

“We call on the State Environmental Minister Leanne Linnard to protect our essential groundwater Water,” said Ms Croker.  

“This issue is a Federal matter, a State matter, a regional matter and a community matter; but ultimately it’s a personal matter in the manner that if we fail to take on personal responsibility for our collective ecosystem then we fail ourselves to leave a healthy world for future generations and we fail the voiceless animals and water and trees that we have a responsibility to protect.”

The old mine shafts are currently being explored. Photos supplied
The area of Dittmer and the vicinity of current mining exploration works

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