Alison Richardson, the Artistic Director/CEO of Crossroad Arts, has made the decision to leave her role at the prominent inclusive arts organisation. She stepped down from her position on October 13th to return to her hometown of Sydney for personal and family reasons.

The organisation, board and community acknowledge Alison's artistic vibrancy and

advocacy for a more inclusive community through her commitment to the Crossroad

Arts vision of Arts for All. Her work over the years on the many projects and productions established unique relationships and connections within the community and uncovered many untold stories. Alison's dedication to developing meaningful access initiatives was instrumental in raising the profile of Crossroad Arts as a leader of inclusive arts practice.

Some notable highlights of Alison’s time at Crossroad Arts include collaborating with

Brenden Borellini and Georgia Cranko on the recent major production Breathe In, which pioneered multilingual storytelling and new embedded access initiatives. During her time with the company she developed partnerships with Dancenorth (Townsville) and La Boite Theatre (Brisbane) resulting in the annual national contemporary dance and theatre making intensive C.R.U.S.H .

Alison leaves a legacy in the numerous productions and programs developed in collaboration with artists with disability from the Mackay region and beyond. These programs enacted social change and celebrated the wider impact of the Crossroad Arts vision of Arts for All.

Alison reflects on her time with Crossroad Arts and shares a message of farewell to the community;

“Being involved in an organisation such as Crossroad Arts you can’t help but get swept up in the community’s enthusiasm, humour, creativity and genuineness. So to lead such an organisation and play some part in creating that culture has been a real privilege and one that I never took for granted.

“My time has now come to return to my hometown of Sydney but I will always look back fondly at the new connections made, the untold stories shared and the assumptions challenged during my time at Crossroad Arts.

“It has been extremely rewarding and satisfying to see such significant growth, stability, vibrancy and impact the company has enjoyed and I will always live the vision of the company and will be cheering everyone on from the sidelines for a long time to come.”

Brian Tucker, Chair of Crossroad Arts Board expressed the board’s gratitude.

“We will miss her inspiring presence and leadership, but understand and support her need to relocate back to Sydney and the personal nature of her decision.

“The organisation is working through a recruitment process to ensure an exciting and prosperous future for Crossroad Arts”

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Crossroad Arts Artistic Director and CEO Alison Richardson

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Residents are once again being asked to think about the value of water as we celebrate National Water Week this week (October 16 to 22).

This year’s theme is “United by Water” which encourages everyone to think about the vital role water plays in connecting us all.

Water touches every aspect of development. It drives economic growth, supports healthy ecosystems, and is essential and fundamental for life.

Council’s Director of Engineering and Commercial Infrastructure, Jason Devitt, said council was committed to supplying the Mackay region with some of the best water and water services in Australia.

“This year our water from Nebo Road Water Treatment Plant (WTP) was victorious over NSW’s Shoalhaven, in the WIOA Water of Origin taste test, making it two years in a row of holding the title,” Mr Devitt said.

“This win adds to our winning streak, with water from Marian WTP taking the crown in 2019 and 2021 and Nebo Road claiming the title in 2018 and 2022,” he said.

“We have previously taken out the National Ixom Best Tasting Tap Water competition in 2019 and 2020 and even won silver at the 2020 International Water Tasting Competition in Berkely Springs USA.

“These achievements are a testament to our highly professional team as well as the beautiful river we have right on our doorstep. Council couldn’t get that great tasting water to homes without the fantastic water network and infrastructure that supplies it.

“We all need to ensure we are doing everything we can to conserve this precious resource.

“As always, we strongly encourage residents to sign up to myh2o (myh2o.qld.gov.au), to help keep track of how much water they are using each day, how much it’s costing them and how they can better improve their behaviours around water usage.”

National Water Week is the perfect opportunity for everyone to monitor their water use and think of ways to save.

Some simple water saving tips include keeping showers to four minutes or less, turn off taps when washing your hands, fix dripping taps and only water outdoors every second day before 10am after 4pm.

Mr Devitt said we are also reminded daily of the significant role water plays in uniting us as a community.

“We are lucky enough to be surrounded by beautiful natural waterways - the iconic Pioneer River running through our city and the beautiful beaches that allow access to so many amazing water activities such as swimming, fishing and boating,” he said.

For more water saving tips visit council’s website mackay.qld.gov.au/water.

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Alexander Blanch and Brian Woods oversee the day to day operations of the Nebo

Road Water Treatment Plant

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The 75th Anniversary Service for the Walkerston- Pleystowe RSL Sub-Branch Inc will be held on Saturday 18th November 2023 in ANZAC Memorial Park, Walkerston.

The Walkerston-Pleystowe RSL sub-branch invites all members of the Walkerston-Pleystowe community to the 75th anniversary of the formation of the sub-branch in 1948.

A commemorative service will commence at 5.00pm, at ANZAC Park in Walkerston.

Dress is jacket and tie, with medals for veterans.

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Walkerston’s Mirani High Graduates of 1993.

Last weekend there was a great reunion held at Walkerston’s Duke Hotel.

People came from the north, the south and the west of the country to meet up with each other where they grew up some 30-plus years ago.

The small township of Walkerston welcomed these ‘Scrubby’ kids who graduated from High School in 1993!

Even though many of them, somewhat sporadically, keep in touch with each other via social media; there were lots of ‘Remember when…’ occasions.

Indeed, some reminiscing moments came from right back in pre-school days where many of the long friendships  were first formed – carrying through primary school, then onto high school. Some of the young people even went on to attend university together.

Enduring special connections and friendships were formed when these young  people from ‘Scrubby’ were small children. This group kept in touch and checked up on each other wherever they may have ended up in this big world…and here they were - back in the familiar, but ever-changing surroundings of years ago - catching up for a few hours face-to-face joined by other school friends.

Reunions rekindle the best of friendships.

Contributed by Bente McDonald

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Graduates from Mirani High, class of 1993. Photo supplied

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As we lead up to the warmer part of the year, many are left wondering how to prepare their gardens to beat the summer heat. Have no fear, native plants are here!

Bush flowers, wildflowers, natives - whatever you call them, these plants are adaptable, hardy and a perfect choice to create a majestic and authentic Australian garden.

Not only do native plants attract and provide shelter for local wildlife, they stand up to challenging climates and they look beautiful too!

Establishing a native garden starts with considering your site. You will need to check the soil fertility, structure and drainage systems around your property, as well as the climate conditions (sun, wind and shade) of the chosen area.

It is suitable to group plants with similar requirements and study their root systems. Keep in mind that plants growing too large for their location can damage plumbing and sewerage pipes and be costly to remove.

Establishing layers of vegetation in your garden will not only look great, but each layer will provide habitat for different animals.

Leaf litter and mulch are important as habitat for wildlife and to help retain moisture in the soil.

Plants that are local to an area are well-equipped to handle the conditions (soil, rainfall, temperature) and will generally require less attention and perform better.

The following list encompasses non-invasive plants that are best-suited to Mackay’s tropical climate:

Lily varieties, Fig varieties, Mt. Morgan Wattle, Northern Banksia, Australian Wax Plant, Bird’s Nest Fern, Lillie Pillies, Bottlebrush, Golden Penda, Grevillea, Kangaroo Grass, Mat Rushes.

When planted in the right environment, there is minimal need for watering or fertilisation, making natives an easy choice for beginner gardeners or those who prefer the distinctive characteristics of local flora.

Now you are well on your way to creating your authentic Aussie garden!

To find out more about native plants to the Mackay region, visit: mackayregionalbotanicgardens.com.au to find a comprehensive list of our local gardening clubs.

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Walkerston Hockey Premiers A3 1965.

B/R Barry Richards, Mark Kelly, Jimmy Evetts, Stephen Renton, Terry Dee, Alan Jorgensen, Johnny Jarrott.

F/R Alwyn North, Kenny Sturdy, Manix Creedy (Coach), John Belden, David Lake.

Photo supplied on the Facebook page ‘I grew up in Mackay’ by Rob Richards

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Head to Walkerston’s track cycling velodrome next weekend for FREE, fun, family entertainment.

Mackay Cycling Club’s annual track cycling carnival will be held on Saturday, 28th October, attracting top riders of all ages from across Queensland.

Witness the need for speed across a variety of track cycling disciplines, from the endurance scratch and points races to the fast and furious keirin racing.

Grab a bite to eat from the canteen and enjoy a day of entertainment in Walkerston.

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Photo supplied: Mackay Cycling Club

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At last week's meeting of the Rotary Club of Walkerston, representatives from the Early Childhood Learning establishments in Walkerston – the town’s Schools, Kindergarten and Day Care Centres – were invited to join club members for dinner followed by each being presented with a bundle of colourful children’s books.

It is a proven fact that early literacy helps young children develop and comprehend a significant vocabulary, confident self-expression, and general reading comprehension - tools needed to become thriving readers and constant learners.

These skills also inspire a love of books and an eagerness to learn.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” Dr Seuss

Contributed by Bente McDonald

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Walkerston Rotary's donation of books displayed in Walkerston School's library

Book presentation at Rotary meeting. Photos supplied

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OPINION PIECE

As you get older, everything starts to hurt, I don’t know why, but everything hurts.

Even the simplest of injuries or soreness can lead to another bit of you being sore, and before you know it there’s a chiro leaning over you twisting your body back to where it should be.

It’s a discussion I was having with my near teenage son a few weeks ago, why does everything go wrong with you Dad? My only answer was that when you’re younger like he is, everything in your body is “rubbery”, things go back into place much easier. When you’re a kid you can fall over and you just jump back up and continue on. When you’re over 45, you can sneeze and then your neck’s stuffed for a fortnight.

You also start groaning even just bending over to pick something up, that’s the first sign of the pending age of pain and hurt.

I’ve even thought maybe I should do yoga or something like that to help with flexibility and stretching, but I’m worried I’ll get down for an exercise and not be able to get back up. That’s what happened the other day when my daughter asked me to play a new card game Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza … two rounds in I was in agony needing help to get off the carpet. How embarrassing to “get injured” playing a card game.

Back pain is the worst of it though, lower back pain. It hurts to stand for a long period of time, so you sit, but you have to find the perfect angle so it doesn’t hurt. Then you sit for 10-15 minutes and need to get back up, it hurts to get back up and you walk hunched over for a bit. After a minute or two it feels really good. Five minutes after that you need to sit down again, and the cycle just continues.

In Australia, as you get older, we hear more about breast screening, prostate checks, bowel cancer screening kits sent. Each of those pamphlets sent out or packages for tests should be accompanied by a wheat pack.

Scotty

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OPINION PIECE

I don’t like the whole “nanny state” thing. You know, governments, councils, agencies, faceless bureaucrats and the like putting their noses into our lives and creating endless rules and regulations that are usually none of their business.

Whether it’s the economy, public policy or just everyday life, I am in the camp of less is best when it comes to government interference and bureaucratic meddling.

I love the scene in the movie Wild at Heart when Nicolas Cage passionately describes his snakeskin jacket as a “symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom”. Yeah baby!

Personal freedom, freedom of speech, free economies … the less government involvement, the better. A pretentious column would make reference to a “laissez-faire” philosophy, but not this one mate.

What about road rules? Some years ago I was in Argentina in a vehicle heading south on a six-lane freeway and I could not believe the apparent lack of road rules.

There probably were road rules but no one was paying any attention to them, with cars changing lanes without indicating, swerving around traffic at absurd speeds. It was dodgem cars at 100km/h.

I had been on the roads in Nepal and Thailand as well but somehow I expected Argentina to be less chaotic and I remember thinking that it was a good thing people aren’t allowed to drive like that in Australia. We pay attention to the road rules.

Argentina’s annual road death toll is 13.9 per 100,000 people, compared to Australia’s rate of 4.4 per 100,000.

So, sometimes rules can be a good thing ... there are plenty of rules when selling real estate as well and I can tell you that this is also a good thing.

Rules keep it simple, leave little room for interpretation and guide us on what is the correct thing to do. There is an ethical and moral side to it as well, but it is a lot simpler when you have rules that will be enforced.

Take the situation with multiple offers on a property. There was a time, some years ago, when an agent who had several offers on a property would play one buyer off against the other to push the price up.

These days the rules are simple: When there are multiple offers on a property the agent must inform the buyers of that fact and suggest to them that they put in their best and final offer because they may not get a chance to make another offer.

It is illegal to tell one buyer what another buyer has offered. Submit your best and final offer. That’s it. What happens after that is up to the seller but the agent has done his or her job by enforcing a rule that, while not popular among buyers, is equally unfair to everyone.

So, on reflection, there are times when having rules and enforcing them is important and in real estate it keeps things fair, equitable and predictable when there is a lot on the line.

Of course, you can still turn up to an open house in a convertible wearing your snakeskin jacket.

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OPINION PIECE

I remember a while ago, myself and another councillor were labelled “conservative councillors” in a rather disparaging fashion.

I wear that label with pride.

Times of plenty can accommodate financial laxity and largesse, but in the history of this planet, good times have always been finite.

Myself and others have, for a very long time, warned against thinking that “summer lasts forever”. This has been in the face of some pretty strong headwinds, I must say.

It is unfortunate, but we were correct, and we now find ourselves in the depth of economic winter.

Interest rates up, dollar down, input costs skyrocketing, lack of workers (indeed, a lack of an ability to house them should we find them), fuel up, groceries up, electricity up – the list goes on.

It is financial conservatism that puts food on the table, and unfortunately fiscal discipline is learnt through long hard practice – it rarely occurs effectively overnight.

As we build, we create an increasing burden of depreciation which must be paid, and to fund this, an increasing cost burden is placed on our residents.

I have always felt very strongly that the desire to get a photo while cutting a ribbon should never come before the basic needs of our people.

I suggest that those whom do not recognise the pertinence of the title, should go and read the works of Aesop. His writings 2500 years ago, still ring true today.

Cr Martin Bella

Mackay Regional Council

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Hi Everyone,

Tonight, our fantastic tourism industry will be celebrated at the annual Whitsunday Tourism Awards – good luck to all the local operators!

There are nine of us from Core Publishing attending the awards, with some colleagues making the trip from both Mackay and the Burdekin to attend the event.

We look forward to seeing many familiar faces there!

I caught up with Tourism Whitsunday CEO, Rick Hamilton, for a coffee last week and he was telling me that tonight is “the crowning moment of the year” for many local operators.

He explained that most entrants are ‘mom and pop’ organisations where the owners work directly in the business, and they can be so busy that they have little time to celebrate their achievements.

As a result, tonight is a night where all these dedicated people and their valued staff get the opportunity to come together, celebrate all their hard work and get rewarded for their excellence.

One in three people living in our region work in the tourism and hospitality sector, which illustrates how important this industry is to our economy.

The businesses that win an award this evening will automatically enter the Queensland Tourism Awards and, if they are successful there, they will represent our region at the Australian Tourism Awards.

Over the years several local businesses have reached this level and each time they receive such accolades it raises the profile of our entire region, both on a national and international stage.

I think it’s fair to say that the reputation of the Whitsundays as a holiday destination has been carried on the backs of all these businesses, from those nominated, right through to those that have carried the mantle all the way to the nationals.

Congratulations to everyone who is taking part in the awards tonight, both for the tourism awards and the business award – we wish you the best of luck!

Rach

Quote of the Week: “No such thing, the queen said, as too many sequins” (Monk Doty)

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With Accessible Tourism campaign

For the first time, possibly ever, two young people with disabilities are starring in a new accessible tourism video that is being filmed right here in the Whitsundays.

Jenny and Charlie from the Cannonvale Learning and Lifestyle Hub were thrilled to take centre-stage in the Endeavour Foundation promotional video that not only markets the Whitsunday region, but also promotes inclusivity to all.

A recent study by Tourism and Events Queensland showed holidaymakers with a disability account for 17 per cent of all tourism expenditure and, with this in mind, it is easy to see how this video will benefit the whole region.

The same study showed that the disability sector injects a total of $3.3 billion into the economy, but the last few days’ experience has been priceless for two locals who became the stars of the show.

Jenny Atkinson and Charlie Bell are both well-known faces in the area and proof that living with disabilities does not hold you back from enjoying a full life.

This is one of the reasons they were chosen to star in the video, making them the first people with a disability presenting a film of this kind.

Jenny said she was happy and excited to be part of the production.

“I like showing people with disability what they can do,” she said.

“We live in paradise!”

Charlie agreed, saying that his favourite activities are spending time at the lagoon, sailing, swimming, and snorkelling around the islands.

“Sun, sea, fun and food – we all love a good holiday!” are the lines he says in the video.

The campaign commenced filming at the Airlie Beach lagoon on Tuesday, with a luxurious picnic experience supplied by local company, Ocean Dynamics.

The next day, the team continued filming at Daydream Island.

Telling the story of an idyllic, accessible vacation, the two film stars enjoy some of the top accessible activities and accommodation sites, primarily for people with disability.

“In the year of Accessible Tourism, this is a true celebration of holiday inclusivity, and we couldn’t think of a better way than to have Jenny and Charlie lead the charge,” said Sharon Wood, Head of Fundraising, Endeavour Foundation.

“We are also excited as we believe it’s a first – not only showcasing the region’s accessibility on video but having people with disability presenting it ... and why wouldn’t they!?

“The video highlights various locations on the mainland and on Daydream Island, that accommodates all people, showcasing places with sensory spaces, mobility assistance support, accommodation options, as well as sites that cater for people on wheels – so that’s wheely walkers, families with prams, and of course people in wheelchairs,” added Mrs Wood.

“No matter what our clients want to do, Endeavour Foundation can offer the support to achieve it,” confirmed Mrs Wood.

The video will be released before the end of the month.

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Kristy Puckridge, Brigette Robbiard, Charlie Bell, Amanda Crockford, Jenny Atkinson and Jody Flaherty

Charlie and Jenny were filmed near Airlie Beach Lagoon earlier this week. Photo credit: Rachael Smith

The dynamic duo kicked back and enjoyed a relaxing picnic together. Photo credit: Rachael Smith

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Usually, it takes the encouragement of adults to inspire children to pick up litter, but these youngsters proved they can motivate themselves, finding the time to collect sackfulls of marine debris from the rocks and beaches near Coral Sea Marina.

While their parents enjoyed a leisurely hour at nearby Sorrento’s, the children kept themselves entertained, surprising the adults by returning with garbage bags full of marine debris.

From plastic bottles to aluminium cans, fishing equipment, old clothing, and cardboard – the children enjoyed their treasure hunt and proudly returned to the parents with their haul.

“They are little eco star heroes!” said mum Sandra Drechsel.

“It was amazing to see what they came back with!

“When I asked my son, he told me he had been learning about collecting rubbish at school, it was great to see they were really absorbing education about looking after the environment and the oceans.”

Proud dad, Matt Neindorf said he was thrilled to see the children work together to do something so positive and actively contribute to the community.

“It was fantastic to see the kids looking after the environment,” he said.

“We had a great time at Clean Up Australia Day earlier this year and I’m very proud to see the kids looking for opportunities to make the environment cleaner.”

Clean Up Australia Day is held on the first Sunday of March each year, but litter is on the ground every day.

Do yourselves, your community, and your kids proud – if you see some rubbish – pick it up!

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Janick Stevenson, Yoytek Androviak, Lucy Neindorf, Emma Neindorf and Reef Thackray. Photo credit: Rachael Smith

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For the past three weeks the road upgrades on the intersection of Paluma Road and Shute Harbour Road in Cannonvale appear to have halted without explanation.

Since Easter, motorists have been patiently waiting at the traffic lights anticipating the imminent delivery of a two-lane carriageway that will increase traffic flow to Airlie Beach.

This now appears to be in question with no movement at the site recently.

All that remains are a series of reduced lanes which create traffic build-up and several holes where work has been left incomplete.

Speculation is mounting as to the cause of the abandoned works and Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm MP is calling on the State Government to provide an honest update on critical infrastructure projects across the region.  

Ms Camm asserts that the Federal Government “90-day Review” of road and rail project funding and 90 local infrastructure projects could be to blame for workers dropping their tools.

“This 90-day review has been going for over 150 days now, when are we going to see some outcomes? Why isn’t the State Labor Government picking up the phone to their federal counterparts and demanding answers?” she said.

Ms Camm has written to the Minister for Transport, Mark Bailey to demand answers.

“I am still awaiting a response from the Minister. What is the Government trying to hide?” she said.

“I’m calling on the Minister to come and see the mess that Shute Harbour Road has been left in.  

“We are about to go into a wet season and peak tourism season, and we have half a road left in extremely dangerous conditions that sees over 26,640 traffic movements a day.”

Another point of concern is the flood immunity upgrade of Hamilton Plains which was due to commence earlier this year.

This $21 million project was set to flood-proof the main access road of the region and many locals are concerned what effect a major flooding event would have on the region this year.

Ms Camm questions what the excuse is for projects that are being delayed but are not being reviewed by the Federal Government.

She also stated that local contractors, tradies, and small businesses rely on these projects proceeding.

“In this cost-of-living crisis, it is not acceptable to keep people in limbo, not knowing if they will have a job to go to tomorrow.”

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Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm MP standing at the abandoned roadworks on the corner of Paluma Road in Cannonvale. Photo supplied

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