Hundreds of football fans flooded into the newly opened Whitsunday Sportspark Club House on Sunday to watch the Australian Rugby League Team’s training session.

And, while the Kangaroos showed their skills, so too did a young Whitsunday resident who proved his knowledge of football stats surpassed even some of the team’s own players.

For the past six days, the Australian Rugby League Team have been training at the Whitsundays Sportspark ahead of their big game against Samoa tomorrow night.

Spotted at many local venues, the team have been kind and accommodating to all their fans, obliging the crowd by signing countless shirts and footy balls.

One fan, however, got the five-star treatment when he amazed legendary coach Mal Meninga and Captain Daly Cherry-Evans with his aptitude for remembering every detail of each round played this season.

Quizzed by both footy idols, seven-year-old Rocco Gomez who attends St Catherine’s Catholic College, was able to answer every question asked.

“He did an amazing job - my mind was blown because I asked him what I thought were going to be some pretty tricky questions that I thought was going to stump him, but they just didn’t!” said Daly Cherry-Evans.

“He’s got an amazing gift and I’m sure he’s going to put it to good use one day and keep tricking people!”

Rocco’s dad, Andrew said his son’s amazing ability to remember footy stats extends to other important life moments.

“He’s a big stat man and he just lives and breathes it!” he said.

“He really enjoys sitting down and watching the games, the highlights, everything on YouTube, he takes it in, and it just stays there.

“And not only does he remember what happened in the rounds, he also remembers what happened that weekend in our lives, it’s amazing!”

Troy Thompson, Manager of the Kangaroos, said that it was great to meet Rocco and the broader Whitsunday community.

“The response from the community has been overwhelming and being able to take the team to a regional location really freshens them up,” he said.

“To be able to use the Whitsundays Sportspark has been phenomenal and the guys at the Airlie Beach Hotel have been very accommodating too.”

President of Whitsunday Sportspark, Justin Butler, said it was wonderful to see the newly opened facility attract such a high-profile sport already.

“That’s part of what the spending was all about, not just developing the community but also bringing that tourism type sport here - it’s huge for the town.

“Rugby League have just grabbed the facility and the quality playing field we have, and I’ve calculated that they’ve used about 250 room nights in town.

“We hope to attract many more higher-level sports and pre-season camps to the region and have already asked them to spread the word around.”

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7-year-old Rocco Gomez stunned the Australian Rugby League team with his incredible knowledge of the sport. Photo credit: Norina Jane

Rocco Gomez sat down with footy legend Mal Meninga who was amazed at the young boy’s ability to recall stats.

Kangaroos Captain, Daly Cherry-Evans, filmed a pop-quiz with Rocco for Whitsunday Life

The new Whitsunday Sportspark Club House was a fantastic location for crowds to gather and watch the training session

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Hi Everyone,

Unless you’ve been living under a rock this week you are probably aware that the Australian Rugby League Team has been in the region, training ahead of their big match against Samoa in Townsville tomorrow.

Hundreds of people came along to their training session at Whitsunday Sportspark on Sunday and crowds also gathered at the Grand View Hotel in Bowen yesterday for a Meet and Greet.

Despite having never watched an entire game of footy in my life, I have to confess that I couldn’t help but get swept up in the excitement and the buzz of high profile sport this week.

It was fantastic to witness first-hand how sport really captures the heart of small regional communities like ours and I was astounded to see just how excited young footy fans got when they had the chance to meet their heroes.

It was electric!

A huge congratulations must go to the committee of the Whitsunday Sportspark whose vision to create a first-class community sporting venue with facilities to attract high profile clubs has definitely paid off.

It was wonderful to see the community sit in the grandstands, enjoy the air-conditioned Club House and see how comfortable our visiting national sports players were during their visit.

It was also great to hear how local businesses had made the Aussie team feel welcome, but also that it worked both ways with the players regularly taking time to meet the fans and sign autographs.

I was talking to someone from the Airlie Beach Festival of Music this week and she was saying how music is one of those universal things that brings all sorts of people together to share in an experience.

I think exactly the same can be said for sport – it unites us all – even un-sporty types like me felt part of something much bigger this week, the energy was contagious!

Rach

Quote of the Week: “From the pitch to the crowd to the world, there is nothing quite like sport to bring people together” (Richard Branson)

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An appreciative parent took to ‘Whitsundays Noticeboard’ over the weekend to write an anonymous post about a local fitness group who they credit with transforming their child’s life.

And, despite being an anonymous post, a flood of support has been received since.

“Huge shout out and recommendation for Whitsunday Martial Arts,” the post starts.

“New to the area and my teenage son sadly found himself the victim of a group beating for a pair of shoes. I approached the club after the attack.

“The owners, Dan and Anton, were amazing.

“I cannot recommend them highly enough.

“They have gone above and beyond to help.”

Anton Zafir, one of the two owners shared that the club welcomes anyone.

“We are about getting to know everyone in the club, we’re not a platform to cripple or give excuses to quit,” Anton said.

“We have all sorts of people come into the club, and it’s great for the kids to see some of the big guys and see what they can achieve themselves.

“That everything is possible, with hard work, dedication, and drive.”

The Club has a youth session every single day, five days a week, in the disciplines of MMA, Jiu Jitsu and Boxing.

“The classes have drastically improved my son’s fitness, confidence, and discipline,” the post said.

“If you are considering giving boxing a go, WMA is the place!”

The club also have a personal trainer, a 17-year-old who made the move to Airlie Beach to facilitate youth personal training, building confidence with someone who understands what it’s like to be going through the teenage years.

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Whitsunday Martial Arts, helping everyone better themselves and overcome challenges. Photo: Shutterstock

The Whitsundays was well represented at the annual Queensland Information Centre’s Association (QICA) conference in Agnes Water and 1770 last week.

Three team members from the Bowen Visitor Information Centre and one from the Whitsundays Visitor Information Centre at Proserpine attended the conference.

Manager of Bowen Tourism and Business, Leanne Abernethy said this was a great chance to showcase our region and exchange ideas.

“It was great learning experience as we were able to network with other staff and volunteers from Visitor Information Centres across the entire state.

“From Longreach to Injune, north to Babinda and south to Noosa and the Sunshine Coast, they are a great bunch of people all passionate about their own regions,” she said.

“By being able to network like this, we all came home with ideas about how to improve the visitor servicing in our own region.”

There are about 100 accredited Visitor Information Centres in Queensland, and the annual conference is held in a different location each year.

Kingaroy will host the conference next year.

The speakers at this year’s conference included tourism operators, representatives from other Regional Tourism Organisations and Tourism and Events Queensland.

Bowen hosted the annual conference in 2019.

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Dea Huvonen, Leanne Abernethy, Glenn Womal and Kerry Meier represented the Whitsundays at the annual QICA conference. Photo supplied

PCYC Whitsundays

2489 Shute Harbour Road, Airlie Beach

8am – 6pm

Cannonvale State School

58 Coral Esplanade, Cannonvale

8am – 6pm

St Catherine’s Catholic College: Primary Campus

96Renwick Road, Proserpine                              

8am – 6pm

Hamilton Island Resort

8am – 6pm

Bloomsbury State School

8545 Bruce Highway, Bloomsbury

8am – 6pm

PCYC Bowen

Hay Street and Queens Road, Bowen

8am – 6pm

Queens Beach State School

37-39 Tracey Street, Bowen

8am – 6pm

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Medical Transfer Bus Picks Up Momentum

Patients travelling from the Whitsundays to Mackay for outpatient medical appointments are encouraged to utilise the free transfer bus that can pick-up and return to the region on the same day.

The service was launched in July this year and it has seen a steady stream of locals jump aboard, but the Mackay Hospital Foundation said there is often room for more.

“There are 33 outpatient services at Mackay Base Hospital and the service is specifically for those who have appointments through the public health system,” said Mackay Hospital Foundation General Manager, Kristi Algate.

“Some reasons for patients utilising the service have been for ophthalmology, chemotherapy, day surgery and orthopaedic appointments.”

Prior to the launch of the medical bus there were stories of patients unable to attend appointments because they could not get there, so it is important that word is spread, encouraging as many people in the community as possible to utilise the service.

Macrossan and Amiet Charitable Foundation has once again committed funding to assist with the operational costs of the bus and the Foundation is now looking for a local business who would like to donate to the fuel costs.

The medical bus runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, departing from the Cannonvale Community Health Centre at 6am, Proserpine Hospital at 6.45am and Bloomsbury BP Service Station at 7.45am.

It departs Mackay Base Hospital on those same days at 2.30pm for the return trip back to Cannonvale.

To book, call Mackay Hospital Foundation office on 4885 5915.

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These friendly volunteer bus drivers will take you to Mackay for your medical appointments. Photo credit: Rachael Smith

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Cruise Disappointed

Cruise Whitsundays released a statement earlier this week outlining how disappointed they are that all negotiations have once again fallen short of a resolution with the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).

As a result, the MUA have announced its third seven-day strike action which is due to commence today, a move which Cruise Whitsundays say is disappointing not only to the company but also the employees who are keen to move on.

Cruise Whitsundays say they believe offers have been “fair and reasonable”, with over 30 claims already agreed to and a 9.6% average wage increase in 2023 (or 10.5% for tenured employees).

“This offer is well ahead of the average FairWork approved agreements of 3.8% in the last quarter, over 4% ahead of the national CPI and the wage growth index.”

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Community minded individuals are encouraged to attend the upcoming Queensland Police Recruitment Seminar which is due to take place in Bowen next week.

The event will provide those interested in a career as a police officer with a range of relevant information and it will also give attendees the opportunity to ask questions about the application process.

Facilitated by Senior Constable Steve Smith and Sergeant Nigel Dalton from Mackay Police and Senior Sergeant Craig Shepherd from Bowen Police Station, this is an opportunity to connect with the region’s police force.

Senior Constable Smith said they held a similar seminar in Mackay in September which was very successful and became the impetus to hold another event in Bowen.

This location was chosen because Bowen is a central hub, easily accessible for a range of communities living with the Whitsundays and Burdekin areas.

“We hope this event encourages people from Collinsville, Ayr, Home Hill, Proserpine and Airlie Beach,” he explained.

“The Mackay event was a bit of a litmus test and was huge - 47 people came – one was even from Bloomsbury!”

Senior Constable Smith has been with the police force for 32 years and said that he travelled over 900 kilometres from his hometown of Mount Isa to attend a recruitment event all those years ago.

“The Recruitment Seminars provide a lot more in-depth information that’s not available on the web,” he explained.

The event will give details about the entire process, from checking eligibility through to getting prepared for the academy and sitting exams.

Prior to attending, however, those interested are encouraged to take a self-check test on the police recruitment website where they can check whether they are eligible.

When asked what qualities recruiters are looking for, Senior Constable Smith said they want community orientated people who already show service to the people in different aspects of their lives.

He also said that recruits need to be prepared for a strong study discipline to be introduced into the lives and have a slightly higher than basic level of fitness.

Anyone over the age of 17 can apply, but you need to be 18 to commence work.

“Younger people who have recently left school are familiar with the study,” he said.

“But with the retirement age at 60, we recently took on a 1st year who was 57 and used to be in the army - he gave three years’ service.”  

Open to anyone with a good heart and community conscience, if you are interested in a career in the police force, make sure you attend this recruitment event.

WHAT: Queensland Police Recruitment Seminar

WHERE: PCYC, Queens Beach Bowen

WHEN: Thursday, October 19 from 6pm

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The recent Police Recruitment night in Mackay was so popular that it prompted Officers to hold a second event in Bowen next week. Photo supplied

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Dedicated and passionate, that is how you would describe Bowen Meals On Wheels chef Tamarra Robson.

Recognised on Aged Care Employee Day, on August 7, Tamarra has been a vital cog of the Bowen Meals On Wheels team for over 10 years.

Bowen Meals on Wheels Treasurer Chris Storrie says that Tamarra has “clocked up to 10 years of employment just a month ago”.

“I can’t recall her ever having a day off, and when she isn’t feeling 100 per cent, she makes sure everything is ready before we send her home,” Chris explained.

“She is so flexible and always eager and able to help.”

During her 10 years with Bowen Meals on Wheels, Tamarra has become a staple, a compassionate and adaptable individual, who goes above and beyond for clients and volunteers alike.

“We couldn’t operate how we are without her.

“We’re currently looking for a relief chef, so that we can force her to have a holiday!” Chris laughed.

Throughout the 10 years, Tamarra has overseen the growth of the service, from 40 clients to closer to 80, each receiving meals regularly, be it daily, weekly, or monthly.

“We’re getting busier and busier,” Chris explained.

“Tamarra is in the kitchen from 6.15am, with three to four volunteers, and at about 10.20am, 12 or so volunteers arrive to do the deliveries.”

This busy operation keeps everyone on their toes, but the clients sing praises to Tamarra and the team at Bowen Meals on Wheels.

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Tamarra Robson, recognised for her dedicated work after 10 years of service with Bowen Meals On Wheels. Photo supplied

The Proserpine Community Centre and Community Response to Eliminating Suicide (CORES) will be hosting their next Suicide Prevention Training for Whitsunday locals next week.

This training will equip participants with the ability to identify the early warning signs of suicide so they know what to say, what to do, and where to go to get further help.

Also on the training agenda is essential skills to help an individual at risk, how to support that person to access services, and how to promote help-seeking behaviour before a crisis occurs.

Each participant will also be able to identify their own self-care strategies, in order to keep themselves safe and healthy.

WHAT: CORES Suicide Intervention Training

WHERE: Proserpine Community Centre, 36 Gardenia Street

WHEN: Friday October 20, from 9am to 4pm

COST: Free

RSVP: bit.ly/3P6RmOL

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Participants who completed the suicide prevention training earlier this year. Photo supplied

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Over $1.3 million has been provided for the Whitsunday community by the Whitsunday Neighbourhood Centre throughout 2023.

Primarily through Neighbourhood Centre programs, social enterprise, projects, and room hire, the Whitsunday Neighbour Centre has provided exactly $1,366,057 in community value.

With only $240,900 in State Government funding, this equates to the generation of $5.67 worth of value for every single $1 of funding received.

Executive Officer of the Whitsunday Neighbourhood Centre, Rebecca Woods, explained that the recently released impact statement quantifies every single project and program the Centre provides to the community.

“The impact statement gives a value to everything we offer, including programs that have a monetary figure.

“It captions the time and effort of our staff and volunteers who provide services for our community,” she explained.

“We receive limited funding from the government, and this demonstrates what we achieve with little funding.”

Services offered from the Whitsunday Neighbourhood Centre include emergency relief, family support program, second bite program, Scallywags Child Care Centre, Be Connected Senior computer program, and the Community Furniture Shed and Op Shop.

“Our main goal is to provide projects and services that improve the health and wellbeing of every member of our community,” said Ms Woods.

“This often means we have to be creative and operate as a social enterprise. But this statement is really good to get a snapshot at the true value of what we provide to the Whitsunday community.”

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Marina McMullen, volunteer, Tamara Noble, Community Development Officer, Rebecca Woods, Executive Officer, and Ashley Christiensen, volunteer. Photo credit: Bronte Hodge

The Rotary Club of Airlie Beach is challenging local businesses and organisations to follow their lead and donate rent to the Whitsunday Foodbank in Proserpine.

This initiative comes after the Rotary Club donated $2000 to cover Foodbank’s rent for a one-month period.

The assistance was warmly received and has now inspired the Club to ask others to do the same.

The Whitsunday Foodbank is community owned and funded, and provides good quality food at affordable prices, with the aim of ensuring no-one in the community goes hungry.

This invaluable local service receives no government funding and the rental assistance from the Rotary Club will enable money to be spent on other areas that benefit its customers, such as broadening the range of products stocked.

Jeff Boyle’s family business operates the Whitsunday Foodbank, as well as the Mackay Foodbank.

"We have been fortunate in businesses we’ve owned and now we can give a little back, and with the generosity of groups like Rotary it puts a smile on people’s faces," he said.

"Rotary donating one month's rent is wonderful; it allows us to get the staples that we have trouble getting."

The idea for the donation initially came from President of Rotary Airlie Beach, Jan Clifford, and she issued the challenge to other groups when she became aware of the costs involved in providing this service for needy people in the Whitsundays.

“I have been a long-time supporter of the Whitsunday Foodbank and I encourage its use,” she said.

“The Foodbank provides very affordable food to those doing it tough and we all know that times are tough.”

“It would be great if other clubs kicked in to help this valuable service.”

Any amount of rent would be greatly appreciated by Whitsunday Foodbank, whether it is a week, a fortnight, a month or even a year!

To take up the challenge set by Rotary Airlie Beach, contact Jeff Boyle at Whitsunday Foodbank, Phone 0439 730 790 to arrange your donation.

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Left to right: Club Treasurer Ian Johnston; Club President Jan Clifford, Jeff Boyle (Foodbank) Rotary District Governor Sabaratnam (“Prath”) Prathapan of Darwin, Club Past President John Mol. Photo supplied

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TAFE Whitsundays unveiled their new Aquaculture Centre of Excellence last weekend, at their official Open Day.

Welcoming members of the community into the new centre, TAFE Whitsundays also hosted industry professionals, offered comprehensive tours of the complex, and of the facilities, which now contain barramundi, ready for students to study.

Containing state of the art data analysis equipment, computerised training technologies, various fish tanks for study, and mixed-reality virtual rooms, and an extensive laboratory for sampling, analysis and training, the Centre is one of a kind for the region and for industry.

Construction of the centre was secured using $2 million of funding from the 2020-21 Queensland Budget.

Yet to be officially opened, the new centre will host a series of courses, equipping residents of the Whitsundays with notable and important certificates, diplomas and education that will ensure expertise and thorough knowledge in our marine and aquaculture industries.

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Over 40 community members explored the new Aquaculture Centre of Excellence at TAFE Whitsundays

The new centre boasts state of the art equipment for aquaculture studies. Photos supplied

What does the Chamber do? We often get asked - what is the role of the Chamber, what does it do? In many other small regional areas and towns, the role of the chamber is much clearer and more visible as they also fill the role that Tourism Whitsunday fill here – and that is to promote visitation to their local area.

Whilst that is still a role of the Whitsunday Chamber, it is not our major focus, and our role is complementary to that of Tourism Whitsunday. Whilst we have tourism-based members, it is not our prime focus and we are the largest member based body for the regions trades, small businesses, commerce and industry.

We are financially independent and apolitical. Through our advocacy efforts at all levels of government, membership services, events, and communications we aim to see our members create sustainable economic growth and feel connected to a thriving business community. This year we have unveiled our five-year strategic plan which provides the roadmap for how the Chamber will continue to grow as the strong and united voice for Whitsunday businesses, as well as supporting our member’s development needs.

Vision for the Whitsundays – The research phase of our Vision for the Whitsundays project continues with over 70 people having their say on our economic future, providing innovative ideas and solid suggestions. There is still time to have your say by providing a formal submission, completing a quick online survey, or participating in an engaging focus group and we encourage all businesses to do so and provide input and insight into this Vision

Next event – Our Annual General Meeting and Chamber Connect meeting is scheduled for 7:30am Thursday 19 October at Whitsunday Green Golf Club and everyone is welcome. Following the AGM there will be a presentation by the CEO of Regional Development Australia Greater Whitsundays Rob Cocco providing a timely update on exciting plans for our region. Registrations open, visit our website to book your spot.

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Continuing our recognition of our Councillors who are receiving service awards at the annual Local Government Conference this week we recognise Division 1 Councillor Jan Clifford.

Whitsunday Regional Council Division 1 Councillor Jan Clifford embarked on her journey in local government in 2008 with a deep desire to serve our community.

Over the past 15 years, Cr Jan has emerged as a respected leader and a passionate advocate for the people she represents.

As a dedicated representative within the LGAQ, Cr Jan has used her influential voice to support the causes that matter most to our community. Her tireless efforts in advocating for policies, resources, and support for our region have ensured that our community's voice is heard at every level of government.

Amongst the long list of achievements during her 15 years in local government Cr Jan is most proud of proposing the banning of single use plastic bags in the Whitsundays.

Joined by the late Barb Adamson, the duo pushed hard for the proposal which was adopted at an LGAQ Conference and eventually became Queensland legislation in 2017 and covered the whole state.

Also, at the top of her list was being able to work with and advocate for her struggling community post Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017.

Whether it was helping at the temporary Fish D’vine 5 star “soup kitchen or manning the Givit shop which provided food, clothing, and household goods to those in need, Cr Jan took a hands-on role to lead the recovery for Airlie Beach residents.

She was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary for her outstanding community work post Cyclone Debbie.

Cr Jan is a former president of Australian Local Government Women’s Association of Queensland, is the current Queensland state representative to ALGWA national, Director for Greater Whitsundays community, chair of the Whitsunday Housing Company, executive director of RDA and National Rural Women's Coalition.

Thank you, Councillor Jan Clifford, for a decade of exceptional service.

Contributed with thanks to Mayor Julie Hall.

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