Easter time is now in full swing and I would like to disturb your peace by raising a contentious opinion. Hot cross buns are not good. Now, hear me out. There are alternative types that can be made into something yummy, but the humble traditional fruit hot cross bun is not even good.

People wait with bated breath for these to hit the shelves on boxing day. I understand these are probably the best sellers at this time of year in all our favourite bakeries but, regardless of what the stats say, I’m calling it how it is. I have never understood the hype and, in fact, I’ll go so far as to say I have never eaten a hot cross bun by choice. Last year I used my subjective tastebuds to help find the best hot cross bun in Mackay and the Whitsundays along with a panel of bun lovers. While a noble and exciting endeavor for many, it simply reaffirmed to me that I will never enjoy a hot cross bun despite how ‘good’ it is in terms of what they’re meant to taste like.

Chocolate, on the other hand, I am a huge advocate for, and I encourage you to consume as much as you can across the long weekend. Also, while there’s still time and if you haven’t already, jump onto the Star 101.9 website and register yourself for Star’s Shop Til You Drop. We are giving one person and their friend a $10,000 trip to Los Angeles! Flights, accommodation, spending money - it’s all sorted. It could be all yours so don’t miss out!

If you have already registered you need to keep it locked on Star because your name could be broadcast in our boarding calls and you need to ring 1300 89 19 29 in time to get your name on the shortlist.

Happy Easter to you all!

Kaley

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Following an 11-month trial period, a brand-new Freight Distribution Centre was officially opened at Whitsunday Coast Airport on Monday.

The new service will transport high-yield perishable produce such as seafood, fruit, and vegetables to major urban centres such as Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane.

This means that suppliers can go crabbing in the Whitsundays in the morning and sell their produce at the Sydney Markets in the afternoon.

For almost a year Whitsunday Coast Airport has been trialling its new fresh produce cargo program and due to its success, they have opened the doors to a dedicated facility which will receive and send produce to and from the Whitsundays.

From mud crabs to mangoes, and almost any type of live, perishable, or precious cargo, the airport can now manage the efficient and safe transfer of produce.

Whitsunday Regional Council Chief Operating Officer Aviation and Tourism, Craig Turner, explains that there are many advantages of the new offering.

Not only does this add a new revenue stream to the Council-owned facility, which directly benefits ratepayers, it also allows farmers and suppliers to command a higher yield by delivering fresher, better-quality produce.

“Some mango farmers have reported that up to 30 per cent of their freight can be damaged when travelling to markets by road,” said Craig.

“Using air freight can deliver produce to market quicker and more cost effectively than ever before.”

In addition, placing produce into the underbelly of the plane means that airlines are less likely to cancel flights as the double revenue stream makes the service twice as valuable.

This will in turn make air transport to and from the Whitsundays more reliable for both tourists and locals.

So far, Craig and his team have confirmed a freight service with Virgin, Bonza and Skytrans.

They are still waiting on confirmation from Qantas.

Registered Air Cargo Agents, Whitsunday Coast Airport staff have undergone training to create a system that is efficient and fully compliant with national standards.

The airport is one of only two in Australia to handle the management of air freight rather than outsourcing to an external contractor.

This means they can quality control every step in the process, from meeting the flights to storing the produce and sending it off again.

Most items are only sitting at the facility for a few hours before they are sent off again.

Craig says that he hopes to “bolt on” additional services as the demand builds and that he can anticipate it leading towards transport services from the depot to local restaurants and onto ferries which will transit to nearby island resorts.

Not only does air freight increase the freshness and quality of produce, it also reduces its travel time and overall carbon footprint.

Often produce travels from Cairns down to Brisbane before then being sent back up to the Whitsundays.

“This can mean an entire week of unnecessary travel time,” said Freight Officer Paul Knott.

While their focus is centred around live or perishable produce, the cargo depot can transport other items including pets and animals, unaccompanied baggage, valuable possessions and parcels.

Craig says they can also handle parcels from Amazon and other online purchases which can dramatically decrease waiting time for residents.

Since inception, the cargo service has transported 28 tonnes of live mud crab around the country.

But it also works the other way around.

“Just this morning we had a call from a crayfish company in Tasmania booking 25 kilos of lobster onto a flight,” said Craig.

“This is a great sign for us, and I think it reinforces that there is a high demand for the service.”

The new air freight facility was largely funded by the Federal Government with in-kind contribution from the Whitsunday Regional Council.

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Transporting fresh local produce to markets across Australia: Whitsunday Regional Council Chief Operating Officer Aviation and Tourism, Craig Turner and Freight Officer Paul Knott. Photo credit: Rachael Smith

Whitsunday Regional Council Chief Operating Officer Aviation and Tourism, Craig Turner and Freight Officer Paul Knott. Photo credit: Rachael Smith

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St Patrick’s College has a long history of offering excellence in schooling and is a Catholic Coeducational College in the Diocese of Rockhampton catering for Years 7 to 12.

Families looking for a quality secondary education in Mackay are invited to attend the St Patrick’s College Mackay Open Night being held on Tuesday 2 May at the Mercy Campus in Penn Street, Mackay from 4.00pm to 7.00pm.

Prospective parents and students are invited to view subject displays, chat to teachers, admire students’ work and join in classroom activities. Tours of the facilities and dynamic performances from the College Choir, Band, Drum Corps, Dance Troupe, Concert Percussion, Handbell and Strings ensembles will all be scheduled throughout the evening.

Enjoy the free sausage sizzle, tea and coffee, wine and cheese for the adults, with popcorn and snow cones for sale to support the St Vinnies Committee.

For those attending there is a Treasure Map prize draw at 7pm at the Pavilion offering:

First Prize - $200 City Beach Gift Voucher

Second Prize - $100 City Beach Gift Voucher

Third Prize - $50 City Beach Gift Voucher

Why enrol at St Patrick’s College? St Pat’s is a partnership between students, staff and parents, providing an environment of learning, personal growth and faith development while recognising students as young adults.

St Patrick’s College holds as its central character the motto ‘Seek and Serve Christ’.

With strong sporting, cultural, spiritual, academic and vocational programs established, St Patrick’s College offers positive experiences for students in a dynamic and exciting dual campus environment.

The College is ideally located close to Mackay’s burgeoning Sports precinct with Multi Sports Basketball and Netball Stadium, BB Print Stadium, Junior League Fields, Harrup Park cricket fields, netball courts plus soccer and hockey fields nearby as well as the Paget Business District.

If you would like more information regarding enrolment at St Patrick’s College Mackay, please visit our website www.stpats.qld.edu.au or call (07) 4994 8700.

WHAT: St Patrick’s College Mackay Open Night

WHEN: Tuesday May 2 from 4.00pm to 7.00pm

WHERE: Mercy Campus, Penn Street, Mackay

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If you want to find a terrific way to waste time, get on to TikTok. Download the app and get started wasting as much time as you want.

The Chinese Government is watching and storing information about you but who cares? Those short, clever videos will cater to your interests and keep you mindlessly entertained for hours … if you let it.

I have a TikTok time-frame and time-limit to ensure it doesn’t take over my life but I do get to watch health, fitness, food, real estate, politics and sport-related videos that get served up to me as I scroll through.

They have videos that test your health. There is the one that gets you to hold your breath while a red dot moves along a horizontal line to test your lung capacity. If you can hold your breath till the dot reaches the end of the line you’re not going to die this week. Which is always a relief.

There’s another one that tests your hearing. It starts with a piercing, high-frequency sound and there’s a number 80 on the screen that tells you that’s what a normal 80-year-old can hear.

Then the number starts descending and the sound gets more difficult to hear, 79, 78, 77 … it’s easy in the 70s. 59, 58, 57 … it’s getting harder, but I can still hear it pretty well.

Once it starts to get to around 40 it gets hard for me to hear and, full disclosure, I hear a faint sound at 34 but at 32 I am out, can’t hear a thing. It keeps going into the 20s and I can only hear the sound of silence. Damn kids … most don’t need glasses to read either.

The thing about these hearing tests is that no matter how much you try to hear, forcing yourself to listen, it doesn’t make any difference. You can either hear the sound or you can’t and focusing on listening won’t help.

Life in a service industry, and certainly in real estate, is different because listening does make a difference.

There are plenty of agents who can hear just fine but they don’t listen. They don’t listen to what is important to a seller, how the seller wants things done, the process they want the agent to follow.

Sometimes the agent likes the sound of their own voice and they’re just not listening to what is important to the seller; a seller always wants the best price the market will pay but often there are other important matters such as when they want inspections, what they feel about the marketing, the signage, costs, things they are willing to do and others they don’t want to do, how they want feedback provided etc.

The same principle applies to agents who don’t listen to buyers and ignore what they want.

The Greek philosopher Epictetus said: “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” Real estate agents need to remember that.

If you are thinking about selling, give me a call. I promise to listen.

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The population of Indian Myna birds has grown significantly over the past few years and many locals are concerned about the impact this invasive pest is having on native wildlife.

Local nature lover Debra Burns has been following their rise in population for several years and she believes there are now over 3000 living in the region, compared to the 100 that Whitsunday Regional Council have listed in their Feral Animal Species Response Plan.

This plan allocates 10 days per year for Council staff to work on extermination efforts and Ms Burns believes they are not providing enough funding for traps needed to catch the birds.

She would like to see an Environment Levee put in place.

“They are the most invasive species in the world,” she said.

“The reason they are so dangerous is because it’s like the Hell’s Angels have moved in – they take your home and they kill your kids.

“I call them Hell’s Angels of the bird world because they take nests even if they don’t want them.”

Indian Myna Birds first came to Australia from Southeast Asia in the 1850s but it wasn’t until 2015 that they arrived in the Whitsundays.

Since then, their numbers have grown exponentially.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature declared the Indian Myna Bird as one of only three birds species in the world to be included among the world's 100 worst invasive species.

They are very dominant and are known to gang up on other smaller birds, often attacking in packs, destroying nests and breaking eggs.

“They are killing native wildlife in front of our eyes,” said Ms Burns.

“But the majority of the people in the Whitsundays would be blissfully unaware of what’s going on.”

Killing native birds, destroying nests, and overtaking large portions of scenic parkland, the Indian Myna Birds are aggressive and dominant.

They pair for life and can often produce up to 26 chicks a year.

Debra Burns runs the Whitsunday Indian Myna Action Group which currently has over 400 members who are mostly concerned residents witnessing an influx in their area.

Working to educate, inform and eradicate, Ms Burns says that she has been contacted many times and has personally funded 13 traps which have kindly been built by the local Men’s Sheds.

Recently, Council provided $1000 to fund 13 additional traps.

There are now almost 30 traps circulating in the area, but Ms Burns says residents need to act quickly.

“People notice the birds around their property and after a few weeks or a couple of months they've had enough and contact me for a cage,” she explains.

“By then it's too late and the birds have moved on. So, if you see them, and think you'd like to trap, please don't wait.”

A farmer in Bowen borrowed one trap and captured 134 birds in six weeks, but they are very smart creatures and are known to evade trapping measures.

Ms Burns believes more funding is required and the only solution is to reinstate the Environment Levee.

Back in 2006, a levee of $10 was given to every household.

“Just because we don’t like paying to protect our wildlife doesn’t mean we don’t have a responsibility as a community to protect it,” she said.

“We need an environment levee.”

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Naturelover Debra Burns says we need an Environment Levee to fund Myna Birderadication numbers. Photo credit: Rachael Smith

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I have long argued, that in many cases, the answer to that question is “no”. As a council we apply for grants for many reasons. In some cases, it assists in the delivery of essential items.

It is the “other cases” I wish to speak about.

Most grants involve only partial funding of any given project. The example being, that if we are the recipients of a grant of $5 million to build a “something”, on the surface it sounds great. The problem is that we have already spent close enough to a million on a business case and design etc.

Still sounds ok, spend a million to get five? Well, woah back, we usually must match the grant dollar for dollar. So, spending 6 to get 5 does not sound quite as good, does it?

Well, the bad news continues. Any cost overruns are our responsibility and currently some of these overruns can be nearly twice the initial forecast! But for this exercise let’s say the overrun stands at 20 per cent or around $2 million. Now we have the situation where we are up for $8 million to secure the offered $5 million.

Now where the real kicker on this whole exercise comes in, is in maintenance and depreciation. Opening a shiny new “something” that has cost $13 million provides a wonderful opportunity for those that thrive on media opportunities.

However, it saddles us with the unenviable task of covering the cost of maintaining and depreciating that “something” every year for many years to come, not to mention the running cost – and that is wholly funded by your rates - maybe to the tune of hundreds of thousands.

While I in no way am suggesting that we do not apply for grant funding, we would do well to realise that all dollars are not created equal.

Dollars for essentials are great dollars.

Dollars for discretionary projects are dubious dollars indeed.

Coupled with this is the fact that many of our assets are decades old – many decades. These are often things you cannot see. Sewers, storm water lines, water services and more.

Renewal of these is essential or we become third world. Running to failure is NOT a desirable option as repairs in this case cost multiples of what planned maintenance costs.

Now call me conservative, but for me, uninterrupted services are more important than cutting ribbons.

Cr Martin Bella

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Whitsunday Regional Council will submit a motion to the National General Assembly of Local Government seeking support from the Federal Government on the standard of the Bruce Highway.

The North’s main highway has been under increased scrutiny over the past two years after both an increased number of damaging weather events, fatalities, and delayed roadworks caused closures and unsafe conditions.

Council’s Director Infrastructure Services Adam Hagy said the motion to the Federal Government advocates for a highway which meets that expected of a main thoroughfare, especially one of the longest in the country.

“A highway that is immune to the weather impacts that the Whitsunday Region faces and any weather event across the state, for that matter,” Mr Hagy said.

“Recently, during a rain event in January, several sections of the Bruce Highway were cut off in our region and others, stranding motorists across the network.”

The highway – which stretches close to 1,700 kilometres from Brisbane to Cairns - is the major north-south freight and commuter corridor in the state.

In recent months, the State Government’s commitment to its upkeep has been called into question by prominent Whitsunday figures, including State Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm and Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox.

Both members made extraordinary claims of “neglect” in reference to upgrades at Goorganga Plains – the site of flooding which Mr Hagy referred to.

To the particular chagrin of locals travelling North to or South from Bowen, the over twelve-month long delay for contracted upgrades has been a continued thorn in travellers’ sides.

The National General Assembly will be held from June 13 to 16 in Canberra.

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55 seniors celebrated St. Paddy's Day at the Metropolitan Hotel with a delicious hot two course lunch and good humour.

A table booklet of Irish limericks raised the hilarity.  

Guests came dressed in Irish green and wearing large funny hats.

Add chocolate, lucky door and raffle prizes, and it was a great day out for one and all.

The following Friday, 61 friendly members came together for a bus trip to Airlie Beach singing all the way.  

We stopped at Midge Point for morning tea at The Point Tavern.  

A lovely cool spot on a warm day with yummy tucka.

We continued on to Airlie Beach's main street, where members wandered and shopped to their heart's content.

The Jubilee Tavern was our destination for a delicious hot two course meal.  

We had a choice of steak or grilled red emperor with salad and chips, followed by dessert of course.  

We all had full bellies and happy hearts on the day.  

We talked and talked and talked.  

We love each others company and look forward to all the social events.

Interested in joining? Phone 0400 242 779 for more information.

Contributed by Margaret Edwards

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Mackay 50 & Better have been a busy bunch

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Hi Everyone,

It’s been a tragic start to the Easter holidays with the sad news that a young couple perished in a light aircraft crash near Proserpine Airport on Sunday evening.

You can read the full story on the front page of Mackay Life, if you wish.

I happened to be at the airport on Monday morning when the news that the wreckage of the plane had been discovered and their bodies found.

Since then, I have been thinking about how the devastating news would have travelled to loved ones whose lives will undoubtedly never be the same again.

The pain and complete despair they would be feeling is hard to imagine.

The couple were so young and with such a wonderful future ahead, it feels particularly cruel that this has been taken away from them.

It is a reminder, however, that not one of us knows what lies ahead – a snap decision to get in a vehicle – whether that be a light plane ride or to nip round the corner in the car to get a carton of milk – no-one knows when that one journey could be our last.

That’s why it is so important to hold our family close, never go to sleep on an argument and spend every precious second enjoying life – being kind to others and ourselves.

While we are taking time off to enjoy the Easter long weekend, watching kids cover their faces with chocolate, spending time with visiting relatives and generally relaxing in our beautiful region, let’s remember how sweet life is and appreciate these moments before they become memories.

Rach

Quote of the Week: “Breathe. Let Go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure” (Oprah Winfrey)

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Every year school students across the country make their Easter Bonnets out of an array of colourful materials, glitter, paint and plastic nick nacks.

Often the bonnets are used briefly for the school parade and are then set aside – but what happens to them after this?

Cannonvale State School considered how each bonnet could contribute to additional landfill and so asked their students to make their bonnets out of decomposable materials this year.  

One young lady who took on the challenge to create an entirely decomposable bonnet was Year Six student Chelsea Baines.

Her efforts were rewarded when she won the award for Best Easter Bonnet in the school after the parade on Wednesday.

Chelsea said she was thrilled with the win and excited to hear that the hours she spent crafting the bonnet with her mum, had been extra worthwhile.

The winning bonnet was made using an old Gum Tree that had fallen over the creek in her back yard.

Chelsea gathered sticks and created a triangular base to hold the structure in place.

She used pruned banana tree leaves to decorate the bonnet and cut little bilby shapes out of the leaves.

“Bilbies are the new Easter bunnies!” sad Chelsea.

“I loved this project and I think that more people could get involved because it was compostable, although it was definitely more challenging.

“I put mine in the garden so it could break down and when I checked yesterday it had already started!”

Chelsea was given a box of Easter goodies as a prize.

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Chelsea Baines in her compostable Easter Bonnet

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Seven communities came together throughout March to recognise and celebrate the powerhouse women in the Isaac region.

Nominees included local female role models and leaders, as well as being mothers, grandmothers, sisters, wives and daughters.

The theme for Queensland Women's Week 2023, held from March 5 to 12, was Empower her voice; secure her future.

The theme is a celebration of women and girls who have stood up to be heard and acknowledges the fundamental right of every woman and girl to equally participate and be safe in all areas of society.

Congratulations to the winners!

Dysart

Inspiring Women in Isaac Award winners: Carmen King and Aleisha Kenny

Inspiring Young Woman in Isaac Award winner: Karissa Bailey

Middlemount

Inspiring Woman in Isaac Award: Lynn Davison

Moranbah

Inspiring Woman in Isaac Award winner: Amanda Raymond

Inspiring Young Woman in Isaac Award winner: Jaeda Maris Navarro

Clermont

Inspiring Woman in Isaac Award winner: Joanne Salmond

Inspiring Young Woman in Isaac Award winner: Leah Purnell

Nebo

Inspiring Woman in Isaac Award winner: Jessie Bethel

Inspiring Young Woman in Isaac Award winner: Jamie McDowall

Isaac Coast

Inspiring Woman in Isaac Award winner: Nikki Gayler

Inspiring Young Woman in Isaac Award winner: Serenity Box

Glenden

Inspiring Woman in Isaac Award winner: Leanne Fraser

Inspiring Young Woman in Isaac Award winner: Kristen Cant

_________________________

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Aleisha Kenny (right)

Karissa Bailey (right)

Lynn Davison (left)

Jaeda Maris Navarro and Amanda Raymond

Leah Purnell and Joanne Salmond

Jamie McDowall (left) and Jessie Bethel (right)

Serenity Box (left)

Leanne Fraser (left) and Kristen Cant. Photos supplied: Isaac Regional Council

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Whitsunday residents can now travel directly to the Hunter Valley thanks to new direct flights to Newcastle which commenced last Thursday.

Bonza Airlines will now travel twice weekly to the wine growing region, allowing locals to enjoy cultural weekends away and, more broadly, general tourists to experience both the vines and the reef within one holiday.

Whitsunday Regional Council mayor Julie Hall applauded Bonza for exploring new routes to make it easy for Aussie families in regional areas to reconnect.

“Connecting the amazing Newcastle and Hunter Valley wine region to the beautiful Whitsundays, heart of the Great Barrier Reef is a win for both communities,” she said.

“From the vines to the reef opens a huge catchment area that can now access budget direct flights to the wonderful Whitsundays.”

Bonza is Australia’s brand-new independently owned airline carrier and its head office operates from the Sunshine Coast.

The airline aims to reinstate affordable air travel and each hour of travel will cost passengers on average $50.

Bonza travels between the Whitsundays and the Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba weekly.

Newcastle Airport Executive General Manager Aviation and Air Freight Business Development, Andrew Warrender, and Whitsunday Regional Council Chief Operating Officer Aviation and Tourism, Craig Turner

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Bowen’s Chamber of Commerce is playing a guiding role in rallying the community for the redevelopment of the town’s beloved but crumbling jetty.

Nearly 100 people gathered at Bowen’s Larrikin Hotel on the evening of March 27 to hear addresses by Bowen Chamber of Commerce Chairman Bruce Hedditch, chamber Deputy Chairman Tony Bale, and Regional Development Australia Greater Whitsundays CEO Robert Cocco.

The chamber special meeting was called to kickstart a community discussion over the future of the jetty, whose future is in doubt with the impending relocation of three North Queensland Bulk Ports trawlers, which are based on one of the two arms of the facility. They are to be based in another location because of the present two-hour each way trip to and from the coal-loading facility at Abbot Point.

Under the terms of the land lease, if there is no further use and revenue-raising capability of the jetty, there was an obligation on Bowen to dismantle it, according to Bruce Hedditch.

“We need to develop a plan for when things change in the current use of the jetty,” he said.

Tony Bale spoke of the historical use of the 750 metre-long jetty, which was built from 1865-1867 and played an important role in the town’s early primary industries, as a coal port (until the 1970s) and as part of a naval base.

At its peak, industry gathered around the jetty employed 600 people.

It featured extensive use of Tasmanian hardwood in major timber work, and new foundation works in the early decades of the 20th century used the new process of steel-reinforced concrete.

Up to four ships at a time could be handled by the facility, which was serviced by a now gone rail link. However, the condition of the jetty is now poor.

“It’s not going to fall down tomorrow; the old girl will still be here for a time yet,” Mr Bale said.

He said some of the major timber work had rotted or been damaged by past cyclonic activity and some of the concrete foundations on the two jetty pads were now suffering from concrete spalling, where the steel in the concrete was now rusting.

There had already been more than 50 ideas generated for the jetty’s future so far, Mr Bale said,  in categories such as tourism; water activities; retail and hospitality; historical exhibits; environment centre; and accommodation in the jetty’s immediate foreground.

Bowen businessman Kevin Murphy is even proposing buying a mothballed ocean liner for its scrap value and floating it to Bowen to be sunk alongside the jetty as a permanent hotel/real estate fixture, which Mr Murphy claimed would more than recoup the $40 million needed to finance the project.

Mr Bale used examples of other jetty projects such as Redcliffe pier, Glenelg jetty, Broome jetty, Busselton jetty, and even Galveston, Texas and Sellin Pier, Germany, as examples where communities had rallied together to save and repurpose these much-valued community assets.

“The optimum idea is to get a blend of private and public investment,” he said, “but not too biased one way or the other.”

Rob Cocco said community backing was crucial to redevelopment hopes for the jetty. “They (the government) are looking for one thing: a community that is interested.”

Remedial works had been undertaken on the jetty, including laying down plywood along the walkway and handrail repairs, and even these works were now starting to deteriorate.

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Presenting options to help the Bowen community find a new life for its historic jetty are (from left) Bowen Chamber of Commerce chairman Bruce Hedditch; chamber Deputy Chairman Tony Bale;  and CEO of Regional Development Australia Greater Whitsundays Robert Cocco. Photo credit: Paul Gellatly

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Australians love having fun in the sun and a Mackay business is dedicated to ensuring that they do it safely.

Terri Thompson started the Dirty Oar, a line of sun-safe outdoor apparel, after she was diagnosed with skin cancer in early 2021, not long after having her first daughter.

“I was operated on twice as they didn’t get it all the first time,” she said.

“It was really hard.

“Having a newborn, being up all hours of the night, my husband had to take time off work to help me out.

“It was a stressful time.”

Around six months later, Terri had a lightbulb moment.

“We wanted to come up with something that could help people and educate people in sun safety, so we came up with family friendly, sun safe fishing shirts,” she said.

“We want to help people not have to go through what I went through.”

The Dirty Oar offers a wide variety of cool and colourful fishing shirts for blokes, ladies and the littlies.

Stickers, hats and stubby coolers are also available, and you can even have custom fishing apparel made to commemorate that mammoth trip to the cape or dress your staff in style.

“It’s fishing apparel but it’s family friendly sun safe apparel, perfect for going camping or trips to the Cape, things like that,” Terri said.

While the business is run predominantly online, Terri will personally deliver throughout Mackay free of charge.

Not only is the Dirty Oar keeping the people of Mackay, Queensland and Australia sun safe, a portion of every sale also gets donated to Skin Cancer Australia.

“I feel we are so blessed to have this opportunity to help others,” Terri said.

Terri says one of the best parts of being a woman in business is being her own boss and having more time to spend with her family.

They’re an outdoors family, thriving when they’re fishing, camping and boating, their Dirty Oar shirts keeping protected from the sun for years to come.

Get To Know Terri

Star sign: Leo

Favourite movie: The Conjuring

Favourite holiday destination: Port Douglas

Favourite Music: Chilled, laidback soft rock (think Jack Johnson and Pete Murray)

Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not worth chasing.

Best piece of advice: Just give it a go. What’s the worst that’s going to happen?

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Funding for youth services in the Whitsundays has been cut significantly this year and Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm MP is concerned about the impact it will have on local initiatives for young people.

Ms Camm believes that youth services need more, rather than less funding for vital programs such as YouthSpace and our dedicated PCYC.

“It is unacceptable that the Government has cut funding by almost 40 per cent at a time when young people need to be our priority,” she said.

“There are services across our region that desperately need more funding and are ready to deliver more support on the ground for our youth - they can’t do this if Queensland Labor continues to slash funding for young people in our region.”

Ms Camm said the Whitsunday electorate has a higher proportion of youths under 18 and under 10 years of age than the state-wide average, with 23.68 per cent of the electorate comprised of under 18s compared with the state average of 22.37 per cent, and 12.45 per cent of the electorate comprised of children aged 10 and under compared with the state average of 11.99 per cent.

She believes that this demonstrates the Whitsunday region should be high priority.

“Today’s youth and the next generation of youth deserve access to critical services,” she said.

“The Whitsunday region is growing at a great rate. Our youth funding allocation should be trending upwards in line with that growth, not taking a 40 per cent dive downward.

“I have written to the Minister requesting full funding be restored in the upcoming budget.”

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Funding for young people is cut significantly

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