Seniors of all ages and stages are invited to come together at the Big Shed on the Mackay Showgrounds later this month for an event that promises to offer a wide range of opportunities to maximise quality of life during retirement years.

The annual Mackay Seniors Expo is a popular event which often attracts upwards of 2000 people who enjoy browsing over 75 different stalls.

There is plenty to see and do - discover avenues to volunteer your time to charity organisations, sign-up to sporting activities such as pickleball and learn about your health options including managing hearing loss or how you can receive Meals on Wheels.

Mayor Greg Williamson said the expo is a great place to connect with others.

“This expo is all about making connections, whether with a group you’d like to be part of or a sport or hobby you’d like to try, or maybe just with old friends that you haven’t seen in a while,” he said.

“We’ve found that community members are interested in learning more about leisure and lifestyle activities as well as the more ‘practical’ considerations of growing older and staying active and healthy.

“This expo really offers a tremendous mix – in the Big Shed this year you will find everything from senior-friendly sports and hobbies to retirement living and healthcare services.”

The event forms part of the Queensland Government’s state-wide Seniors Month celebrations which aim to improve community attitudes towards older people, facilitate community participation and activity by older people, and enhance community connections and inter-generational relationships.

WHAT: Mackay Seniors Expo

WHERE: The Big Shed at the Mackay Showgrounds

WHEN: Tuesday, October 11 from 9.00am to 1.00pm

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Do you have an exciting creative idea and need a bit of financial assistance to get it off the ground?

Mackay Regional Council is here to help you through the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF), offering almost $95,000 in grants during the latest funding round.

RADF Committee Chair Councillor Fran Mann said this round of funding was again offering three different categories to promote creativity across the Mackay community.

“RADF will again offer General Arts grants, as well as the Youth Arts grants which aim to support young people to pursue creative career pathways,” Ms Mann said.

“There will also be Green Arts grants available, which will support initiatives that focus on environmentally based arts and cultural practice and that highlight issues relating to our unique local biodiversity.

“Creativity makes communities connect, and RADF promotes the role and value of arts, culture and heritage as key drivers of diverse and inclusive communities and strong regions.”

This funding round of RADF (round one for 2022/23) is open now and applications close Wednesday, October 5, 2022, for projects commencing after Monday, November 14.

This round will offer $46,000 in General Arts grants, $33,934 in Green Arts grants, and $15,000 in Youth Arts grants.

Previous RADF grant recipients have used the funds to publish books, record music, hold art exhibitions and more.

Council is also looking for new RADF committee members and you or your arts organisation can still apply for RADF funds if you are a RADF committee member.

To apply for a RADF grant, visit mackay.smartygrants.com.au.

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One of Mackay CBD’s many laneways is now a whole lot brighter thanks to local artist Cynthia Gregg.

The space next to Sam’s Singapore Restaurant on Wood Street has been transformed, with Cynthia spending a week painting the whole wall white before creating her masterpiece last week.

Cynthia, who is also a Crossroad Arts Wearable Art Co-Facilitator and performer, created the artwork using water-based exterior paints to celebrate the deep blue waters of the Pioneer River.

“The mural consists of a human silhouette spreading outwards into a large dynamic splashing of droplets in aquamarine blue hues,” Cynthia said.

“This form will suggest a welcoming river spirit, inviting the audience to interact.

“The themes are playfulness, vitality, appreciation of and engagement with arts and the natural marine environment.”

Brightening the street, the artwork invites passers-by into the laneway to interact with the piece.

“This type of painting is designed to engage its audience with photo shoots and selfies,” Cynthia said.

“It consists of shapes designed to smoothly frame and uplift the appearance of a person standing directly in front of the mural.

“In photos, it will appear as though the person featured is one with the painting and wearing wings of splashing water rising, encouraging a cultural embrace with the river and street arts in Mackay.”

Cynthia was able to complete the mural after receiving an Activate My Place! (AMP!) program micro-grant from Mackay Regional Council to create this new work.

She also had the support of Crossroad Arts and Horizon Clubhouse.

With the whole wall now painted white, Cynthia hopes to secure more funding to fill the wall with similar figures.

Members of the local community are invited to take part in photoshoots with the completed mural, encouraging connection and share to social media using the hashtags #BlueRiverSpirit and #MackayPride.

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By Kevin Borg, Chairman, Canegrowers Mackay

Looking north, and seeing the deep troubles experienced in other growing regions in sourcing labour to transport cane to the mill, the Mackay region cane growing community is thankful for a couple of factors that have served us well this crush.

Canegrowers Mackay, working with our CQ Queensland Agricultural Workforce Network officer, went out hard and early, recruiting workers not just from within our community, but across the country. We used electronic billboards, social media and online jobs boards focused on backpackers and grey nomads. We ran ads in local media, and state rural press.

We even went old school, with posters and flyers delivered to roadhouses and caravan parks.

Beyond that, Canegrowers Mackay is almost unique among Queensland’s milling districts in that part of our recruitment strategy is to actively train haulout drivers. The course is led by growers and harvesters and a registered training organisation. This year, we had 20 trainees, 19 of whom passed the course and were work-ready by the end of their four-day training course, with some good in-paddock experience.

We think it’s important, to help raise skill levels of new workers to the industry, and thereby improve safety and productivity. That’s why we are currently applying for funding to run two courses in 2023.

This year, the course also taught us something. The majority of the trainees were older workers, looking for seasonal work to supplement their early retirement income. Many had experience in other ag sectors and were looking to apply these to cane harvesting. It’s interesting and gave us a pointer on places to focus efforts in 2023.

Overall, taking this multi-pronged recruitment approach has been a good success, thus far, with a list of people seeking work updating on our website jobs board, and members, for the most part, are not flagging that they are having difficulty sourcing labour.

However, with the crush now expected to extend into January, the sector will need to ensure that we can retain the labour needed to see the crush through, or if not, attract new workers. It’s a hard call, but many farming operations unfortunately end up relying on family members to scrape through that end part of the season.

We are lucky that, for the majority of harvesting operations in this region, a C-class licence is all that is needed to be a haulout driver. Like many regions, the sugarcane industry can suffer attrition to the resources sector. It can’t be helped – those are high paying jobs in an affluent industry.

But what the sugarcane industry can offer is a worksite that’s a green paddock, not a black and brown hole. And to be home with your loved ones every day. There’s a good lifestyle trade off.

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Headspace services in the Mackay region will now be delivered by North and West Remote Health (NWRH) as the remote allied health service took over as lead agent on September 12.

NWRH is a not-for-profit organisation providing mental health and wellbeing, outreach allied health, aged care and disability services across regional, rural and remote Queensland and will now deliver headspace services to Mackay as well as the Sarina and Whitsundays headspace satellite sites.

Based in Townsville, NRWH service from Mornington Island to Birdsville and from Emerald to Ingham but Executive Coordinator Simone Campbell says Mackay is a new region for the organisation.

“We just wanted to be involved in Mackay because it’s not an area we’ve looked at or been in before,” she said.

Earlier in the month, NWRH board members visited the region to meet with members of the headspace consortium.

The NWRH Board and Chief Executive Officer hosted a meet and greet with local headspace staff, traditional owner elders from the Yuwi and South Sea Islander Communities, The Village Leaders, the Mackay Hospital and Health Service staff as well as other community service providers.

The NWRH team then met with Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson, Deputy Mayor Karen May and Councillors the next day.

“What we want to do is start a consortium partnership with some of the local people … so we could start meeting and getting involved in the community to promote headspace, to promote NWRH’s other services to see what else we can do down there and how else we can get involved,” Ms Campbell said.

“The board is very interested in getting to know the community down there and see what they can do to help.”

While headspace may have a new lead agent, they still provide the Mackay region with the same great services they always have.

Headspace Mackay offers free confidential counselling services for young people aged 12 - 25 across Mackay region, making sure young people have the best support, information, and services for their health and wellbeing including physical health, mental health, drug and alcohol issues, employment and education support.

Headspace Mackay can be contacted on 4898 2200, headspace Sarina 4842 6750, headspace Whitsundays 4842 6760.

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Whether it’s a sea change or a tree change, there is a movement away from the big cities to regional areas and Mackay is one of the beneficiaries.

Recent figures show that populations across regional Australia grew by 70,900 or 0.9 per cent in the 2020-2021 financial year and the population figure fell by 26,000 or 0.1 per cent in capital cities.

Covid-induced border closures are now well and truly behind us and there is a feeling that this trend will only increase.

High-profile real estate identity John McGrath’s latest McGrath Report, quoted in The Australian newspaper, said big city escapees look for a cheaper destination, not something that is as expensive as where they are leaving, when choosing their sea or tree change.

McGrath pointed out that a sea change to Noosa Heads does not look so enticing when the median price is $2 million compared to regional Queensland’s $569,000 median price.

One of the reasons people make the change is to reduce debt and financial stress. Yes, people want good weather, access to beaches or other forms of natural beauty, reliable services and medical facilities but cost is a big part of it.

McGrath has noticed how those factors have led to an increase in property sales and price rises in our part of the world.

“Central Queensland, where many city dwellers from the southern states have moved, recorded the largest uptick in sales volumes of houses of 42.9 per cent in the year to February 2022,” the McGrath Report said.

It also pointed out that sales volumes in the Greater Whitsundays, which also includes Mackay, were up nearly 41 per cent.

The on-the-ground evidence at open homes and buyer inquiries absolutely confirms that Mackay is very much on the list of those wanting to make the change.

Our average house price is in the low $400,000s, there is virtually no unemployment, we have beautiful beaches and rivers, lovely hinterland bushland, easy access to Whitsunday Islands, good health and educational facilities and we’re a short flight to Brisbane.

One change that has been created by technology improvements and spurred on by Covid is the trend to work from home.

There are now people who work in the digital world who pretty much work from home all the time.

The organisation you work for might be based in Sydney but in many cases you can work from home in Manly, the Gold Coast or Mackay.

Whichever way you look at it there are positive signs for real estate in Mackay.

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Have you considered working for Mackay Regional Council as an option for a rewarding career?

With about 1200 employees, we have a huge variety of roles with endless possibilities.

As a councillor I get to interact with staff on a daily basis; they are a dedicated bunch, it doesn’t matter whether I get to the office at 6.30am or I am leaving at 6.30pm, there is always someone there.

I see our workforce as proud of the role they play in working to improve our region for their family and future generations, and when I ask staff for the reason they work for council, they are quick to answer:

• “I get a lot of satisfaction when I work with a team of people who want to help provide services to the community.”

• “Council offers me the ability to have a great work/life balance.”

• “Council provides me the opportunity to gain new skills and undertake further training to advance my career within the organisation.”

• “Working at council provides a lifestyle and flexible arrangements for me to be home each night and on the weekend so I can enjoy time with my family and volunteer at various sports our family is involved in.”

Like all businesses in the region at the moment, we are struggling to fill roles because prospective employees are spoilt for choice.

We currently have 183 vacancies, of which 31 are currently advertised, and this affects our ability to deliver services to the community in a timely manner and puts stress on other employees to fill the gaps so we can continue to be proud of our region.

The available positions cover all aspects, from working in our parks and gardens so we can keep them looking great, to a role as a principal development engineer that helps plan the layout of or region into the future.

Applying is easy with vacancies listed on council’s website – mackay.qld.gov.au/careers.

If any of this has sparked interest in you or maybe you know a school leaver who needs a start, or an out-of-town family member who is considering moving town or state, please contact them and say, “Have you considered working for Mackay Regional Council?”  

Cr Laurence Bonaventura

Mackay Regional Council

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Plenty of tears.

Monday is the D Day for kids as they have to head back to school after the spring holiday break and I reckon there will be a handful of kids and parents alike that won't be happy with it.

My suggestion is if you're heading to the shops tomorrow to do your monthly shop, maybe grab an extra box of tissues just to be sure.

I know over the past couple of weeks we've had some fun.

I ran the Sydney Marathon two weeks ago, plenty of families have had fun camping at Eungella and water skiing at Kinchant Dam, whilst others have had a chill out session in front of the TV watching Netflix and watching footy.

Whatever you've been doing I hope it's been fun.

Can I make a suggestion though before Monday? Get the whole family together this weekend, grab some pizzas and some cans of fizzy drink and all sit down together and nut out what you want to do in the Xmas holidays. They will come around quicker than you think.

The decorations are out on the shelves now so that means our minds are tuned to the festive season and all that it brings. Tinsel, trees, presents and holidays in the summertime.

Does it mean an overseas holiday is in order now that the premier has thrown away the pool gate key now? Does it mean you can relax with the whole family in the car driving down to Brisbane and spend some quality time with the cousins?

Whatever you choose to do, start organising it now. Don't put it off because the next thing you know it will be too late and you'll be kicking yourself that you didn't listen to Uncle Rob.

Write down what you want to do, where to go and how you're going to pay for it all. Stick it on the front of the fridge so it reminds you each day of what you are doing, then in a few short months you will be relaxing with thousands of others at the best time of the year.

Oh, one other thing. Lose some weight. You will want to look your best at the beach in that one-piece orange bathing suit. I know I will.

Have fun.

You can join Rob Kidd from 5am weekday mornings on 4MK 1026 AM in Mackay and Proserpine, 91.5FM in Airlie Beach or just ask your smart speaker to play 4MK on iHeartRadio!

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Long-standing Mackay Real Estate Agent Noel Durnsford has re-opened his doors and is now taking clients for well-established Noel Durnsford Town and Country Realty.

Renowned for professional service with an emphasis on communication and personal connection, Noel pays careful attention to detail and focuses on customer requirements.

“We take the time to get the best possible price for a property, that the market will allow,” said Noel.

“I know the region intimately from cane farms to coastal grazing blocks, as well as all types of residential properties, and that’s the reason we are called Town and Country Realty.”

Born and bred in Mackay, Noel operated a cane farm at Yalboroo (located just 70 kilometres north of Mackay) for over 30 years before moving into the city with his wife, Robyn.

His father and uncle moved to the farm in 1927 from Nebo and it has been in the family ever since.

Noel’s two sons are now third generation farmers on the property, along with his 26-year-old grandson.

Poor health saw Noel step away from the real estate industry for some years but 12 months ago he re-opened the doors under the same name and with the same service.

“We’re homegrown so I do understand the circumstances in Mackay, whether that be rural or town properties and I understand the layout of the land from Sarina to Proserpine,” he said.

As the principal of his agency, Noel is the person you will talk to for all business dealings regarding comparative market analysis, the listing process, settlement and everything in between.

For all your real estate needs, reach out to Noel Durnsford Town and Country Realty and experience some good old-fashioned service.

Image: Noel Durnsford and his wife Robyn from Town and Country Realty

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Image: Former NASA astronaut Susan Kilrain was the guest of honour as STEM Punks launched their Space 2101 program in Mackay last week. Photo Credit: STEM Punks Education

A total of 50 local school students got a taste of working in space as the Space 2101 program launched globally in Mackay last week.

The five-day program was facilitated by world-leading STEM education providers STEM Punks, teaching students skills in coding, design thinking, 3D design, innovation and creativity, all with the theme of living and working in space.

“We’re putting the kids into the future,” said STEM Punks CEO Michael Holmstrom.

“It’s all about giving them STEM skills in the context of space and then we use something called design thinking to get them to transform ideas into outcomes really fast.”

The students were given the scenario of producing a new module for a futuristic space station.

“In the end, they get a really creative mindset,” Mr Holmstrom said.

“It’s about problem-solving, and they basically use those STEM skills in a problem-based learning scenario to produce an outcome.”

The program also featured former NASA astronaut Commander Susan Kilrain who flew in from the USA to present with STEM Punks.

“She was there as a mentor, as a validator of the ideas, and to share her inspirational story about being blasted off into space,” Mr Holmstrom said.

Grade eight student Olivia Pearce has always wanted to be an astronaut and says meeting Ms Kilrain was inspirational.

“It really showed me that I could be an astronaut and that it is possible and if you do well in school and join clubs you’ve got opportunities,” Olivia said.

“I had quite a good chat with Susan, and she really told me that I could do it and it’s really good that I’m a female because that’s bringing more females into the field.”

Fellow grade 8 student Hunter McGeary agreed.

“That was amazing,” he said.

“First astronaut ever to come to Mackay apparently.

“I’ve just loved space and coding and programming, and I heard there was a lot of that with this program.

“We’ve mainly been learning programming, but we’ve done a bit of circuitry and 3D design which is cool.”

The Mackay program is the launch of a world tour for STEM Punks which will now head to Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Bahrain, UK, India and the USA.

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Holding a culinary feast within an immersive art gallery at an award-winning laneway sounds both ambitious and fascinating – it is also something that Crossroad Arts are introducing to Mackay next month.

The inaugural Laneway Art Dinner promises to be a cultural masterpiece where a nationally acclaimed guest artist will showcase his work, while guests enjoy a locally sourced hand-picked food offering.

Located at Fifth Lane in the heart of Mackay, watch how the stage will be set with an art gallery vibe for a two course-dinner which will further stimulate the senses.

The all-inclusive outdoor experience will feature dinner and drinks by Goanna Brewing and Joval Wine Group along with live music by Ruby Sue Music and a Crossroad Arts wearable art parade.

During the evening there will be a live art auction with works from a variety of renowned artists including Archibald Prize Finalist, Digby Webster who will also be the VIP guest on the night.

A Sydney-based artist with a career spanning 10 years, Digby Webster is an inspiring young man who has had is work exhibited as far afield as Japan.

He was also commissioned by Taste Media to paint images of the South Australian landscape which were then incorporated into the winning logo for the Special Olympics which was held in Adelaide in 2018.

Painting in the mediums of oil pastels and acrylics, his work reflects strong evocative colours together with an expressive visual language of his own.

An advocate for equal opportunities for people living with disabilities, Digby is also a member of Front Up, a disability led Arts and Cultural program initiated by Ability Options.

Through this program, he has exhibited several of his works at Barangaroo as part of the 'I Am Still Here' emerging artists exhibition.

Artbank and Australia Council for the Arts have also included his works in their collection.

Digby will be guest of honour at the Laneway Art Dinner and Artistic Director Alison Richardson says she is looking forward to introducing him at the event.

"Our Laneway Art Dinner is the first of its kind in the city heart's award winning Fifth Lane,” she said.

“We're excited to have accomplished Sydney based artist Digby Webster in attendance and we look forward to an evening in celebration of art, music and food!”

All proceeds will be directly re-invested into the Mackay community through Crossroad Arts inclusive arts events and artistic programs, helping them to expand and enrich their annual program of workshops and events in regional and remote Queensland.

Tickets are $165 per person, and they are selling fast so get in quick to secure your place.

For further details including how to book tickets visit www.crossroadarts.com.au

WHAT: Laneway Art Dinner

WHEN: Friday, October 21st – 6.30pm to 10.30pm

WHERE: Fifth Lane, Mackay CBD

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The whole community is invited to join the Quakawoot family for the annual HeartKids Two Feet and A Heartbeat charity walk which takes place in October.

Attendees can choose between a four and eight kilometre walk which will help raise both money and awareness for people living with congenital heart disease (CHD).

CHD is one of the leading causes of death of Australian babies under one and one of the most common birth abnormalities affecting one in every 100 births.

Eight Australian babies are born with the disease each day and four sadly pass away each week.

Mackay locals, the Quakawoot family, have been living this traumatic experience since their son Charlie was diagnosed with CHD when he was born.

The little guy spent six weeks in hospital after his birth and will require expensive ongoing medicine twice a day to keep him alive.

Charlie’s mum, Robyn, was just 28 weeks pregnant when the midwife picked up a rapid heart rate of about 300bpm.

She was told to go to Townsville hospital straight away where they put her on two different heart medications to try and get Charlie’s heart rate down.

This was a very scary experience for Robyn and the family as Charlie had started to go into heart failure.

Fortunately, after a week of treatment, Charlie’s heart rate returned to normal but his parents had a nervous wait until he was born.

“It was a very stressful time during the hospital stay which lasted 6 weeks. It was also a very anxious time when we were able to bring him home,” said Robyn.

“When Charlie was five days old, he had his first SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) episode outside the womb.

“To try and revert his heart rhythm, the doctors tried dunking his head in an ice bath and when this didn’t work, they administered a drug through an IV, which worked thankfully to reduce his heart rate,” says dad Andrew.

Navigating a new life with Charlie’s condition has been both traumatic and expensive for the family who have had to dig into their savings to pay for his ongoing medicine.

HeartKids have been a lifeline during this time by providing in hospital emotional support and meals to them while Charlie underwent treatment at Queensland Children’s Hospital.

Mackay’s upcoming Two Feet and A Heartbeat charity walk is an opportunity for HeartKids supporters, friends and families to come together to support families like Charlie’s.

Tickets to the event are $30 for adults, children under 15 are $15 and an infant under one is free.

Each participant will receive a pair of socks and a flag representing their journey.

Blue for the kids living with CHD, white for those that have lost a loved one and red for supporters, friends and family.

The event will begin with a minute’s silence for those lost and this will be followed by your choice of four- or eight-kilometre walk.

Afterwards there will be a BBQ and a range of other activities.

WHAT: HeartKids Two Feet and A Heartbeat charity walk

WHEN: Sunday, October 16 from 3.30pm – 6.00pm

WHERE: Old Mulherin Park, Mulherin Drive

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Residents are advised that a region-wide fox trapping project has now commenced and will cover all areas from Calen to West Hill.

The Mackay Regional Council initiative is designed to reduce the numbers of a fox species that prey on agricultural and native species alike and can carry diseases.

The European Fox is a Restricted Invasive Animal under the Queensland Biosecurity Act 2014.

Conservation dogs have been used to detect dens and a Council workforce have laid out a series of overnight foot traps in some areas; these are non-lethal and signage will indicate their location.

During the project period, which takes place until October 11, residents are advised to avoid the following areas on the following dates as foot traps will be present:

East Point – September 30 and October 1

Blacks Beach Reserve – October 1

Hay Point and Louisa Creek beach frontages – October 5-7

The 2022 Fox project is a partnership between Mackay Regional Council, Turtlewatch, Reef Catchments, Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal Pty Ltd, North Queensland Bulk Ports, BMA, Department of Environment and Resource Management, QPWS, and Sarina Landcare via the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant.

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A couple in their fifties are recovering after their car swerved off the Bruce Highway at Bakers Creek south of Mackay, plummeting three metres from a bridge and onto the riverbed below.

Their Ford Ranger landed on its roof and paramedics said they were “lucky to be alive” because the tide was out at the time, otherwise their vehicle could have been submerged.

The incident happened at around 3.30am on Friday September, 23 and Queensland Ambulance Services (QAS) were first to arrive on the scene at 3.47am.

Less than ten minutes later, Mackay Fire and Rescue arrived with Area Commander of Mackay City, Mark Ashford saying that it took his team 26 minutes to extricate the couple from the upturned vehicle.

“Surprisingly the car was not that damaged,” said Commander Ashford.

“There was no cutting needed, we were able to get them out through the doors.”

QAS were on hand to assist the couple, the man was reported to be in a serious but stable condition having received head and chest injuries.

The woman was stable with minor chest injuries.

It is understood that a wild animal running across the road had caused the driver to swerve to avoid a collision.

Paramedics advised that motorists should always resist the natural urge to swerve when possible.

The Forensic Crash Unit is now investigating the exact cause of the accident and are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with dashcam vision to contact police.

The couple are undoubtedly relieved to survive what would have been a very scary experience.

Image: The vehicle plunged three metres onto a river bank

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Image: Andrew Willcox is one of over 70 Federal politicians taking part in the Raise our Voice Australia Campaign. Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

The 2022 Raise our Voice Australia Campaign is giving young people a voice in parliament and Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox is calling on people under 21 to get involved.

“This year I am excited to participate in the Youth Voice in Parliament campaign which aims to increase the political literacy of our young voters and voters-to-be,” Mr Willcox said.

“The Raise our Voice campaign asks people under 21 to write a 90-second speech, the best of which will be read out by their local member in Parliament from 21-24 November 2022 for Youth Voice in Parliament week.”

Young people are tasked with writing a speech on the topic of ‘What should Australia’s new parliament accomplish?’

Last year’s campaign saw 603 speech submissions and approximately 130 speeches read in parliament.

Mr Willcox said that 60% of participants said it was the first time they had engaged with Australian politics or a politician, with 92% saying that taking part made them more likely to engage in politics in the future.

“Anything I can do to encourage young people to take an interest in Politics I will take part in,” he said.

“It is so important that our future leaders start having their say, I am honoured to be able to amplify the voices of the young people from Dawson by reading their vision for the future in our Federal Parliament.”

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