I am pleased to provide an update on the progress of the Wilson’s Beach Swimming Enclosure.

As I’m sure many of you are aware, the enclosure was damaged during Tropical Cyclone Debbie and Council has been unsuccessfully out to tender three times in an attempt to have the enclosure rebuilt.

As a result, we are now taking a new approach to the refurbishment. Instead of going out to tender for the entire project, we will now be splitting the rebuild into a three-stage approach and seeking quotes for each stage of the project individually.

The three stages are:

1. Dismantling the current enclosure.

2. Purchase of materials directly by Council.

3. Building of the new enclosure.

We have procured the services of a local contractor to complete stage one of the Wilson’s Beach Swimming Enclosure project.

Work is scheduled to commence in the next 4-6 weeks and residents can expect to see the vertical posts/poles remain as they are still in reasonable condition. The contractor will be using two entry points to dismantle the current enclosure and residents will be notified of these works once dates have been confirmed.

Council officers have already commenced seeking quotes for stage two and three of the project with stage two procurement process almost finalised and stage three not far behind!

I understand your frustrations with how long this process has taken, as I have been frustrated too. To the Wilsons Beach residents, thank you for your patience and support – we have fought together to get this far.

Since adopting a staged approach, I am thrilled to see significant progress and look forward to seeing the enclosure rebuilt soon. Keep an eye on my Facebook page for further updates!

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There are two main things a Financial Planner does, ‘Strategy Advice’ and ‘Product Advice’.

Strategic Advice involves guiding people on how their financial future looks now and the options available to improve their financial position. It’s looking at the pros and cons of various options and weighing up the cost versus benefits to guide people to the best option for their financial situation and age.  

If you have large debts and a young family you want to protect, it’s guidance on the different types of insurances available and which ones suit your situation.  

If you’re looking to build wealth in the run up to retirement it’s unpacking whether negative gearing, super or paying off your home loan is the best option.

Questions like: Should I be using an offset account or a redraw to reduce my mortgage and what are the long-term tax ramifications? Should I be taking a pension from my super even if I’m not retired as I’ve heard there are tax benefits? Will I have enough to retire comfortably, and will I get any assistance form the government?  How do I protect my nest egg?

Throughout our lives most people will purchase financial products, these might be simple like bank accounts or credit cards or complex like home loans, superannuation, insurance or pensions.  

The key here is getting advice on what type of product suits you. i.e., Now I know what type of insurance package I want to purchase, which insurer offers the most competitive premium for my age and occupation?  

What type of superannuation products suits my situation, is it an industry super, a retail super or a Self-Managed Super Fund?  

Can my existing super pension product facilitate a protection strategy against a major market crash? Are the product fees I’m currently paying competitive?  

Another key issue to consider when getting product recommendations is what range of products the adviser can recommend. It doesn’t take Einstein to work out that if you talk to an adviser employed by a bank or insurance company generally, they are going to recommend their company’s super, investment, insurance and loan products even if other companies have products better suited to your situation.

In summary Financial Planners can guide people in all sorts of areas to make better decisions to help them achieve their financial goals. The key is in finding a Financial Planner you can relate to who is experienced and can recommend the right strategy and products from a range of different providers.  

If you think you could benefit from a discussion with a Financial Planner, give us a call.  There’s no obligation and all fees are spelled out clearly in advance.  If you’re not sure, try our Financial Fitness Survey on our website at www.eclipsefs.com as it’s a simple free tool to help assess your financial strength.

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Similar to spring cleaning our homes, a shift in life’s seasons calls for a freshen up of our personal lives, by shedding what no longer serves us.

Every moment is an opportunity to step into our greatness.

The first step is to determine what a great life means to you and what needs to shift to make it happen.

Ask yourself:

What is the greatness I am ready embrace?

What do I need to release to fully step into this greatness?

What’s thriving?

Take a look at what’s going well in your life.

We can often be consumed by what isn’t thriving, particularly with negative news stories, the inadequacy we feel by consumerism and the comparison on social media, and the uncertainty of things outside ourselves.

Challenge yourself to focus on what is thriving in your life.

Through reframing, what seemed to you to be wrong may, in fact, be great when viewed through a different lens.

Turn your failures into opportunities for success

What does success mean to you?

Every choice we make and every action we take is an opportunity to step into our greatness and achieve success.

The human factor means that we make mistakes and can be derailed from our original vision.

What’s important is having compassion for ourselves in these moments, and seeing obstacles or mistakes as opportunities to grow.

Honour your mistakes as stepping stones on your journey to greatness.

Upgrade your environment

“Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future” – Dan Pena

Examine the people in your life. Do they cause you to go beyond your comfort zone, or are they holding you in a chapter of your life that has/is coming to an end?

Surround yourself with people who align with the vision you have for yourself.

We can all build our best life through our daily choices and the willingness to push ourselves into the unknown.

We show up for ourselves and others when we make a commitment to greatness.

Contributed with thanks to Shiift

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Last week, a lively Bowen Chamber of Commerce meeting saw guest speaker, Leader of the Nationals David Littleproud MP, share his ideas for a strong and stable regional future.

Accompanied by the Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox MP, Mr Littleproud outlined his vision for the next federal Coalition government and addressed topics including the 2023 Federal budget, the housing crisis, northern Australian development, the renewables shift, and dams, among other topics.

Referring to the modest surplus in the Federal budget, Mr Littleproud was adamant that the first surplus in many years had come from the efforts of the hard-working rural sector.

"This budget is a welfare budget,” he said.

“It is not necessarily putting money back in the economy.”

Mr Littleproud believes it fails to address the skills and worker shortages bedevilling our economy.

Instead of $4-6 billion in welfare payments, he asserts that it should have been directed into a transition to work focus, "to give hardworking Australians the opportunity to get back into work," he said.

Mr Littleproud was also critical of the plan to bring 1.5 million migrant workers into the country, who he believes would put pressures on the economy.

Rather, the Government should give these workers a pathway to citizenship which would, in turn, would offer regional Australia access to the skilled workers it so badly needs.

"We need to put regional Australia on a competitive footing with urban areas," he said, adding that under Labor many of these workers would flow mainly to the major cities.

He also said that the LNP policy of establishing satellite learning campuses allowed workers to stay in towns and develop their skills where they were most needed.

Mr Littleproud said health was a critical factor in drawing new people to centres like Bowen and he was critical of Labor policy that he said drew in overseas doctors who were offered no incentive to go to regional centres.

He also vented his concerns about the costs involved in moving towards a renewable future.

"28 thousand kilometres of transmission lines are needed for the green transition," he said, while power costs for the food sector had tripled, "and that comes back to us.

"In the rural sector, we are going to get it in the neck again.”

Mr Littleproud was also critical of the rise of wind turbines and solar farms, saying while some producers had profited from the use of their land to host these facilities, he was against using prime agricultural land for these purposes.

Instead, he said modular nuclear reactors offered a cost-effective way to site energy-producing facilities closest to the most energy-hungry centres, and did not require new transmission infrastructure, as well as using new technologies such as carbon capture to enable the country to keep using coal and gas.

"We have plenty of time to solve this.

“This government has brought it forward; they have taken a reckless path," Mr Littleproud said.

"Our biggest asset is that we have complete resource security and sovereignty."

During his time in Bowen, Mr Littleproud and Mr Willcox toured the Gilmour Space Technologies’ Bowen Orbital Spaceport to see how plans are progressing for the first launch which is expected to take place within the next few months.

“These innovative guys plan to launch the Eris rocket into space later this year,” said Mr Willcox.

“If successful it will be Australia’s first homegrown orbital spacecraft!

“The Coalition know that investment into the Australian Space Industry will yield many benefits, and I was delighted to hear our hard work has paid off.

“I know I will certainly be watching this ‘Space’.”

CAPTIONS:

Bowen Chamber of Commerce president Bruce Hedditch (from left) talks policy with Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox and Leader of the National Party David Littleproud. Photo credit: Paul Gellatly

Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox MP and Leader of The Nationals, David Littleproud MP tour the Gilmour Space Technologies’ Bowen Orbital Spaceport. Photo supplied

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Bowen as a township has long been titled the oldest town in North Queensland and its special microcosm of history and culture has been preserved by the Bowen Historical Society and Museum.

And, in a mammoth year for Bowen, the Bowen Historical Society and Museum is celebrating a 60 year milestone this year.

The curators of the Bowen Museum have been meticulous with preserving Bowen’s pioneer history, much of which is now on display, each catalogued with a detailed and accurate reporting and recording for the public to read and be educated.

With some of the largest and most thorough collections of Australian maritime and war memorabilia and artefacts, the Bowen Museum is often visited by Queensland historians and Queensland Museum Staff to aid in preservation, conservation, record keeping, and creating dynamic displays for visitors.

“Our visitors always say that this museum is the most interesting they have seen,” museum volunteer Helen Nicholas said.

“Our collection is very interesting.”

Julie Jurgens, Secretary of the Bowen Historical Society, added that the museum has enjoyed a vibrant history itself.

“It’s hard to think that the museum has been so long established in the community,” she said.

“The Museum started off in a man’s house – he started the museum in the first place – and then the museum outgrew the location.

“Then it was in the Transport building for a bit, and then 10 years later, our building was built, and in 1988, we had an expansion and added another room.”

The museum has primarily expanded due to donations from members of the community.

“We have had pieces from family collections donated,” said Ms Jurgens.

“We’ve even had a few wedding dresses donated, which solves a lot of family arguments about who gets the dress!”

Celebrations for the 60th year anniversary of the Bowen Historical Society and Museum have yet to be announced.

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The Bowen Museum was established in 1963, from the founder’s home

The Bowen Museum is now located on Gordon Street in Bowen

The Bowen Museum and Historical Society has a dedicated history of Bowen and its residents. Photo supplied

Bowen’s most bountiful child is turning 21 this week and the whole town is celebrating the huge milestone of an iconic structure that has featured in over 1.5 million selfies over the years.

At a height of 10-metres and weighing a whopping five tonnes, the Big Mango is believed to be the largest structure of its kind in the world.

It was the brainchild of a local doctor at the time, Geoff Ingham, who got the project underway by establishing the Big Mango Trust to help fund and build it.

It cost $90,000 to build and brings more than 80,000 people to the site each year, more than returning the value spent on its construction.

About half the Big Mango’s visitors call into the Bowen Visitor Information Centre next door to find out about the local tours, activities, and accommodation.

Manager of Bowen Tourism and Business, Leanne Abernethy, said the Big Mango represents something truly special for Bowen locals.

“While it’s an object in reality, this icon is now an internationally renowned symbol of our town and our region.

“We’re a proud coastal town of many farming families who value the opportunity to share our pride with as many visitors as possible – and the Big Mango plays a huge role in attracting these visitors from all over the world.”

With a population of about 11,000 and known as ‘the food bowl’ of The Whitsundays, Bowen supplies 10 per cent of the entire Australian mango crop.

The Big Mango symbolises the Kensington Pride variety of mango, which is also known as the ‘Bowen Special’ and is lush in colour.  

Bowen is the birthplace of the Kensington Pride in Australia, after being introduced from India in 1871.

Celebrations will be taking place across the Whitsundays for the next week.

Yesterday morning Katie Brown from Channel 7’s Sunrise broadcast live from the Big Mango, delivering the morning’s weather report right across the country.

Last night the tourism industry celebrated the milestone with a huge and extended Tourism Whitsundays Networking Night at the Big Mango, with an after party at the Grand View Hotel.

By coincidence, the iconic 100 per cent mango sorbet which is sold at the Information Centre, also reached an incredible milestone by breaking its long-standing record.

Previously the record has been 18,500 sold per year and this week that figure was smashed, with more than 19,000 sold with five weeks still remaining before the cut-off at the end of the financial year.

“We would absolutely love to sell 21,000 this year to go with the Big Mango’s 21 years!” said Ms Abernethy.

“So please come down to the information centre and treat yourself!”

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Bowen Tourism and Business Manager Leanne Abernethy prepares for filming earlier this month. Photo credit: Facebook

The Bowen Visitor Information Centre welcomes 40,000 visitors through its doors each year. Photo supplied

A record-breaking 19,000 mango sorbets have been sold from the centre so far this year. Photo supplied

Kenny the Big Mango mascot. Photo supplied

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Open seven days a week, 360 days a year, Bowen Tourism and Business (BTB) is the beating heart of local tourism and, in addition to its sea of volunteers, it is the regular staff that create the warm welcome the mango town is famous for.

Three full-time staff and a workforce of four casuals provide the foundations of the experience at the information centre.

The team are responsible for a range of duties, from selling mango sorbets to keeping on top of social media posts, booking tours and accommodation, running promotional competitions and of course offering advice to the 40,000 tourists that come through the doors each year.

“I have a wonderful team who are all passionate about Bowen,” said BTB Manager Leanne Abernethy.

“A couple of them are young mums and they always fit us in between dropping their kids off at school – they are very flexible, and we appreciate everything they do – they are the reason we can stay open seven days a week and only close five days a year!

“All staff have contributed so much towards the celebrations, and I am very proud of each of them.”

Bowen Mango’s Team Top Picks

“I love snorkelling off the beach at Horseshoe Bay – it has the most beautiful fringing reefs, and it is one of the only places in Australia where you can snorkel straight off the beach.” (Glenn Womal)

“My favourite place in Bowen is the Edgecombe Trail – it is so scenic, and it only takes an hour to complete – it is so beautiful and well worth a visit.” (Melissa Beuzeville)

“The Bowen Jetty would have to be my top pick – I love going there for a morning walk on our historic jetty, it is 750 metres long and 150 years old.” (Leanne Abernethy)

“I love walking along the beach with my dog as the sun rises or enjoying a nibbles platter on the beach while the sunsets at Grays Bay.” (Ellie Palmero)

Bowen Tourism and Business’ valued staff: Melissa Beuzeville, Leanne Abernethy, Glenn Womal and Ellie Palmero. Photo credit: Rachael

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The award-winning Big Mango has a reputation for not only being one of the most popular ‘big things’ in Australia, but also for being one of the friendliest tourist information centres in the country.

In 2022 the Big Mango was named the Top Tourist Attraction at the Whitsundays Tourism Awards and earlier this year the dedicated volunteers were nominated for an Australian Day Award.

With 16 volunteers on the books, all donating a minimum of three to four hours of their time per week, it is easy to see what lies at the heart of the centre.

Bowen Tourism and Business is guided by its Manager, Leanne Abernethy, two full-time staff and four casual staff.

But it is the sea of volunteers that make up the vital additional hours needed to enable the centre to open seven days a week and provide over 40,000 visitors a year with helpful advice about the local area.

“Our incredible volunteers greet our visitors seven days a week,” said Ms Abernethy.

“They are all very passionate and dedicated, and as we are a not-for-profit organisation this really helps save on staffing costs so that any profit we make is used to market Bowen as a destination.”

The Information Centre is also a booking agency which has a wealth of knowledge about local tours and activities, and it holds over 350 brochures on all regions across Queensland.

Inside the centre, you will also find an extensive range of mango inspired merchandise.

From soaps to chutneys, candles to sauces and even branded socks with Kenny the Mango emblazoned on them – the information centre really understands how to make the most of the local icon.

“Our Mango Daiquiri Mix has proved very popular too!” said Ms Abernethy.

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Some of the BTB volunteers: Mark Steen, Margie Hurst, Trudy Starkey, Janice Germain, Marie Bailey, Anne Steen and Kev Clarke.Photo credit: Rachael Smith

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A well-known face in the region sits quietly behind Bowen Tourism and Business as the Chair of the Committee, discreetly guiding the strategic vision of the non-for-profit organisation.

Jenn Honnery is originally from Brisbane but moved to the region in 1999 and fell in love with the local way of life.

“I moved here to work in a pub and have a break from uni and I didn’t make it home!” explains Jenn.

With a degree in Architecture, she was soon employed as a surveyor for a local gold mine.

She then went to help a friend on a nearby cattle station and it was here she met her husband, Jason.

The couple moved to Collinsville and later purchased an organic mango farm which is located between Bowen and Collinsville.

Jenn completed a Multi-Media Design Degree and a Masters in Communication.

When she is not running the mango farm with her husband, she is busy building websites and working as a graphic designer.

In 2017, Jenn decided it was time for a change and embarked on a role as Sales and Marketing Manager for Bowen Tourism and Business.

When the new role proved to be too demanding around her other work commitments, Jenn decided to step down but was still eager to contribute as a volunteer committee member.

She was later elected Chair.

“The role translated nicely as I had an interest in the local tourism industry but could bring in skills with marketing and design and an understanding of small business,” she said.

Since becoming Chair five years ago, Jenn has witnessed much change.

One of the highlights has been helping to increase the marketing budget so Bowen Tourism can “stand on its own two feet”.

She has also enjoyed forming a strong connection with Tourism Whitsundays.

“I am especially excited that Sunrise came to the Big Mango this week – that certainly pulled a lot of eyes onto Bowen,” she said.

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At the helm of Bowen Tourism and Business is its dynamic leader, Leanne Abernethy, who over the past two years has become the daily driving force behind innovations and ideas.

By coincidence, Leanne started her role the day before the Big Mango turned 19 and, if it were not for this fact, the upcoming milestones could have been completely missed.

Fortunately, she flagged the date and Bowen Tourism and Business (BTB) hosted a small 20-year celebration last year while planning for the big festivities this year.

Speaking on ABC radio Brisbane earlier this week, appearing on Channel 7’s Sunrise breakfast show on Thursday and hosting 4MK and ABC Tropical North during the week as well – it is clear that Leanne shines in her role.

Originally from a small country town called Bogan Gate in Central New South Wales, Leanne moved to Canberra where she completed a degree in journalism.

She then took on a cadet journalist position in Eden before spending the next 21 years working for various newspapers across three states.

In 2007 she moved to the region to take on the Editor’s position for the Whitsunday Times and within seven years she became the Managing Editor of two local mastheads - the Proserpine Guardian and the Whitsunday Times.

She then became a Multi-Media Director for Newscorp, working on newspapers from Bowen in the north to Lismore in the south.

After six years in that role, a reshuffle of regional newspapers across Queensland saw Leanne become redundant, which presented an opportunity to become Sales and Marketing Manager of BTB and she has since been promoted to Manager.

Her current role allows Leanne to harness the vast wealth of knowledge from working within the media industry and combine it with her love of tourism.

During her time with the organisation, Leanne has witnessed many highlights.

“We’ve expanded our range of merchandise and local produce at the information centre, increased the number of members, promoted Bowen and the region heavily, produced the Bowen and Collinsville Visitor Guide and we have just hit a record number of mango sorbet sales for the second year in a row!” said Leanne.

“It’s been an honour to help boost the Bowen brand and I look forward to continuing to grow the organisation.

“I am lucky to have such a dedicated team of staff and volunteers who are so passionate about what we do.

“I would also like to thank each of our 222 members. We appreciate their support and we strive to ensure they are all promoted.

“We believe that ‘tourism is everybody’s business’, and you can see this is true by the diverse range of members we have.”

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Always looking for innovative ideas to connect the region and promote additional visitation, for the second year in a row Bowen Tourism and Business (BTB) have collaborated with two other information centres to run the Passport Competition.

With $2,100 worth of vouchers to be won, the Passport Competition encourages visitors to call in at three information centres (Bowen, Proserpine, and Sarina) with entrants required to get their ‘passport’ stamped at each location.

Once all three locations are stamped, they receive entry into the competition.

This year an incredible 267 people participated and it is hoped this successful marketing campaign will become part of the annual calendar.

“The staff at the three information centres in the Whitsundays and Mackay regions have worked together to encourage more people to visit both regions,” said BTB Manager Leanne Abernethy.

“It provides an incentive for travellers to visit all three information centres and also encourages locals to check out their own backyard.”

Tourism Whitsundays CEO, Rick Hamilton believes tying The Whitsundays region and Mackay region together in the competition was an excellent initiative for the drive segment and encouraged travellers to engage with all three information centres.

“There is so much on offer in The Whitsundays and Mackay, and we’ve got fantastic volunteers and staff waiting to help travellers with their plans,” he said.

“This competition gave people visiting one information centre the incentive to stop at the other two, giving each centre’s staff and volunteers the opportunity to showcase their region and help visitors get the most out of their experience.”

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Kate Mackie of Bowen Tourism and Business with the passports. Photo supplied

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As part of the Big Mango’s 21st birthday celebrations a photo competition was launched to encourage tourists and locals alike to get creative with their cameras and smart phones, celebrating the iconic structure and Bowen’s beautiful surrounds.

Participants were given the opportunity to enter their photos into two categories.

The Beautiful Bowen competition tasked entrants to capture Bowen's beauty through her beaches, history, horticulture, or seafood industries.

The Creative Big Mango competition captured the Big Mango in a creative way or a Big Mango inspired selfie.

Launched at the beginning of March, the competition attracted an impressive 400 entries, all from people hoping to win prizes that included once in a lifetime experiences in Bowen and the Whitsundays.

For each category there were two prizes – the Judges Choice and the Popular Vote.

The competition closed on May 6 and was followed by a voting period for Popular Choice, with the winners of all categories announced yesterday morning.

“We were absolutely ecstatic to receive so many entries,” said Manager of Bowen Tourism and Business, Leanne Abernethy.

“So many people put so much effort in – it was fantastic to see their creations.”
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1: Judges Choice by Kylie Thompson

2: Beautiful Bowen Photo by @bowen4805

3: popular Choice by Megan Weir

4: Beautiful Bowen Photo by Kathleen B

5: Encouragement Award by Putu Ariawan

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Over the past 21 years the Big Mango has been selected to participate in two media stunts that attracted national attention, not only promoting the ‘stunt’, but also shining a spotlight on Bowen.

In 2014, the international restaurant franchise, Nando’s, launched their new Mango and Lime range with a clever stunt that kept the whole country guessing.

This was the year that the Big Mango completely disappeared and for a few days it seemed like it had really been stolen.

That was before a smaller 6-metre replica of the Big Mango was revealed in Federation Square in Melbourne, and Nandos confessed to the ‘crime’.

The magnanimous restaurant company were thrilled with the response and donated the smaller replica to Bowen.

It now sits at the Bowen Tourism and Business’ Information Centre on Front Beach.

Earlier this year the Big Mango was removed in media stunt once again.

This time it was replaced with an inflatable Big Mango that had been cut in half.

The half remaining symbolised the 50 per cent of unpaid invoices small businesses have to face each year.

It was commissioned by cloud accounting platform, Xero, to bring awareness to the plight of millions of small business owners who lose money each year due to late payments.

While the stunt once again attracted the desired national media attention, it also gave Whitsunday Regional Council the opportunity to install new legs and an internal refurbishment to make the mango more durable.

A few weeks later it was also given a fresh paint job, so it looked perfect for its big 21st birthday.

Bowen Tourism and Business Manager, Leanne Abernethy, said that the stunts had proven very popular and a great way to promote the region.

“The first stunt took place almost nine years ago and yet we still get asked about it in the visitor information centre,” she said.

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Kenny the Big Mango Mascot standing in front of the ‘half-mango’ earlier this year for the Xero publicity stunt. Photo supplied

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Shortly before his death, Reliance Lee popped into the Proserpine Museum and shared his memories of the idyllic lifestyle that his family enjoyed while living on Grassy Island during the 1930s. Reliance was named after the boat owned by his father, Boyd.

During those years, the family lived in several different houses, the first being a grass hut of substantial size but later a more conventional house was built. The Lee family kept cows for milk and butter, chooks, goats for meat and grew all sorts of fruit and vegetables. Separating the milk and making butter was one of Mrs Lee’s job.

Reliance and his three step-siblings Joan, Phillip and Gladys, had to attend to their studies which were supervised by their governess, Winnie Gotswell, however they still managed to enjoy numerous adventures.

Fishing adventures were many and varied - and true to his name, Reliance could always be relied upon to get himself into challenging predicaments. Surprisingly, he and his siblings avoided serious injury despite the potential danger of some of their escapades.  

One day, while out in the six-foot boat their father had built, the fish were not biting so Reliance wrapped the line around his big toe which was propped up on the side of the boat. A cod took off with his bait, tipped the boat and nearly tossed him out. Somehow, he managed to get his leg back into the boat and catch the fish. On another day, when his sister was casting her line, she managed to catch Reliance’s arm. After much trouble, the hook was eventually removed by his mother.

At night, they could see the fish coming with phosphorus shining - they’d stand perfectly still with spear in hand and catch fish. A blacksmith made a six-foot spear which his brother Phil used, but one day when Phil wasn’t around Reliance decided to have a go with it. He tied the spear to his wrist, was standing up to his waist in water when he speared a shovel-nosed shark. It took off flat stick across the reef with Reliance in tow. Luckily, the shark swam near a rock which jerked out the spear and saved Reliance. The boys sometimes made a makeshift sail out of a potato bag, opened out and stretched between two oars with a bar along the bottom. They steered using two ropes attached to the bottom corners and they sailed to what is now known as Earlando, but often had to row back.

Over the years some galvanised iron huts were built to house tourists and a dance hall was added. Past locals recalled the good times shared on Grassy Island. Ella Compton recorded in her diary that she had enjoyed a night of dancing at Grassy. Jim Wright used to recount going over there for weekends and staying in one of the huts, sometimes playing his accordion to provide music for dancing. Others such as Wally Tawse from Bowen went over to Grassy Island just for the fishing.    

The Lee family kept cows for milk and butter, chooks, goats for meat and grew all sorts of fruit and vegetables. Separating the milk and making butter was one of Mrs Lee’s job. The children relished racing up to the top of the hill and watching the steamers go by. This venture took a couple of hours so one can imagine their delight when one day they spotted a submarine.

Theirs was a simple yet idyllic life.  

Story and photo courtesy Proserpine Historical Museum.

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In this fantastic community day, there was fun to be had for everyone.

Activities included face painting by senior students, cookie decorating, craft, badge making, doll making with the Proserpine Museum, and so much more.

There was even a special arrival of paramedics with an ambulance, police officers, firefighters with their truck, and the State Emergency Service (SES) with a buggy.

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