Schools across the region are now more informed about the hazards of screen time addiction, ‘sextortion’ and other digital dangers that are impacting the well-being of children.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies found that children between four and five average more than two hours of screen time per day.

By the time they reach their teenage years, this has risen to more than three hours during the week and over four hours per day on the weekend.

This means that up to 30 per cent of the average Australian child’s wake time is spent in front of a screen.

The Queensland Police-led educational sessions, which were presented to 4,718 students, 260 teachers and 210 adults/parents over the past few weeks, are aimed at informing our community about the signs and symptoms of screen addiction.

Led by internationally respected speaker and expert in digital addiction, Brad Huddleston, the talks have opened the conversation and inspired changes in behaviour for many students.

Brad has been facilitating annual Digital Rehab and Cyber Safety tours in the region for over a decade and he teams up with this year’s Citizen of the Year, Sergeant Nigel Dalton, to provide information on both the education and the potential legal dangers of online safety.

During the talks, Brad shows attendees images of the brain which illustrates the neuroscience of how our brains are impacted by excessive screen time.

“Limiting screen time doesn’t work,” said Brad.

“You have to actually detox – cold turkey – for between four and six weeks in order for the brain to return to normal.”

Concerned that extreme screen time can lead to behavioural issues and angry outbursts, Brad says that because a child’s pre-frontal cortex is not fully developed, when dopamine floods the pleasure centre of the brain they have “no brakes”.

Brad is concerned that as the ‘metaverse’ starts to gain traction in the form of 3D goggles and 3D reality – children will sink even further into addiction.

Children in this state lack empathy, constantly say “I’m bored” and need more and more to stimulate their brains.

“It’s like a drug,” said Brad.

“They need to do more to achieve the same result and they get angry when you take the device away.”

During the sessions, Nigel also talks about ‘sextortion’ and while they were visiting local schools, two cases came in where unsuspecting teenagers had been targeted.

Sextortion largely involves an online relationship where a youngster is encouraged to film intimate acts and nudity then send the images or video to their online lover.

When the content is received the scammer will blackmail the teenager for money.

In one local case, a boy gave the scammer $500 of his savings and was only caught when he attempted to use his mother’s credit card.

As most of this originates from offshore perpetrators it is almost impossible for anyone to get their money back.

The Digital Rehab and Cyber Safety tour visits schools from Bowen to Sarina every year.

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Sergeant Nigel Dalton educates students about ‘sextortion’

Internationally respected speaker and expert in digital addiction, Brad Huddleston. Photos supplied

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Vehicles have been clamped and seized in the latest attempt by the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) to recover outstanding fines.

SPER’s field enforcement officers recovered more than $400,000 in unpaid fines and penalties from debtors across Mackay and payment plan commitments of a further $1.8 million.

SPER Enforcement Director Kim Easton said the operation resulted in the seizure of 21 vehicles.

“SPER officers clamped and seized vehicles from Mackay and the surrounding areas, including St Helens Beach, Cannonvale, Jubilee Pocket and Sarina,” he said.

“Most of the owners of these vehicles have now paid their debts, however there are still some who continue to avoid their obligations.

“Three of these vehicles will be sold at auction because the owners refused to pay.”

Mr Easton said there was a simple way to avoid this type of enforcement action.

“The best thing to do is pay your fine on time, otherwise our officers will take the necessary steps to enforce the law,” he said.

“If you don’t act, you can have money taken from your wages or bank account or have SPER officers visit you at your home or workplace to seize your vehicle to recover what you owe.”

Mr Easton said SPER is always willing to have a conversation with people about their debt, but they need to act.

“Anyone who is having trouble paying for whatever reason should contact SPER on 1300 365 635 to discuss their payment options and avoid enforcement action,” he said.

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Australia’s newest airline’s newest twice weekly flight from Cairns to Mackay touched down in the Sugar City on Wednesday last week.

Customers onboard the low-cost Bonza Airline connection were both travelling for holidays and to visit friends and family.

According to Bonza CEO Tim Jordan the airline’s newest flight path embodies the company’s goal: changing behaviours of travellers by making air travel accessible to the many, not the few.

“From just $49 per person, you can ditch the nearly nine-hour drive between Cairns and Mackay,” he said.

“Why would you battle the Bruce Highway when you don’t need to?”

The North Queensland Airports Group CEO Richard Barker – whose company owns and operates both Cairns and Mackay Airports - greeted travellers to both regions.

“Providing non-stop flights between Cairns and Mackay will give travellers the option of cost-effective flying, whether that be for leisure, visiting friends and relatives or the cost-conscious business traveller,” he said.

“Cairns is the home for many fly in, fly out mine workers who travel to Mackay and onto the Bowen Basin. I am sure the flights will be welcomed by them.”

Today’s flight is the ninth to be introduced by Bonza, and Mr Jordan said there is more to come as the airline launched its second base in Melbourne (Tullamarine airport) on the Thursday.

“[Tullamarine] includes an additional 12 routes including Melbourne to Mackay,” he said.

“That twice weekly service will kick off on 23 May as Victorians go in search of winter sun.”

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Budget airline Bonza’s newest flight in a Cairns Mackay connection landed last week for the first time

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It’s been almost four weeks since one-year-old Amity Buchanan ingested a button battery which became lodged in her throat, causing metal shards to come dangerously close to her aorta and boring an eight-centimetre burn into her oesophagus.

She was lucky to survive and since then, her parents have been on a rollercoaster ride of emergency airlifts, surgery, scans, scopes and medical appointments.

Finally, there is a glimmer of hope now that their daughter’s recovery can begin.

The family are based at the Ronald McDonald House in Southbank, Brisbane, so they can be close to the hospital.

Amity’s mother, Jemma Gultzow, says her daughter is eating only pureed food and that, although she is “in good spirits”, it is difficult watching her child deprived of what she once loved.

“Food was a big part of her life and it’s sad to see her not able to eat proper food that she loves,” said Jemma.

Despite this, Jemma feels grateful that Amity is still alive, especially since she discovered there have been three known cases in Australia where children have died from ingesting a button battery.

She realises how lucky they are and feels frustrated that her concerns were not addressed by the medical team at Mackay Base Hospital sooner which could have lessened the damage caused by the battery.

“We are extremely disappointed, in fact angry – we feel that Amity was neglected by the doctor,” explains Jemma.

“She presented to the hospital within an hour of ingesting the battery, her symptoms could have been lessened if the proper procedures had been done straight away.”

“I Thought She Was Going To Die In My Arms”

Amity was at home playing in the walk-in wardrobe while her mother was less than two metres away on the nearby bed.

Within a couple of minutes Amity came to Jemma holding a polyester bean, part of a bean bag she had received as a birthday present a few weeks earlier.

Jemma states that she did not see her eat it.

Within five minutes, however, Jemma could hear a strange whistling sound when Amity breathed and a few minutes later she was vomiting.

Calling an ambulance, little Amity was rushed to hospital but after a long wait and a quick examination that did not include an x-ray, Amity was sent home.

This frustrates Jemma, because protocol for a child who is thought to have ingested an item is usually an x-ray and although she did not see Amity ingest anything, the rapidity of the symptoms made her think something had been ingested.

Eventually it was discovered to be a battery from an old electronic car key.

Amity’s father, Daniel, took the family home for the night, but when her condition worsened the following day, they went to their local doctor who referred them for an x-ray at the hospital.

Upon presenting for the second time, Jemma said they were confronted by the same doctor who had dismissed them the day before.

Jemma said that once again they waited for over 40 minutes, despite Daniel imploring the staff to help.

She alleges that the doctor showed them his list of emergency patients implying that Amity’s condition was not serious enough to warrant his immediate attention.

When they were finally granted an x-ray, Jemma says that the doctor was rude and did not give directions on where they needed to go.

As soon as the x-ray was ready, however, they could see the circular shape of the button battery and the situation escalated quickly.

Jemma says they mentioned how rude the previous doctor was and were offered a different doctor which she agreed to.

She then states that the previous doctor came back into the room and confronted them.

“He was so nasty to us,” said Jemma.

“He came back into the room intimidating us and asking why we had asked for a new doctor – it was awful.”

Fortunately, after this encounter, Amity was flown to Townsville Hospital where she was rushed into theatre and the battery removed.

She was then flown down to Brisbane where she is still recovering.

“I am not a medical professional, and I did not once say that I had seen her ingest the polystyrene bean,” said Jemma.

“I feel like that has been used to throw the blame back on me.”

Mackay Base Hospital released a statement earlier this week stating they would be undertaking a preliminary review of the care provided.

“A more extensive review is still ongoing as part of our usual established internal patient safety processes,” said Mackay Base Hospital Interim Chief Executive Dr Charles Pain.

“We will also be communicating with the family as part of this.”

Dr Pain confirms that the hospital followed the state-wide guideline that provides clinical guidance for all staff involved in the care and management of a child presenting to emergency with a suspected or confirmed ingested foreign body.

“The critical question that has arisen in the Mackay case is about the decision not to initially x-ray,” he said.

“When a doctor is making that judgement, they will be guided by the history that is given about what the child has eaten and if a doctor is given a clear story that they’ve eaten a particular thing, then they won’t want to expose that child to radiation from an x-ray.

“From our initial investigation I believe the decision not to x-ray was an appropriate judgement to make based on the information presented and the clinical examination of the child.

“However, one thing we will do from now on is to specifically ask the parent if they witnessed the child swallow the object. If they did not, it will influence our decision on whether to x-ray.”

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Baby Amity in hospital after the operation to remove the battery

Baby Amity with her parents, Katherine and Daniel

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A young Sarina boy had a lucky escape following a sudden encounter with a snake outside his school on the last day of term.

Last Friday, four-year-old Izaiah was running to the school gates with his older brother, Oden, when a snake wrapped around his leg before darting off to hide under a nearby parked car.

His mum, Katherine, feared the worst when she heard a terrible scream.

“We arrived at school and he’s gone ahead with his older brother and all of a sudden, I hear screaming and shouting saying ‘it’s a snake, it’s a snake’,” she said.

“I had a quick look and could see what I thought could be a bite, it was a red dot and was weeping so I wasn’t going to take any chances.”

In her panic Katherine bundled the four-year-old into the car for the 10-minute drive to Sarina Hospital.

It was only after arriving at hospital and talking to doctors that she remembered first aid advice she had heard but forgotten in the panic.

“In hindsight I should have called an ambulance and waited for them, but I panicked,” she explains.

Izaiah was transferred from Sarina to Mackay Base Hospital’s Emergency Department for a series of blood tests over 12 hours to confirm the snake did not envenomate him.

Katherine and dad Matt were at his bedside all day and said while Izaiah was a bit traumatised he was looking forward to going home.

“They’ve taken great care of us at both hospitals,” said Katherine.

“Izaiah was just bored and keen to get home for the holidays!”

Mackay Base Hospital Emergency Department Senior Medical Officer Dr Pushpa Nettle said it was still warm enough for snakes to be on the move.

Dr Nettle said the best advice was keep the person who has been bitten still and call 000.

“Apply a firm bandage over the bite site and then bandage the entire limb starting from the toes or fingers – and go up,” she said.

“Don’t ever run the risk of ignoring a snake bite based on an assumption the snake is non-venomous. Treat all snake bites as serious and call 000.”

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Four-year-old Izaiah with his parents Katherine and Matt. Photo supplied

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Mackay motorists are advised to take extra care on the roads over the Easter holidays to ensure everyone in the family returns home safely to loved ones.

To assist in initiating this important safety advice, Queensland Police Service (QPS) Acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Stream has joined forces with Emergency Services to launch the Easter Road Safety campaign.

Operation Victor Easter commenced on Saturday, April 1 and will run until Sunday, April 16, covering the entire Easter long weekend, which is expected to be a busy time on Queensland’s roads.

During this time Police will be conducting targeted operations and maintaining a highly visible presence on highways and roads to reduce trauma and fatalities across Queensland.

QPS Acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Stream said the school holiday periods always see increased traffic on the roads with families eager to get to their destinations and travelling in unfamiliar areas.

“Day or night, ensure you drive to the conditions. Don’t speed or drive affected by drugs or alcohol,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Stream said.

“We know that we can significantly reduce fatal crashes if motorists avoid the fatal five behaviours: speeding, drink or drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt, driving tired and distracted driving.

Over the Easter long weekend last year, sadly one Queenslander lost their life and 60 injury crashes were recorded across the state, often resulting in life altering injuries.

“One life lost is one too many so please be careful. Every decision you make behind the wheel counts,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Stream said.

“And remember, there is no second chance if you make a fatal decision behind the wheel.”

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A three-day Innovative Grazing Forum will once again attract attendees and exhibitors from across the state.

The Grazing Forum is a one-of-a-kind event in the Mackay Region, with innovative ideas and methodologies to enhance grazing practice at the core of its program.  

Celebrating its 10th year, the forum boasts notable industry speakers, stallholders, two practical on-site field days and plenty of networking time.

“As the only large-scale grazing event in our region, Reef Catchment’s Grazing Forum has brought landholders and industry specialists together for more than a decade,” said Reef Catchments Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator Gillian Barbat.

“Attendees catch up on the latest industry innovations, engage and network with fellow graziers and hear speakers from across the country”.

The forum will welcome Director of Nature’s Equity Dick Richardson to the region as the 2023 keynote speaker.

Also presenting at the forum will be 2022 Farmer of the Year Mike Taylor, Senior Beef Extension Officer Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) Jim Fletcher, DAF’s Lara Landsberg, Project Officer at Reef Catchments Carlos Bueno and Recipient of the 2022 Queensland Farmers Federation - Reef Conservation Champion Award Jason Bradford.

“The forum features an inspiring line-up of stallholders across the three days and offers plenty of time to connect with industry specialists, network with other graziers and to discover ways to invigorate grazing enterprises,” Ms Barbat said.

“With two field days sandwiched around the conference day, there’s plenty of opportunities to discover methods and practical ideas on integrating innovation into grazing management.”

This years’ event will include a pre-event field morning, to demonstrate the forage crop trials benefiting production quality and quantity – a segue to the more formal presentations the following day.

The second field day, post-conference, will focus on an enterprise where attendees can explore on-farm hydrology and regenerative grazing practices.

“Bringing together landholders, industry experts and agencies will be the highlight for me,” Ms Barbat said.

“We’ll be connecting folk, growing their network of support and information while offering examples to motivate them on their own individual journey.”

The three-day event will run from April 18-20, each day involving the following:

• April 18 – Field Day – GRT, legume & pasture improvement trial – Habana

• April 19 – Conference – Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre

• April 20 – Field Day - Hydrology focused enterprise, off-grid, biodiversity – Bowen region

Held by Reef Catchments, the Innovative Grazing Forum is supported with funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and Glencore.

WHAT: 10th Annual Innovative Grazing Forum

WHEN: April 18-20, 2023

TICKETS: Eventbrite

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Reef Catchments Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator Gillian Barbat

Keynote speaker Dick Richardson, Director of Nature’s Equity. Photos supplied

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A local retirement village is realising the health benefits of encouraging residents to join together and walk their dogs in its safe and familiar environment.

A group of 11 dogs and their owners all enjoy going for walks around Breezes Retirement Village each day.

From a cute Dachshund to a Miniature Fox Terrier, a Toy Poodle to a Maltese Shih Tzu cross and Terrier Mix, there are plenty of breeds – and fast friendships are formed both between pets and their owners.

Resident, Sally James, who has lived in the village for 13 years, says she walks about a kilometre daily with fellow residents.

“The dogs promote friendship, fitness, menu planning and socialisation among us all,” she says.

“We often meet up with people afterwards.

“The three of us walk around while our fur babies are spoiled enroute with treats as they enjoy their daily exercise.

“We talk about everything and anything and for the dogs, it’s become like their happy hour.”

Sally says there are many flow-on benefits to having a pet such as fostering positive mental health.

“Keisha is part of my surrogate family and calms me if I’m feeling anxious,” she says.

“A dog offers security, companionship and helps motivate you to exercise.”

Fellow dog walker Errol has lived in the village for 12 months and says he has quickly met new friends thanks to his pooch.

“Meeting up with the ladies here has got me involved in the village and I talk to a lot of other people I wouldn’t have talked to otherwise,” he says.

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Residents at a local retirement village forge friendships over their mutual love of dogs. Photo supplied.

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The variety of adrenaline-pumping challenges in multisport adventure racing has seen the concept skyrocket in popularity around the world.

Adventure racing can include mountain biking, kayaking, road cycling, trail running and orienteering, and Mackay’s ZACH MACH Adventure Challenge involves them all.

“Being able to work as a team across many sporting disciplines rather than the emphasis being on individual achievement is what attracts many people to adventure racing,” said Event Director Nikki Giles.

ZACH MACK Adventure Challenge was established in 2013 following the sudden passing of local adventure enthusiast Zach Roberts.

The challenge was started by Peter Lister, a former teacher at Mackay Christian College where Zach went to school and since then, it has grown in size and popularity with locals and adventure seekers from across the nation embracing the challenge.

“Mackay’s Pioneer Valley is the perfect playground for an adventure race like ZACH MACH,” Ms Giles said.

“The stunning rainforest is a haven for trail runners, Mia Mia is a mountain biker’s dream, Teemburra Dam is great for the kayak leg and the green cane paddocks that line the sealed roads are a spectacular back drop for road cycling.”

The event is held across the second weekend of May with the ZACH MACH Adventure Challenge on Saturday, May 6 and MINI MACH, an enticer course designed for ages 7+ and including mountain biking, trail running and orienteering, on Sunday, May 7.

Competitors can register for all stages or select any of the four disciplines (mountain bike, kayak, trail run and road bike) as an individual, pair or a team.

Registration and event details can be found at www.tri-activ8.com.au/zachmach.

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Adventure racing continues to sweep the Mackay region

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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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