Over one hundred people gathered at the Northern Beaches Bowls Club last Sunday to celebrate the launch of an 800-page historical ‘book of knowledge’ that has been put together by local author Doug Petersen.

The Northern Beaches resident has spent most of the last decade compiling a ‘lifetime of experiences’ into a book that captures the history, the culture and the working foundations of this now thriving region of Mackay.

Mr Petersen has lived in the Northern Beaches since he was 24 and has direct family ancestry all the way back to the 1930’s.

His knowledge of the area and connections with pioneering families has given him a unique ability and broad insight into collecting stories for his historical endeavour.

“I’ve had so many cups of coffee and pieces of cake!” he said when asked how he sourced his information.

“It’s been helpful that I’ve known who’s who and a lot of the older names – I’ve also been to the archives and sourced clippings from old newspapers.”

Following the lives of beach house owners who were pillars of the Mackay community, famous local growers, farmers and prize piggeries, there is a wealth of knowledge held inside the book.

There are also several pages in Aboriginal language and sections on South Sea Islander history, showing the cultural influence and unique contribution to society throughout the ages.

A broad and inclusive snapshot of history, Mr Petersen said that he has witnessed so much change over the years.

“Blacks Beach used to be all farms and I remember walking across the creek back when there were no crocodiles,” he laughed.

Originally starting the book for his grandchildren, Mr Petersen said he is proud to have now collected such an extensive list of stories.

This is not the first historical novel he has authored, previously writing 61-pages about the Bucasia Orphanage, which saw 19 young souls perish from 1880 to 1885.

His latest book about the history of the Northern Beaches is entitled Salt Air and Sweet Soil and is available by pre-order only at a cost of $75.

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Skills and knowledge in rural business development and management will be shared with the Farm Business Management Skill Set, visiting Mackay in November.

The special UQ Skills ‘for women, by women’ edition of the program was initiated in recognition of International Women’s Day and aims to celebrate and encourage women’s participation in agriculture.

UQ Skills Trainer and Assessor Janne Dipple says the program is designed for farmers and higher-level management staff in rural enterprises.

“In today’s world, farming has become a whole lot more complex and it’s really important to be business focused and business orientated,” she said.

“Younger people might sign up because they’ve got a whole farming career ahead of them and they want to get off to a good start and make sure they’ve got a really sound business plan.

“Secondly, people sign up if they’re a little bit further into their agriculture career and maybe they want to make some changes to their business.”

On completion of the program, participants will gain access to a six-month post-program agribusiness mentorship platform, allowing them to continue to share their experiences and challenges, receive professional coaching, and gain access to a library of resources.

“When people finish the four-day program, they’ll walk away with a business plan template, a succession plan template and the know how – how to implement it for their rural business,” said Ms Dipple.

“It’s not just a lecture, it’s not just like attending a classroom-style of learning.

“We actually have a lot of conversations and its very practical and hands on.”

The course will take place in Mackay from November 8-11.

Visit uqskills.uq.edu.au/mackay-fbm for more information and to enquire online.

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A local community organisation began their fund and awareness raising campaign for women’s cancer and its research on Wednesday morning.

Bowen-based service Stella Life Care invited women of all ages to a Pink Ribbon Morning Tea in collaboration with the Cancer Council’s month dedicated to breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers.

The business decked out its Herbert Street premises in pink for the day with 20 local ladies purchasing tickets with those funds heading back to Cancer Council.

Stella Life Care provided the ladies with pink cupcakes cooked by Purple Rain Deserts, and set up a generous raffle of prizes, each of which was donated by Whitsunday businesses.

The raffle will be running throughout November, with Stella Life Care hosting stalls at places like Bowen IGA, Woolworths Plaza, and more. The prizes included items like a Whitsunday Jet Ski tour, Horseshoe Bay Café vouchers, a mystery box, and more, totalling roughly $1000.

Local Robyn Burrell, whose husband is a cancer survivor, said it was incredible to see so many people having conversations about getting checked for cancer.

“Cancer has touched a lot of family. To see women talking about it, it’s excellent and so important,” she said.

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Bowen ladies put on their best pink outfits for Stella Life Care’s Pink Ribbon Morning Tea to raise awareness for women’s cancers

Some of the ladies who attended even styled up their old bras for decorations on the day, adding a bit of fun to what can be a serious occasion

By Kevin Borg, Chairman, CANEGROWERS Mackay

I’ve never had such confidence that the time is right for sugarcane to grow beyond its traditional sugar commodity basis and diversify into a range of renewable, sustainable biofutures products.

There is a mature political and commercial environment for it, and it is an opportunity that we as a region need to get on board with and realise a once-in-a-generation opportunity to diversify the regional economy and steer it in the direction of a clean, green sustainable future.

Hot on the tail of Life Sciences Queensland’s September Bioeconomy Forum, in recent weeks, Trade and Investment Queensland Trade Commissioner- North America Viki Forrest and General Manager-Queensland Operations Elton Miller visited the Mackay area to discuss with the economic export potential of sugarcane-based fuels and “future foods”.

This visit included a meeting with Canegrowers Mackay, including Deputy Chairman Joseph Borg, CEO Kerry Latter and myself, where we were able to discuss the trade opportunity that biofutures presents. They also met with the Greater Whitsunday Biofutures Leaders Group, of which Kerry Latter is also a member.

As an organisation, we are committed to seeing growers benefit from the development of a regional plant-based protein processing industry, and from renewable fuels and energy. Growers are the providers of the feedstock, a critical cornerstone in the development of the sector, and as small-to-medium enterprises that happen to farm, they deserve a real value proposition. Pricing of that feedstock will be important to enthuse growers.

The Trade Commissioner affirmed the opportunities are now and into the next several years, not a decade away, and the next generation plant protein companies are looking to invest in our region.

When it comes to an industry that is committed to sustainable and ethical production and supply chains, we in the Mackay region have a commercial edge over less developed sugarcane producing nations.

We offer a mature, stable economy. Our feedstock has the strong sustainability credentials that these companies require, thanks to programs like Smartcane BMP. Obviously, we have developed strong human ethical standards that do not use child or slave labour. Our state is working towards achieving net-zero renewable energy. For these reasons, Mackay is the region on everybody’s lips.

The world population - and particularly in the Asia-Pacific - is growing dramatically, and protein is a fundamental human health and diet. At the same time, the world is looking toward affordable solutions to meeting rapidly growing protein demands with renewable solutions that have positive outcomes for land use, environment and animal welfare.

Major overseas players that are looking to invest in our region have successfully created plant-based milk and egg substitute products from corn syrup (fructose). The Racecourse Biocommodities Plant, alongside other research facilities have done the work to show that sugarcane (sucrose) is a similarly useful feedstock.

The Queensland Sugar industry has always been a world leader in innovation, with other sugar producing countries following our lead. The challenge of stepping up to a robust biofutures sector is within our grasp. Queensland is in the box seat: significant companies are keen to come to Queensland and want to invest.

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Merinda State School students travelled back in time on Thursday last week when they joined the Bowen Mural Society outside Le Sorelle, The Three Sisters Café.

The school children visited the re-painted Merinda School Mural on the side of the building in Bowen, which once again depicts their school’s past in vibrant colour.

Artist Martin Jegou of Gwada Murals gave the Merinda School mural “a new lease on life” and a new coat of paint over the month of September.

“To go over someone else’s work, that is a first for me, and it’s very rewarding to see all these students here enjoying it,” Mr Jegou said.

Business Manager at Merinda State School, Sarah Groves said the mural retouching came at a perfect time with the school set to mark its 125th year in 2023.

“Something like this is incredibly important in celebrating the history of our school,” she said.

“It’s exciting, especially for the kids to see how the school has changed and how different everything was; it is so important for us to highlight that history and that culture.”

Bowen Mural Society Spokesperson Heather Skinner said it was excellent to see students appreciating the painting and made all their fundraising work worthwhile.

“That’s a memory these students will have forever,” Ms Skinner said.

Bowen Mural Society are now fundraising for the retouching of a mural on the wall of the Bowen Hotel which depicts the Denison Hotel, with plans for Mr Jegou to complete the restoring.

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Merinda State School students visited the recently re-painted Merinda School mural alongside the Bowen Mural Society and the artist responsible for the revival, Martin Jegou

Image: Declan Durrant

Ever had that chat to the Police? Nope. You are very lucky.

Me, however is a different story. I have and I’ve actually been to ‘jail’ and I came out a better person.

Let me clarify.

This time last year we decided to start 4MK’s Jingle Jail and help raise money for some beautiful people who help kids 24/7 in Bravehearts.

We grabbed the make shift ‘jail’ from our PCYC mates in North Mackay, I sat myself down in it and invited a few mates over to sit in with me while they raised ‘bail money’ to be let out. We did it and we raised many $$ on the day and had a few laughs and a few tears along the way.

So this year, actually next Saturday Nov 5, we are heading to Porters in Brisbane St with our ‘jail’ and we are locking everyone up who wants to so we can raise money for Real Mates Talk.

These guys save lives with the work they do. They start conversations which in turn helps people. Meaningful conversations, something that we don’t always have or know how to do. They help us with the skills and on Saturday next week, we are raising dollars for them to continue.

I want to tell you who will be joining me in jail. Amanda Wright from this very fine publication you’re reading now will be there with me behind the cell bars at 9:30. Also former Mayor Col Meng at 8am, Adrian Young from Harrup Park at 8:30, City Fitness Steve Eden at 9am, Keiran Horsfall from Mackay Police PCYC at 10am, Trainer Col Joy at 10:30, Creperie Restaurant's Paul Rutland at 11am, and Casey Blyton from Porters at 11:30.

These legends are all on board raising money as we speak so on the day, bail will be easy. How much bail money? That’s anyone’s guess.

We’ve got donation pages already set up so if you can help, head over to the 4MK page and donate away, and feel free to come and join us next week. I’d love to see you.

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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There’s plenty to think about when applying for your first job, like when and where you can work. Are you chasing money or work experience? How will you manage work with your other commitments?

Develop a resume

Your resume is the first time an employer will get to know you so it’s important to make a good first impression. It’s all about your experiences and interests. Here are some tips to make your resume stand out from the rest.

1. Tell the employer why you’re the right person for the job.

2. Keep your resume short and sweet for the employer to read through.

3. Prove that you are trustworthy by listing a referee in your resume. This could be a teacher, a former boss or someone in a group you belong to – not a relative.

Search for a job

Before you start looking for a job, discuss it with your parents or guardian. They might help with some great advice, and you might need them to get you to and from your job.

1. Browse through online job sites like Seek.

2. Ask friends and families for opportunities that may be available to students.

3. Job hunt in person by handing your resume to businesses you are interested in.

4. Apply for casual roles over Christmas.

Prepare for an interview

Before:

• Do some research and know as much as possible about the company.

• Think about how your skills and experience are relevant.

• Identify three or four things that will set you apart from others.

• Arrive on time – punctuality is important.

• Dress appropriately.

During:

• Be positive - believe you are the right person for the job.

• Be attentive - listen carefully to questions and give more than one-word answers.

• Try to give some examples in your answers.

• Ask a couple of questions at the end of the interview. This shows you’re interested in their business.

After:

• Didn’t get the job? Ask for feedback on how you can improve for next time.

What you need to get paid

There are a number of key accounts you need to arrange to ensure you can be paid:

• Tax file number

• Bank account - find the best account for you to minimise fees and charges.

• Superannuation

Visit bendigobank.com.au/firstjob or call Community Bank Sarina Bendigo Bank on 07 4943 2634 to learn more.

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At the culmination of Queensland Mental Health Week, schools and community groups across the state sang a song to highlight the benefits of sharing your voice with others.

Queens Beach State School in Bowen took part in the Together Sing Music For Wellbeing awareness raising event, harmonising 370 of its students voices in a song composed for the occasion last Friday, October 21.

Performing the song ‘Where We Begin’ - which was commissioned by Queensland Mental Health Commission and Kodaly Music Education Institute of Australia’s Queensland Branch - the local school enjoyed “the benefits of singing together for mental health week.”

Queens Beach State School music teacher Sylvia Kaklamanis spearheaded the Bowen iteration of the state-wide music education program.

The song was composed by Australian Composer Slade Gibson and arranged by another Australian Composer, Will Brown.

A spokesperson for the school said it was a very different activity for many of the students with some of them a little apprehensive to sing out loud in front of their peers.

“The kids loved it. All the preps through to grade six enjoy the performance and they just couldn’t help but get involved,” she said.

“When the younger students see the older ones getting involved, they free up and start singing too. And all of the teachers thoroughly enjoyed themselves!”

The event was organised by Education Queensland and was encouraged because of music’s strong link with emotion: music can make us happy, sad, relaxed, or calm. Music can make us feel better.

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370 kids raised their collective voices in song for Mental Health Week at Queens Beach State School in Bowen

The property valuers Herron Todd White put out a very instructive monthly snapshot of real estate prices, and changes, across the nation.

It’s based on the numbers, the sale prices, and for those of us who have a bit of an interest in what’s going on in the real estate sector, it is a very worthwhile read.

The most-recent update made it very clear that there are different things happening to markets throughout the country. There is not a uniform trend and certain regional areas are faring differently to big cities.

To illustrate this, October’s update said the “recent impact of increasing interest rates” has created a “pronounced drop in the median dwelling price”. But where? Not Mackay.

That reference was to places like Sydney and Melbourne.

It went on to say: “In the more affordable regional areas the recent strength of the market has been attributable in part to out of area purchasers who have viewed residential property as affordable.”

So increased interest rates are actually creating a higher level of buyer activity in affordable regional areas from people moving from expensive southern cities, particularly if those regional areas provide the services people need and the lifestyle they want.

I recently sold a property that had multiple offers in which three of the four buyers were from cities down south. The winner was a buyer from Melbourne who had just sold his house and was getting rid of a mortgage and moving to Mackay to be near the sea and have a more relaxed lifestyle.

Mackay is an attraction because it offers the services people require, it is affordable, it is a beautiful part of the country and a great place to live.

There is no doubt that interest rate changes have created nation-wide caution, but we can also see that those very changes are attracting buyers to our city and region.

Herron Todd White also includes a national property clock in their monthly market update, a snapshot of where various cities are in the price cycle. That property clock has the peak of the market at 12 o’clock, a falling market at 3 o’clock, the bottom of the market at 6 o’clock and a rising market at 9 o’clock.

In their housing property clock places like Melbourne and the Gold Coast are around the 2 o’clock mark, starting to decline. Sydney and Brisbane are at 3 o’clock, a declining market.

Where is Mackay in the property clock? At 9 o’clock, a rising market. So, when people say the property market is falling you need to be careful about which market you are actually talking about. Cairrns, the Whitsundays, Gladstone and Rocky are also at 9 o’clock.

When your see and hear on the national media about falling real estate prices they are not looking at our region. They are focused on the big cities.

Apart from interest from southern buyers looking for opportunities here, the big driver is our strong economy and the resources sector that continues to drive it. And that is looking pretty good.

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In an inaugural community event, a Bowen-based mental health hub invited locals to a day promoting mental wellbeing through information, activity, and fun.

For National Mental Health Week, selectability Bowen collaborated with organisations from across the northernmost Whitsunday town, bringing awareness to its community about the valuable services on offer.

Representatives from Trapp, Feros Care, local business wellness coaches, Stella Life Care, Real Mates Talk, Bowen PCYC, and more held stalls on the day, highlighting the interconnectivity of Bowen’s vital organisations.

selectability Regional Coordinator Luana Land said the day was a huge success, with over 150 community members attending.

“I don’t even know how to put it into words how proud I was of the event. Even if we helped one person find a service, that makes the whole day worth it,” Ms Land said.

“Having a big, fun day and aligning that with Mental Health and Suicide Prevention information is something we aspire to. We wanted to help people be aware of that; to show them there are things out there and a lot of organisations locally that can help.”

The event at the Bowen Sound Shell was supported by Local Drug Action Team’s (LDAT) Community Action Plan Stronger Together, with funding supplied through the LDAT and The Drug Alcohol Foundation to provide a children’s play area, as well as catering.

Ms Land said the day received excellent feedback, and it is planned as an annual event each year.

“The response we saw and heard the most was about loneliness and having community events like this is a way we can combat that and it is what the people of Bowen were asking for,” she said.

“We will be making it even bigger and better next year.”

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Locals and Bowen organisations – including emergency services - came together for a Mental Health Week event hosted by selectability

Frocktober Raises Funds And Awareness For Ovarian Cancer

This years’ Frocktober celebrations took to social media for a large campaign that brought together 30 local people, 30 vibrant outfits and 30 stunning photographs - spreading the love and the good word of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.

This national charity is dedicated to raising money to create better outcomes for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer by funding programs which are at the forefront of finding pathways for early detection.

Award-winning marketing agency, redhotblue, took the lead again this year, bringing the event together and launching their own team which was named ‘Frock It’!

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Community Rallies For Ovarian Cancer This October

As Frocktober fundraising events take place all over the country, our own local ambassador for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, Jody Euler, is doing her bit by rallying community members for a fun photo shoot that you will have undoubtedly seen colouring your social media feed over the past month.

Her Creative Agency redhotblue, has organised its own team named ‘Frock It’ and brought together a diverse mix of personalities from around the region including Mayor Greg Williamson, doctors, fashionistas, community members and more.

Working in collaboration with local fashion house Hustle and Flo, Jody brought 30 individuals together to wear colour and embody passion for a stunning series of photographs.

The team then used their exemplary social media skills to spread the word across multiple platforms, using the powerful imagery to generate donations.

This is the second year that Jody has hosted a Frocktober event, last year saw 300 people attend a Gala Dinner, where there were raffle prizes, charity auctions and Most Fabulous Frocker Awards.

The gala dinner raised an impressive $25,000, the most amount of money for a stand-alone Frocktober event in all of Australia.

This year, while they are not holding a physical event, Jody is asking the community to donate what they would have spent on a night out instead.

“We’ve made it really easy this year, you don’t have to go and find an outfit, you don’t have to book a babysitter, it’s not a whole night out – all you need to do is click on the link and donate,” she said.

“People are a bit event fatigued so rather than add another one into the event calendar - we’ve made it easy!”

This years’ theme is ‘Life’s too short to be boring’ and countless fundraising campaigns have taken place right across Australia.

Frocktober started in 2007 when 10 friends from Geelong gathered around a table to talk about how they could help raise funds for ovarian cancer.

They decided to rethink something women used every day – their wardrobe.

The first event raised just $200 but flash forward 14 years and in 2021 the now national month-long fundraising initiative reached its first $1million.

Jody has been a passionate ovarian cancer fundraising crusader for several years, ever since a dear friend was diagnosed, and each year she likes to contribute to Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.

“The work they are doing is amazing, they keep leading the way, they keep peeling back those layers and finding new results and new outcomes,” she explained.

“They want to achieve better detection tests because often, when people are diagnosed, they are too far into it.”

If you would like to donate, please scan the QR code on this page and follow the instructions on your screen.

DID YOU KNOW?

• 1,800 women are diagnosed in Australia each year

• Every 8 hours a woman in Australia dies from ovarian cancer

• 250,000 people die each year in the world from ovarian cancer

CHECK FOR SYMPTOMS

• Abdominal bloating

• Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly

• Frequent or urgent urination

• Back, abdominal or pelvic pain

• Constipation or diarrhoea

• Menstrual irregularities (bleeding in-between periods)

• Tiredness and indigestion

• Pain during or after sex

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How do you take a break?  It’s important that we do something for ourselves that just allows us to breath and nurture our mental health. For some, it could be reading a book, attending a concert or going on holidays to faraway places. For me, I try to escape and relax in the natural surroundings of our countryside. I like to camp and, yes, I’m an off-grid camper, so the more remote the better.  

I’ve camped for many years in our region and I started by going to the usual spots like our national parks, Smallies Beach and Eungella etc. But after a few years, we wanted to try new places, so we joined a local 4WD club that arranged trips onto private property, so there were many new places to explore. We now use Hip Camp or Station Hoppers, which are the air BnB’s of camping, to camp locally in the region. There are so many opportunities for property owners in our region to develop this idea into a passive income. You can offer as much as (toilet, showers and fresh produce), or as little as (nothing but a paddock by a stream) you like.

I’m the first to admit there are all types of families in our region with all types of needs regarding caravanning and camping and, as such, we are in the process of developing a RV Strategy.

Council recognises the growing importance of the recreational vehicle (RV) industry. This RV Strategy will review the region’s current RV market and support infrastructure and identify and prioritise key projects. The strategy will involve engagement with existing commercial operators, industry bodies, site users, visitor centres and tourism operators. The draft strategy is expected to be released for public comment by March 2023, with information to be made available on Connecting Mackay (www.connectingmackay.com.au) closer to the date.  So, please make sure you have a say.

We have great spots in our region at Mirani, Seaforth and Ball Bay, but it’s just not enough. Remember to enjoy the great outdoors and what we have in our region and relax.

Gotta love where we live!

Cr Alison Jones
Mackay Regional Council

Concluding our story about dairying in the area…

Fraser’s Dairy: (As remembered by Phil's wife, Marie)

During the war, Phil Fraser was released from the army to assist his parents, Bill and Jane Fraser, in the running of their dairy which was an essential service.  Frasers delivered milk around town and out to the Army Camp at Gunyarra.  After the war, the dairy was sold to Mr Shaw and Jim Fraser. Another son of Bill, stayed on to work for him.  At some time during Fraser’s tenure, people were able to purchase tokens to put out instead of money to pay for the milk. Local children from that time later recalled playing with these.

Muller’s Dairy

Ron Muller Snr (Snow) started the dairy run circa 1941 when he began delivering milk to Dittmer Mines from a farm along the present dam road that his father had purchased from Bill Fraser.  When Dittmer Mines began to wind down, the family moved to Crystalbrook and commenced deliveries in the town area.  They purchased O’Hara's Dairy and were allowed to operate from those premises for about six months.  

At first, all milking was done by hand but the purchase of a three stand Buzzacot Milking Machine allowed them to milk three cows at a time.  Cows had to be milked twice a day come rain or shine and the milk either had to be used or tipped down the drain. So it was that, once, when there was a cloud burst at the top of the river and the road was impassable at Neilsen's crossing, five ten-gallon cans were loaded on an old cane truck that had been left at the siding. It was pushed by manpower along the tramline all the way down to Perske's farm where Joe, Snow's uncle, was waiting in his truck. He then drove Snow around town to deliver the milk.

For many years, deliveries were done by horse and cart. Later they used a Morris Ten and finally a Model T Ford. Sometimes people would be out waiting with a billycan but, at other times, no one would answer the door so they would simply go into the kitchen, find a container and leave the milk.  

At the peak of the season, Mullers delivered seventy to eighty gallons of milk but as the year wore on and the season became drier there was not so much milk and it sometimes ran out before the run was finished. In the afternoon, they would deliver to all of the customers who had missed out in the morning.

Snow recalled that he was never able to play sport because milking began every morning at 2am, deliveries continued until about 11am and afternoon milking began again at 2pm.

The Muller family eventually decided to change to beef cattle declaring they were not sad to move on. It would seem that dairying has always been a very demanding way to earn a living.  

The last vendors in the town area were thought to be the Helliers who went from house to house daily.  The advent of bottled pasteurised milk brought an end this type of business that had served the community so faithfully for so many years. After moving from Proserpine, Bert and Dorothy Hellier settled in Laidley South. Their son, George and wife, Alice, purchased a dairy farm in Laidley Creek West. Two of Bert and Dorothy Hellier’s descendants, their granddaughters, Cindy Hellier-Oliver and Diane Taylor reside in the area. Cindy settled here in 1994 and Diane in 2002.  

Story and photo courtesy Proserpine Historical Museum.

Hellier family at Proserpine show

1. Cardboard stops car fighting – are your children always getting in each other’s space and bickering during car journeys? Simply cut a sheet of sturdy cardboard and place it between each child

2. Fitted sheet on the beach – take a fitted sheet to the beach and place bags at each of the four corners. This provides a sand-free zone for kids and acts as the perfect playpen for little ones

3. Coffee cup drip tray – did you know that your take-away coffee cup lid can double as a perfect drip tray for your child’s melty ice-cream? Simply turn it upside down and push the ice-cream stick through the mouth section

4. Spray bottle monster killer – are your kids scared of monsters at night? If so, get an empty spray bottle, make a fun activity of decorating it with your child and then fill with water. Tell them that they can use this during the night to battle any scary monsters

5. T-shirt keep sake – On your child’s first day of school buy a large t-shirt (that would fit an 18 year old) and get it printed with the year they will graduate. Then take a photo of them every year on their first day of school for the next 13 years

6. Fan inflated fort – When your kids ask to dismantle your entire lounge to make a fort, simply reach for the fan instead. Get a doona cover and place around a fan on their bed, then turn on. This will put air into the sheet and give them a cool hideaway without messing up your lounge

Source: boredpanda.com

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Coffee cup lid ice cream drip tray

Children of all ages can learn to swim in the comfort of their parent’s arms at the Mackay Aquatic Recreation Complex (ARC) thanks to the Splish Splash lessons which teach babies as young as three months to have a whole lot of fun while learning to be comfortable in the water.

Sam Westcott has been a swim teacher for over nine years and has been Aquatic School Coordinator at the ARC for the past year.

She loves watching babies discover water for the first time.

“There’s a whole lot of singing in our classes,” said Sam.

“I love watching the babies learn the songs and they soon start following our movements, they also learn the moment that their heads go under water so they feel relaxed when it happens.”

The Splish Splash classes are specifically for children three to six months old, after this point the little ones graduate to Learn To Swim Lessons.

These group classes can cater for up to eight children who are accompanied by their caregivers.

“Children can go through 500 different emotions a day!” said Sam.

“Having their caregivers with them means they’ve got their safety person; it makes the whole experience comfortable and familiar.”

The ARC boasts three pools - a 15-metre pool for beginners, one that is 25-metres and a 50- metre Olympic length pool with 10 lanes.

This means your child can learn and progress at the same facility.

Each swimming pool is heated and they are all easy to access for all ages and abilities.

“We are super family friendly and would love to meet you and your little ones!” said Sam.

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