A combination of three motives will lead Jessica Aldred’s SsangYong Chairman to the summer Shitbox Rally travelling from Rockhampton to Hobart next year.

Two of those reasons are deeply personal, and the third is sentimental.

For Jessica - who lives between Airlie Beach and Proserpine - the strange, Korean “luxury” car has been a companion deserving of a unique send off. And there was no better than the Shitbox Rally in March 2023 – which matches with her first personal cause: cancer research.

“We lost [my partner] Alastair’s dad to cancer about a year ago. There are not many better ways to raise funds for cancer research than the Rally,” Jessica said.

“That was the first reason to take part.”

Shitbox Rally’s, which run twice per year, sees cars worth roughly $1000 dollars head across Australia, driving through dirt road and rough terrain to raise funds for The Australian Cancer Council.

The second motivation is spending time with her co-driver, her dad, Tony Aldred, who lives in Kangaroo Valley south of Sydney, and is due to retire in the next two years.

“I had said, before he’s too old, we need to do something; one last big adventure. He lost his best mate to an aggressive brain cancer five years ago. It was something for us to do together for an issue close to our hearts,” Jessica said.

“And then with the car – it’s a weird, old car. It just made sense to use the Chairman – I really love it; it has a special place in my heart. Dad and I had a bit of a chuckle and thought naming it Chairman Meow would be fitting, especially as we’ll deck it out in the Rally.”

Tony and Jessica will fit the car out in large floppy cats’ ears, pin a tail in its boot, and have already started covering it in paw print stickers, which each denote a donation.

The paw prints vary in size depending on the amount submitted by the donor, and each has a name written on it. They hope to cover the whole car.

“I find it poignant to look at sometimes; some of those names are of people who’ve died. Some are of survivors; some are in hospital currently. It’s a nice way to take those people with us on the road,” Jessica said.

The pair have already raised $5600 dollars for cancer, and with six months left to fundraise, they hope to continue to add to their tally.

Over six days, the Chairman Meow car – which only sold around 100 models Australia-wide – will cruise across the Silverton Outback Track in March 2023, driven by the dad and daughter duo.

You can donate to the Chairman Meow team directly via the link: https://summer2023.shitboxrally.com.au/chairman-meow

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Jessica Aldred with “Chairman Meow”, a SsangYong Chairman which will take her and her dad, Tony, across the country next year in the Shitbox Rally

Airlie Beach residents watched from balconies and beachfronts as a 42-foot yacht, which was anchored 200 metres offshore, erupted into flames on Friday evening.

Police received a call-out at 5.40pm and when they attended the scene shortly afterwards, they found the sole occupant, a 54-year-old New Zealand woman, had jumped into the water as flames engulfed the vessel.

Police scooped her out of the ocean and Queensland Ambulance Service took her to Proserpine Hospital in a stable condition with serious burns to her legs.

At about 7pm, a large boom was heard ricocheting around the bay, with locals reporting it was felt as far afield as Jubilee Pocket.

It is understood this could have been a gas bottle onboard.

Whitsunday Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) were tasked by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) to transport auxiliary fire fighters to the scene at 7.35pm.

Rescue vessel, Coral Sea Marina Resort (VMR1) was deployed, and the teams attended with two portable pumps.

When they arrived, they identified a fully involved yacht fire and assessed whether to let the ocean extinguish the fire over time or use the hoses.

Due to smoke and swing of the vessel, it was decided to extinguish the fire, a job that took close to an hour.

By 9pm, VMR and QFES returned to the marina.

It is understood that the timber vessel was built by its 64-year-old owner who was watching the fire from the balcony of the Whitsunday Sailing Cub, powerless to do anything.

Police have arrested the woman on board and charged her with arson.

Earlier that day, in a separate incident, the man received minor injuries believed to be from the woman.

She has been denied police bail and charged with one count each of arson, assault and contravene a police protection notice (domestic violence), as well as two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm relating to earlier alleged incidents.

The woman appeared in court on September 12 and will remain in custody until her next appearance on October 10.

Maritime Safety Queensland have placed a marker buoy at the site of the vessel which still protrudes above sea level.

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The 40-foot timber yacht up in flames on Friday evening

Parts of the vessel were still protruding above sea level on Sunday morning

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When little Brutus meandered out of the open gates of the home where he was staying, he never expected his day to take such an adventurous turn.

The 12-year-old pug had been staying at the son and daughter-in-law’s house while his parents took their new caravan on holiday.

The gate had accidentally been left open and soon Brutus had wondered on the highway - lost, scared and in a dangerous situation navigating the busy school-run peak-hour traffic on Shute Harbour Road near Mount Julian.

Fortunately, local dog-lover and owner of this newspaper, Bec Douthwaite saw him and immediately stopped her vehicle.

Racing out on foot, she chased the old pup around, but he kept darting away in the opposite direction.

Seeing her plight and watching other drivers pass on by, Whitsunday Transit bus driver Edward Deakes and his co-worker Craig Toole decided to pull the bus over and Craig jumped out to help.

With two people coming from either direction, it was easy to wrangle little Brutus and he was soon safely ensconced in the back of Bec’s vehicle.

Not knowing who he belonged to, the little pug made a trip to the Whitsunday Life office where he was fed treats and water then promptly fell asleep, snoring loudly.

Meanwhile, his parents, who were holidaying in Rollingstone, saw a post saying he was missing on Facebook and started panicking.

Luckily, Brutus had been reported safe to the daughter-in-law, Nicole Camm, who informed them he had been returned home.

“The in-laws said we’re not allowed to look after him ever again!” she said.

“But we are all glad he is home safe – thank you to everyone who stopped.”

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Crissy Bottrell, Bec Douthwaite and Taylor Trewartha with Brutus the pug

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Hi Everyone,

Well spring has certainly ‘sprung’ and the warm weather feels delicious, doesn’t it?!

This week also marks the beginning of the school holidays so many families will be enjoying some time together.

For those of us who have to work, we begin the two-week ‘struggle of the juggle’, organising play dates and day care and home offices to keep our little ones looked after.

I always find this time of year full of promise and hope, the start of the warm weather where bathers are constantly drying on verandas, and everyone arranges to meet at the nearest watering hole.

Inside this issue, we celebrate another exciting beginning full of promise and hope – our new mayor Julie Hall took the lead in her first formal Council meeting at the Proserpine Chambers on Wednesday morning.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Julie on her first week in office and you can read the article in the latest issue of Core Magazine when it comes out next week.

During our interview, I found her to be a warm and open person who was happy to share stories of her life.

A country girl at heart, she grew up in rural South Australia and has worked in many industries over the years, from hosting whale watching tours to running her own personal development business for the past 16 years.

Expressing gratitude and humility at being elected to a role where she had no former experience, Mayor Julie embodies a calm confidence in being able to lead the region.

With an unrelentingly positive attitude and enthusiasm for helping the community connect with Council, some may see her ambitions as lofty, but others admire her determination to create change.

We wish her luck with her new role and look forward to helping connect the community with Council through regular news coverage.

Rach

Quote of the Week: “In a world where you can be anything, be yourself” (Albert Einstein)

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Whitsunday Regional Council’s newly elected mayor, Julie Hall, oversaw her first Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday at the Proserpine Council Chambers, which involved the induction of a new Deputy Mayor, Councillor Gary Simpson.

Mayor Hall led her first foray into local government operations under the supervision and guidance of fellow councillors, as well as Council Chief Executive Officer Rod Ferguson.

Although there were a few fumbling moments and slips of the tongue at the beginning, Mayor Hall worked her way through the first-day jitters and officiated a successful and straightforward meeting for the local council.

After a minute of silence in respect for the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Ms Hall began with her role’s customary Mayoral Minute – an opportunity to update constituents and councillors on the mayor’s movements during the time between meetings.

Mayor Hall said she would like to utilise her privilege of a Mayoral Minute to act with “dignity and grace” and start today “with a clean slate.”

“I feel it is appropriate to offer a public apology to any councillors, directors, or staff who I may have inadvertently offended during my election campaign,” Ms Hall said.

“We can now put the election behind us and instead work for the community we serve, and the Whitsunday region.”

Mayor Hall was greeted afterwards with questions from the public gallery – highlighting the scrutiny she will now be under from her constituents during her term - the most notable of which came from one of her ex-Mayoral candidate rivals, Phillip Batty.

The Questions each held an underlying theme of council accountability, markedly in reference to the Port Of Airlie Development and its much-publicised critics – Save Our Foreshore Inc.

The meeting also saw the nomination and subsequent confirmation of a new Whitsunday Regional Council Deputy Mayor, Councillor Gary Simpson.

Councillor Simpson claimed the role after a 5-2 vote in his favour. The born and raised Proserpine Local, who runs a cane farm in Strathdickie and has previously directed the Proserpine District Canegrowers Cooperative over a period of nine years, said it was an “honour and a privilege” to be elected Deputy.

“I look forward to the next 12 months,” Mr Simpson said.

He was elected after a prior nomination for Councillor Mike Brunker failed.

Councillor John Collins, in an impassioned speech on the difficulties council will face “for the next eight years”, nominated Mr Brunker for the job, but it was shot down by other councillors on a 4-3 vote – Ms Hall, Councillor’s Al Grundy, Jan Clifford, and Gary Simpson each voting against.

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Newly elected Mayor Julie Hall oversaw her first Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday, September 14

The meeting was a straightforward affair other than the instalment of Councillor Gary Simspon as new Deputy Mayor

These were the last words the alleged arsonist said to her ‘on again – off again’ partner, Michael George, as he left the vessel a short time before it was set alight.

The couple, who had been dating for 18 months, arrived in Airlie Beach a week before the alleged incident.

They had been sailing up the coast from Rockhampton and before that from the Bay of Islands area on the North Island of New Zealand where Michael lived.

Having built the boat by hand, spending four years (8000 hours) full-time, crafting every inch from solid timber, Michael is understandably devastated that his 42-foot yacht Lusi has now met such a sad end.

Launching her in 2015, Michael spent some years sailing all around the world and clocked-up an impressive 47,000 nautical miles on the vessel.

When he met his now ex-partner, the pair planned more adventures which brought them to anchor at Airlie Beach last week.

Michael said that unfortunately the relationship had become strained following a series of “outbursts” and destructive episodes that had seen his ex-partner visit Proserpine Hospital overnight with self-inflicted injuries on Wednesday evening.

Michael also sustained injuries following an assault which caused him to file a domestic violence order.

After this, he asked his ex-partner to move out of the vessel and had secured temporary accommodation in town for her.

On the day of the incident, Michael said he had taken her back to the vessel so she could gather her belongings and it is alleged that she started a number of small fires on the vessel which he was able to extinguish.

“She said ‘if you call the police, I’ll set it on fire’, but I had already called the police and knew they were on their way,” Michael explained.

He then left the vessel and decided to return to shore, believing the police would handle it.

Michael saw the water police drive towards the vessel, but at that moment flames started to erupt from inside.

“Then she just went up!” he said.

“I saw it on fire but there was nothing I could do.”

Michael gave all the information to the police and was given accommodation at a local hotel overnight.

Earlier this Thursday he flew to the Gold Coast to stay with friends and will then spend two weeks with his daughter in Perth while he waits for a new passport to come through.

“I’d like to say thank you to all the authorities, they’ve been brilliant.” he said.

“Ideally I’d like to see her pay me back for the vessel, but I don’t see how that’s going to happen!”

Michael lost all his possessions in the fire and the boat has since been valued at over $1 million.

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Michael George at his AirBNB before he flew out on Thursday

The 42-foot classic timber cutter that has been valued at $1 million

Colourful blooms, bountiful vegetables and earthy plants decorated the huge school hall for the 80th annual Proserpine and Uniting Church Flower Show and Fete last Saturday.

Hundreds of people attended the event that was steeped in history and community sentiment – many people coming year after year to celebrate the labours of garden love which are exhibited with pride at the event.

While guests browsed the rows of carefully displayed flowers and plants, others sat and enjoyed the entertainment and refreshments.

A constant flow of local performers came to the stage, two school choirs joined forces to sing ‘Proserpine Shine’ written by Sarah Mead and residents from the local nursing home demonstrated a fine Zumba display.

The Senior Folk Group sung ‘Flowers of Scotland’, Out of the Blue Line Dancers entertained, Bob Barford sung with his guitar and the Proserpine Citizen’s Band added to the lively atmosphere.

Organisers Julianne O’Brien and secretary Bernardine Stevens thanked all those who helped in any way.

“Thank you to those who donated trophies and especially those who took the trouble to bring in their flowers, orchids, pot plants or fruit and vegetables,” said Ms Stevens.

“Also, thanks to the entertainers and especially all those who attended and made the day so special.”

The 80th year was marked with some delicious cupcakes laid out in the shape of 80 and all the children enjoyed eating them.

There was also face painting, crafts, mystery gift stall, a white elephant stall and a popular sandwich bar that sold out of bread, causing volunteers to race to the shops for more supplies.

All proceeds from this years’ event went to assist with the operations of the Uniting Church and organisers said they are overwhelmed with the kindness and level of support from the broader community.

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Trophy winners in 2022

Aggregate points in the Flower section and Champion Pansy: Pat Gillen

Aggregate points in Orchid Section and Champion Orchid: Eileen Cameron

Vegetables: Kathy Bernett

Champion Pot Plant: Carmel Lee

Champion Gerbera: Robert Angelino

Champion Rose: Christine Amos

Champion Cut Bloom: Lee Bettridge

Most Entries: Merv Fuller

Butterfly Knick knack won by the Nursing Home
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Committee members and volunteers who gave their time to help organise the 80th annual Proserpine Flower Show

Everyone enjoyed browsing the colourful blooms

Children’s face painting was popular

Garden lovers celebrated the impressive creations

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On Saturday morning a crowd gathered at the Proserpine Cemetary to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of the first interned local soldier.

While this momentous occasion was being observed, 14 other servicemen were also acknowledged for their sacrifice.

Before this day, 10 soldiers from World War I, and four from World War II, had no headstones commemorating their lives and nowhere for their families to pay their respects.

Thanks to the efforts of the broader community and the dedicated volunteers, however, these soldiers were finally given a symbolic resting place with simple yet meaningful white crosses now marking their lives.

Bunnings donated the wood and the Proserpine Community Centre Men’s Group built the 13 wooden crosses which were then painted white.

Dennis Feijo from Jades Temple Tattoo engraved the names of each fallen soldier onto the crosses which were then placed in the cemetery by dignitaries, family members and RSL representatives on the day.

Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm MP helped local resident Anne Gardel place a white cross in the ground for her Great Uncle David Fraser.

“It’s on these men’s shoulders that the defence force is now built upon,” said Ms Camm.

“This show of community pride pays testament to how they sacrificed their youth to go and serve and to see a local connection here today, a family member being recognised, well, I feel really proud to be part of this important moment.”

Organiser Lyn Burke said that every man played an important role in the war and deserved to be acknowledged.

“They’re all diverse - from World War I to the Boar War, the shores of Gallipoli to the trenches of France – we’ve even got an airman here today that we are going to honour who was a radio operator who died at Evans Head in NSW,” she said.

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Councillor Al Grundy, Councillor Jan Clifford, Mayor Julie Hall, Luke Burgess, Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm MP, Lyn Burke, Dave Silverstone, Councillor Gary Simpson

Anne Gardel places a cross for her Great Uncle David Fraser alongside Amanda Camm MP

Councillor Al Grundy with representatives from the local RSL

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A decadent long white table, a stunning silica sand beach, the rich tones of a lively marching band and cool water beneath your feet as you disembark the vessel and are instantly handed a glass of chilled French Champagne.

This was the scene presented to over 500 people on the three-day White On Whitehaven Long Table Lunch held over the weekend – a pop-up restaurant set on one of the world’s best beaches, two hours from civilisation.

Arriving on a three-level air-conditioned SeaLink ferry, guests are treated with five-star comfort from the moment the day begins.

With a dress-theme of elegant white – ivory dresses flowed, hats were wide-brimmed, and feet were bare to create a striking luncheon that embodied luxury yet was deliciously casual in approach.

Chef, event organiser and co-owner of Fish D’vine, Kev Collins, said that long-term he wanted the White on Whitehaven to become the Whitsunday’s iconic food and beverage event.

“We’re a company that’s run by the motto of – loving making people happy!” he said.

“We’ve knocked the house down this year, it’s been absolutely fabulous, and people have loved it! I wouldn’t want to change a thing!”

Guests were treated to welcome canapes of salmon sashimi and freshly shucked oysters, followed by a buffet of the finest local cuisine, including prawns, Morton Bay Bugs and local barramundi fillets accompanied by tender meats and tangy salads.

This years’ event was moved from May to September, which Mr Collins said certainly showcased the best the Whitsundays had to offer and numbers were capped at 200 per sitting to create a more intimate feel.

Aided by the weather, Mr Collins coined this year ‘the redemption lunch’ following a rainy, windy and chilly Sunday last year that unfortunately made the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

“We were heartbroken – but you can’t help the weather,” said co-organiser Katelyn Aslett.

“One of the best outcomes is that several people were here for the bad day last year and returned this year for one of the best days!

“The last three days have been the best you can ever get in the Whitsundays – the wind has been below five knots the whole time!”

“We’ve had fabulous weather, happy people - everything has just gone perfectly!” said event coordinator Stacy Harvey.

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Whitsunday Anglican School (WAS) held its Global Learning Day last Thursday with colourful displays of song and dance representing the different nationalities and cultures that make up the Junior School cohort.

Students from diverse backgrounds joined their classmates to share information and perform dances, stories, songs and poems from varying nations and cultures.

Now in its 14th year, each class represented a different nationality including Bangladesh, China, France, Germany, India, Jamaica, Ireland, Italy, Vietnam and more.

Gracie and Cruz are both in the year 3 class that prepared a song and a story to represent Zimbabwe.

They’ve been preparing their performance in class for about three weeks while learning about the country.

“It’s a landlocked country in Africa,” said Cruz.

“And there’s five national animals,” added Gracie.

“The buffalo, lion, elephant, leopard and rhino,” they listed together.

WAS Head of Junior School Mick Martin said Global Learning Day started out as a small event to recognise the school’s diversity and multiculturalism.

“It’s a great recognition of the growing cultural diversity at the school and Mackay too,” said Mr Martin.

“We’ve got about 52 different nationalities represented in the junior school along through the families and staff so it’s a great way to give those children and parents an opportunity to be involved as a community and show off their culture and nationality.”

“It’s very important that we are promoting tolerance, inclusion and really celebrating that diversity,” added WAS Principal Andrew Wheaton.

“It’s wonderful to see all the students that are here so proud of their backgrounds and their diverse cultures that we see represented here at Whitsunday Anglican School.”

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WAS Head of Junior School Mick Martin and Principal Andrew Wheaton with year 3 students Gracie and Cruz

Junior school students told the stories of different cultures through song and dance at WAS’s Global Learning Day last week. Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

These days there are experts in virtually everything and those experts are always happy to voice their options, bestow their knowledge.

I am finding there has been a sudden increase in property market experts.

I was going to say the list of experts extends to Every Man and His Dog but that is a sexist exclusion of half the human population and does not take into account the feline opinion.

Everyone has an opinion about property markets generally and there is no lack of noise in the national media about “the market”. One of the things to consider is that the national media is pretty much focused on Sydney, Melbourne and the other state capitals.

But there is no lack of local opinion about the Mackay market. Some buyers will tell you it’s cooled off and they are hoping it has.

I have noticed that activity continues to be strong. Some people who were “doing research” and popping into open homes for a bit of a look this year have taken a “wait and see” approach.

There are some buyers who are being cautious, listening to the media reports and taking their time with their purchase.

But there are plenty of buyers out there and plenty of properties are being sold. And that’s because, in terms of the fundamentals, nothing has changed.

Unemployment is virtually non-existent in Mackay, rental vacancies remain under 1 per cent and our resource sector-driven economy is performing extremely well and helping power the state.

Renters who discover their rent has gone up again are deciding that buying is still the best option and people moving to town are still seeing that it is very difficult to find a rental and many of them are still buying.

The other group that continues to grow is the southern investor.

People in NSW and Victoria are very aware that their markets are falling and many have discovered a much more affordable option in Mackay with low rental vacancies and a far better rental yield than is available in their home states.

Those investors come from cities where prices are in the $800,000-$1.5m range and are picking up properties in Mackay in the far less-riskier $200,000-$450,000 price range. Importantly they are able to positively gear their investments because of the very good rental returns in Mackay.

I am not going to predict what will happen to the Mackay market but the fundamentals that have been driving our strong market have not changed and rising interest rates on our much smaller mortgages don’t have the impact that they are having in Sydney and Melbourne.

Plenty of people are seizing the opportunities and I am looking forward to a strong finish to the year.

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At our council meeting on August 24, Cr Martin Bella and I were proud to bring forward a Notified Motion, which saw Mackay Regional Council adopt a Councillor Alcohol and Other Drugs Policy.

The policy received unanimous support from all councillors present at the meeting. For me, there was no question about introducing a policy – if it’s good enough for our staff to participate in random drug and alcohol testing, then it should be good enough for councillors.

The objectives of the policy are to provide a safe, healthy and productive workplace, and it focuses on eliminating risks associated with the adverse effects of alcohol and other drugs in the workplace by:

• preventing, where possible, drug and alcohol related incidents

• ensuring that councillors adversely affected by substances do not create a negative perception of council

• ensuring councillors are in a fit state to undertake their official duties.

In doing research prior to the formulation of the policy, it appears Mackay Regional Council is one of only a handful of 77 councils throughout Queensland to take this step, and residents of our region have suggested to us that State and Federal government MPs should also hold themselves accountable and introduce policies.

Our residents deserve nothing less than full clarity from the leaders and decision makers of this region. If you see something about a councillor’s behaviour that leads you to think they are impaired by drugs or alcohol, report it to council.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Luke Bona from Triple M Night Shift about the policy and he was astounded that we were only just introducing it now. He, like a lot of people, thought that a staff Drug and Alcohol Policy would automatically cover elected officials. This is not the case, as we are not classed as employees.

It’s very simple. Where a councillor is not undertaking official duties, the policy does not apply.  However, councillors, as the primary representative of the council, are still required to comply with the “Code of Conduct for Councillors in Queensland” and any other legislative provisions.

Cr Fran Mann

Mackay Regional Council

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“Imagine hitting one button on an app on your phone that turns your alarm system off, your lights on and aircons on, knowing that you can walk in and your house is ready for you to be at home.”

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With the industry’s technology ever-evolving, Roy Powell Security strives to stay at the forefront with innovations including thermal cameras, intercom systems, key trackers, GPS trackers, solar camera/boom gates and facial recognition software.

The team at Roy Powell Security can advise you on the security system products to suit your home or business and strives to offer a cost-effective, professional service each time.

Find out which level of security best suits your needs and speak to their consultants today.

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The team at Roy Powell Security has more than 40 years’ experience in security services and is up-to-date with the latest systems to provide better, protective solutions to your home or business. Photo credit: Alyce Holzy

Raw Sugar prices

● Overview: Raw sugar futures suffered under the macroeconomic headwinds of global inflation and recessionary fears last week. The prompt Oct22 ICE 11 contract traded from a high of 18.52 USc/lb on Tuesday, down to a low of 17.89 USc/lb on Wednesday before closing the week at 18.15 USc/lb.

● Brazil: Brazilian petroleum giant, Petrobras, announced a further reduction of wholesale gasoline prices by 0.25 BRL/litre (7%) on Friday. The reduction comes as West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil traded to a two-week low and closed the week down 5% at $US88.30/barrel, driving ethanol parity sub-14 USc/lb equivalent. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has also stated that he will not reinstate taxes on gasoline if he is re-elected in October, indicating that sugar is unlikely to receive any strength from ethanol prices in the foreseeable future.

● India: The Indian monsoon continues to operate on two speeds, with both the Maharashtra and Karnataka states receiving well above average rainfall while the Uttar Pradesh state's cumulative rainfall is tracking well below average. However, the India Meteorological Department has stated it expects showers in September to provide some relief.

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A strong bio-economy will prove to be an important way to value-add to our already vibrant sugar industry, and to diversify the regional economy.

This week, we have seen Mackay region’s role in Queensland’s emerging bio-economy validated, with the staging of the Life Sciences Queensland Bioeconomy Forum held at Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre on Monday.

The forum brought together Queensland’s key stakeholders across industrial, agricultural and environmental biotechnology, in a program that included keynote presentations and panel discussions.  Some major players that were included in the event included Nick Hazell of v2food, a major player in plant-based protein production, and Ben van Delden, Head of AgriFood Tech and Circular Economy Advisory at KPMG Australia.

Visitors to the region were joined by State Government department representatives and regional industry leaders, including Mercurius Biorefining CEO Karl Seck, Mackay Sugar CEO Jannik Olejas, and GW3 CEO Kylie Porter.

The forum discussed approaches and technologies that support our growing local bio-based economy to meet global demand for more sustainable energy, processes and products.

It’s exciting stuff that tailors to the value-adding and diversification ideas contained in Sugar Plus, the sugar industry roadmap developed by key sugar industry organisations. But what does that really mean for growers? Ideas about value-adding have been mooted for years: how is now different?

Sometimes, great ideas have their moment, and now is that moment of critical mass for a bio-economy to emerge in the Mackay region. As the world looks for better, more sustainable solutions to energy, fibre and food, and sugarcane is at ground zero for that.

The crop already occupies a sizeable footprint not just here in Mackay but along Queensland’s coast, but Mackay has that perfect capacity of a strong sugarcane growing sector and an abundance of world-class engineering firms. Our small city has the space to develop a greenfields site for new processing and research facilities, and what is more, there is the will to make it happen across our industry and across the region’s economic and political leadership.

CANEGROWERS Mackay is committed to making sure that our members get a good deal in any emerging bio-economy, and that cane growers get a place at the table in any industry deals. It is not enough to have a top-down approach: if a premium industry is to develop in this then it is equally important that there is good benefit for the growers of the base material – sugarcane.

It is also essential that we have a voice in the emergence of our regional bio-economy, and to that end, CANEGROWERS Mackay CEO Kerry Latter takes a place at the discussion table, representing members at the Greater Whitsunday Biofutures Leaders Group and the Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday Agribusiness Future Alliance Project.

CANEGROWERS Mackay has plans to host an event for growers and bioeconomy players post-crush season.

We will continue to speak for the betterment of our growers.

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By Kevin Borg, Chairman, CANEGROWERS Mackay

CANEGROWERS Mackay Chairman Kevin Borg with SRA District Manager - Central Dylan Wedel at the Life Sciences Queensland Bioeconomy Forum. Picture: Contributed

Plant-based protein has a growing presence in the market, sourced from plant stocks such as sugarcane or legumes. Mackay has been slated by the Queensland Government as a centre for development in this production space. Picture: courtesy CSIRO

From Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Ram Mereddy, Michael Brown and Paul Burt with CANEGROWERS Mackay CEO Kerry Latter and Chairman Kevin Borg at the LSQ Bioeconomy Forum. Picture: Contributed

Talking ahead of the forum, from left, GW3 CEO Kylie Porter, with Jarrah Steen GW3 decarbonisation project, CSIRO Main Sequence commercialisation and venture capital unit’s Phil Morle and Gabrielle Munzer. Picture Contributed

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