This cold snap caught me by surprise.

My basil was growing in abundance until last week when the temperature got down to around 10 degrees at night.  What was growing well with beautiful green healthy leaves, then turned black and inedible.  So out it came out and in went spinach seeds!

What I should have done, is one of two things:

1: Collect it all and make pesto before the cold snap!

2: Cover the basil plants with plastic buckets while the cold snap hit and ensure the plants were surrounded by plenty of mulch to help keep the soil warm

However, the tomato plants growing nearby are doing very well.  

You can still plant tomato seeds throughout our tropical winter. Tomatoes are hungry plants so make sure your soil is well fertilised before you get seeding, you can dig in compost, well broken-down manure or grab a bag or two of our vegetable soil improvers.

There are literally hundreds of different tomatoes you can chose from, so think about what you will use the most of.  Small cherry tomatoes like Riensentraube, Kotlas and Black Cherry

that you can pick off the plant and eat or cut in half to add to salads or larger varieties like Daydream, Grosse Lisse, Costoluto Fiorentino, Break o day (to name a few) that can be used for salads, for preserving, for tomato sauce and pureed ready for many evening meals. We have all these seeds and more available now.

I tend to over seed and then pluck the weakest looking seedlings after they have grown their second set of leaves, leaving 30-40cm between each plant.  If they are all looking healthy, remove them carefully and give them to friends.

Staking is important and I prepare this before seeding. My favourite staking technique is wrapping two intertwined lengths of cloth tie between stakes or sticks or whatever you have available to you, at different heights.

As the plant grows you can simply separate the two strands and weave the plant through them.  As your tomatoes grow, prune off the laterals (little side growth between the larger branches) and once they have reached a manageable height, I like to keep them there by cutting off any new growth at the top of the plant.

When your tomatoes flower, make sure you feed them, they are about to give you an abundance of produce.

Did you know:

There are over 1,000 varieties of tomatoes, they all taste different, with various textures textures – why not try something you have not before.

The first tomatoes were not red, they were yellow, you can also grow black, white and pink tomatoes!  The largest tomato ever picked was 3.5 kgs.

‍

The much-anticipated upgrade of the Cannonvale Skate Park will commence this month with stage one expected to be complete as early as mid-August.

During construction, the skate park will be closed but the basketball court adjacent to the site will remain operational.

Demolition of the old skate park commenced this week and will pave way for stage one of the upgrade project which will include a street style skating area designed to suit beginner and intermediate skaters.

A second stage will expand the skate park offering and will include an intermediate to advanced competition skate bowl which is expected to host events and attract more skaters to the park.

The tender for this section of the project has now closed and will be awarded in early July.

The two skate parks will offer greater choice to skaters who can enjoy the popular activity at their own skill level.

An artist’s impression of the new Cannonvale Skate Park facility

‍

The tragic death of 13-year-old Bailey Pini in June last year could change guidelines at residential care homes across the state following findings at the inquest which detail how increased staffing and safer procedures could have prevented his death.

Bailey died in a car accident when the vehicle he had stolen from his residential care home in Sarina came off the road and set alight a few blocks away from his grandmother’s house in Bowen.

The teen had been staying at this supervised facility following some behavioural issues which are believed to be related to the tragic death of his mother following a short battle with cancer the year before.

His family hoped he would receive the help he needed from the state-run facility but instead his behaviour worsened when he stole the keys to a staff vehicle.

During the recent inquest into his death, Coroner Nerinda Wilson found that better security measures and more staffing could have prevented the tragedy, stating that if the keys hadn’t been available, Bailey would not have died.

“I ultimately determine that the use of key safes should be mandatory,” she said.

The inquest also investigated the level of supervision at the residential home and pointed out that just one person on that night was not sufficient, asserting that better funding needs to be provided.

“It should not be the case that the system is stretched to the point that one 63-year-old woman becomes the last bastion between the residents and car keys,” said Ms Wilson.

At this stage, the findings will only create change at the residential house in Sarina where Bailey had been staying but it is hoped that new guidelines could soon be approved statewide.

Bailey’s family hope that his death and the choices he made on that fateful evening will in some way create positive change so no other young lives are lost in the same way.

Bailey Pini in happier times

Bailey Pini with his mum who tragically passed away a year before he did

‍

With unseasonal rain bathing the region this week, almost all flights were cancelled at all Whitsunday airports, but none more high-profile than Monday night’s Jetstar Australia flight JQ 849 from Hamilton Island.

Over 150 people were left stranded in Airlie Beach after an engineering issue cancelled the flight, leaving its passengers without accommodation during one of the region’s busiest times of year. Whitsunday residents took it upon themselves to help out, opening their homes and businesses to get the marooned holidaymakers out of the rain and cold, and get them fed.

An Impromptu Whitsunday Storm Shelter

Jetstar Flight JQ 849’s cancellation at the hands of an engineering issue left over 130 people stuck in Airlie Beach with nowhere to stay on Monday night.

The flight was set to take off from Hamilton Island before Jetstar technicians determined a technical fault would leave the plain non-airworthy.

Ferried back to Airlie Beach at the request of Jetstar, the passengers arrived at Port of Airlie unannounced, with no accommodation booked and no availability due to school holidays filling both the mainland and Hamilton Island.

A spokesperson for Hamilton Island said they were “dismayed” at the cancellation.

“Passengers were left without alternative travel arrangements or accommodation at the Port of Airlie,” the spokesperson said.

“Hamilton Island sends its heartfelt thoughts to all the guests affected”

The spokesperson said Jetstar opted to send the passengers to the mainland, “where alternative accommodation or travel arrangements was to be arranged” by Jetstar.

But alternative accommodation didn’t come from Jetstar, it came from Whitsunday residents and Whitsunday Councillor Jan Clifford.

Councillor Clifford swooped in to organise free bus transfers onboard Whitsunday Transit from Port of Airlie to Whitsunday PCYC.

PCYC Branch Manager and Police Sergeant Billy Li stayed overnight at the PCYC alongside his unexpected guests and said Cr Clifford called him to open the doors to “give people somewhere to sleep.”

“There was plenty of people here, both people turning up from town to pick up folks and give them a place to stay. There was Fish D’vine and Dominos bringing free food,” Sergeant Li said.

“It ended up with only about 20 people left here to stay overnight - that’s how many people opened their homes.”

Fish D’vine owner Kevin Collins said they were glad to provide the food and “turn a disaster into an adventure.”

Councillor Clifford said that Dominoes, Fish D’vine and the PCYC – as well as the people of town who put up the passengers – were “the real heroes”.

“Whitsunday Transit did a wonderful job and other people around the place did a wonderful job, I’m so proud of this town,” she said.

“If it could possibly go wrong, it did, and the way everyone around town rallied, that’s why I love this town.”

Cr Clifford said she was hoping to send a certificate of appreciation to everyone that helped.

Red Cat Adventure owner Asher Telford was on Hamilton with his parents, Shirley and Terry, who were passengers on the cancelled flight.

He said they spent hours ferrying people to local accommodation, as well as organising pickups.

“That’s why we live here. It’s the people that make the place,” he said.

Whitsunday Transit operations manager Edward Deakes, Fish D’vine CEO Grant Wilson, Police Sergeant Billy Li, and Asher Telford

The Whitsunday PCYC became a home for stranded Jetstar passengers thanks to the hospitality of locals

Local businesses like dominoes donated upwards of forty pizzas for free to the hungry group

‍

Ever wanted to take a greater look at some of the Greater Whitsunday region’s traditional and emerging industries?

Well now you can with virtual reality technology.

Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) has launched the Greater Whitsunday Virtual Reality Tour, which takes you on a journey across our region’s diverse industries and sectors.

Greater Whitsunday Alliance Chief Executive Officer Kylie Porter said visitors of the virtual tour will travel as far north as Bowen to experience the emerging industry of aerospace and south to Ilbilbie and the world of aquaculture and prawn farming.

“There are seven stops on the tour that also feature some of our traditional industries including mining and METS (Mining, Equipment and Technical Services), agriculture and tourism, which together tell the story of our diversified economy,” Ms Porter said.

The Greater Whitsunday Virtual Reality Tour compliments a 360-video Virtual Reality experience, created to share with industry and government stakeholders, who may not be able to visit all key destinations in our region.

“The virtual tour shares the Greater Whitsunday’s future vision and how industry and businesses in our region are changing and embracing new ways of thinking to evolve,” Ms Porter added.

“The Greater Whitsunday region is the place to be if you have an interest in innovation, technology and exciting job opportunities.”

Ms Porter said the businesses who feature include Marto’s Mangoes, Australian Prawn Farms, Resources Centre of Excellence, Vayeron, Red Cat Adventures and Gilmour Space Technologies.

“On the tour you will also visit the QUT Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant, which is a unique biofutures research facility developing new high value by products from sugarcane, fibre, cotton and waste.

“The region will be producing a range of biofood products to meet the global demand for alternative proteins, projected to be worth $20billion globally by 2030.”

Ms Porter said the Greater Whitsunday Virtual Reality was a vital tool to highlight the region’s diversity.

“It is important to change the narrative around our region’s capabilities and explain we are greater than just one industry sector.”

You can explore the Greater Whitsunday Virtual Reality tour by visiting the Greater Whitsunday Alliance website’s Industries page.

The Greater Whitsunday virtual reality tour invites you to take a greater look

‍

Do you give a toss about what you throw into what bin?

Mackay Regional Council is urging residents to “Think before they throw it!”, as incorrect recycling practices are causing havoc at council’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).

In recent months there has been a rise in contamination rates in yellow-lidded bins, with a marked increase in the amount of building waste.

Mayor Greg Williamson said anything that enters the facility that cannot be recycled poses a safety risk to our staff and can also damage equipment.

“Your kerbside recycling bin is not an extra bin for rubbish that won’t fit into your general waste bin. It’s important that general waste is disposed of correctly, so as not to damage our machinery or injure staff,” Mayor Williamson said.

“Our MRF facility only recycles household packaging such as hard plastics and glass bottles, milk and juice cartons, paper and cardboard, aluminium cans and foil, steel cans and aerosols.

“All other items must be manually separated by staff and are sent to landfill, which is costly for ratepayers,” he said.

Mayor Williamson said staff had also identified that almost a third of waste in red/green lidded general waste bins were items that could have been diverted to the Incredable Drop Off at the Paget Waste Management Centre for repurposing and recovery.

“If we can get it right, we are not just saving ratepayers’ money in waste disposal but ensuring less waste is going to landfill, which is great for our environment,” he said.

To increase recycling awareness, council has developed an easy to follow “What goes where” poster. Schools and body corporates are welcome to order these FREE of charge to place on their premises to help improve correct recycling rates. Head to mackay.qld.gov.au/recycleright to order yours.

Council’s new “What goes where” poster highlights what waste goes in which bin and offers alternatives for waste items that don’t belong in kerbside waste or recycling bins

‍

‍

Free parking at Mackay Council’s paid car parks is available from now until July 17, but after that, you’ll need a new app to pay.

A new Mackay-branded parking app is launching this month, replacing the PayStay parking app that is currently in use in Mackay’s four off-street paid car parking locations.

The new app, Mackay Parking, will be available to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store from July 11 and will go live on July 18.

Mayor Greg Williamson said the Mackay Parking app offered a variety of benefits for users.

“Not only is the new app customised to our region, but it will also improve customer payment experiences,” he said.

“The Mackay Parking app allows one-off transactions, so users no longer need to carry a minimum amount of money on their digital wallet.

“Simply set-up your account and upload your vehicle and payment details and you can pay for your parking as you use it.”

Use of the current parking app, PayStay, at Mackay’s paid parking spaces will cease from July 4, and the Mackay Parking app will go live on July 18.

“This means council will be offering free parking from July 4 until July 17 at council’s paid car parks,” Mayor Williamson said.

Long term parking tickets will still be available, and these can be purchased through the new Mackay Parking app.

Parking tickets will also still be available through the manual ticket meters in Mid-City and Cinema car parks.

Parking fees have not changed and are 70 cents per hour, and a maximum fee of $5 per day.

Residents who have money remaining on their PayStay wallet are encouraged to contact PayStay on 1300 322 111 to organise a refund.

For more information on the Mackay Parking app visit www.mackay.qld.gov.au/mackayparking or call 1300 MACKAY (622 529).

There will be free parking in the region’s four off-street car parks from July 4 until July 17

‍

Defining priority areas and working with council to implement projects and events will be the intention of a new youth cabinet, elected by young people in the Mackay region to bring a fresh voice to local issues.

A new partnership between Mackay Regional Council and the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) is bringing a pilot program to the region that will revolutionise how young people are included in local government.

The Young Mayors program will support people aged 17 and under to get elected to the youth cabinet, positioning young people as decision makers on issues that impact their future.

“Young people are the future leaders of our region. We’ve heard through 1,000 conversations that young people want to have a voice, and to influence decisions that impact how they live in our region,” Mayor Greg Williamson said.

“Our council wants to be part of building a succession pathway that values their participation now and as they get older. We’re excited to work with FYA to make that happen through the Young Mayors program.”

The program will back young people to learn about and participate in the systems that govern their lives, and influence decisions that impact their community.

“Local governments play a huge role in the everyday lives of people in our communities, and that includes young people. But young people are often locked out of power - consulted but never in charge, ” FYA’s Executive Director of Civic and Cultural Engagement Molly Whelan said.

“This program puts young people in the driver’s seat - ensuring that council policies and programs better reflect the concerns, needs, and desires of local young people.”

The Young Mayors program has been designed by FYA and is based on successful UK models. Mackay Regional Council is the first to pilot the program in Australia, with plans to scale to councils across the country.

For more information about the Young Mayors program, visit: https://www.fya.org.au/program/young-mayors/

Mayor Greg Williamson (centre) with Molly Whelan (left) and Tahlia Azaria (right) from Foundation for Young Australians (FYA)

‍

Shadow Treasurer David Janetzki visited Mackay’s Northern Beaches last week, meeting with Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm to discuss the lack of infrastructure funding for one of the state’s fastest-growing areas.

The claim was made in reference to the State Government’s recent budget announcement, where Mr Janetzki says there is only an allocation for planning of $300k this year and $300k in 2023-2024 for the area.

“The Northern Beaches is the fastest growing suburb in the Mackay Region,’ said Mr Janetzki.

“There is no capital infrastructure funding allocated in this Qld government budget’ and there is also no funding for Fire and Emergency Services.”

The Northern Beaches falls under Amanda Camm’s electorate of Whitsunday, with the local MP saying the funding allocation falls short in a fast-growing area.

“The Queensland Government’s decision to not allocate these funds to the Northern Beaches, one of the fastest growing suburbs in the Mackay region, is a serious oversight and is not taking into consideration future growth of my community,” said Ms Camm.

Shadow Treasurer David Janetzki and Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm in Mackay’s Northern Beaches

‍

Local media has a new voice of influence, with Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) Executive General Manager Queensland, Ken Wood, announcing that Nik Stuart has been appointed General Manager for the SCA Mackay market.

In his new remit, Stuart will lead the SCA Mackay team, including Triple M 98.7 Mackay/The Whitsundays and Hit 100.3 Mackay/The Whitsundays.

Stuart has gained extensive experience during his 12 years with SCA, ranging from promotions, breakfast announcer and more recently as Content Director for the Darling Downs market in Southern Queensland.

“We are excited to welcome Nik to the Queensland Leadership Team and the Mackay leadership role, and he brings a wealth of experience to our market,” Wood said.

Commenting on his new role, Stuart said: “I began my journey with SCA in 2010 on the street team in Brisbane.

“I remember sitting in reception before my interview being completely overwhelmed by how fun the building felt. In the 12 years since then I have had the privilege of working in five offices across Queensland in nearly every role you can do, and I have never lost that sense of fun.

“I can’t wait to join the Mackay team and continue to drive amazing results for our community and clients.”

Stuart’s new role is effective immediately.

Nik Stuart

‍

A local search and rescue team has been presented with a Certificate of Appreciation following their participation in a search and rescue training exercise last year.

Queensland Remote Area Tracking (QRAT) was presented with the certificate after working alongside the Australian Defence Force, SES, Police, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), council and other organisations in Exercise Mackay Ready in November 2021.

On the day, organisations were given a scenario and an area of ground to search for missing people and tasked with facilitating the extraction of those simulated missing people.

QFES Emergency Management Coordinator Carla Duck presented Matthew Munchow and the QRAT team with the Assistant Commissioner’s Certificate of Appreciation, saying there were over 200 people at the exercise and scenarios presented to the organisations were extremely difficult.

“We had a good debrief after and had a lot of learnings,” Ms Duck said.

“It was very short notice, I think we got two weeks to organise that, so it was very last minute so thank you very much for being involved.”

QRAT volunteer Terry Norris says QRAT’s presence at the exercise was also seen as an opportunity to raise the organisation’s profile.

QRAT is a self-funded search and rescue team, founded four years ago by people with a background in military and emergency services.

After the presentation of the certificate, QRAT gave QFES staff a tour of their purpose-built trailer, explaining the organisation’s vast capabilities in times of emergency.

“There’s stuff in that trailer that, at this point, other emergency agencies don’t have the capability of,” Mr Norris said.

The team has been involved in many search and rescue operations since its inception and Terry says they average a callout a month.

“We try to stay fluid in our approach on those jobs so if tracking somebody’s not an option, then we move into other scenarios where we use different lost person behaviour scenarios.

“When people go missing, they very often follow certain patterns depending on the type of person and what they were doing at the time.”

QRAT works alongside SES and other organisations, searching arduous terrain that other organisations may not be able to navigate to either find a missing person or eliminate an area.

Unlike other organisations, QRAT is self-funded.

“Funding’s our biggest thing; we don’t receive any government funding,” said Mr Norris.

To find out more about QRAT and how you can help keep them on the road, visit qrat.org.au.

Brenton Harris (SES), Derek Drummond, Jason Pullen, Terry Norris, Carla Duck (QFES), Jock Crome (QFES), Matthew Munchow, Tony Johnstone (Rural Fire Service), Paul Crowe, Seaforth Mackenzie and Nathan Gelhaar (front). Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

QRAT participated in Exercise Mackay Ready, a simulated search and rescue operation in November 2021. Photos supplied: Terry Norris

‍

‍

Mackay’s Bryce Bathe is about to call it a day on his career as a Marine Pilot with North Queensland Bulk Ports (NQBP) but exploring Bryce’s resume further shows how truly incredible his career has been.

From a dairy farm to a Rolls Royce mechanic, adventures on Tall Ships with Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson, and scientific research discovering new animal species, Bryce has done it all.

His first job on the water came when he was chosen as one of 200 young people from the Commonwealth nations to join an expedition on a tall ship that followed the circumnavigation of Francis Drake.

“We completed studies of different cultures, surveyed shipwrecks, undertook community health work, discovered a new type of monitor lizard, and took science to the canopies of the tropical rainforests around the globe,” Bryce said.

“It was a life-changing experience.”

Bryce says his formative years were spent on sailing ships all over the world.

After the Francis Drake expedition, he found himself on a tall ship sailing from England to Australia.

On this expedition, he weathered a violent storm in the Bay of Biscay as a starter, assisted the Charles Darwin Institute in the Galapagos Islands, took supplies to Pitcairn Island, studied the effects of the French nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll and so much more.

He was even part of the ship’s crew for the 1984 remake of Mutiny of the Bounty featuring Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins.

Mr Bathe wrapped up his tall ship experience immersed in Australia’s bicentennial celebrations and jointly managing the two-year restoration of a Topsail Schooner.

“One of the best jobs I had was as Captain of a CSIRO research vessel,” Bryce said.

“I worked with some amazing scientists who were researching the trigger of El Nino weather patterns.

Bryce says the progression from the merchant navy to a marine pilot role is a natural one, ultimately taking a job in Mackay.

“Family was a huge driver for ‘coming ashore’, six weeks at sea and six weeks at home is not the best for family life,” he said.

In his time with NQBP, Bryce was appointed to the Pilot Manager role, something he never expected.

Another highlight came when he filled the role of director of the Australasian Marine Pilots Institute and contributed to the first edition of the Marine Pilot Competence and Performance Guide.

Bryce says retirement is yet another journey and he’s keen to see where it takes him.

“I am looking forward to enjoying all the adventures and opportunities that come our way,” he said.

Bryce Bathe is about to retire from his role as Marine Pilot Manager at NQBP

Bryce has had an extraordinary career filled with adventure. Photos supplied: NQBP

‍

A co-design workshop tackling mental health and suicide prevention in our region was held by the Council of Mayors Suicide Prevention Taskforce last Thursday at the MECC.

This was the second workshop held by the Taskforce and saw mayors and councillors from the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday regions collaborate with service providers, funding providers, community and those with lived experience.

Mackay Regional Council Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Taskforce Karen May says the Taskforce was formed after conversations with Suicide Prevention Community Action Plan Worker Deb Rae, councillors and Mayor Greg Williamson around concerns about suicide rates in the Greater Whitsunday Region and the difficulty residents face in accessing and navigating appropriate healthcare services.

“We went to the mayor putting the case of what needed to be addressed and we identified that perhaps a Greater Whitsunday Council of Mayors Taskforce might be a good way to get all of the people in the room and have an open discussion about how we can rectify this problem,” Ms May said.

The Council of Mayors Suicide Prevention Taskforce was established, and the first workshop was held in May 2021 with the goal of identifying the issues involved.

Taskforce Project Officer Courtney Wilson says the second workshop intends to provide solutions to the issues raised in a collaborative format.

“It’s done in a way that everyone’s voice is equal and we have a room full of people with all different lenses, they all have really different valuable things to offer and it becomes really creative and exciting because everyone has different thoughts,” Ms Wilson said.

Throughout the workshop, a presentation was made by a representative of the Lived Experience Advisory Group, sharing a message of having services that represent indigenous communities and meeting individual needs without making assumptions.

Fellow Lived Experiences Representative Emma Rix says the current system is too reliant on assumptions.

“I think we need to have a way of getting to know someone before we decide what service is best for them and that’s what’s missing,” Ms Rix said.

Presentations were also made by organisations including Roses in the Ocean, which has experience in co-designing solutions alongside people with lived experiences, and My Community Directory, which spoke about the potential for a centralised database of service providers.

“That was one of the biggest areas of need, was that we don’t really have anything we can go to find information, you get bounced around and it’s really quite difficult,” Ms Wilson said.

Attendees then participated in co-designing and co-creating in groups, responding to case studies and identifying problems and solutions.

One of the biggest barriers identified was funding and resources.

L-R Lived Experiences Representative Emma Rix, Taskforce Project Officer Courtney Wilson, Taskforce Chair Karen May and Cyclic Konnectionz Founding Director Fiona Bobongie

‍

‍

One of Mackay’s most beloved heritage-listed buildings, The Ambassador Hotel, will become a stage for Mackay Festival of Arts performance, Read the Room this July.

Read The Room host Jason Chong said the event would follow a quiz panel show format.

“During the show audience members will be asked to answer a variety of unusual questions live through their phones, while panel contestants try to work out the audience average,” Mr Chong said.

“There are variations on the theme including would you rather, moral dilemmas, comparing this crowd to the national average, but essentially it’s REALLY fun – the audiences have been really positive about it, and I love hosting it.”

Panel members will vary over the two nights Read the Room takes place. Mackay Musical Comedy Players and MY105FM will take the stage on Thursday night, while the Just Saying Project and Triple M’s Jay and Dave will take a seat on the panel on the Friday night.

Mayor Greg Williamson said he was looking forward to seeing some of the Mackay region’s local personalities get involved in this fun night out.

“It will be a night of unmissable entertainment combining pre-show entertainment with Jason Chong’s quick wit and a sensational panel of local talent,” Mayor Williamson said.

“We’re encouraging audience members to come early and enjoy the live music by Jonte and Tiffany Grace Vella,” he said.

Delicious gourmet platter boxes are available to order pre-event, and pizzas will be available to order on the night.

Don’t forget to charge your phone and get yourself ready to Read the Room, where it’s socially acceptable to be judgmental.

What: Read The Room

When: Thursday, July 7, 2022, at 7.30pm

Friday, July 8, 2022, at 7.30pm

Where: LUSH ROOM at the Ambassador Hotel

Tickets: themecc.com.au

Read The Room will be an unmissable two nights of entertainment next week

‍

Reef Catchments are seeking to partner with community organisations to implement projects from the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac Reef Community Action Plan (CAP).

Last year Reef Catchments worked with more than 15 different community groups to design 10 projects all focused on protecting the Great Barrier Reef. This collection of projects is called the CAP. Today, a year on, we are seeing the implementation of a number of these CAP projects.

Last year, the community decided that food waste was an issue that our community should address. If food waste was a country, it would be the third largest carbon emitter. So by reducing food waste, the aim of the CAP project is to reduce the carbon footprint of our community.

Similarly, the community decided that we should be doing more to protect foreshore vegetation, thereby protecting our shorelines from erosion and providing healthy habitat for nesting turtles.

Sarina Landcare is leading this project, working with schools, Traditional Owners and residents at Carmila and Grasstree beaches to control weeds, plant native species and protect the foreshore.

These are two examples of the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac Reef CAP in action. Reef Catchments, as the CAP Leader for this region, is dedicated to supporting these projects and help secure funding to get others started.

They are continually looking for new ways to improve and expand CAP projects. If you think your organisation is well placed to lead or partner on a CAP project, please get in touch with Reef Catchments.

The Mackay Whitsunday Isaac Reef Community Action Plan is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and Whitsunday Regional Council.

‍