Sports

Mackay Bushwalkers Explore Cape Hillsborough

Mackay Bushwalkers Explore Cape Hillsborough

Recently, members of the Mackay Bushwalkers' Club were offered two very different walks on successive Sundays, both under the guidance of Ken Fihelly in the broad Cape Hillsborough area. Members were taken to places not usually frequented by visitors to the National Park, who often prefer to follow the popular walking tracks to the well-known lookouts. The first of these bushwalks traversed the western section of the park from Smalley's Beach nearly up to the plateau, passing under cliffs to a cave with a large overhang. Some steep rock scrambling was undertaken, but was rewarded with great views including that of the Native Pink Hibiscus patch, mostly still only buds. The journey back to the cars revealed gullies, dry creek beds and sections of rain forest. Towering palms, beautiful basket ferns, grass trees and lush grasslands, as well as a close encounter with a Ulysses butterfly were highlights of the day. A week later, Paradise Falls was reached after a journey offering large boulders, impressive rain forest and rugged cliffs, as well as thousands of Crow and Blue Tiger butterflies. Both walks showcased spectacular scenery to be admired whilst making the most of the outdoors in very sunny weather. The club's full program for the next month includes a variety of walks ranging from Mt Dalrymple to Homevale and Cathu, with some easier options available on the days of more challenging outings. For further information about the range of walks on offer to members over the next month and for information on how to become involved, phone 0429363929. Ian Brookes. Photo credit: Julie Ward

Read the full story
Mackay Contract Bridge Results Club Welcomes New Country Director

Mackay Contract Bridge Results Club Welcomes New Country Director

BRIDGE The club is pleased to announce that Jan Harris, is the newly appointed Country Director. In the context of the card game bridge, a Country Director is an accredited official qualified to oversee and manage small regional or "country" bridge congresses. Jan received her Queensland Bridge Association Director’s Certificate from President Frances Brown. Bridge cannot be played without directors and is commendable that Club members like Jan step forward to fill these roles. Thank you, Jan! Frances and Jan Weekly Results Monday 8 June 2026 – 6 Table One Winner Green Points 1st Monica Darley / Joy Block 2nd Vicki Howard / Susan Ross 3rd Jewel Schmidt / Janine Rodgers 4th Helen Van Den Breok / Jan Harris Evening 9 June 2026 – 7 Table Mitchell Green Points N/S E/W 1st Janet Hansen / Ken Seaniger 1st Martin Pearce / Glen Cocup 2nd Patricia Garner / Adrian Westcott 2nd Janelle Conroy / Geoff Taylor 3rd Ian Stephenson / Ann Whitmore 3rd Errol Morris / Mick Robins Wednesday 10 June 2026 – NWP Week 11 of 26 - 10 Table Mitchell Green Points N/S E/W 1st Janet Hansen / Alan Brown 1st Diane Holewa / Max Holewa 2nd David Ting / Eric Goodchild 2nd Sandy Patterson / Geoffrey Patterson 3rd Debbie Ludkin / Mick King 3rd Janelle Conroy / Noel Bugeia 4th Monica Darley / Helen Goldston 4th Terry Sheedy / Lorna Shuttlewood 5th Joy Robinson / Robert Carless 5th Griffin Bancroft / Gwen Liddell Thursday Evening 11 June 2026 – 5 Table One Winner – Green Points 1st Terry Sheedy / Adrian Westcott 2nd Jan Harris / Andrew Canavan 3rd Julie O’Neill / Ann Whitmore 4th Simon Barnes / Martin Pearce Friday 12 June 2026 –- 11 Table Mitchell Green Points N/S E/W 1st Lorna Shuttlewood / Debra Goodchild 1st Janine Rodgers / Richard Wix 2nd Janelle Conroy / Pamela Finger 2nd Susan Wright / Geoffrey Patterson 3rd Diane Cox / Christine Nice 3rd Mick King / Geoff Cowan 4th Griffin Bancroft / Diane Stokes 4th Diane Holewa / Max Holewa 5th Ming Ting / David Ting 5th Gillian McCallum / Rodney Miles Saturday 13 June 2026 – 11 Table Mitchell Green Points N/S E/W 1st Faye Wright / Janine Rodgers 1st Janelle Conroy / Robert Carless 2nd Joy Robinson / Terry Sheedy 2nd Martin Pearce / Patricia Garner 3rd Ming Ting / David Ting 3rd Lorna Shuttlewood / Susan Wright 4th Griffin Bancroft / Jan Harris 4th Diane Stokes / Annie Lynch 5th Helen Van Den Breok / Joy Brunette Frances and Jan. Photo supplied 5th John Ludkin / Max Holewa

Read the full story
Mackay Table Tennis Fixture Results   9th June 2026

Mackay Table Tennis Fixture Results 9th June 2026

Tuesday Night Fixtures Division 1: Canaries (Josh Brown, Lily Boland, YiLin Jiang) won 7-4 over Geese (Steve Whiting, Janice Kent, Lee Brake) with Lily come home strong against Steve (-9,7,-7,8,11). Cockatoos (Mick Ruhl, Neil Brown, Mark Sleeman) were to strong for Budgies (Emma Widdup, Graeme Walker, Graham Brake), Graeme won against Mark (-9,4,12,-4,3). Curlews (Barry Patterson, Anne Sheridan, Geoff Cowan) defeated Bowerbirds (Trent Day, Duncan Treloar, Allan Edwards), Anne and Geoff just edged out Trent and Duncan (-8,7,-10,8,8). Division 2: Eagles (Andrea Nicholson, Ollie Hamelink, Rachel Fiesta) defeated Parrots (George Camilleri, Delma Knight, Darryl Ross) 6-5, with Ollie coming back from 2 sets down to win close 5 sets against Darryl (=8,-11,8,7,7). Doves (Will VanDeKaa, Daniel Warfield, Noreen Fredericksen) won 8-3 against Kites (Ian McKay, Matt West), Ian got the better of Daniel (-4,5,7,-9,9). Galahs (Donna Abbott, Remy Zhan, Mark Stem) edged out Owls (Rod Mahumas, Ricky Zhan, Peter Goodson) 6-5, Peter snuck home over Mark (8,8,-8,-14,8). Division 3: Some great matches while the battle for the top positions in Division 3 continues. Logan, Dylan, Mark and Jeff all had great wins. Tuesday Morning Fixtures Division 1: Nova Smashers (Doug Dungavell, Ross DeBoer, Bryan Marshall) edged out (Orion Orbiters) John McGee, Andrea Nicholson, Veronica Shepherd), Doug and Andrea had a great battle with Doug winning (-3,7,-7,3,9). Astro Aces (George Camilleri, Peter Goodson, Sally Muir) tied 6-6 against Eclipse Spin (Branko Vucurovic, Delma Knight, Darryl Ross), Darryl got home over Sally (-7,-12,3,13,5). Division 2: Spartan Spin (Ian Dodds, Helen Ware, Veronica Needham) got home to win Viking Raiders (Kim Daffy, Louise Gould, Marie Taylor), Veronica and Helen won close doubles match against Louise and Marie (8,-7,6,-6,9). Samurai Swords (John Hamelink, Pam Joyce, Coral Morgan) defeated Ninja Strikes (Pam Keune, Frank Caruana, Ken Best) 10-2, Coral made an epic come back to beat Frank in 5 sets (-10,-5,11,1,6). Division 3: Mongol Power (Cheryl Pearson, Laurie Bradshaw, Glenda Dutton) tied up 6-6 with Gladiator Grip (Allison Day, Madge Saunders, Sharon Muller), Laurie had a great win over Sharon (0,-7,-3,2,5). Aztec Warriors (Iris Grasso, Janelle Keune, Thelma Caruana) won 7-5 over Celtic Smash (David Muir, Myles Dutton, Trish Zamparutti), David and Myles had a great battle against Iris and Thelma (7,-5,-7,7,5). Contributed by Andrea Payne Photo supplied

Read the full story
A Well-Earned Win In Ladies Singles Final At The North Mackay Ladies Bowls Club

A Well-Earned Win In Ladies Singles Final At The North Mackay Ladies Bowls Club

The Championship Singles Final was played at the club last Wednesday 10th June to a packed crowd of well-wishing supporters of both ladies. The game was between Lois Deguara and Maryann Bartolo two very talented club members. A great game was enjoyed by all the spectators who came to watch this very enjoyable game. The eventual winner was a very happy Maryann Bartolo, with Runner up Lois Deguara. Congratulations to you both on a super game. Contributed by Sue Hazledine . (L) Maryann Bartolo and (R) Lois Deguara. Photo supplied

Read the full story
Taylors Rect

On The Whitsunday Green

August 24, 2023

This week’s 9-hole stableford weekly comp at Whitsunday Green Golf Club was won by Richard Clark on 20 points, second place went to Ron Thynne on 18, and third was Kendall Nash with a 17 countback win.

Friday’s 9-hole stableford prawn run was won by David Wallace on 25 points, second place was Neil Boland on 22, and coming in third this week was Kendall Nash on 21.

Sunday’s 18-hole stableford was won by Mitchell Ireland on an astounding 42 points, second place went to Brad Low on 39, and third was James Low on 36 pts. Nearest the pin were Mitchell Ireland and Tyson Flavel.

This Sunday at the club will be 18 holes 4 ball better ball tee off at 10.00am.

Contributed with thanks to Whitsunday Green Golf Club

Read More

Whitsunday Social Golf

August 24, 2023

Whitsunday Social Golf Club hosted a Single stableford in somewhat warm conditions last wekekend with 24 players taking up the challenge.

Winners in the A Grade Men was Peter Fox with 38 points, followed by George Meharry on 35. B Grade winner was David Hoy, 42, followed by Wilf Herwew on 29.

A Grade Ladies’ winner Tiina Randmae with 24 points followed by Pauline Redapth on 21, while B Grade winner was Pam Casey on 26 runner up Karen Rix, 24.

Nearest the pins went to  Arron Watts, Mark Callaghan, Tiina Randmae, and Karen Rix. Longest drives Darren Reynolds, David Hoy, Tiina Randmae, and Pam Casey.

This Sunday the club will host a 4 Ball Best Ball Stableford.

Contributed with thanks to Joanne Moynihan

Whitsunday Social Golf players David Hoy, Pam Casey, Tiina Randmae, and Peter Fox

Read More

Proserpine Golf Report

August 24, 2023

Proserpine Golf Club’s Saturday Competition hosted 68 players for the Allenbuild Stableford competition with Ben Moran edging out Shaun Tyrell on a countback, both on 38 points, to win it.

Ben and Shaun were followed by Paul Gray and George Meharry, both on 37, while Peta Thomas was the winner of the ladies’ competition with 32 points, followed by Pauline Redpath and Trish McNeill both on 29.

NTP’s were won by Lyn Muller, Pauline Redpath, Kelvin Stephens, and Merv Hinton

Sunday’s Stableford was won by Mackay Golf Club visitor Russell Gardner with 35 points on a countback from Mark Callaghan, and George Meharry also on 35 points close behind.

Renae Maxwell was ahead of the ladies’ with 29 points followed by Pam Casey on 26 points and Tiina Randmae and Karen Rix on 24..

NTP’s went to: Russell Gardner twice, and Peta Thomas and Tiina Randmae.

Contributed with thanks to the Proserpine Golf Club Pro Shop

Read More

Bowen Golf News

August 24, 2023

Wednesday’s competition at Bowen Golf Club was a single stableford event where the Ladies’ winner was Elona Lynch with a great score of 41 points.

Runner up was Ruth Dunn with 24 points, while the Men’s winner was Allan Cooper, 39, and runner up on a countback Graeme Baker, 37.

Saturday’s competition at the club was a stroke event for the February Monthly Medals, sponsored by Bowen Meat Supply & Bowen Golf club.

Ladies’ winner was Rhiannon Nott 70 nett, runner up Sarnie Eisemann, 71. Pin shots to Claire Garrod, Morag Parker, Donna Wright, and Meg Garrod who also won the Car wash voucher with an OBP.  

Men’s winner was Greg Carlyon 63 nett.  Congratulations to Cooper Cremor from Proserpine who topped the men's competition with 63 nett on a countback. Pin shots to Cooper Cremor, Chris Matheson, Rob Ebzery, and Daniel O'Donnell.

This weekend’s competition is a stableford event sponsored by Bowen Golf club.  

Contributed with thanks to Grace Nott

Bowen Golf Club Monthly Medal Men’s winner Greg Carlyon and Ladies’ runner up Sarnie Eisemann

Read More

Wangaratta Bowls

August 24, 2023

Six of Wangaratta Bowls Club’s representative men played in various teams in the Bowen Bowls Club Classic, while three ladies attended the Airlie Beach Opening Day, leaving few members for the field on Sunday.

Roger Mumby, Isobel Wheeler, and Geoff Danvers defeated Theresa Willshire and Deb Retchless. And Kennedy Whitton in the first Sunday match, while Merle Elphinstone, Sue Shearing, and Pat Tracey defeated Bill Myers, Irene Laird, and Greg Colquhoun.

Ladies’ nominations have been called for the Wangaratta Bowls Club competition – an opportunity to gain valuable experience in higher grade bowling - and will close Tuesday, February 21.

The club will be holding Opening Day on Sunday, February 26, and games will start at 10.00am on that day and concluding at 12.30pm followed by a light lunch and presentations.

Wangaratta expects visitors from other Bowls clubs across the region. A sign-in sheet will be available at the door.

Contributed with thanks to Penny Warren

Wangaratta Bowls Club Ladies’ Denise Wallace, Linda Scells, and Penny Warren attended the Airlie Beach Opening Day

Read More

Proserpine Bowls Club

August 24, 2023

Proserpine Bowls Club’s Sunday bowls had some exceptional bowls in both games of triples.

John Anderson played double lead in the games between the winning team of John, Heather Brown, and Bruce Uhe, and John, Mike Harrison, and Barry Zillmann, 21-20.  

Alen Sanderson, Jim Quod, and Philip Brown defeated Jim Bownds, Pat Bownds, and Sandy Daffara, 22-14, in the other game.

Social Participation Trophy points have started to add up now with Alen Sanderson and Bruce Uhe currently joint leaders on nine, Mike Harrison, Heather Brown, and Barry Zillmann with seven.

The club wishes to remind potential players that nominations are open for all club competitions, closing at the end of this month before the March start.

Summertime hours for bowls continue a few more weeks starting.

Contributed with thanks to Heather Brown

Read More

Bowen Bowls Report

August 24, 2023

Bowen Bowls Club hosted a successful iteration of its Classic Weekend last week with 16 teams participating.

First place was taken by the tram of P. Martin, A. Hay, F. Watson, and C. Paine, while second went to Wayne Crowhurst, S. Hamilton, Mitch Wright, and Gus Munro.

G. Delaney, T. Serra, A. Peno, M. Defranciscis were the final place getters in third.

Contributed with thanks to Joan Edwards

Bowen Bowls Club Classic Weekend winners P. Martin, A. Hay, F. Watson, and C. Paine with Abbott Point Operations’ Allen Brown

Read More

Airlie Beach Bowls Club

August 24, 2023

Saturday morning Scroungers’ first round at Airlie Beach Bowls was won by John Brown, Nik Fernbach, Rick Galea, and Warren Mills.

Tony Whitehorn again won Group B for the second consecutive week, playing some excellent bowls while he did so.

Sunday afternoon Social Bowls Open Day proudly sponsored by PRD welcomed close to 50 players, including from as far as Wangaratta and Proserpine.

Third place went to the team of Lynn Skeen, Lu Rogan, and Keith Bates at lead performing admirably, losing out to second place getters Betty Whitehorn, Sandra Argo, and Lane Telford.

The big winners were Elaine Kippen’s team of Demika Cuip, Jill Spencer, and Mark Mawson, all with an astonishing performance.

Airlie Beach Bowls Club reminds its members that the School Competition with participation from Proserpine High School, St Catherine’s High School, and Whitsunday Christian College begins this week.

The Men’s A , B and Senior Singles is progressing well, too, with results to be published soon.

Contributed with thanks to Mark Mawson

Read More

Whitsunday Touch Football

August 24, 2023

Whitsunday Touch Football Association’s new season kicked off on Monday night with 25 teams nominating across its four divisions of Open A, Mixed A, Mixed B and Mixed C Family.

The season will run through to the Grand Finals in June, with the Association committed to encouraging participation and development of women, juniors, and referees.

Limiting teams to maximum of three on field males is hoped to give women, girls, and juniors greater opportunity to develop their skills and promote their enjoyment of the sport.

Players interested in refereeing accreditation should take the opportunity of the Level One Referees Course this Saturday, February 18, at 8.00am – 12.00pm at the Whitsunday Touch Fields.

Round One Results:

Open A

Trusty d Raiders Union

Vipers d Sea Eagles AFL

Mixed A

Ray White Mudcrabs (8) d The Guinea Fowls (6)

In the Crear (12) d G.E.T. Touch (2)

Raiders A (6) d Full Boar (2)

Slippery Salmons (6) d Concrete Feet (5)

Mixed B

Fumble This (8) d Raiders B (1)

Whitsunday Warriors (8) d Stingers (7)

Flametree Flames (12) d On Time (4)

Mixed C (Family)

Untouchables (7) d Escapees (2)

Mainlanders (6) d Raiders Family (4)

Contributed with thanks to Alita DeBrincat

Read More

Young Cannons Enjoy Qld Sprint Championships

August 24, 2023

Ten Cannonvale Cannons swimmers travelled to Brisbane to compete in the 2023 Queensland Sprint Championships last weekend.  

Club coaches Mark Erickson and Ken Crittenden were very impressed with the swimmers and their outstanding efforts, with this being the first state competition for many of the attending Cannons.  

The Whitsunday team achieved a total of 30 personal bests (PB) out of 35 swims.  

Tora Delac, Ruby Harland, Anisa Helou, Ehsan Helou, Isaac Pisanello, Isabella Pisaniello, and Andie Reynolds swam extremely well, achieving personal best times in all their events.  

Ehsan Helou swam a super 50-metre Breaststroke in 34.05 seconds and came eighth in Queensland, qualifying him for the Australian Age Championships for Breaststroke.

Ehsan’s sister, Anisa swam fabulous times: two of her best swims were her 50-metre Freestyle (under 30 sec) and 50-metre Butterfly in 33.29 seconds.  

Don Algie swam two personal bests, as well as finishing in an exceptional time for the 50-metre Breaststroke, 49.52 seconds.  

Charlie Doherty swam a fantastic time of 34.70 seconds in his 50-metre Freestyle, and Thomas Ganter swam two PBs, with one of his best swims being the 50-metre Backstroke in a time of 42.09 seconds.

Isaac Pisaniello, Ruby Harland, and Andie Reynolds swam a “cracking” 50-metre Freestyle, taking over 2.3 seconds off their previous best times.  

Isaac’s sister, Isabella, had a very successful Sunday of racing, shaving close to two seconds off her Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly.

One of Tora Delac’s best swims was her 50-metre Breaststroke which she swam in 41.31 seconds, a 1.68 second PB.  

The club extended its congratulations to all the Cannons who competed at the Qld Sprint Championships.

Contributed with thanks to Raylene Rasmussen

The Cannonvale Cannons team which competed at the Queensland Sprint Championships last weekend

Read More

Canecutters Clash Against Colts, Warriors Battle Valley

August 24, 2023

With last week a washout in the Proserpine Cricket Association calendar, four eager teams took to the grounds on Saturday on a damp outfield where scoring was hard to come by.

Batting first, the Whitsunday Colts were off to a shaky start as Ben Davis (1/24) and Scott Milne (2/31) made the early breakthroughs.

Michael Pettiford (73 not out) continued his run of good form, holding his bat through the entire innings. He found assistance in Wes Homewood (36) and Charlie Woodhouse (50 not out) as the Colts piled on the runs late in the innings.

Luke Thompson (1/40) was the only other Proserpine Canecutters bowler to add his name to the wickets column as Colts finished on 4/181 after 35 overs.

Canecutters never looked comfortable in response, as the youngsters piled on the pressure with the ball in their hands. Wickets fell at regular intervals as Roy Blain (1/24), Kohan Mau (2/17), Noah Wylie (3/23), Jackson Riley (2/13) and Michael Pettiford (1/16) shared the wickets between them.  

Nine different bowlers were utilised for Colts with the youngsters sharing the workload together to ensure everyone felt part of the game. Liam Davies (66) was the only Canecutters batsman to show any resistance, whilst Ben Davis (12 not out) was the second highest scoring player for Canecutters.

The regular fall of wickets significantly affected the runrate, with Canecutters finishing on 9/130 after 35 overs to hand a convincing 51 run win to the Colts.

In the other game, Warriors batted first against Valleys and as with other match, the runs were hard to come by early. Ricky Parslow had the ball on a string and quickly sent three Warriors batsman back to the sheds. Randal ‘Red’ Porter (33) and Dan Leschke (22) steadied the ship to combine for a 45 run partnership, whilst Josh Large (24) provided some middle order impetus. Youngster Jacob Williams (3/29) was very handy with his off spin.

Machlin Turner (1/10) and Tony Hinschen (1/19) also assisted with the ball, however Ricky led the way returning the ridiculous figures of 5/6 in his 8 overs. Warriors were bundled out for 107, which was still somewhat competitive given the slow outfields.

Despite losing the two early wickets, Valleys were never under any real pressure chasing down the modest total.

Chris Wren grew another leg and bowled with pace that he hasn’t bowled for many seasons, however didn’t get the wickets we deserved returning figures of 1/40. He was assisted by Luke Valmadre (1/23) who was the only other Warriors bowler to add their name to the wickets column.

Fresh off his five wicket haul, Ricky (46 not out) continued his form with the bat despite only being on one leg with a quad injury he picked up bowling. Machlin Turner (47 not out) was the perfect foil to team up with Ricky, with the pair taking down the target at the end of the 17th over. Valleys remain undefeated so far in the 40 over competition.

This Saturday will see all teams receiving a bye as Pink Stumps Day taking centre stage in Bowen.

The Proserpine fixtures will resume on Saturday, February 25.

Any new or returning players can contact Dale Mengel (0410 895 191) or Craig Brown (4945 1983) for further information.

Contributed with thanks to Dale Mengel

Read More

U18 Meteorettes Secure State Silver

August 24, 2023

The McDonald’s Mackay Meteorettes recently travelled to the Gold Coast to compete in the Basketball Queensland Under 18 State Championship.

The girls made it to an epic Division 1 Grand Final, finishing second in their pool and defeating the Gold Coast Rollers 63-51 in the semi.

In a decider that went down to the wire, the Meteorettes ultimately went down to the Logan Thunder 73-72.

Monique Bobongie starred, scoring 30 points, with Charli Bliss contributing 22 and Hannah Jensen 12.

Congratulations to Ross, Troy, Kylie and the girls on their massive efforts to secure Silver Medals.

The Mackay Meteorettes secured silver medals in the Basketball Queensland Under 18 State Championship on the Gold Coast last month. Photo supplied

Read More

Mackay Contingent In Queensland North Teams

August 24, 2023

There was a solid Mackay representation in the Under 15 Queensland North teams recently competing at the Southern Cross Challenge held in Victoria.

Congrats to the Mackay Basketball junior players who did Mackay proud.

Eden Catip, Isabel Smith, Maggie Thorburn, Skye Vaughn and Lily Mapp all made the girls team while Usai Bickley, Cooper Currie and Treyce Cianter represented the boys.

The Queensland North girls finished 4th with the Queensland North boys coming 8th.

Well done to all involved.

Eight Mackay players represented Queensland North at the U15 Southern Cross Challenge in Victoria last month. Photos supplied

Read More

Mackay Netballers Set To Strike At Capricornia Trials

August 24, 2023

Australian Indigenous centre court sensation Ainsley Carey heads a strong St Patrick’s College netball contingent that will represent Mackay at next Monday’s Capricornia trials to be staged at Mackay Basketball Stadium.

The gifted 17-year-old centre/wing attack, who shone for Queensland at the recent National Indigenous Netball Championships on the Gold Coast, is one of the brightest prospects in the State and a product of the Mackay Magpies Netball Club.

Ainsley is one of five St Patrick’s College players in the Mackay District School Sport Netball Senior 16 - 19yrs squad that will push their claims for Capricornia representative selection.

Other St Patrick’s whiz kids to watch include outstanding defenders Mischa Dinsdale and goalkeeper Kacee Ziegeler, centre Lillian Newland and shooter Rebecca Symons.

They’ll be joined by promising Holy Spirit College defenders Elizabeth Lee and Stella Brooks; Whitsunday Anglican College shooters Eden Bagley and Isabel Milful and Mackay State High School shooter Christa Nissen.

The squad will be coached by experienced and respected St Patrick’s College mentor Diana Bailey.

During the trials Mackay will compete against teams from Port Curtis, Central Highlands and Rockhampton.

………………………………………………………………

 

ST PATRICK’S players also dominate selections in the Mackay District School Sport Netball 13 - 15yrs Junior squad which includes emerging goalkeeper Shaylah Pershouse and centre court ace Tenille Cotter.

Talented shooters/goal attacks Kiana Dunn and Tahlia Anderson and goal attack/wing attack Lacie Clark will also fly the St Patrick’s flag along with leading coach Christine Newland.

Other players featured include rising Holy Spirit College trio Ava Symons (goal attack/shooter); Mia Slater (wing attack/centre/wing defender) and Alysse Atherton (goal defender/wing defence) and Mackay State High School’s sharp centre court/shooter Rhyanna Ape and impressive goalkeeper Addison Dee.

Exciting prospects Ziegeler, Pershouse and Cotter have been chosen to participate on the Wanderers Australia International Netball tour of England and France in 2024 where they’ll play eight matches against top club, county and representative teams in the United Kingdom.  

The trio helped Mercy College capture the Division 6 Trophy at last year’s Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Netball (QISSN) tournament after edging out rivals Marist College Emerald 16-15 in a thrilling Grand Final contest.  

Dinsdale was named the competition’s Most Valuable Player after classy performances during the series and caught the eye of Australian Diamonds great Vicki Wilson, who labelled the Mercy school girl “an exceptional talent.”  

The skilful Rebecca Symons was named St Patrick’s Most Valuable Player at the 2022 QISSN event.

By Chris Karas

St Patrick's College senior netballers Lillian Newland, Mischa Dinsdale, Rebecca Symons, Kacee Ziegeler and Ainsley Carey will represent Mackay Schools at next Monday's Capricornia 16 - 19yrs netball trials

Read More

Pioneer Swimming Club Attend Queensland Sprint Championships

August 24, 2023

On the weekend of 11-12 February 2023, Pioneer Dolphins travelled to the big smoke, Brisbane, for an action-packed weekend of competition at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.

The fastest in the state battled it out for absolute supremacy in the “sprint” distance of 50m over the four strokes.

Pioneer Swimming Club celebrated a whopping 32 Dolphins having qualified for the event with 16 travelling to compete – Kylie Smith, Jade Bounden, Kailu Bellear, Kingston Baker, Yasmin Seedwell, Ella Bounden, Zahli Herring, Georgie Brand, Alex Moss, Ariah Corrigan, Isabelle Miles, August Baker, Madison Malagueno, Joleigh Strydom, Annaliese Miles and Yvonne Bellear.

Special mentions for highlights over the weekend include Jade Bounden placing 2nd in 18-year Freestyle, 3rd in Breaststroke and 4th in Butterfly; Kylie Smith placing 5th in Open Backstroke and 9th in Butterfly; Madison Malagueno placing 3rd in 10-year freestyle; Alex Moss placing 7th in 11-year breaststroke; and personal bests being achieved by most of our state team.

Igor joined the team on the trip to Brisbane and was one very proud Coach!

Our Dolphins celebrated their phenomenal weekend of swimming at the Brisbane Eat Street before returning to Mackay to start preparation for our next exciting event, NQ Championships to be held in Townsville on 4-5 March.  

Contributed by Tahnie Malagueno

Pioneer Dolphins travelled to Brisbane for the Queensland Sprint Championships over the weekend

Jade Bounden received medals in breaststroke and freestyle and finalist in fly

Kylie Smith finalist in Butterfly and Backstroke Finals

Madison Malagueno receiving her bronze medal for freestyle

Alex Moss received a finalist ribbon for breaststroke. Photos supplied

Read More

Your FREE Voice In Print

SARINA -  WALKERSTON – MIRANI – MARIAN – PAGET – OORALEA – MACKAY CITY – MACKAY NORTH – SLADE POINT – ANDERGROVE – BEACONSFIELD – NORTHERN BEACHES – FARLEIGH – MT OSSA – SEAFORTH – KUTTABUL - CALEN – BLOOMSBURY – PROSERPINE – CANNONVALE – AIRLIE BEACH – BOWEN – COLLINSVILLE – NEBO – MORANBAH

Locally Owned. Community Loved.