In the past three months, 224 individuals have accessed Chances House for meals, healthcare and essential support. As a crucial resource for those experiencing homelessness in Mackay, Chances House provides fresh meals and takeaway packs for weekends, ensuring those in need have access to food. However, without the community's support, the organisation wouldn't be able to make such a meaningful difference in assisting the vulnerable. As part of Anti-Poverty Week, Mackay Christian Family Chu
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Last week, Vicki Blackburn and Chloë McCardel made a significant impact on local schools by holding presentations aimed at raising awareness about domestic and family violence (DFV). The duo engaged with students at Holy Spirit College Mackay, Catherine McAuley College and Kutta Mulla Gorinna Special Assistance School (KMG), where they shared their powerful stories in hopes of encouraging others to speak out and flee from domestic violence. After the tragic murder of her daughter, Shandee Black
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On Thursday 24th October, the Mackay Hospital Foundation will rally the community for its fourth annual Giving Day, a powerful event that turns generosity into life-changing support for local hospitals. From 8am to 8pm, every dollar donated will be doubled, thanks to the generosity of matched donors, ensuring that contributions go twice as far in enhancing healthcare across Mackay, Isaac, and Whitsunday regions. This isn’t just about raising funds—it's about keeping families close during their
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World Polio Day, observed on October 24, holds special significance for three members of the Souths Cricket Club. Second-grade players Paul Anderson and Shane Barford both have family members who were affected by the poliovirus, while Sanjay Patel is himself a polio survivor, having been struck by the disease as a six-month-old in Khanpur, India. Poliomyelitis, or polio, is a highly infectious disease that primarily affects children under the age of five. The virus spreads from person to person,
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Women in Mackay are set to experience a significant enhancement in maternity care, thanks to an election announcement from the Queensland Labor Party. A $20 million investment will establish a state-of-the-art birthing centre, ensuring that families in the region receive the highest quality of care during pregnancy and childbirth. The Mackay Birth Centre will provide a welcoming, home-like environment for women with uncomplicated pregnancies, allowing them to give birth with the support of dedic
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A groundbreaking study by CQUniversity has revealed the promising antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties of Gumbi Gumbi (Pittosporum angustifolium), a native Australian plant used for generations in First Nations healthcare. This study, funded by the CQUniversity BHP Chair in Indigenous Engagement, showcases how modern science is backing up traditional medicine. Led by Dr. Mani Naiker from the Bioactive and Functional Foods Research Group, the project was conducted in collaboration with Ghun
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Muller Park playground, located at Boundary Road in Ooralea, is scheduled for renewal. Community consultation will be taking place shortly and residents will be invited to share their ideas for the design of a new playground. The existing playground will be removed in the coming weeks for the community’s safety. Both the combination unit and swings are 25 years old and in poor condition. Recent testing has also shown that the softfall no longer meets current Australian safety standards. The ot
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The LNP has pledged a total of $5.9 million to improve key community facilities in Mackay, including $1.6 million for shaded netball courts, $3 million for upgrades at local high schools, $500,000 for an all-weather bowling green at Northern Beaches Bowls Club, and $800,000 for expanded parking at Mackay Football Park. The Mackay Netball Association will benefit from safer shaded courts if the LNP is elected on October 26, with a $1.6 million investment to build shade protection over four court
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Mater Private Hospital Mackay midwife Sarah Fordyce has proven it takes a dedicated team to ensure patients in the region receive access to high-quality healthcare. The former accountant-turned-midwife was recognised as a “dedicated leader” at the annual Mater People Awards event held in South Brisbane on Friday 11 October. Each year, Mater recognises the outstanding achievements of Mater People across the Health, Education, Research and Foundation ministries at the Mater People Awards. The
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By Amanda Wright In a bold call to action, Mackay's top business and community leaders gathered last week at Harrup Park, voicing their mounting frustration over the continued lack of substantial funding commitments for the region in the Queensland State Election campaign. With just 15 days left until election day, the message was clear: Mackay has been overlooked for far too long, and it's time for that to change. Despite the Mackay region's significant contribution to Queensland's economic out
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Every day, more than three tonnes of linen, including clean and dirty sheets, towels, blankets, scrubs and gowns, are delivered to and collected from wards and theatres across Mackay Base Hospital. A thorough and efficient laundry process is vital to prevention and containment of hospital infection, but also contributes to the delivery of care. Sharon Shakespeare has been part of the linen services team for 22 years; they work seven days a week to provide daily hospital linen and laundering se
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Taskforce Guardian, alongside local police, has charged 64 people on 124 offences during simultaneous deployments to Mackay and Ipswich districts. Taskforce Guardian brings together specialist police and expert youth justice workers, who together work alongside local police to tackle youth offending and bolster community safety through strategic patrols, targeted investigations, and joint operations including bail compliance support, community and family engagement. Between September 27 and Octo
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Tell us about you and what makes you ideal to represent Mirani in the state government? “I am a proud local of the Sarina district having been raised on a sugar cane farm and worked on cattle farms. I’m now a Mental Health Counsellor, which includes visiting mines to provide training and provide assistance during critical incidents. I am passionate about fairness and equity and I would be a strong representative of my local community.” If you could initiate a project or address one issue in
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This week Season to date Cane crushed 54,063 785,282 Average bin weight 3.99 3.90 CCS 14.84 13.91 Cane variety performance for region Variety % CCS Variety % CCS Q183 24.6 15.27 Q253 16.3 13.79 Q240 11.1 15.71 SRA9 14.0 15.10 Q208 17.4 14.95 SP80 2.6 14.50 KQ228 1.1 14.77 Q138 5.3 13.94 Comments: Plane Creek Mill processed just over 54,000 tonnes of cane for the week, bringing the season total to just under 785,000 tonnes. Average CCS dropped by 0.11 of a unit over the previous week, closing out
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Leaders of some of Queensland’s peak sugar industry bodies – CANEGROWERS and the Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC) – have come together to discuss the industry’s future and compare their policy positions ahead of the upcoming state election. Representing both growers and millers, the organisations had a clear message for politicians hoping to lead the state from 26 October – the sugar industry, which employs over 20,000 Queenslanders and contributes $4.4 billion to the economy, demands u
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By Sonia Ball QCAR Central District Manager At this time of the year our sugarcane farmers would normally have an end date within near sight and be looking forward to a well-earned Christmas break with their families. But that looks unlikely with all Central District mills, at the time of writing, all just nudging or just past the 50-60 per cent mark. The next couple of months will be telling and will reveal what ‘end’ scenario for the 2024 season will eventuate. Will there be standover? Thi
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Earlier this month, the 11th Annual Grazing Forum brought together a strong contingent of local graziers and industry experts to explore practical solutions and market trends for sustainable farming. This two-day event, hosted by Reef Catchments and funded by the Australian Government and Glencore Coal, continued the tradition of being one of the region’s most long-standing and significant gatherings for graziers. This year’s forum showcased a new approach, focusing on every aspect of grazing —
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Simon Hood Wilmar Manager Grower Marketing Wilmar Grower Marketing is excited to announce the launch of a new pool to help growers manage their GEI sugar price exposure in an increasingly volatile and uncertain world. The past 18 months have seen unprecedented volatility in the #11 sugar futures which has driven the AUD sugar price to historically high levels, only to rapidly plunge to new lows. Recent price fluctuations underscore the ongoing uncertainty in the sugar price outlook. We know
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Artspace Mackay is proud to present three new solo exhibitions by a trio of exciting First Nations female contemporary artists. All three artists – Jemima Wyman, Mandy Quadrio and Kate Harding – have strong links to the Mackay region and their exhibitions have been curated inhouse by the Artspace Mackay team. Jemima Wyman grew up in Mackay and now lives and works in Los Angeles, Mandy Quadrio spent 15 years living in Mackay and is now a Brisbane resident and Kate Harding is a Sarina local. May
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Review by Vicky Bobeldyk Father of three and retired court Justice Roger (Greg Webb) is turning 70 years old and has been dreaming of a lovely little party with his now grown-up family beside him and his devoted wife, Sue (Bronwyn Grannall). Quality time, some cake.. and maybe some balloons. It is a party after all. Before the children can arrive, the dynamic between Roger and Sue is already under strain as Sue laments an absent husband who prioritised work over his family, then spoiled and do
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Mackay Christian College is providing a unique hands-on learning experience for its students through a program where they build formula cars as part of their engineering traineeship. This initiative is run in collaboration with Career Employment Australia (CEA), and students not only get the chance to work on an exciting project but also earn a Certificate II in Engineering Pathways, which contributes valuable points towards their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). The program began
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My mate Greg Smith and I sat next to Anthony Albanese on a flight to Mackay about five or six years ago, soon after he was elected leader of the Federal Labor Party and leader of the Opposition. Smithy and I were coming back from a real estate conference and had been upgraded to business class. Albo had been on a “listening tour” of Queensland to try to find out why the ALP can’t win a Federal seat north of the Sunshine Coast. Smithy and I were already in our seats when the future prime minister
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As you may have heard recently my co-host Jake gave me the ultimate stitch-up and signed me up for Australian idol as a joke. I have to preface this whole story by saying, no I cannot sing, no I do not think I can sing. Do I still sing in the studio at work? Yes. To get me back for always singing badly, Jake signed me up for Australian Idol, and after a bit of organising, the next thing I knew we were off to Sydney for a live audition. Now although I’m so grateful for a free trip to Sydney and
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A celebration of community and local journalism took place last Friday evening at Ocean’s International, as clients, advertisers, and community figures gathered to commemorate significant milestones for Core Life Magazine and Mackay & Whitsunday Life. The event, which served as both a celebration and networking night, marked 13 years of Core Magazine's presence in the region and over four years of delivering Mackay & Whitsunday Life to local homes. The evening began with a speech from Rachael Sm
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Friday 18th October Catherine McAuley College Trivia Night 5.30pm Gather your friends, family or work colleagues for a fun night of trivia. Theme for the night is Adventures Around the World. Draw inspiration from cultures, sporting teams, travel experiences, international events....the ideas are endless. Trivia night ticket includes: Trivia participation, cheese platters and entry into the lucky door prize. Cost $25 per person or $200 for a table of 8. All proceeds to the event will go towar
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