Bowen Showgrounds is set to host a thrilling showdown as 15 sidecars compete for the prestigious Queensland Sidecar Championships title. The event promises an adrenaline-fueled spectacle for motorsport enthusiasts and families alike. Sponsored by Conveyer Maintenance Services and scheduled for 3 August, the Queensland Sidecar Championships, will feature some of the region's top riders vying for glory on the Bowen Speedway track. Known for its tight turns and challenging straights, Bowen Speedw
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The Whitsunday Equestrian Group’s 2-Day Hack and Dressage Supreme was held on July 27-28 at the Cannonvalley Pony Club, it was a triumph, offering an exciting weekend for both riders and spectators. Competitors from Townsville to Mackay gathered to showcase their skills over two days. The annual Dressage & Hack Supreme featured dressage classes from Prep to Medium, with the addition of Saturday morning hack/show horse classes for the first time in several years. The overall champions for the wee
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BOWEN, QLD – The Bowen Polocrosse Club marked its 35th anniversary with a successful annual carnival over the weekend, attracting teams from all over Queensland. Players from Tara, Tansey, Roma, Emerald, Alton Downs, Nebo, and even Alice Springs joined the northern zone teams of Pyramid, Townsville, Lower Burdekin, and Bowen to compete for prizes generously provided by sponsors. The event featured A, B, and C grade competitions, along with junior and mini led teams, showcasing the talent and com
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On Tuesday afternoon, we welcomed Jeff Paini from Albury Wodonga Bowls Club and Allan Leach, who, along with his wife Kerry, recently returned from over three years working on Norfolk Island. They are now exploring Australia aboard their boat, Tokyo Joe, with a stop at Airlie Beach. Jeff and Allan showcased their skills with a dominant 35-14 win in the pairs competition. In other news, our Ladies A Pairs team, fresh off their district championship win, is now heading to the zone finals. We wish
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Sunday, July 21st In the latest social bowls matches, the teams were: • Tracey, Wendy, and Tiarna defeated Eddy, Frank, and Gavin. • Gary, Karen, and Jane won against Sue, Shane, and Daryl. • Allen, Rob, and Steve emerged victorious over Peter, Ray, and Ron. Wednesday, July 24th The Wednesday games saw the following results: • Ron and Daryl triumphed over L. Brunker and Gordo. • Peter B, Ray, and Steve defeated Marion, Frank, and Helen. • Britt, Jill, and Jane won against
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Scott Kinnear braved the freezing conditions of Victoria to compete in the Australian Blind Bowlers Event, and his remarkable performance earned him the Gold in his section. Despite competing with an injury that would have sidelined many, Scott’s achievement is truly commendable. Club Championship Singles Semi-Finals On Saturday morning, the semi-finals of the Club Championship Singles were held at the Bowls Club. Michael Kinnear defeated Barry Saroglia with a decisive score of 26-8. Shane Kinne
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Steve Lucas won Tuesday's competition with 39 stableford points, narrowly beating Trevor Paroz. Helen Deighton claimed the ladies' division with 36 points, four ahead of Nicole Cooper. Pins went to Nicola Apruzzese, Trevor Paroz, and Christopher Waring. Ann Gardel Wins Wednesday's Ladies' Competition Ann Gardel topped Wednesday's ladies' competition with 34 points, just ahead of Lyn Muller. Pins were awarded to Elspeth Scotford and Genia Sarafian. Owen Clarke Takes Thursday's Title Owen Clarke e
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On Tuesday, July 23rd, 23 dedicated players braved an early start and travelled to Home Hill for the Whitsunday Group game. Despite the forecasted chilly morning, the day soon warmed up, though a brisk and blustery breeze presented an additional challenge. The dome-shaped greens added extra difficulty, with the wind making it even harder to keep the ball on target. Despite these challenges, several players delivered commendable performances. The dome-shaped greens proved tricky, with balls often
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The weekly 9-hole stableford competition saw Glenn Rees claim first place with 23 points. Dee Norman secured second place with 19 points on countback, while Donna Henderson finished third with 19 points. Braydon Nicholls Tops Friday's 9-Hole Stableford In Friday's 9-hole stableford, Braydon Nicholls took first place with 21 points. Donna Henderson placed second with 19 points, and Michael Bond came in third with 18 points. Tyson Flavel Triumphs in July's Monthly Medal Sunday's monthly medal for
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This past weekend, the Airlie Beach Triathlon witnessed remarkable performances from our local athletes. Among the competitors were Don Algie, Lucas Korosec, Roxie Groom, Zane Clayworth, Matilda Nicholes, and Penelope Shields. Demonstrating their determination, Don Algie and Lucas Korosec both secured third place in their respective age divisions, marking a significant achievement for the duo. Don Algie also went on to secure second place in the 350m Open Water Swim. Millie Groom delivered an ou
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Located on the beautiful Bogie River, situated between Bowen and Collinsville is Normanby Road Nature Bush Camp, a vibrant country venue which is set to host an event for all ages this Saturday 3 August. Country Hoedown is a cash only special event for all to enjoy, with affordable prices, games, activities, live music, dancing, food and BYO alcohol. Games will entertain young ones for hours and include tug-o-war, sack races, Jenga and other campsite games. Normanby Road Nature Bush Camp has
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Last Friday, students from nine schools across the region gathered at Glenfields Park in Glenella to plant 1,500 trees. The community continued the effort on Sunday, planting an additional 1,500 trees as part of National Tree Day. Residents were invited to roll up their sleeves and help plant trees as part of the council’s National Tree Day event, held at Glenfields Park on Wheeler Drive in Glenella.
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I often find myself grappling with the duality of my nature: balancing a career driven by stringent deadlines with an innate penchant for procrastination. I suppose you could say I thrive under pressure—like a diamond, I like to think I shimmer in the most challenging moments. Though, last week, I finally ‘did a thing’ that’s been on my to-do list for years: I registered to become a tissue and organ donor. In New Zealand, where I grew up, this process is simple and straightforward. You opt in wh
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Mackay Central State School recently received a kind contribution from Councillor Alison Jones of the Mackay Regional Council. Her generous donation of seeds, grown and preserved from her own garden has significantly enriched the school's new Seed Library. This initiative was originally noticed by Mackay Regional Council Libraries, where a selection of seeds are made available at various regional locations for community members to borrow seeds instead of books, to promote a love for gardenin
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In a surprise announcement made last week, Julieanne Gilbert, the Member for Mackay, announced that she will not be contesting the upcoming State election in October. Mrs Gilbert said that it has been an honour to represent Mackay in State Parliament. “The world has changed immensely during this time, increased use of social media, the global pandemic and now we are combating the global cost of living pressures. I have loved working in our community. “I have decided that it is time fo
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The community came together in force this year to support the Crossroad Arts’ Annual Giving Program, smashing this year’s target of $17,500 out of the park. The final tally included a generous $5,000 donation of matched funds from Golding as the 2024 Crossroad Arts Community Champion, Golding generously matched community donations $1 for $1 up to $5,000. Last week the Crossroad Arts team and Ambassador Georgia Knoll visited a local Golding civil engineering infrastructure project for a behin
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Mayor Greg Williamson said Mackay residents were treated to a welcome, and a level of hospitality, that was second to none whenever they visited Matsuura. “Our sister city relationship has remained strong since its inception in 1989, but the people of Matsuura are just tremendous – they welcome us with open arms, invite us into their homes and share beautiful meals with us,” Mayor Williamson said. Planning is currently underway for the first citizen's tour of our Japanese sister city since Decem
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Digital marketing agency Rebel Nation opened Expressions of Interest earlier this week for The Rebellion – a marketing mentoring and coaching membership tailored to regional businesses and markets. The Rebellion will commence with a founding membership – which is an early round available only to local organisations – with a discounted price. To be eligible for the founding membership round, an EOI must be submitted by August 16. Rebel Nation Director Jade McAuley said the membership would bri
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Final restoration works, including minor pavement and concrete repairs, have started on Mackay–Eungella Road. Further significant repair works have commenced this month (July 2024) on the Eungella Range section of Mackay–Eungella Road, including the construction of a 62-metre-long, 2.4-metre high concrete sleeper wall at the base of the slope to provide protection from rock falls. High tensile mesh and soil nails will be installed over two areas, and shotcrete will be applied to the water flo
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Yesterday, the highly anticipated GCCM Gold Coast Mackay Yacht Race was set to begin, attracting 29 boats from South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. Among the entrants is the impressive 72-foot Antipodes, registered to the Royal Yacht Club of Hong Kong, and the largest entry, the 100-foot super maxi Wild Thing 100. The race also features the beautifully restored 1904 timber classic, the 33-foot Maritimo Katwinchar. The official Skippers Briefing took place earlier during t
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William Baker was an adventurous, headstrong rule breaker; he also had a big and incredibly kind heart. Like most teenage boys, he thought he was bulletproof and immortal, mum Kim Baker said. The Baker family’s world fell apart when William tragically lost his life in 2022 following a serious traffic crash involving a van and motorbike at Blacks Beach. Two years on, her grief still very raw, Kim said she finds comfort knowing that Will’s heart, lungs, liver and kidneys were donated to help sa
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Member for Whitsunday, Amanda Camm has recently voiced concerns about the ‘unacceptable’ state of healthcare in the region, particularly focusing on staff turnover rates and the pressures faced by local hospitals and staff. Ms Camm highlighted what she sees as a concerning trend at the Mackay Hospital and Health Service, attributing to the rise in staff turnover rates under the management of the Labor Government. “We’ve seen an increase over the last four years under this current term of Lab
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Kelly Cartwright OAM is a gold medal-winning Paralympic athlete who has found success as a 100m sprinter, long jumper and more recently as a powerlifter. Dr. Brendan Burkett OAM is an Australian swimmer who won five medals at four Paralympics and was the Opening Ceremony flag bearer in Sydney 2000. These legends of the sporting world will be the keynote speakers at council’s 2024 Accessible Active Living Seminar on Friday, August 16, at Harrup Park Country Club. Running across two sessions, this
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To celebrate a decade of waterway health and data, Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership showcased a vibrant display of river-themed artwork last Thursday, on July 25th. The event was launched as part of the Mackay Festival of Arts ‘Submerged in Our Region’ exhibition which was held at Gallery 31 at CQUniversity’s Mackay City campus. Partnership Chair, Charlie Morgan, said the achievement was significant. “That is 10 years of community, 10 years of data, and 10 years of collaboration with like
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Health practitioners learned how to put a spin on traditional exercises for brain injury and rehabilitation patients at a dance program information session with Queensland Ballet last week. Allied health, orthopaedic, neurological, rehabilitation and geriatric clinicians were invited to attend one of two modified dance sessions held at Mackay Base Hospital to understand how ballet can support their patient’s health and wellbeing. The specially designed dance rehabilitation programs, offered by
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