A fun family afternoon has been prepared as Crediton Provisional School and Crediton Hall Recreation Club celebrates an amazing milestone of 80 years in operation. The event is on 18th November, starting at 12pm and running until late. CHRC is providing a delicious spread of roast beef or pulled pork and gravy rolls, a celebration cake for dessert, as well as a tea and coffee station. Attendees are encouraged to bring a plate of nibblies to share, and are reminded that the event is BYO for drink
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OPINION PIECE Thirty years ago, I had a young officer in the Airforce who was both loved and respected by all of us under his command. He rode his motorbike with us “enlisted” airmen on the weekends. He called us by our nicknames, and we called him by his. But on base he called us by our last names, and we called him “Sir”. If we did something unsafe or were late for work more than once, he would give us a fair dinkum warning or we would be charged. We didn’t want to let him down because we k
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Mackay Choral Society is proud to present its newest production, A Glorious Christmas taking place 11th and 12th November at 3pm. The two concerts will comprise of choruses from Handel's Messiah and traditional Christmas Carols, conducted by Kevin Field, a world class conductor currently based at the Bentley Music Academy, Malaysia. The Society will also bring two professional soloists, Jo Burton and Paul McMahon, to perform beside their own renowned soprano, Nicole Thomson. The two concer
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Carmen Bennett is a teacher with twenty-five years of experience as an educator, with a focus to empower others to learn, develop and succeed through her MindSpace Learning classes. Ms Bennett accepts students of all ages, although is currently offering a free 6 week Mindfulness Program through Term Four, targeted at teens aged 13 to 16 years old with many activities on offer: Week 1 - Mindfulness for stress and sleep - Breathing, meditation, create an essential oil roller Week 2 - Mindful mov
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Friday 3 November Public Art Walk First Friday of every month from 4:30pm This city art walk begins at Artspace Mackay and takes you through the city centre. Along the way, participants will learn about Mackay’s iconic public art installations and the local, and internationally-acclaimed artists who created them. | Free entry for all ages. Artspace Mackay Friday Night Live Music Every Friday from 5pm Join us on Friday’s from 5pm for live music from our local favourites, good food and great co
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Melbourne Cup falls on Tuesday, 7th November. With a range of events planned around the city, you can enjoy a delicious meal, live music and entertainment all while supporting your favourite local establishments. All venues are offering a chance to watch the Melbourne Cup 2023 on the big screen, some with on-site TAB facilities. Don’t miss out on a day of sheer elegance and excitement – with the race that stops the nation! Souths Leagues Club From 10am. The Milton Room Luncheon - $15 per perso
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Bush Heli Services Bush Heli Services took home the silver for the ‘Tour and Transport Operators’ category in the Mackay Isaac Regional Tourism Awards for 2023. Bush Heli Services was established in Clermont back in 2011 by Jamie and Mardi Bush. With Jamie as the sole pilot operator, the main aim for the duo has been to provide quality aerial work services in the safest, most efficient manner to the agricultural, mining and charter-flight industries. The business started by offering an aerial
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The Hunter Valley couple whose wedding day turned to tragedy when 10 of their wedding guests were killed in a devastating bus crash have just returned from a quiet, belated honeymoon in the Whitsundays, thanks to a kind community member and several local businesses.Maddy and Mitchell Gaffney spent the last six months grieving the loss of their loved ones, attending funerals and processing everything that happened on that fateful day. Wishing to help ease the pain, a local lady took it upon herse
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Hi all! Rach has given me the absolute pleasure of writing this week’s Editor’s Note, so here we are.This week has been a bit of a whirlwind, so I thought I’d share it with you.
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The world's most beloved children's entertainment group, The Wiggles, are thrilled to announce their brand new live show, WIGGLY BIG DAY OUT! Tour, proudly presented by Huggies. This spectacular event will treat families to an enchanting carnival-inspired extravaganza, as The Wiggles perform live to the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (MECC). Promising a festive day filled with music, dancing, and laughter for the whole family, audiences can expect an unforgettable event filled with
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The Sarina Rugby League Club and the Sarina Neighbourhood Centre are hosting a free “Happy As” barbecue and mini expo to celebrate Men’s Health Awareness Month (Movember). The event, to be held at the Sarina Sporting and Services Club beer garden this Saturday (November 4), from noon to 2pm, will be a great social event with a positive health and wellbeing theme. There will be live music, random lucky door prizes, ten cars on show from the Mackay Vintage Car Club and various expo displays from l
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The invaluable Whitsunday Lions have celebrated another great period of success, helping and supporting local community groups and organisations, with a social barbeque and a game of social bowls, at the Airlie Beach Bowls Club.
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Mackay’s emerging cricket all-rounder Jack Law has been named Player of the North Queensland Cricket Alliance Under 15 Championships. The talented Brothers junior produced stand out performances with bat and ball to help the Mackay-Whitsunday team finish second overall at the recent representative carnival staged at Harrup Park. All conquering North Queensland claimed the title, winning all three matches with Townsville young gun Hunter Brischetto leading the way. Playing on his home turf, t
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A stray grassfire shut down the Bruce Highway near Gregory River, between Bowen and Proserpine last Saturday afternoon, leaving the region splintered for hours. With Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) battling the blaze from midday on Saturday, all lanes on the Bruce Highway were closed until 9pm that evening.
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In an exciting development, the Mackay Cutters have secured a significant two-year affiliate club agreement with the North Queensland Cowboys. This partnership is set to bolster the pathway from Hostplus Cup and BMD competitions to the coveted NRL and NRLW, providing our region's budding talents with a clear route to the top. This agreement will see half of the Cowboys NRL squad allocated to the Cutters, with players not selected to play NRL will be eligible to play for the Cutters. Cutters H
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A young Whitsunday local who sadly lost his battle with brain cancer last year has been remembered as part of a national initiative through Coles Supermarket to raise money for Hummingbird House.Cody Gibbs spent his last days at Hummingbird House, a palliative care support service which helps create memorable moments for families, allowing them to make the most of their time together.
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Across Airlie Beach, Cannonvale and Proserpine, there are now 16 more trained suicide prevention experts. Undertaking the free training at Proserpine Community Centre, facilitated by Ross Romeo from Community Response to Eliminating Suicide (CORES), 16 community members are prepared and ready to intervene when they encounter an individual they believe to be suicidal. “This is a community focussed, non-clinical training,” explained Ross.
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When schoolboy volleyball rookies Joshua Venz and Tage Guzowski took to the court for the first time earlier this year, they didn’t envisage the boom times ahead. The promising duo were identified as natural talents when St Patrick’s College assembled a squad for the local Mackay Secondary Schools Volleyball competition. With passing hitter Venz and middle blocker Guzowski leading the way, the raw-boned St Patrick’s Open Boys team discovered their groove with skilful performances against more s
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The highly anticipated upgrades to the Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) Whitsundays have started, with scaffolding erected around the property. “We’ve been working on this for four years, and it’s all coming to fruition,” VMW Whitsundays President, Mal Priday said. “We are expanding the operation, giving us room to train, hold meetings, and grow as a community asset.
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Flourishing into a haven for creatives, Whitsunday Social Craft Group and Boomerang Bags has blossomed over the last three years. Tina Everett, who started the group, did so with a desire to bring fellow crafters in the community together.“This is such a transient area, so you get lonely and sort of get stuck in your own thing at home crafting,” explained Tina.
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Central Queensland claimed bragging rights in their recent North Queensland Men’s Open Zone Cricket championship duels with Mackay-Whitsunday in Rockhampton. Joe McGahan’s Central outfit were triumphant in both the limited overs and Twenty20 fixtures staged at Rockhampton Cricket Ground with spinner Logan Whitfield stamping his mark. On a dicey wicket the Central Queensland X1 recorded a narrow 12-run victory in the one-day clash with the wily Whitfield proving the hero. The spinner snared
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Celebrating Queensland Seniors Month, Bowen Uniting Church and BlueCare have joined forces and held their Seniors Expo and Morning Tea. Seeing over 90 people attend the Expo, with 16 providers setting up information stalls, the day was a massive success for organises and the local Bowen community.
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The Mackay Road Runners have commenced their annual off-season informal training program, in honour of Shawn Claydon who passed away from pancreatic cancer over five years ago. Shawn’s dedication to running and the support of the club, as well as coaching many athletes in the region knew no bounds. The program runs from October through to February every year. Funds leftover at the end of the program will be donated to Pancare, an organisation supporting sufferers like Shawn and their famili
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It was no surprise that Ocean Rafting’s Environmental Manager, James Unsworth, won the Young Achiever of the Year Award at the Whitsunday Tourism Awards recently, but the humble environmental ambassador had kept his nomination quiet, so no-one expected him to take out the top gong.
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The new Bowen calendar is now on sale at the Bowen Visitor Information Centre next to the Big Mango, and at several outlets around the town.The calendar features photos of Bowen’s beautiful beaches, bays, seafood, and fishing spots.The calendar has been produced by Bowen Tourism and Business (BTB) for the second year in a row.
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