Amidst a nationwide homeless crisis that has taken a crippling toll, the Mackay region is battling a worsening housing struggle. In the wake of the Greater Whitsunday Housing Summit, Regional Development Australia Greater Whitsundays (RDA GW) has emerged as a pioneering force, leading the charge in supporting the Greater Whitsundays Housing Alliance. Informed by insights from the Urbis Housing Research report and the Urbis Greater Whitsundays Region Housing Playbook, Robert Cocco, CEO of RDA GW
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An exciting new website has been launched encouraging people to “Discover Mackay”, promoting Mackay as the ultimate destination to live, work, invest and explore. Mayor Greg Williamson said the website extended on council’s existing Discover Mackay promotion, with a special emphasis on investing and working in our region. “The four key features of the website aim to encourage visitors to discover exactly what they will find if they choose to visit or make Mackay their home,” Mayor Williamson sai
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As the day of bad dad jokes approaches, Porters Mitre 10 is celebrating amazing dads and their little helpers. From tackling big DIY projects like building a cubbyhouse to those weekends wandering through Porters with your youngest in tow, bombarding you with "what's that?" a gazillion times – a father figure holds a special place in all our lives. But let's face it, Father's Day isn't just about applauding our dads for their lightbulb-changing skills and heroic spider rescues; it’s about appre
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Amidst the maritime currents that link trade and opportunity, North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) welcomes Brendan Webb as its new Chief Executive Officer. With a seasoned background in ports, commercial leadership, and a commitment to North Queensland, his return sets a course for sustainable port trade and economic growth. NQBP Chair Jane McTaggart said the Board has welcomed Mr Webb, who is currently the CEO of Ports Victoria, back to NQBP and back to Queensland. “As a government-
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A successful ‘Save Glenden’ campaign has secured the mining town’s future after a fast-tracked piece of amended legislation passed in Queensland Parliament last week. Isaac Regional Council Mayor Anne Baker led a small contingent in Brisbane to witness the historic moment alongside long-term Glenden resident Milissa Phillips-Payne. “The future of Glenden has now been enshrined in law with the changes to the Mineral Resources Act ensuring that the community will continue to thrive,” Mayor Bake
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High school students have the world at their feet and as ambitions begin to soar, so too can the cost of education. Whilst scholarships provide fantastic financial support, Sarina local Josie Dahtler discovered that they can also be a catalyst for a bright future, receiving the first ever Community Bank Sarina Bendigo Bank Senior Schooling Scholarship at Sarina State High School (SSHS) in 2017. The former SSHS student has always been a strong believer in ‘giving it a shot’, saying she applied
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This year’s Clean Up, Mackay Region has seen an increase in volunteers, with 124 people collecting close to three tonnes of litter at nine sites across the region. Mayor Greg Williamson said it was the loyal volunteers who kept these events running, year after year. “We would like to thank everyone for taking the time to help keep our region beautiful,” Mayor Williamson said. “As pledged, this year council will plant five native plants either as street trees or revegetation, for each of these vo
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Join Mackay's Stitching Circles Workshop Zonta International District 22 Ltd. welcomes you to a hands-on Stitching Circles workshop led by Jane Milburn, OAM, at Mackay's Jubilee Community Centre. This three-hour session introduces the art of hand stitching for mending, enhancing, and upcycling clothing, breathing new life into your wardrobe with a touch of creativity. The process of stitching by hand can enable you to relax, feel resourceful and become more self-reliant by regenerating your ward
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A petting zoo, free sausage sizzle, four face painters, glitter tattoos and three jumping castles will ensure this year’s Party in the Park will keep young families entertained. The party will be at Queens Park (oval 1) on Wednesday, September 6, from 9am to 11.30am. Mayor Greg Williamson said the free morning would showcase the tremendous children’s services and organisations Mackay had to offer for children aged up to six. “This fantastic event is an initiative of council’s Community Programs
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Mackay To Welcome Back Australian Chamber Orchestra Classical music lovers are thrilled to hear the Australian Chamber Orchestra is returning to Mackay this September, alongside Australia’s most talented emerging string players. Led by renowned British violinist, Matthew Truscott, a frequent performer on the world’s most celebrated concert hall stages, the performance Ecstatic Dances will include music from Stravinsky’s iconic ballet Petrushka, and Bartok’s Divertimento for string orchestra. T
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After a period of relative calm, the sugar market has come to life with the focus on where the sugar is going to come from in the New Year. Unofficial reports that India will be banning any sugar exports and the Thai crop continuing to suffer under a poor monsoon leaves Australia in the box seat. The dream Brazilian harvest continues with weather, ATR and sugar mix combining to keep analysts revising up the final sugar tonnage. However, even with the record Brazilian production, upwards of 39M t
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By Kevin Borg, Chairman, CANEGROWERS Mackay It has been very positive to see community consultation opened on the proposed State Development Area of 1019 ha at Rosella and Racecourse. It’s another stepping-stone towards the establishment of a sugarcane-based biocommodities industry for the region. The bio-commodities proposed for Mackay, around sustainable aviation fuels and plant-based milk/egg substitute protein manufacturing offer great opportunity not just for the sugar industry, but for our
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Helmets are on, engines are revving, and the dusty ground is about to shake when over 400 bikes, buggies, and trophy trucks take on the Don River Dash next weekend.Now in its 5th year, this popular offroad race is now commonly considered to be in the top three races of its kind in Australia, alongside the Finke and the Hattah.
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From working on mine sites whilst juggling the challenge of external study, Patrick Doig has paved the way towards his future. The CQUniversity alumnus has built a career as a mining executive, and now with over a decade of experience, has returned to his alma mater to impart his knowledge to the future generation of mining engineers. Mr Doig recently presented a series of guest lectures to CQUniversity Engineering students who are undertaking the mine planning and design elective, giving the
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Four days of intensive discussions about the need to continually improve safety across Queensland’s resources sector wound up on the Gold Coast last week. More than 1100 delegates attended the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference (QMIHSC), the biggest annual event of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. Keynote speakers from mining and other industries have shared their knowledge and experience with different initiatives and technologies dedicated to improving the physical and
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The average vehicle is made up of more than 30,000 individual parts, most of which are hidden deep beneath the bonnet and differ slightly from brand to brand. It is not until the team at McCarthy Panel Works disassemble a vehicle and take a deeper look that they can identify and assess the true extent of damage to a vehicle. Only once this has been done can they order the necessary parts to ensure all damage is considered and repaired before getting your vehicle safely back on the road. Read on
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This Father’s Day Why not spoil dad this Father’s Day with a morning of miniature trains at Ooralea’s Muller Park? Hidden amongst the trees, miniature trains weave along miniature tracks, welcoming passengers young and old. Running once a month and on special occasions, the Mackay Society of Model Engineers is opening the amusement to the public this Father’s Day, Sunday, September 3 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Simon Hamelink will be celebrating Father’s Day with the miniature trains after growing u
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Colgate used to advertise the “ring of confidence” that its product gave the users of its toothpaste and it is something that could be applied to Mackay right now. Nothing is more important than confidence when it comes to a real estate market and there are some important indicators you can look at in order to gauge the level of confidence in a particular market. I don’t have a crystal ball and there are no 100 per cent guarantees in life but it seems to me there are plenty of key indicators tha
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OPINION PIECE Here is the blue sheep, and here is the red sheep. Here is the bath sheep, and here is the bed sheep. But where is the green sheep? If you recognise these words…and quite possibly know every single other word in this award-winning children’s book by Mem Fox…you probably have a lot to do with little people. I’m talking specifically about 0-5 year-olds. Babies are born to learn. Their brain forms more than one million connections every second and up to 90 per cent of brain developmen
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It’s Father’s Day and you know what that means? Well how can I say this nicely? Heaps, that’s what. Sunday is the day all dads in the Mackay region get to be spoiled. Really spoiled. If you’re thinking of doing something nice for your dad, but you’re unsure whether it’s great, then I’m here to tell you it’s not enough. Go harder. Go bigger. When you do that, you might get close to where you need to be. Really, what you want your dad to do is go “oh wow!” on Sunday. You want to see that big go
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A unique six-month female mentoring program that concluded in Brisbane last week, setting a new group of young Queensland women on the path to a rewarding career in the state’s resources sector. Twenty Year 12 students from 17 schools across Queensland celebrated the finale of this year’s Girls in Resources Life Skills (GIRLS) Mentoring Program, an annual initiative delivered by the Queensland Resources Council’s Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) and Women in Mining and Resources Que
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Hi Everyone,Youth crime seems to be rife at the moment, the latest incident involving a 12-year-old boy arrested for arson following a house fire in Jubilee Pocket on Tuesday afternoon.
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In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, women are not merely breaking barriers; they are architecting a new paradigm of leadership, innovation, and success. Let’s shine a spotlight on the incredible strides women continue to make in the world of business, inspiring a generation and reshaping the narrative. Historically underrepresented in boardrooms and executive suites, women have fought tenaciously to claim their rightful place in the business world. From tech moguls to sustainability
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Students from across the region enjoyed powerhouse presentations by four incredibly inspiring guest speakers sharing their career journeys in a variety of STEM fields and the opportunity to engage in virtual reality, robotics and drones. The Whitsunday STEM Challenge committee joined in National Science Week celebrations partnering with key players in the region to bring the Women in STEM event to life. Whitsunday Anglican School was one of the schools who made the most of the opportunity to
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A 12-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with one count of arson, following a suspicious fire in an unoccupied house in Jubilee Pocket, on Shute Harbour on Tuesday, August 29. Police and fire crews were alerted of the blaze at 4pm on Tuesday. One Ambulance crew also attended the scene, with Queensland Ambulance Service reporting no injuries sustained.
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