An aerial search mission has ended in tragedy after a young couple were found deceased in the wreckage of a light aircraft earlier this week. The Piper Cherokee aircraft was reported missing around 6:30pm, Sunday, April 2 when it failed to land as expected at Bloomsbury’s Lakeside Airpark.
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Last month, Mackay Life reported on teacher Mohamed Johnson-Kanu requesting school supplies to send to impoverished schools in his home country of Sierra Leone. Contacting primary and secondary schools throughout the region, as well as Mackay Regional Council, he is requesting the donation of supplies such as textbooks, novels, furniture, computers, filing cabinets and other resources.
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Mackay Base Hospital staff were touched by positive support from parents Hannah and Andrew Farrar, who had been through a “rollercoaster pregnancy”. The couple’s twins, Mackenzie Rae and Vincent Brent Farrar, were born almost two weeks ago at the local hospital, arriving just ahead of their due date at 37.5 weeks.
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You may or may not have heard that WA band Spacey Jane are heading our way in June. The indie rockers seemingly came out of nowhere, developing a sound that saw them become arguably the biggest band in Australia. I was surprised and excited when I saw Mackay on their regional tour. It’s surely got to be one of the bigger contemporary acts to come north since I’ve lived here, and I think it will be a fun and important night for Mackay music.
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A key group of local youth sector stakeholders set out to have conversations with 1,000 youth, aged 10 to 21, to find out how they feel about living in the Mackay region and what they would like to see change. Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson, who was at Teen Shed Mackay earlier this week to launch the product of those conversations, the YOL1000 report (Youth Out Loud) – congratulated the project team on engaging with so many of our region’s young people.
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A Mackay school student has returned from Western Australia with a gold medal after succeeding at the 2023 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships. Nate McKinnon, a year 9 student at Whitsunday Anglican School, finished first in the U14 Male division on the weekend of March 25-26. The achievement is the result of many hours of study and training, making Nate the first national gold medallist from the Eimeo Surf Lifesaving Club and region.
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The Greater Whitsunday Council of Mayors Suicide Prevention Taskforce has unveiled an innovative community-led suicide prevention model aimed at improving mental health care in the Greater Whitsunday region. The Pathways Connect model is designed to work in alignment with all existing services, community groups and initiatives within the region.
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Banks across the region had staff dress up in colourful clown props last week to raise funds for an important cause. Clown Doctors is a national program that provides highly trained, professional “medical clowns” to help uplift the spirits of sick kids by delivering doses of laughter and joy throughout hospitals. The Commonwealth Bank branches at Caneland Central, Mount Pleasant, Proserpine, Airlie Beach and Bowen rallied with CBA branches across the country to raise much needed funds for Smile
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When Nanyima Aged Care invited residents to “make a wish”, Colleen and Ken Walker suggested fish and chips on the beach. The local pair, who met at a Friday night dance as teenagers, have long loved the beach. “My parents had a beach house, and we were down there all the time,” said Colleen. “At that age, all the young ones were at the beach of a weekend. “It’s just a lovely place with lovely people.”
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Schools across the region are now more informed about the hazards of screen time addiction, ‘sextortion’ and other digital dangers that are impacting the well-being of children. The Australian Institute of Family Studies found that children between four and five average more than two hours of screen time per day.
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Vehicles have been clamped and seized in the latest attempt by the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) to recover outstanding fines. SPER’s field enforcement officers recovered more than $400,000 in unpaid fines and penalties from debtors across Mackay and payment plan commitments of a further $1.8 million. SPER Enforcement Director Kim Easton said the operation resulted in the seizure of 21 vehicles. “SPER officers clamped and seized vehicles from Mackay and the surrounding areas, inclu
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Australia’s newest airline’s newest twice weekly flight from Cairns to Mackay touched down in the Sugar City on Wednesday last week. Customers onboard the low-cost Bonza Airline connection were both travelling for holidays and to visit friends and family. According to Bonza CEO Tim Jordan the airline’s newest flight path embodies the company’s goal: changing behaviours of travellers by making air travel accessible to the many, not the few.
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It’s been almost four weeks since one-year-old Amity Buchanan ingested a button battery which became lodged in her throat, causing metal shards to come dangerously close to her aorta and boring an eight-centimetre burn into her oesophagus. She was lucky to survive and since then, her parents have been on a rollercoaster ride of emergency airlifts, surgery, scans, scopes and medical appointments.
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A young Sarina boy had a lucky escape following a sudden encounter with a snake outside his school on the last day of term. Last Friday, four-year-old Izaiah was running to the school gates with his older brother, Oden, when a snake wrapped around his leg before darting off to hide under a nearby parked car. His mum, Katherine, feared the worst when she heard a terrible scream.
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Mackay motorists are advised to take extra care on the roads over the Easter holidays to ensure everyone in the family returns home safely to loved ones. To assist in initiating this important safety advice, Queensland Police Service (QPS) Acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Stream has joined forces with Emergency Services to launch the Easter Road Safety campaign.
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After plenty of hype and rehearsal, seven Mackay identities showed off their moves at Mackay Hospital Foundation’s Dancing with Heart last Friday, and they didn’t hold back. With funds still being tallied, at least $50,000 was raised for the Mackay Hospital Foundation throughout the event.
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A three-day Innovative Grazing Forum will once again attract attendees and exhibitors from across the state. The Grazing Forum is a one-of-a-kind event in the Mackay Region, with innovative ideas and methodologies to enhance grazing practice at the core of its program. Celebrating its 10th year, the forum boasts notable industry speakers, stallholders, two practical on-site field days and plenty of networking time.
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A local retirement village is realising the health benefits of encouraging residents to join together and walk their dogs in its safe and familiar environment. A group of 11 dogs and their owners all enjoy going for walks around Breezes Retirement Village each day. From a cute Dachshund to a Miniature Fox Terrier, a Toy Poodle to a Maltese Shih Tzu cross and Terrier Mix, there are plenty of breeds – and fast friendships are formed both between pets and their owners.
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The variety of adrenaline-pumping challenges in multisport adventure racing has seen the concept skyrocket in popularity around the world. Adventure racing can include mountain biking, kayaking, road cycling, trail running and orienteering, and Mackay’s ZACH MACH Adventure Challenge involves them all. “Being able to work as a team across many sporting disciplines rather than the emphasis being on individual achievement is what attracts many people to adventure racing,” said Event Director Nikki
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Easter time is now in full swing and I would like to disturb your peace by raising a contentious opinion. Hot cross buns are not good. Now, hear me out. There are alternative types that can be made into something yummy, but the humble traditional fruit hot cross bun is not even good.
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Following an 11-month trial period, a brand-new Freight Distribution Centre was officially opened at Whitsunday Coast Airport on Monday.The new service will transport high-yield perishable produce such as seafood, fruit, and vegetables to major urban centres such as Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane.
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St Patrick’s College has a long history of offering excellence in schooling and is a Catholic Coeducational College in the Diocese of Rockhampton catering for Years 7 to 12. Families looking for a quality secondary education in Mackay are invited to attend the St Patrick’s College Mackay Open Night being held on Tuesday 2 May at the Mercy Campus in Penn Street, Mackay from 4.00pm to 7.00pm.
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If you want to find a terrific way to waste time, get on to TikTok. Download the app and get started wasting as much time as you want. The Chinese Government is watching and storing information about you but who cares? Those short, clever videos will cater to your interests and keep you mindlessly entertained for hours … if you let it. I have a TikTok time-frame and time-limit to ensure it doesn’t take over my life but I do get to watch health, fitness, food, real estate, politics and sport-rela
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The population of Indian Myna birds has grown significantly over the past few years and many locals are concerned about the impact this invasive pest is having on native wildlife.
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I have long argued, that in many cases, the answer to that question is “no”. As a council we apply for grants for many reasons. In some cases, it assists in the delivery of essential items. It is the “other cases” I wish to speak about.
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