Issue #

School Holiday Guide

Event Guide

Special Cat Finds Special Home

Three-year-old Ron has become the first cat in Mackay to be rehomed by RSPCA Queensland’s Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) rehoming program.Ron will spend his Christmas in the care of his new loving family after being adopted earlier this week.

Festival Brings World-Class Musos To Eungella

World class musos brought locals together at the Eungella Community Hall over the weekend, as part of the Festival of Small Halls Summer 2022 Tour.Festival of Small Halls features folk-pop songwriter Sam Buckingham from northern New South Wales and young traditional-folk trio Inn Echo from Canada, while they tour small communities up the east coast of Queensland.

A New Flag For An Independent Nation

A Mackay resident has designed and created a potential alternative to the current Australian flag that she says encompasses all current flags.Valerie Christiansen says she got her creative genes from her father who designed, planned and built houses.“He was very good at designing plans, he sat in his office forever designing plans and building houses,” she said.“I think I got the talent from him to design.”

Family Fun At Parkside

School holidays kicked off with a bang at Parkside Plaza last Saturday. Visitors of all ages were treated to face painting, a petting zoo, games and prizes, with HitFM broadcasting live from the plaza and businesses like Baskin Robbins and Active Blends getting on board with activities and specials.‍

Local Artist Among Best In Queensland

A budding Mackay artist is one of thirty Year 12 students across Queensland to have been crowned winners of the 2022 Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art. Whitsunday Anglican School (WAS) student Alexandra Clifford was recognised for her Collagraph Triptych piece titled ‘Disguised in the Dark’ which was inspired by an excursion to Cape Hillsborough National Park.

MARATHON MAN

“If I can inspire someone to get out of the door and run, then that’s pretty special.”His goal was to run one marathon, but fate had a different set of plans for Kay Nyenuh.This December, Kay completed his sixth marathon in six months, including the world’s largest marathon in New York City a month prior.It all started with a desire to run the Gold Coast Marathon, but COVID-19 restrictions put a spanner in the works.

QRL Remembers Rugby League Legend

Tributes have flown following the passing of Mackay rugby league legend Mick ‘Wombat’ Aprile last month. A tough second row forward who always made 50 tackles a game, Mick played first grade for Mackay Brothers from 1963 until he retired as a player in 1971, winning premierships with the club in 1967 and 1970.

World Cup Star Re-Signs With The Cutters

Mackay Cutters Hooker Kyle Schneider has re-signed with the club following a terrific 2022 season that led to his representative debut for Scotland in the Rugby League World Cup.

Oztag Refs Recognised

As the 2022 Oztag season came to a close last Wednesday, two of Mackay’s stalwarts were recognised for their contributions to the game by Oztag Queensland.Referee Courtney Gordon was awarded 2022 Female Referee Of The Year and Head Referee Damien Horwell was nominated for his service to the game.

Camilleri Scoops Leading Player Award

The crew that makes Tuesday morning table tennis such a success was thanked for their efforts at the fixture’s annual presentation lunch at Harrup Park.Iris Grasso, Pam Joyce and Donna Abbott run the fixtures, while Tony Bowman is in the background collating results, organizing the annual car raffle and helping run the annual championships.

WAS Claim Volleyball Gold

The year 12 Whitsunday Anglican School (WAS) girls volleyball team have claimed division 3 gold after a week of competition at the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup on the Gold Coast last week.

On The Greens At Goosies

Monday - mixed pairs draw was won by Bill. McCurry and Peter Rintoul. Second draw winners were Paul Goldston and Doug. Dungavell and third draw winners were Lyn Maguire and Peter Crawford.

St Patrick’s College Rugby League Class Of 2023 Are Hungry For Success

When the St Patrick’s College Mackay boys and girls rugby league teams saddle up for their respective campaigns in 2023 they’ll both be motivated by a common desire. Acquiring silverware has become second nature to this proud school with a rich sporting history, and after three runners up achievements this season the rugby league cohort will be athletes on a mission.

Summer Series At The Grove

Mackay Road Runners off-season informal 5km and 10km training events are held every Sunday afternoon at 5:30pm from a varying location around the city. The northside is currently the go, where nearly thirty runners tested themselves for a single 5km loop or two loops for 10 kilometres on Sunday.

Clay Bauman Wins Election By 20 Votes

After a tight election race, which came down to preferences and a close count of postal votes on Tuesday this week, Clay Bauman was officially declared Councillor of the Division 2 Seat on Wednesday morning.

Editor's Note

Hi Everyone,Writing stories read by thousands of people each week is a great privilege, but in the words of Spiderman’s uncle – is also a great responsibility.This week I learnt this firsthand when I accidentally assumed something about a person and wrote a story which inadvertently offended a reader.At Whitsunday Life, we are grateful that many people trust us with their stories and allow us to transfer their experiences into words so that we can share it with the community.

A Bloomin’ Mistake

When local real estate agent Sarah Nutley returned from a family dinner late one evening she saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for her on her doorstep.“I thought I had a secret admirer!” said Sarah.

Two Survive Bowen Rollover

Two men in their twenties are lucky to be alive after the vehicle they were travelling in rolled over on Mount Danger Road in Bowen over the weekend.

Affordable Housing – Can We Find The Sweet Spot?

With federal and state government focusing resources on assisting with urgent social housing needs and developers prioritising financial return on high yielding projects, local experts believe mid to low range affordable housing is “falling through the cracks”.

$7M Bowen Hospital Medical Imaging Wing Opens

Bowen Hospital’s $7 million Renal Unit and Medical Imaging expansion officially opened last weekend after 20 months of construction.The major project saw the addition of a new, comprehensive hospital wing which now houses a range of services including a CT scanner - ending the need for Bowen patients to travel to Proserpine or further for important medical scans.

Council Announces New CEO

A new Chief Executive Officer, who formerly specialised in environmental sustainability, growth management and capital works programs, has been announced by the Whitsunday Regional Council this week.

Bowen Nature Sign Smashed By Vandal

A colourful sign depicting the different flora and fauna that can be seen in the local area has been damaged by upwards of 30 strikes made by a sharp metal object that eventually led to the offender piercing and ripping the Council-owned metal road sign.

The Big Mango Gets Ripe For Christmas

Bowen’s iconic Big Mango has received a fresh lick of paint to ensure it looks ripe and delicious for Christmas and the festive season.The 10-metre mango was built in 2002 at a cost of $90,000 and has become a tourist attraction for countless visitors ever since.