Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
This week Season to date Cane crushed 54,063 785,282 Average bin weight 3.99 3.90 CCS 14.84 13.91 Cane variety performance for region Variety % CCS Variety % CCS Q183 24.6 15.27 Q253 16.3 13.79 Q240 11.1 15.71 SRA9 14.0 15.10 Q208 17.4 14.95 SP80 2.6 14.50 KQ228 1.1 14.77 Q138 5.3 13.94 Comments: Plane Creek Mill processed just over 54,000 tonnes of cane for the week, bringing the season total to just under 785,000 tonnes. Average CCS dropped by 0.11 of a unit over the previous week, closing out
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Leaders of some of Queensland’s peak sugar industry bodies – CANEGROWERS and the Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC) – have come together to discuss the industry’s future and compare their policy positions ahead of the upcoming state election. Representing both growers and millers, the organisations had a clear message for politicians hoping to lead the state from 26 October – the sugar industry, which employs over 20,000 Queenslanders and contributes $4.4 billion to the economy, demands u
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By Sonia Ball QCAR Central District Manager At this time of the year our sugarcane farmers would normally have an end date within near sight and be looking forward to a well-earned Christmas break with their families. But that looks unlikely with all Central District mills, at the time of writing, all just nudging or just past the 50-60 per cent mark. The next couple of months will be telling and will reveal what ‘end’ scenario for the 2024 season will eventuate. Will there be standover? Thi
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Earlier this month, the 11th Annual Grazing Forum brought together a strong contingent of local graziers and industry experts to explore practical solutions and market trends for sustainable farming. This two-day event, hosted by Reef Catchments and funded by the Australian Government and Glencore Coal, continued the tradition of being one of the region’s most long-standing and significant gatherings for graziers. This year’s forum showcased a new approach, focusing on every aspect of grazing —
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Simon Hood Wilmar Manager Grower Marketing Wilmar Grower Marketing is excited to announce the launch of a new pool to help growers manage their GEI sugar price exposure in an increasingly volatile and uncertain world. The past 18 months have seen unprecedented volatility in the #11 sugar futures which has driven the AUD sugar price to historically high levels, only to rapidly plunge to new lows. Recent price fluctuations underscore the ongoing uncertainty in the sugar price outlook. We know
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Artspace Mackay is proud to present three new solo exhibitions by a trio of exciting First Nations female contemporary artists. All three artists – Jemima Wyman, Mandy Quadrio and Kate Harding – have strong links to the Mackay region and their exhibitions have been curated inhouse by the Artspace Mackay team. Jemima Wyman grew up in Mackay and now lives and works in Los Angeles, Mandy Quadrio spent 15 years living in Mackay and is now a Brisbane resident and Kate Harding is a Sarina local. May
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Review by Vicky Bobeldyk Father of three and retired court Justice Roger (Greg Webb) is turning 70 years old and has been dreaming of a lovely little party with his now grown-up family beside him and his devoted wife, Sue (Bronwyn Grannall). Quality time, some cake.. and maybe some balloons. It is a party after all. Before the children can arrive, the dynamic between Roger and Sue is already under strain as Sue laments an absent husband who prioritised work over his family, then spoiled and do
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Mackay Christian College is providing a unique hands-on learning experience for its students through a program where they build formula cars as part of their engineering traineeship. This initiative is run in collaboration with Career Employment Australia (CEA), and students not only get the chance to work on an exciting project but also earn a Certificate II in Engineering Pathways, which contributes valuable points towards their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). The program began
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My mate Greg Smith and I sat next to Anthony Albanese on a flight to Mackay about five or six years ago, soon after he was elected leader of the Federal Labor Party and leader of the Opposition. Smithy and I were coming back from a real estate conference and had been upgraded to business class. Albo had been on a “listening tour” of Queensland to try to find out why the ALP can’t win a Federal seat north of the Sunshine Coast. Smithy and I were already in our seats when the future prime minister
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As you may have heard recently my co-host Jake gave me the ultimate stitch-up and signed me up for Australian idol as a joke. I have to preface this whole story by saying, no I cannot sing, no I do not think I can sing. Do I still sing in the studio at work? Yes. To get me back for always singing badly, Jake signed me up for Australian Idol, and after a bit of organising, the next thing I knew we were off to Sydney for a live audition. Now although I’m so grateful for a free trip to Sydney and
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A celebration of community and local journalism took place last Friday evening at Ocean’s International, as clients, advertisers, and community figures gathered to commemorate significant milestones for Core Life Magazine and Mackay & Whitsunday Life. The event, which served as both a celebration and networking night, marked 13 years of Core Magazine's presence in the region and over four years of delivering Mackay & Whitsunday Life to local homes. The evening began with a speech from Rachael Sm
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Friday 18th October Catherine McAuley College Trivia Night 5.30pm Gather your friends, family or work colleagues for a fun night of trivia. Theme for the night is Adventures Around the World. Draw inspiration from cultures, sporting teams, travel experiences, international events....the ideas are endless. Trivia night ticket includes: Trivia participation, cheese platters and entry into the lucky door prize. Cost $25 per person or $200 for a table of 8. All proceeds to the event will go towar
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Hilarious comedian, Arj Barker will return to the Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre (MECC) with a hilarious brand new live stand-up show, The Mind Field performing on Saturday 16 November. Having spent more time in our country than his own, Australia’s funniest adopted Californian has come to understand our culture perhaps even better than we do ourselves. He bloody well better, mate! This funny bugger has appeared all over Aussie TV, including the original Hey Hey It’s Saturday (yep, he
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Crossroad Arts is diving into a glamorous new venture with their upcoming poolside arts fundraiser. The premiere Palm Royale Poolside Soiree, proudly supported by Principal Sponsor Mackay City Property, promises to be the year's most unique and immersive outdoor dining experience. A twilight long table experience in support of inclusive arts, based on the vintage glamour of the Palm Royale Beach Club, sprawling out under the palms on the lawns of Mackay`s iconic Memorial Pool. Live aerial merma
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The Mackay Musical Comedy Players are excited to announce their latest production, Downtown! The Mod Musical, a fun and energetic celebration of the swinging 1960s. This lively musical revue will hit the stage at Souths Leagues Club on Friday, November 8th, and Saturday, November 9th, 2024, for two groovy performances. Downtown! The Mod Musical is packed with the timeless hits that defined a generation, including favourites like “Downtown,” “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” “To Sir With Love,
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Fans across Central Queensland are rallying on social media in an energetic bid to bring Tones and I to Mackay. The excitement has led to the creation of a dedicated fan page, "Tones And I To MKY," spearheaded by Jenna from Jim's Driving School Central Queensland. This page is calling on supporters to join the movement, urging fans to comment on the pinned post, tag friends and family, and share widely to gain as much traction as possible. The frenzy began when Tones and I herself issued a c
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The Mackay Indoor Pickleball Club caters to the community’s need for an active, friendly, and social sporting environment for all age groups. To celebrate World Pickleball Day, the club gathered for a group photo in their new shirts, followed by a social event at Harrup Park Country Club. The club welcomes everyone to its indoor courts, where committee members ensure a warm and inviting atmosphere. Players proudly wear their club shirts, especially during post-game meet-ups for coffee or lunch
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It has been a busy month for the North Mackay Sinkers with their fantastic Whitehaven Beach swim followed by the MS Super Splash on Saturday, October 12th, and what a splash it was! 2024 marks the 9th Multiple Sclerosis fundraising event for the North Mackay Sinkers since 2015. It is the club’s major community event and provides an opportunity for members to support the Multiple Sclerosis Qld fundraising event while participating in their favourite sporting endeavour. This year, the event was re
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The annual Blokart Regatta took place over the weekend, kicking off on Saturday with 28 karts on the picturesque Cape Hillsborough Beach. Despite a few dropouts, the event saw a great turnout. The day began with threatening showers but turned out to be perfect for racing. Winds from the East South East at around 15 knots had most competitors using their 4M sails, while a few braved the 5.5s. Ten races were held for the performance division, and nine for production. Sunday's racing conditions
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The Mixed Fours Final was wrapped up last week at North Mackay Bowls Club, with Skip Lidia McCarthy, Ray McCarthy, Jean Schmidtke, and Allan Leyson taking home the title. They faced off against Brenda Trannore, Ivy Giddings, Wayne Trannore, and Skip Doug Giddings in a well-fought match. Congratulations to the victors.
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David Ting and Eric Goodchild finished 12th out of 22 qualify pairs in the Intermediate Pairs final at the 2024 NZ Congress. They then combined with wives Ming Ting and Debra Goodchild to come 8 out of 26 teams after 8 rounds of the Restricted Teams event. Weekly Results Monday 07 October 2024 – 2024 Mackay Congress Teams Teams A Cat 1st Cameron – Don Cameron / Jan Randall / Karin Le Roux / Adrian Lohmann 2nd Holewa – Max Holewa / Diane Holewa / Janet Hansen / Diane Morgan B Cat 1st Harris
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The Mackay Sports Foundation proudly celebrated the first-ever recipients of its travel grants with a ceremony at Harrup Park. A total of $10,900 was contributed in this round, with plans to continue supporting local athletes in their journey to achieve their dreams. From a large pool of talented applicants, 21 sports stars were selected, representing a diverse range of sports. These athletes were invited to attend a certificate ceremony, followed by a light afternoon tea. Certificates were p
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Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday morning fixtures October 10, 2024: Division 1: Byte Bouncers (Branko Vucurovic, Janice Kent, John McGee, Marie Taylor) d Code Crackers (Doug Dungavell, Delma Knight, Noreen Fredericksen, Coral Morgan) 8-6. Branko d Doug 7, -2, 6, -5, 13. Nano Nets (Tony Bowman, Charlie Payne, Peter Goodson, Veronica Shepherd) d Pixel Paddles (George Camilleri, Pam Joyce, Judy Zahn, Kevin Abbott) 9-5. Tony d George 8, -9, -8, 11, 12. Division 2: Tokyo Turners (John Hamelink, Fred
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What do Kate Purdie from the Coral Sea Marina, Candice Crossley from Whitsunday Transit, Alice Harriott from Whitsunday Family Dental, and Julie Telford from SeaLink Marine and Tourism all have in common? Apart from being some of the Whitsundays’ best-known women, these four females are about to make to history as the region’s inaugural team of ‘Dancing CEOs’. Officially announced as ‘Team Whitsundays’ at a Southeast Queensland launch last week, this dynamic quartet joins the well-established,
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Hi Everyone, Behind the scenes for the past few months we have been working on a secret project, one that I guess will not be secret for that much longer! I am pleased to announce that we will soon be launching another new newspaper! As I’m sure many of you are aware, we opened Burdekin Life Newspaper last September and it has since become a fantastic success, delivering valued community news to Home Hill, Ayr and surrounding communities. Burdekin Life was initiated by a community member and
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