Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Amidst the rustle of sugarcane fields, a significant agreement was reached on April 30, 2024, between Mackay Sugar and QCAR. This milestone marked the culmination of extensive negotiations, paving the way for a new Cane Supply and Processing Agreement (CSPA) that would govern supplies to Mackay Sugar's three mills in Farleigh, Marian, and Racecourse. Deliberations spanning multiple meetings led to the formulation of an agreement that granted members of QCAR in the Central Region the authority
Read more.png)
With a rise in viral and bacterial respiratory infections and deaths, it makes sense to vaccinate, yet many of us don’t! This Cold and Flu season is meant to be a coming together of various infections such as the usual suspects - Influenza, COVID of course (it isn’t going away as we now have a new one - XBB). Plus, some newcomers such as RSV which used to be only seen in kiddies under two mainly. And a rise again in the old foes such as Whooping Cough and a resurgence of Diphtheria. So why you
Read more
Local art enthusiasts gathered at the Sarina Sugar Shed last Friday evening for the highly anticipated launch of the 2024 Festival of Arts program. Photo Credit: Adam Sane and Hannah McNamara
Read more
Shane Webcke will be in the Sarina region this June, sharing the highs and lows of his illustrious career on the football field (including the Brisbane Broncos!), and of his life now as a farmer, family man, businessman, author, news presenter and guest speaker. At the peak of his rugby league career, Shane was renowned as one of the best front rowers in the world. He represented Queensland on 24 occasions and represented Australia in 26 tests. He played for the Brisbane Broncos for 12 years an
Read more
World War II Veterans are few and far between these days, however Sarina was honoured to see three of these national treasures attend the Sarina Anzac Day main service last month. The three WWII veterans in attendance were; Mr Len Lister, 100, who served in New Guinea with the AIF 2/12th Battalion, Mrs Connie Turpin, 98, and Mrs Vonnie Deem, who will turn 101 in May. The Sarina dawn and main Anzac Day services attracted large numbers, making the day a solemn yet beautiful occasion. The Koumal
Read more
My birthday is on the 17th, which is next week, and I’ll be honest, I just had to do the maths and work backwards on dates just to remember how old I was. For the record, and for anyone playing at home with a Casio scientific calculator from grade 10 at Milton Street High, I am 55 years old, and that makes me 56 this time next week. Whilst that’s great, I’ll get to cut a cake, and hear mates sing happy birthday in the office with horrible tuning, and open cards from my kids, but what is a birt
Read more
Friday 10th May BB Goes Blue For Dolly 8am Join us for a day of Blue as we have a day for Dolly. For only $25, enjoy a 30min Bounce with Ally at 10.30am followed by some light refreshments with all profits going to the worthy cause. Raffles as well kindly put together from some of our local friends in business for $2 a ticket or 3 for $5. Baked goods will also be available for purchase on the day. Your generosity will directly help fight to change the culture of bullying by addressing the impa
Read more
Kucom took a popular David Tristram comedy to the North Queensland Festival of One-Act Plays (NQ-FOOAP), which was held in Townsville on the May Day long weekend. Last Tango in Little Grimley was first performed by Kucom at the old Shakespeare Street Theatre 30 years ago and is still one of the funniest and most relatable one-act plays about a struggling amateur theatre company – and last Saturday adjudicator Pamela Cassidy obviously agreed, because she awarded Kucom the trophy for Best Play, wh
Read more
It was a quieter week at the Mackay Contract Bridge Club last week as the club held the Barrier Reef Congress 2024. Members transported tables, chairs, boards, welcome bags and more to 500 Pavilion Mackay Showgrounds in preparation for the Barrier Reef Congress. Members cooked multitudes of biscuits, set up tables, covered windows from the sun and made sure all preparations were completed in time for the cards to start. Convener Diane Morgan has worked tirelessly for months to ensure the event
Read more
The past weekend hosted the Prestige Fours event at the Mackay Bowling Club, where skilled bowlers from the Mackay district competed for the title. In the final saw Wayne Handley Team of Cooper Whitestyles, Clint Vassie and Jason McMullen play against Jason Little, Trevor Kelly, Dave Maskell and Dave Pinkard with the winner going to Wayne Team. Presige Fours Carnival Results: Division 1 Winners Jason Mc Mullen, Cooper Whitestyles, Clint Vassie, Wayne Handley Division 1 Runners up: Lason Littl
Read more
After a long-anticipated wait and numerous training sessions, the Masters Queensland State Championship was attended by 12 North Mackay Sinkers Masters Swimming Club Members. This year’s State Championships event was delivered at the prestigious Brisbane Aquatic Centre in Chandler across four days of exhilarating swimming action, that took place from Thursday 18 April to Sunday 21 April 2024. The Championships offered a wide range of events, spanning from 25m to 800m, with no event limits, ensu
Read more
Mackay Cutters’ trump card Emma Manzelmann has reached another milestone in her burgeoning rugby league career. The crafty hooker is set to earn a slice of history after gaining selection in the Queensland Maroons Origin squad for the opening match of the interstate women's series against NSW on Thursday, May 16 at Suncorp Stadium. Both the Blues and Maroons will contest a three-match Origin series this year for the first time and the durable number nine is determined to consolidate a spot in
Read more
Over the weekend, spanning from Saturday, May 4 to Monday, May 6, the hotly contested Foley Shield tournament took place. Each day featured two games, where women’s and men’s teams from Mackay, Townsville, and Far North Queensland competed for the Foley Shield title. Selections for the Queensland Country Team were made based on performances during this weekend's matches. Mackay Regional Mayor, Greg Williamson expressed the importance of not only having the Foley Shield in Mackay for local rugby
Read more
Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday night fixtures April 30, 2024: Division 1: Brown (Andrea Nicholson, Barry Patterson, Vince Boeske) d Blue (Steven Whiting, Lee Brake, Will VanDeKaa) 6-5. Steven d Vince -8, -7, 4, 4, 16. Red (Anne Sheridan, Graeme Walker, George Camilleri) d Orange (Donna Abbott, Janice Kent, Geoff Denman) 10-1. Geoff d George 7, -5, -5, 3, 4. White (Andrew McHugh, Neil Brown, Mark Sleeman) d Purple (Duncan Treloar, Emma Widdup, Tony Bowman) 6-5. Mark d Duncan -9, -6, 5, 4, 9. Bl
Read more
Century Cricket Competitions have secured a three-year deal with the Mackay Regional Council to bring its hugely successful independent competition to North Queensland. Century Cricket Group Chair Stuart Giles said that “Since their inception, Century Cricket’s Senior Competitions have been about showcasing talent. “To be able to bring our competition to Great Barrier Reef Arena as a world class cricket stadium and not only continue to elevate our on-field competition, but to also showcase on
Read more
Congratulations to City Bowls Club on winning the prestigious Dr Williams’ Shield at the weekend. City defeated Seaforth, Souths Suburban and Pioneer Valley on their way to the final against North Mackay. City’s last win in the Shield, which they have hosted for 68 years, was in 2008.
Read more
Another exciting bowls event from the Ladies Section at North Mackay Bowls Club. The Annual Symons Shield was held at Northern Beaches Bowls Club with nine Clubs competing. The finalists were decided after some nail biting finishes – Souths Suburban played North Mackay. It too came down to the last bowl and North Mackay Ladies were declared the winners by one point. The event is held at the same Club each year on land donated by the Symons family. The Ladies presenting the Shields are members
Read more
Just over thirty runners kicked off amidst the sights and lively sounds of the Bluewater Quay before heading off onto the Forgan Smith Bridge for a very social 5k and 10km run. Runners had the option to do participate in anything between the 5km and 10km depending on where their current abilities were at, with some tackling an extra kilometre or two at Mt Bassett. Ten-kilometre runner, Grant Holmstrom easily accounted for the Mt Bassett section of the event before storming home on the comparat
Read more
Mackay Brothers are proving a force to be reckoned with in the 2024 Northern Region Mackay & District Junior Rugby League A Grade competition. The all-conquering Leprechauns have opened the season in ominous style with three consecutive victories under the coaching of Thomas Heggie and shape as the team to beat for this year’s title. Having notched an incredible 24 tries to date, Heggie’s much vaunted charges boast a powerful forward pack and enterprising back division with attacking strike acro
Read more
Century 21 proudly announces the launch of Century 21 Coast to Coalfields in Mackay, under the leadership of seasoned real estate professional Luke James Curtis. With over 14 years of industry expertise, Luke aims to cater to clients' diverse goals and property needs, whether buying, selling, or investing. Having deep roots in the local community, Luke brings intimate knowledge of the market's trends and nuances. Luke expressed the following on what he hopes to accomplish with this new offic
Read more
Bridge players will congregate in Mackay this long weekend to compete in the Barrier Reef Congress. Players will travel from the Atherton Tablelands & Cairns in the North and Victoria & Tasmania in the south for this annual event. Several players are even making the trip from New Zealand. Approximately 300 players will compete in pairs and team events over the 4 days. Many current and former Australian & Queensland representative players will be vying for the top honours. Also, in the runnin
Read more
With Queensland Police statistics showing a steady increase of crime levels in the Mackay region since 2012, the State Government are aiming to combat the issue with the recent announcement of new Police Service recruits. Queensland Premier Steven Miles came to the region last week to bring the exciting news that 900 positions over the next three years will be filled to fortify community safety in the Central Police Region. This includes 57 new Police Officers for the Mackay, Whitsundays, and Ca
Read more
So, here I am, embarking on one of the toughest conversations I never imagined having to have. It's the 'how do I even start this' dialogue. Of course, as with most things in life, the best way is to dive headfirst into the uncomfortable because, well, that's what I do. I talk, I write, I process my emotions. And this, is just another chapter in my story, another bend in the road that I must navigate. So, let's talk about it. Last week, I received news that no one ever wants to hear: I've bee
Read more
Photo credit: Hannah McNamara Northern Beaches Photo credit: Hannah McNamara Walkerston Photo credit: Hannah McNamara Mackay Photo credit: Mackay Regional Council Dysart Photo credit: Isaac Regional Council
Read more