Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Mother Cat Ezme and her one and only kitten Lovebug were recently found abandoned in a playground just a few hours after Ezme gave birth. With no human in sight to help, Ezme quickly went into mother-mode and protected her baby kitten by cradling him in an attempt to shield him from the rain. Helpless and alone, Ezme and her newborn baby were stranded in the dreary rain needing urgent care as Lovebug was alarmingly tiny and weak. Thankfully, a nearby resident noticed the two felines in the p
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Registered nurses Aswin Prasannakumar and Chithranjana Chandrasenan, are delighted to discover a side of familiarity in Mackay, where the warm climate, lush greenery and scenic beaches remind them deeply of their homeland in Southern India. Yet, it’s the gracious welcome from their colleagues and the warm introduction to the local Indian community, that makes them feel at home. The couple arrived earlier this year in mid-February and are eager to find a place to call home so they can be reunit
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An upcoming exhibition and publication will showcase landscapes, portraits, weaving, interpreted cultural stories and imagery from four local Mackay artists. The exhibition will also include collected stories, photographs and portraits from Elders sourced from the Multicultural community in the Mackay region. Mangrove is a visual arts exhibition which will be a collaboration of four women artists, Veronica Ah-Wang, traditional owner of Yuwibara country, Visual Storyteller; Janet Ambrose, desce
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Australia’s farm, fisheries and forestry sectors are set to rebound in 2024-25. The most recent Agricultural Commodities and Australian Crop reports are predicting that the gross value of production in 2024–25 will again increase after poor seasonal conditions affected outcomes in 2023-24. Executive Director of ABARES Dr Jared Greenville said a rebound of up to 6% is predicted, bringing the gross value of Australian farms, fisheries and forestry to $90.8 billion, the third highest on record. “
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By Kevin Borg, Chairman, CANEGROWERS Mackay There’s been a great deal of talk around SAFs – sustainable aviation fuels – and some outstanding work done in projects that use sugar cane as a base, particularly in growing regions such as Mackay, the Burdekin, Mossman and Rocky Point/Gold Coast. As a CANEGROWERS elected representative, I was a part of the working group that developed the sugar industry roadmap Sugar Plus: Fuelling the Future of Food, Energy and Fabrication, which was released in Jul
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Easter time is a great time to get out and have some fun around Mackay and the Whitsundays. Sure, Good Friday is the day to think about what the season means to you, then on Sunday everyone gets together and counts the number of calories that the Easter bunny has left behind. If your place is anything like mine, there will be quite a few calories consumed, and you know what, that’s ok. It’s one weekend, that’s it. I remember back in the 80’s and living in Gregory St, we’d all have family over
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In the changing world we live in, there is a growing trend for businesses to try to sell you what they think you should have rather than what you want. And, delightfully in my opinion, they are getting punished for it. A good friend of mine, let’s call him Ben, illustrated this perfectly the other day when he told me about how he went to buy a whipper-snipper. Ben is pretty lawn-proud and he is loyal to a brand that has done right by him. He has had three terrific whipper-snippers, all the same
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Calling all novelists! Mackay Writers Group will be hosting a remarkable Memoir Writing Workshop held at the Seabreeze Hotel, Lamberts beach on August 31 and September 1. Be sure to have your notepads ready as special guest Edwina Shaw shares her tips and tricks on the subject of writing based on her success and experience in the field as an author. Ms Shaw is a Queensland based writer of fiction, memoir, and screenplays. Her novel, Thrill Seekers was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Award for
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Last weekend, the Moranbah State High School Performance Hall was transformed into a stunning display of aubergine, white, and black décor. Fourteen debutantes graced the stage at the 47th Moranbah Debutante Ball. Compere for the Evening Neil Wicks introduced the 2024 debutantes and their partners: Amity Bradley and Cooper Bradley, Ysabella McKenzie-Thomas and Jordan Ewart, Brooklyn Streeter and Will Jaques, Isabella Piccoli Evans and Cylas Moloney, Leilani Cork and Joel Trease, Elyssia Rober
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Mackay Hospital Foundation hosted its signature Cinema Under the Stars event last Friday night with a few surprises in store for attendees. The event featuring the movie “Clifford, the Big Red Dog” was sponsored by Harvey Norman Bedding Mackay and Star 101.9 FM, and it was also supported by Show and Shine Detailing and Muscle Garden. Adding value to this event was Easter craft organized by Chloe and Josh Agius from Show and Shine Detailing, Face Painting by Let’s Just Face It Entertainment, ri
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Pioneer Valley Cricket Club are the newly-crowned Mackay Cricket Association Poole Cup first grade champions for 2023-24. In a dramatic title decider at Great Barrier Reef Arena on Saturday, March 16, the Valley X1 staved off a spirited challenge from Souths to record a thrilling six-run victory. Chasing 199 for Grand Final glory, the Sharks fell agonisingly short of their target despite superb half-centuries from Cameron Keene (74 not out) and Shaun Austin (52) and a handy 22 from all-rounder
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In a thrilling showcase of rugby league prowess, the QCCS Mackay Cutters delivered an outstanding performance last weekend at their fortress, BB Print Stadium in Mackay. With a jam-packed schedule featuring five consecutive games, fans were treated to a day filled with exhilarating action on the field. Supported by their loyal fans and bolstered by the sponsorship of Muscle Garden, the Cutters emerged victorious across all grades, cementing their dominance over their Rocky rivals, the CQ Capras.
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Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday night fixtures March 19, 2024: Division 1: (Final) Lexus (Andrew McHugh, Janice Kent and Barry Patterson) won 6-5 over Jaguar (Tim Shehan, Anne Sheridan and Vince Boeske). Andrew d Vince 8, -8, -4, 10, 11. Audi (Mick Ruhl, Lee Brake, Lily Boland) d BMW (Ishan Rana, Emma Widdup, Allan Edwards) 7-4. Lily d Allan -9, 10, -6, 6, 6. Division 2: Mazda (Mark Sleeman, Niro) d Kia (Peter Goodson, Matt West) 5-4. Matt d Niro 7, 6, -10, -5, 9. Nissan (Will VanDeKaa, Dunca
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Happy Easter to all our members at the Mackay Contract Bridge Club A great day of Bridge was had Sunday with 16 pairs of Novices and Mentors competing. This is a fabulous event that is held on the last Friday of every month to give beginners a chance to play with experienced players. Captions Noel, Frances and Alan Jan, Karen and Trish Anne Lutz with Sandy Patterson Weekly Results Monday 18 March 2024 – 6 Table One Winner Green Points N/S E/W 1st David Ting / Eric Goodchild 2nd Monic
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Despite the rainy weather conditions, the Marian Ladies Bowls Club managed to hold their annual Harvest Triples on March 13, 2024. This was well attended with eight rinks used with 48 ladies participating in a great day of bowls. Winners on the day were: First place - J Insch, G Meng, M Stockton Second place - J Caban, C Savage. R Schatkowski Third place - L Jenner, M Mayfield, D McNamara Contributed By Lyn Jackson
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The North Mackay Sinkers Masters Swimming Club are once again splashing for cash to support a charity fundraising event after their successful February ‘Starlight Super Swim.’ This time, the club has chosen to support the ‘Laps for Life’ fundraiser to support Youth mental health during the month of March, where all funds raised will go directly to the ReachOut foundation, contributing to youth mental health in the community. ReachOut is a leading online mental health service in Australia which a
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The 2024 NBL1 North Season Launch Event held at Queensland Parliament House in Brisbane provided an insightful preview into the upcoming basketball season. Local State Government MPs, Julieanne Gilbert and Amanda Camm, lent their support to the event, emphasising Mackay’s backing for our teams. The gathering offered a glimpse into the camaraderie among players and supporters, setting the stage for an exciting season ahead. With Round 1 scheduled to commence on April 12, the McDonald’s Mackay Met
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Approximately thirty runners tackled the treacherous Cape Hillsborough Turtle Trail in cool conditions at 7am last weekend. Front markers, Ashley Miles and Matt Graves put in a huge first half performance to lead the field by some margin in the ten-kilometre, with Matt being the eventual winner, hitting the tape two minutes ahead of Ashley. First female in the ten-kilometre, Jose Short revelled in the tough conditions followed by Emma Johnson and Carmel Mahon. Third placed male, Derek Woods
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REA Group’s data business PropTrack launched a new comprehensive measure of the share of rental properties that households can afford to lease earlier this month. The PropTrack Rental Affordability Index analyses rental affordability across different household income distributions and locations. The report showed that rental affordability is now at its worst level in at least 17 years, when PropTrack records began, driven by the surge in rent prices following the pandemic. Low- and middle-in
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Just as leaving your doors unlocked poses a risk, neglecting to install and maintain smoke alarms in your home can jeopardise the safety of yourself and your loved ones. With more Australians dying in residential fires on average than by all natural hazards combined, it’s sparking a renewed call from experts for Australians to protect themselves with a working smoke alarm. Smoke alarms provide a critical early warning to give you and your loved ones time to escape, so testing and maintaining t
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Back Row: Jessica Moon, Voytek Antkowiak, Kaitlyn Moon, Cameron Grice, Alliara Leppard and Jet McMullen Front Row: Angelina Mihailou, Indie Lovett, Zahlia Leppard and Ivy-Leigh MacNamara. Photo credit: Rachael Smith
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Hi Everyone, Happy Easter! Bonnet parades, school shows, mad dashes to the shops for last minute Easter eggs – this is not a relaxing time of year for parents – but it is a lot fun! This morning I sent my (almost) 7-year-old boy to school with blue hair – it was ‘free dress day’ and he was desperate to utilise the tin of blue hair spray we purchased several weeks ago. We stood on the veranda with a towel wrapped around his shoulders and I sprayed his hair, neck and back of his ears, blue. H
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Sometimes a good deed is more than a spontaneous moment of kindness, it can be working within a system to create real change that helps countless people achieve something simple by removing the barriers of cost. This was a project that the team at Reefside Marine in Bowen embarked upon this year when they realised some of their clients were struggling to get their boat licence because the cost would often be well over $1000 when you include travel, accommodation and the ticket itself. Kate Cu
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A passionate group of community members are celebrating a game-changing accreditation this week with the confirmation that the Whitsundays is now formally recognised as a Whale Heritage Site. The Whitsundays is the first Whale Heritage Site to be declared in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the only site in the world to be in a UNESCO World Heritage Area. This significant breakthrough came about as a result of a dedicated locally-active community program by Whales of the Whitsundays (Wo
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