Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Mayoral Candidate Ry Collins steamed out in front as soon as the count began on Saturday, becoming the clear leader and commanding the most votes within the community. As of the time of writing, 79.64 per cent of the votes had been counted by the Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ), with Collins claiming 47.52 per cent, Phil Batty 25.35 per cent, Peter Hood 14.54 per cent and Richard Evans 12.60 per cent. Within the coming days, postal votes will be counted and preferences allocated, with
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Hi Everyone, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I feel like I have lived and breathed the local government elections over the past four weeks. Attending lively community forums, chatting with candidates on a weekly basis and running extensive coverage in the paper – by the time Saturday rolled around I was exhausted! A huge congratulations to Ry Collins for striking out in the lead and looking more than likely to claim the title of our next Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor. I met with
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Two local bowlers, Andrew Butler and John Matterson will be feeling the sunshine on their head this week, having shaved their heads for World’s Greatest Shave over the weekend. John had the idea of participating in the World’s Greatest Shave whilst growing his hair out on an 83-day sailing trip with his wife, Juanita. He had been growing it out for six years when he was diagnosed with monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL). MBL is a rare condition that can develop into chronic lymphocytic leuk
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Respected local leader, Clay Bauman, is looking likely to return as Division 2 Councillor following Saturday’s election where he struck out ahead in a very tight race. As of the time of writing, Mr Bauman was in the lead having received 58.54 per cent of the votes compared to his opponent, Tony Price who had commanded 41.46 per cent. Having initially been voted in as Division 2 Councillor in the bi-election 18 months ago, Mr Bauman is thrilled to be re-elected and delighted to start his first
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Well-known and well-liked Bowen local, John Finlay, is celebrating this week following incredible results at the polling booths on Saturday. At the time of going to print 81.96 per cent of the votes had been counted for the Division 6 Councillor Candidate position. John Finlay struck a significant lead, with 72.51 per cent of the votes compared to his opponent, David Paddon who received 27.49 per cent of the vote. Mr Finlay said he is “absolutely honoured” and thanks the Bowen community for s
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Mayor Julie Hall is signing off this week, bidding farewell to the job she loves, but proud of her dedicated efforts which have delivered more connection within the community over her short but productive tenure. Her shock decision not to run for re-election as Mayor of the Whitsundays surprised many, but Mayor Hall is confident in her decision. Although sad to be leaving such an important role within the community, she says she is excited for the next challenge, and looking forward to finding
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Avid sailors from across the country are set to enjoy an entirely green experience at Airlie Beach Race Week which is due to take place at the Whitsunday Sailing Club in August. An announcement was made this week said that the entire marina village will be off grid during the event. Whitsunday Sailing Club President, Terry Archer expressed his enthusiasm about the event going green. “We operate in a sport, that’s powered by the wind, so to have our onshore operations powered by the sun is ju
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The 24th Coral Sea Marina Resort Airlie Beach Triathlon Festival is set to take place later this year and a host of exciting special guests are due to attend the event. Olympic swimming legend Susie O’Neill will attend and take the role of Swim Ambassador for the weekend. During her swimming career, Susie won two Olympic Gold medals, one in the in 200 metre butterfly and the second in the 200 metre freestyle. Also in attendance will be the Voice of Triathlon both here in Australia and Inter
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It’s been over 20 years since the last Airlie Beach Cricket Club played a game of cricket. Now, with a newly launched committee and a dedicated funding stream, the club has been re-formed and it is aiming to create better pathways for youngsters to get started in local cricket. Club President Brett Simpson said current juniors play in Proserpine, but once they surpass the under-15’s level, they are only able to participate socially. There is no access to higher levels of competition, and thi
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Returning to the region she loves to perform in, a single event in front of a crowd of just 100 people, Superjesus front woman Sarah McLeod, will blow up the stage at this intimate and scenic setting. Booked to play at Whisper Gin Bar and Restaurant, tickets are selling fast for this exclusive event which not only promises stunning views across the Coral Sea, but also the opportunity to get up close and mingle with Aussie rock royalty. This special show will feature stripped back versions of S
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Bowen youth are being asked to design their dream jetty as part of an art competition being held by North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP). NQBP CEO Brendan Webb said the competition is a chance for children to create artwork to represent their ideas for a future Bowen Jetty. The Design Your Dream Jetty Competition is open to children living in Bowen with prizes available in three categories: High School Category · Winner – $150 EFTPOS card · Encouragement Award – $
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The Great Barrier Reef is amidst its fifth widespread coral bleaching event in just eight years, aerial surveys have revealed. The surveys, conducted by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), observed over 300 reefs between Cape Melville north of Cooktown to just north of Bundaberg and confirmed the event. Reef Authority Chief Scientist Dr Roger Beeden said the results of these surveys are consistent with the patterns of heat stress th
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Kylie Shepherd-Smith Administration Manager At Whitsunday Christian College Born and raised in the Adelaide foothills of South Australia Kylie was 21 years old when she went travelling and explored the world. Now Kylie works as Administration Manager at Whitsunday Christian College. As Administration Manager her and her team look after Administration, tuckshop and sickbay tasks. She is passionate about giving both students and families support and prides herself in her communication s
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This month’s Ask An Expert with Whitsundays Chamber of Commerce and Industry asks: What is the ideal mix of marketing and advertising activities to drive sales? Melinda Louise Hutchings from Melinda Louise Media, and Megan Taylor from Kapow Interactive, responded. “An ideal marketing and advertising campaign should align with the strategic focus of your business and is essential to achieving brand awareness and driving sales,” said Melinda. “The first step is to create a solid foundation by
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We would like to welcome the Whitsundays’ newest Cadet Journalist Daniel Heggie! Daniel is our newest recruit to the Whitsunday team and he brings to the table an impressive background of knowledge and experience, with not only a degree in Journalism, but a Sub-Major in Film, as well as a passion for writing. Although he was originally born in England, Daniel moved to Australia with his family when he was seven years old, calling Adelaide home since 2007. Daniel attended Urrbrae Agricultura
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Have you ever stopped to think what would happen if your family’s income stopped due to someone dying, getting sick or having an accident? The loss of wages might be manageable for retirees or people later in their working lives who have brought up their kids, paid down their debts and built up their super and passive assets. For families with younger kids, bigger debts and lower super balances, it may well be disastrous. Centrelink benefits don’t cover home loan payments and hungry mouths to f
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So, Tim (my husband) said, “What do you want for your birthday?” “Honestly” I said, “Other men!’ This took him by surprise until I added that what I really wanted was for the Whitpro crew to come to our property, I said, “I don’t want clothes, books, or even an adventure, I want our crew to get me back on track!” And today, that’s what happened, and I cannot tell you how ecstatic I am! “Thank you team!” What they have achieved in a single day would have taken me hours here and there for weeks
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The brand-new second floor of the Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) Whitsundays headquarters re-opened this week, delivering a vital new space for orchestrating emergency marine rescues. The building was closed temporarily in December last year when works began and has remained shut for the past four months. During this time significant renovations took place. The overall floor space of the room is now estimated to be 3.5 times larger than previously, and it will now offer far greater room for t
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The Whitsundays has secured a trophy sweep at the 2023 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards which were held in Darwin last Friday evening. The best tourism operators from across the Whitsundays have done the region proud, taking out gold, silver and bronze at the highly competitive national awards. These results come off the back of a stellar run of awards for the region after taking out seven gold, two silver and five bronze at the Queensland State Awards. Australian tourism’s ‘night of nights’, t
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The best of the Whitsundays was recognised at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in Darwin, with Ocean Rafting bringing home gold in the Adventure Tourism category and silver in the Major Tour and Transport Operators category. The Awards saw more than 180 of Australia’s quality tourism operators from each state and territory vying for top honours across 26 categories, with Ocean Rafting’s back-to-back wins on the night cementing its reputation as the Whitsundays’ original and most awarded tour
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The much-celebrated Queens Beach Tourist Village (QBTV) has finally reached its goal this week, receiving the third consecutive gold accolade for the Best Large Caravan Park at the Grey Nomads Awards. Not only do they receive the acclaim of being considered the best caravan park in Australia for Grey Nomads, they also enter into the award’s Hall of Fame, an ambition they’ve been driving towards since they began. Gerry Tomsett said the park’s owners, Jennie and Peter Greer, were thrilled with t
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The team at Whitsunday Coast Airport proudly represented the region at the 2024 Australian Tourism Awards in Darwin last Friday night. This is the first time our local airport has progressed to the national awards and Director of Commercial Businesses for Whitsunday Regional Council, Craig Turner, said he was thrilled to attend the event. “When you look at the quality of businesses that went to the awards you can see the incredible standard we have right here in the Whitsundays,” he said. “We
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The tourism industry’s night of nights brought gold for the BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort team as they scooped up Gold in the Caravan and Holiday Parks category at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, held in tropical Darwin. Eight operators from across Australia were nominated in the Caravan and Holiday Parks category while more than 180 of the country’s premier tourism operators from each state came together across 26 categories. Owner Greg McKinnon, who attended the gala ceremony with his
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This years’ Whitsunday Multicultural Festival is being held in Bowen and organisers are excited to welcome everyone back for another action-packed event this weekend. The Multicultural Festival is a free event that encourages the community to come together, to celebrate and learn about other cultures within the region. Cultural groups share their culture and heritage with visitors through storytelling, entertainment, arts and music. In addition to the arts and music people are encouraged to t
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