Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Saturday saw the playing of the second qualifying GNOT Gold Point Teams event. Twelve teams vyed for Gold Points which are only available to win in certain events or if players travel away to congresses. It was pleasing to see many novice players enter the competition. Once the basics of Bridge have been taught, then the more a person plays the better they get at the game and the more they learn and the better they play. It takes years to become match fit, but it is so much fun to play and learn
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Bowen Orbital Spaceport was officially opened last week, with dignitaries gathered to mark this significant moment in space industry history. With final approvals and permits pending, Gilmour Space Technologies are closer than ever to an official launch date which will see this Queensland-based company become the first in Australia to launch a locally made rocket into orbit. Bowen is now one of only three dedicated launch sites globally, chosen for its precise location, 20 degrees south of the
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Hi Everyone! How cool is it that a rocket ship is about to blast off into space from our region? I am so excited to see this incredible project finally take-off (literally!) and I think it will be a game changer for not only Bowen, but our entire region. It will invigorate a new stream of tourism, create a bunch of highly-skilled jobs and put Bowen on the map both nationally and globally. I was chatting with our Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, earlier this week and he is absolutel
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Having always seen other people post about their experiences of random acts of kindness on our local community chat sites, Madeline Mullet was thrilled to finally make a post of her own this week. The last thing Madeline Mullet expected during her Bunnings shop was a heart-warming gesture, which left her with a desire to express her gratitude. Whilst at the Bunnings register with her young boy, Haines, the Bunnings worker handed Haines a stuffed toy ‘just because she felt like it’. “I’m rea
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Everyone fears waking up in the middle of the night to a creature crawling across your body, or the feeling of it creeping its way across the back of your neck. For unlucky resident, Zack Hinschen, that’s exactly what happened, but it wasn’t a spider like many my think. “I awoke to something landing on the back of my shirt collar, on my neck,” Zack said. “I went to grab it and felt a hard insect of some sort, had a little panic, slipped off my shirt and then reached for my phone to get some l
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In line with the Easter holidays Council is working on upgrading 655 meters of sewerage system running underground near Proserpine State High School Smart planning from Council allows them to work in the school grounds during the Easter break. The project kicked off last week with the underbore under Renwick Road. This project has several critical time components to ensure minimal disruption to the two school properties and to the Renwick Road drainage works being undertaken by the internal
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Hamilton Island announced this week that it will no longer accept cash, a controversial move that has seen many customers reeling at the thought of extra fees and charges while on holiday. The issue made national news, with some holiday makers saying they will boycott the island and vowing never to visit again. One social media post said, “Everybody should boycott it, nobody go there and see how long it lasts”. Another said, “Goodbye Hamilton Island! Never again!” “Sorry Hamilton Island, ha
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Significant redevelopment of Lindeman Island is now underway with the announcement last week that a range of trades people are now being employed to work on the island. The job description called for both skilled and general labourers, carpenters, plasters, painters et cetera. Applications are open now. Food, accommodation, and transport to the island are all provided. The first team on site will be restoring the staff accommodation. This comes after Singaporean based business, Well Smart
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The Queensland Police Service has announced new police officer growth allocations for the Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday Region. A total of 20 extra police positions have been allocated to the Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday Region this financial year with academy training and recruitment efforts at record levels. With over 500 police recruits currently at the Queensland’s Police Academies and almost 2,000 applicants in the police recruit pipeline, the Queensland Police Service is seeing its largest training
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This week, the Whitsunday Healthy Heart (WHH) project continued its good work with a new online workshop that inspired attendees to reduce the carbon footprint of their businesses. Participants were taught how to implement sustainability principles into their business, manage risks and get recognised for their efforts through innovative marketing tips. The WHH Project is part of the Reef Islands Initiative, the largest reef habitat rehabilitation project of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
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The notoriously treacherous stretch of road which floods quickly whenever there is significant rainfall, is now open to a community petition which is set to appeal for works to urgently commence after another lengthy wet season. Hamilton Plains is the main arterial road which connects the townships of Airlie Beach and Proserpine, cutting the entire population of the Greater Airlie Beach off from both the local hospital and airport whenever it floods, which is several times a year. In 2019 a to
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Curtains are about to open for the much-anticipated Proserpine State High School ‘rock opera’, ‘Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’. The big event includes four shows from April 18-20 at the school’s impressive Performing Arts Centre, with catering of delicious food and chilled beverages at all shows. This entirely student-run production is led by the school’s Seagrass Theatre and Music Company, which is comprised of students from Year 7-12 who do everything from performing on sta
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C’mon Try Lawn Bowls is currently being run at the Airlie Beach Bowls Club and is an initiative supported by the Queensland Department of Sport and Recreation. The first clinic commenced on the 2nd of April and the sessions will run until the 7th of May. Taking place from 10am – 12pm, every Tuesday, the workshop times allow women with family commitments to fit in a bit of leisure time into their busy days. The C’mon Try program is specifically for women and girls. It is never too late to jo
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The LNP has offered in-principle support for a range of projects crucial to Bowen ahead of the state election later this year. Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie was in town earlier this month to outline the party’s stance on several projects at the Bowen Chamber of Commerce's monthly meeting. Issues included Bowen Hospital, the jetty, harbour redevelopment, Whitsunday Shores estate, Abbott Point industrial estate and the Bowen Water Scheme project from Home Hill to Bowen. These were al
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On Tuesday evening around 15 people attended a lively and informative ‘Insurance Explained’ event at The Reef Gateway Hotel in Cannonvale. Attendees had the chance to listen to and interact with three industry experts from a range of fields - the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, Insurance Council Australia, and the Office of Queensland Small Business Commissioner. Senior Ombudsman, Chris Liamos from the Australian Financial Complaints Authority gave people an understanding of what t
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The latest Get Set For Work Program drew to a close last month with five out of the nine participants graduating from the 10 week program. Program Coordinator Scott Lynch said, although this is not the highest number of graduates to date, he is proud of each individual and positive about all their futures. He added the three that did not graduate left the program early due to personal reasons or they found a job. Standout graduate was a young man that secured a butcher’s apprenticeship and Sc
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The Whitsunday Regional Council is hosting a Come N Try event in Bowen next weekend and the whole community is invited to come along and have some fun. The Come N Try event is designed to bring people together, improve overall physical fitness and inspire positive mental health by providing a fun and easy way to try out a new activity with others! The event encourages all ages to get outdoors and try new activities while having social interactions and exercise. Manager of Bowen Tourism and Bu
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Why Do We Need Sleep? Sleep is essential and many important bodily functions occur during sleep, including memory consolidation, hormone regulation, information processing, removal of brain waste and maintenance of immune function. Aside from the obvious of being tired and cranky if you don’t get enough, it can also increase the risk of numerous health conditions. Most common being, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Atrial Fibrillation (AF), metabolic disorders such as diabetes and mental hea
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In June the Whitsundays East Coast Roadshow will hold events for travel agents and wholesalers in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Industry Development and Trade Manager for Tourism Whitsundays, Cait Fleming, said she is excited to participate. “With an expected 100 agents and wholesalers attending in each location, this is a great opportunity for Whitsundays accommodation and experience businesses to grow their profile within the travel industry,” she explained. For the
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Ideal Placements first opened its doors in 1995 and is dedicated to helping young people, people with disabilities, and people in career transition into long term employment through support and training. Over the years, Ideal Placements has become innovative at helping their participants find the right roles while facing regional transport availability, homelessness and housing, cost of living, and having a different focus and attitude towards work and study. They find that many of these barr
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Expect netballs, sports skirts and fun at the next Proserpine Community Market On Sunday 28 March the Proserpine Community Market will be supporting the Whitsunday Netball Club. Market Coordinator, Tarnia Patton, said she is very excited for the first market of the year. “It’s always exciting getting everyone’s applications in and seeing the amazing talent that is in our community,” Tarnia said. “The proceeds of a large raffle are going to the netball club, most of the stall holders provid
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Helen Matheson “No, I don’t think so, it’s just things are slow moving here. There are enough services here for me, I’m happy with what’s here as it is.” Neil Dobbin “It is quite possible seeing everything that’s going on already, it probably will start moving back towards here. They can’t build forever down there, so it probably will in the future. Because more and more people are moving from down south and all around the place buying up and that type of thing and you can't really stop it b
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Get ready for another weekend of fantastic live music, loud and free at The Pub, Airlie Beach Hotel. With the dynamic and engaging Australian Shania Twain Show you’ll be belting out lyrics like never before. This incredible tribute band is fronted by lead singer, Ally Friendship, who said she has been performing from the age of 14 with her sister and always knew she wanted a career in music. She has always loved music and chased that feeling her entire life. Despite admiring Shania’s songs a
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The latest sensation which is adding an exciting sweet note to the local music scene is the fortnightly Jazz afternoons taking place on alternate Sundays on the deck at The Palms Restaurant and Bar. Located at the Colonial Palms Motor Inn, these unique and intimate afternoons have generated a growing following among locals and tourists alike who enjoy the depth and complexity of jazz music. The story began when Colonial Palm Managers, Greg and Nettie, approached locally highly acclaimed jazz m
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With recent murmurings of a “makeover”on Lindeman Island, it is timely to recall some of those pioneers who, in challenging times, forged a life for themselves in the Whitsundays. By the late 1890s, some semblance of permanent white settlement of the Whitsunday Islands had emerged with those who persisted struggling with something of a hand to mouth existence based on sheep and cattle grazing. One of the most notable of those, but little remembered today, was Abraham Adderton who, with his wife
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