Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
BCE Breakfast Forum Bowen Collinsville Enterprise Inc. (BCE) is inviting local business leaders, community members to its upcoming Breakfast Forum, to be held on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the Euro Fusion Cafe at the North Queensland Yacht Club in Bowen. Running from 6.30am to 8.30am, the event will serve as a platform for key presentations on economic priorities and developments shaping the region. Attendees will hear directly from influential voices across government and industry while enjoyin
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June 27 Legends Night by Whitsunday Suicide Prevention Network, Reef Gateway Hotel, 6pm - 9pm 29 Bowen Community Markets, Hansen Park, from 8:00am July 1 Tech Help, Cannonvale Library, 2:00pm-3:45pm 4 Ice Age 1, The Movie Screen at Airlie Beach Foreshore in Coconut Grove, 6:00pm 6 NAIDOC Week, 6th – 13th 6 Bowen Community Markets, Hansen Park, from 8:00am 7 NAIDOC Flag Raising Ceremony & March, Bowen Town Square. Herbert Street, 8:00am-12:00pm 9 Whitsunday Quilters & Hand Crafts Group,
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Friday 27th June Airlie Beach Hotel: Andy Mammers (7pm – 10pm) Grand View Hotel: Hannah Roberts (from 8pm) KC's: Corey Harris (from 8pm) Saturday 28th June Airlie Beach Hotel: Back to the 70's & 80's (2pm – 5.30pm) Airlie Beach Hotel: Andy Mammers (7pm – 10pm) Grand View Hotel: Hannah Roberts (from 8pm) Coral Sea Pavillion: DJ Sugarlips (1pm – 6pm) KC's: Dallas Steele (from 8pm) Sunday 29th June Airlie Beach Hotel: Back to the 70's & 80's (2pm – 5.30pm) Airlie Beach Hotel: Josiah Samuels (6.30
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Airie Beach Bowls club had their grand opening on Friday marking a new era, players are thrilled that weather is no longer a factor—no more rain delays or cancellations. Since then, it's been full steam ahead, with Rounds 7 and 8 played over the weekend. Only one more round of redemption remains, and all divisions are looking to finish strong. In Division 1, Saturday saw matches played in Sarina, with Manny Isgro’s team—comprising Noel Crosbie, Jeff Tierney, and Andy McDougall—the only ones to
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What a MASSIVE weekend of football! Every senior teams posted a significant win and the junior played a double round with some sensational results! On Friday night, the Divisional Men took on Wanderers despite being 20 players short. Div 2, boosted by Div 1 players, held composure for a 1–0 win, with Isaiah Chilton earning man of the match and Alistair Sawer netting the winner. Div 1 overcame a tough start to dominate 6–1, with Ralé Mudford’s equaliser sparking a second-half surge. WUFC U13 Di
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On Tuesday evening Eastwoods Dining in Airlie Beach hosted a lively fundraising event, during which local author Sandy Clark launched her latest book titled ‘Anyone Can Become a Princess’, donating all proceeds to charity. Sandy has lived in Airlie Beach for eight years, but her ties to Zambia run deep. Her latest book is a memoir about her life in Zambia. She lived there as a young woman, her husband grew up in the region, and in 2019 she helped open a hospital in one of the country’s poorest
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Football - Whitsunday United Football Club Friday, June 27 6:00 PM: Div 2 Men vs Mackay Lions at Mackay Lions Field 8:00 PM: Div 1 Men vs Mackay Lionsat Mackay Lions Field Saturday, June 28 9:30 AM: U13 Div 1 vs Mackay Lions at Mackay Football Park 9:30 AM: U14 vs Dolphins at Mackay Football Park 11:00 AM: U13 FQPL vs Mackay Wanderers at Mackay Football Park 11:15 AM: U15/16 vs Country United at Mackay Football Park 5:00 PM: U23 Men vs Mackay Rangers at Whitsunday United FC 7:00 PM: Men vs Mac
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Australian Church Women Australian Church Women Inc. (ACW) is a national ecumenical body of Christian women who meet during the year, to give thanks and praise to God with song and prayer. For 60 years, ACW has worked to promote peace, understanding and unity through faithful service. Here in Mackay, Australian Church Women has been an active part of our community since the early 1970s. This year, we warmly invite all to attend our annual Fellowship Day Service on Friday, 25th July at 10
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Park Improvements And Pool Repair Closure Mackay Regional Council has delivered some fresh upgrades to one local favourite, while working swiftly to address temporary closures at another community asset. Glenfields Park in Glenella has officially reopened following refurbishment works completed by council’s Parks crews. The upgrades include new concrete edging around the playground, fresh sand, a new bench seat, drainage improvements, earthworks and new turf — all designed to enhance bot
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Mackay Mum Launches Mental Health Project For Mothers A new grassroots initiative born from personal struggle is set to bring hope, healing, and heartfelt support to local mums battling perinatal mental health challenges. Founded and launched by Mackay mother Amanda Potter, The Held Project offers peer-to-peer emotional support for women experiencing mental health difficulties during pregnancy and postpartum. The initiative plans to deliver care packs, thoughtfully filled with nappy
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Ashleigh Thompson, Financial Adviser From Alman Partners True Wealth Ashleigh Thompson didn’t just enter the financial world — she invested herself in it. What began as a simple interest in crunching numbers quickly grew into a full-blown passion for financially empowering others. “My passion for financial planning actually started from a selfish place. I wanted to know how to improve our own financial situation, plus I loved numbers with having a background in bookkeeping.” Now a Finan
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From a humble seed planted three decades ago, IDEAL Placements has blossomed into a community cornerstone, transforming thousands of lives through meaningful employment. This milestone was recently celebrated with heartfelt speeches, treasured memories, and an enduring message – one where people always come first. Notable employees, supporters, and guests gathered at the Windmill Motel and Events Centre on June 14 to honour the broad and lasting impact of IDEAL Placements across the Macka
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“I’m bored,” said every kid, every school holidays. Local, family-friendly activities that don’t break the bank can feel few and far between these days! That’s why Dunes Harbour Beach is excited to bring Coastal Kids back to Mackay this July. Start the school holidays with this local FREE community event happening Wednesday 2 July from 9am to 12pm. We can’t wait to bring the community together once again – save the date in your calendar! Following the fantastic community response from th
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Simon Hood, Wilmar Manager Grower Marketing As factories across our regions ramp up operations for the production season, the global sugar price remains under pressure. Recent figures from Brazil, the world's largest sugar producer, show a strong fortnight of crushing activity in the second half of May, according to UNICA. Brazil is now just 12% behind its 2024 crushing pace. Its sugar mix reached nearly 52% for the period, bringing the season-to-date balance to an even 50/50 split betwe
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Softballers Shine Despite Wild Weather It was a tough day at the diamond with cold winds, scattered showers, and soggy conditions – but that didn’t stop some strong performances across all grades. Under 14s Get the Power 5 def. Northjacklin Choas 3 Dodging rain showers on and off the diamond, Get the Power made an early statement with five runs in the first dig. Boyd Baxter was the only player to cross home plate twice. Teammates Slenna Kitto, Lilly McKenzie, and Brenton Worth all picked
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By Owen Menkens, CANEGROWERS Chairman Cairns has taken on a sweet international flavour this week, with grower reps, policymakers and sugar industry experts from across the globe touching down for a major international conference. It’s the first time in almost two decades that Australia has hosted the World Association of Beet and Cane Growers (WABCG), so it’s more than just a feather in the cap – it’s a rare chance to put Queensland cane on the world stage. Over three days, we’re getting stuc
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As we wrap up the financial year, Community Bank Sarina Bendigo Bank is proud to support local business confidence and provide financial insights – including through our sponsorship of the upcoming New Financial Year Breakfast hosted by the Mackay Region Chamber of Commerce on 8 July. Guest speaker and Bendigo Bank Chief Economist David Robertson will share his national and regional outlook for the year ahead, including some promising signs for local businesses. Robertson expects the 2025
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Winter Wins For Mackay You know it’s winter in Mackay when the jumpers come out and people start talking about “the chill”—even if it’s still warmer here than most of the country! In the last sitting of Parliament, we delivered some strong outcomes for our region: Stronger Laws, Safer Streets We’ve made Jack’s Law permanent, giving police the power to use handheld metal detectors in public places to help prevent knife crime. This proactive measure honours the memory of 17-year-old Jack
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The long-awaited Pioneer Valley Rail Trail is officially open to the public. Stage one provides a scenic route for runners, walkers, cyclists, horse riders and outdoor enthusiasts. This new trail, stretching 40 kilometres, connects the communities of Finch Hatton and Mirani via Gargett and offers stunning views of the surrounding Pioneer Valley landscape. This first stage uses 9kms of disused rail corridor with the balance on quiet rural back roads. This incredible community project could
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The Northern Beaches Community Hub project will go from strength to strength as council signs off on the next stage of this exciting signature project. Council awarded a $21 million tender for stage 1B to T.F. Woollam & Son Pty Ltd at last week's (June 18) ordinary meeting of council. Mayor Greg Williamson said Stage 1B would include a library, flexible community rooms and a town square with event space and a seating area. “A library in the Northern Beaches is going to be a fantastic co
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At Mackay Contract Bridge Club Inc Results For Week Ending Saturday 21 June 2025 Monday 16 June 2025 – 7.5 Table Howell Green Points North/South East/West 1st Janelle Conroy - Tex Sheedy 1st Nancy Martin - Geoff Taylor 2nd Jan Harris - Helen Van Den Broek 2nd David Ting - Eric Goodchild 3rd Edward Kliese - Diane Stokes 3rd Pamela Finger - Ming Ting 4th Vicki Howard - Susan Ross Tuesday Evening 17 June 2025 – 5.5 Table Howell Green Points North/South 1st Noel Bugeia
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UNDERWATER HOCKEY It was a cracking Monday night for the Mackay Underwater Hockey Club, with 17 players diving in for a full-team showdown packed with rolling subs and non-stop action. With strong numbers in the pool, the energy was high, the water lively, and the competition fierce—but one side proved unstoppable. In what could only be described as a clear violation of the club’s own unofficial league rulebook, Boyd, Elsie, and Macca somehow ended up on the same team. Individually, they
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LADIES BOWLS After two weeks of closely contested draws, the North Mackay Ladies Bowls Club hosted the much-anticipated final of the Club Championship Singles. Vying for the prestigious title were Robyn Rintoul and Brenda Trannore. As expected, it was an exciting and high-calibre match. Both players showed unwavering focus from the very first bowl, maintaining their concentration throughout the entire game. Spectators were treated to a remarkable display of skill and precision, with many
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TABLE TENNIS The Mackay Open table tennis championships brought out some of the best competition seen for years by players throughout the state. Players from Cairns to the Gold Coast competed over three days at a packed Mackay Table Tennis Centre in what visitors and local players described as the best tournament of the season so far. Shanith Jayamaha of Brisbane won the men’s open singles ahead of Townsville’s Olav Dahl, with Mackay’s Vimal Chilukuri and Goncalo Serra Gagiero runners-u
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RUNNING The annual Forsyths Accounting Shawn Claydon 10km Memorial Shield Club Championship was held last Sunday morning in damp but favourable running conditions, drawing nearly forty competitors and a supportive crowd. Despite the wet weather, spirits remained high with The Rolling Coffee Bean and da Sausage vendors providing refreshments and a lively atmosphere. Now in its seventh year under Forsyths Accounting as major sponsor, the memorial event honours the late Shawn Claydon, a muc
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