Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
This week’s competition was marked by very blustery conditions, making play particularly challenging for the 38 players who turned out for the Stableford event. A heavy shower before the start of play added to the difficulty, and the scoring reflected the windy conditions and the tough putting on the more exposed greens. The Proserpine Veterans were pleased welcome James House from Margaret River Golf Club, who joined once again. Results: Ladies: • Winner: Paula McQuat – 37 points •
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This week’s club night started on a high note, featuring a special visit from Deb Savy of Tropix Photography, who captured stunning team photos and action shots. Swimmers delivered their best performances, and eagerly await the results from the photo shoot. Following the photo session, presentations were held to recognise several swimmers for their recent achievements. Nelson Malady earned an upgrade to the 800-metre freestyle event, while Indi Smith moved up to the 200-metre backstroke. Maeve
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By Amanda Wright A dazzling display of cultural heritage, vibrant colours, and heartfelt friendship lit up Mackay on Saturday as the Malayalee community came together to celebrate the joyous festival of Onam, a cornerstone of tradition and unity. The celebration was held at the Northern Beaches Community Centre in Bucasia on Saturday, 21st September 2024, marking one of the most significant cultural events for the Indian community in the region. This annual event, which brought together over 300
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I've learned a few things during my chemotherapy journey, one of the biggest being the importance of fully resting and pacing myself. Every three weeks, I head to the hospital for an infusion, and while I feel okay on days two and three, I've realised those are the moments to slow down, not push through. If I overdo it, days four to seven—the hardest—become even more brutal. So instead, I embrace rest during those early days and make the most of the good week that follows on week three, when I g
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Motherhood is often a journey filled with immense love, strength, and at times, overwhelming challenges. One mother faced this reality when she was recently flown from Mackay to Townsville with her newborn baby, who required surgery. Struggling with the burden of traveling alone with her baby and handling luggage, she encountered an unexpected act of kindness from a stranger. Expressing her gratitude in a local mother's group on Facebook, she wrote, “If anyone’s husband was on the 11:30am fli
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A recently opened dedicated space within Mackay Base Hospital is helping people going through difficult times in their lives to avoid the Emergency Department when seeking help. The new Crisis Support Service (CSS) facility, called Safe Harbour, is located adjacent to the Emergency Department and complements existing crisis services in the Mackay community. Mackay HHS chief executive Susan Gannon said the facility represented the service’s commitment to improving the care and outcomes for peop
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Opinion Piece Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm MP, is calling on the Queensland Labor Government to be open and honest with Queensland commercial and recreational fishers about their future plans for the fishing industry. “For the last two years, this Labor Government has treated our Queensland fishers with contempt bringing in changes with little consultation or transparency around their decision-making process and with little concern as to the implications on the future of the fishing and
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Two of Mackay’s leading economic drivers have formed a powerful partnership aimed at solidifying the region as a premier international sporting destination, ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. Mackay Airport and Harrup Park are entering a strategic three-year agreement, which will simultaneously bolster major sporting opportunities while growing visitation and the regional economy. Mackay Airport Chief Executive Officer Richard Barker said partnering with Harrup Park was a valuable investment
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As part of works to upgrade the sewer rising main at Hamilton, Graves and Ungerer streets in North Mackay, Mackay Regional Council will be constructing a new sewer manhole in Ungerer Street. The new manhole will allow for connection of the new rising main to the existing network. The works began earlier this week on Monday, September 23, and will take place between 6am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, for no more than two weeks, weather permitting. Some weekend work may be required. During this time,
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A new team has been established to rapidly respond and help people across Mackay experiencing homelessness. The Critical Response Team will work with the local homelessness network to regularly visit known areas where people are experiencing homelessness and offer rapid support to help them find accommodation. In just a couple of weeks, the team has already engaged with more than 15 people to help them find a safe place to stay and work with them on longer-term housing options. It’s part of
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Mackay Regional Council staff began scheduled maintenance of palm trees in the Mackay City Centre this week. The maintenance started on Tuesday, September 24, in Wood Street and will include removing dead fronds, cutting away visible fruit stalks and removing seed pods. Arborists will be on site between the hours of 5am and 9am on weekdays and they will be carrying out maintenance on trees located on Wood, Victoria, Sydney, Macalister and Nelson streets, and Matsuura Drive and Mangrove Road. Wor
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Construction is set to roll for three Sleepbuses for the Mackay region. Lisa Jamieson, of Safe Sleep Mackay, said there had been some delays with construction, and getting the buses ahead of us in the construction queue into service. But she said the not-for-profit organisation sleepbus®, based in Melbourne, had shared their construction program, with delivery of the buses scheduled for 2025. “Safe Sleep Mackay is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the first Sleepbus into Mackay,” she said. “W
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We are excited to announce that the local Mackay community is putting hands into pockets to pay for this essential addition to our Brigade. We all know that First To The Fire has the best chance of extinguishing it quickly - saving fences, paddocks, stock, cane, homes and lives. We have our state allocation of two larger fire trucks but we are often hampered - especially during the weekdays with no truck driver! Habana Rural Fire Brigade (RBF) has been planning and saving to add a lighter, Qui
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This week Season to date Cane crushed 56,156 604,380 Average bin weight 3.94 3.88 CCS 14.62 13.63 Cane variety performance for region Variety % CCS Variety % CCS Q183 26.4 14.99 Q253 14.1 14.56 Q240 9.9 15.03 SP80 2.4 14.08 Q208 19.4 14.58 SRA9 10.8 14.42 KQ228 3.2 14.68 Q242 2.2 12.95 Comments: Plane Creek Mill processed just over 56,000 tonnes of cane for the week, bringing the season total to just over 600,000 tonnes. Average CCS rose by 0.2 of a unit over the previous week, closing out at 14
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Are you natural disaster ready? Queensland primary producers are being urged to prepare now ahead of the natural disaster season to help ensure the safety of their farms and reduce damage to crops and livestock. There is an expected increased risk of fire for large areas of Queensland following last summer’s rain, great pasture growth and a drier winter. Understanding which natural disasters or severe weather events are likely to occur in your area will help you prepare for events that are
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Simon Hood Wilmar Manager Grower Marketing By nominating Wilmar as your GEI marketer for the 2025 season, you are choosing to work with a leading global sugar trader. This gives you direct exposure to insights into the world sugar trade backed by in-depth analysis of international supply and demand fundamentals that ultimately determine price outcomes. For growers who use Call and Target pricing, access to this research and analysis is a comparative advantage when making pricing decisions f
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By Kevin Borg, Chairman, CANEGROWERS Mackay There is a rule of thumb that by Father’s Day, the crop should be 50 per cent crushed, but this year we saw that day come and go with about 65 to 75 per cent of the crop still sitting in paddocks across the district. If you are in the Mackay Sugar milling area, abysmal performance at Marian mill has left growers up the Pioneer Valley far behind in removing their crop, with attempts to restore equity by increasing Marian cane through Farleigh and Raceco
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By Hannah McNamara $38 million in funding has just been announced to enhance Kestrel Coal Resources' capabilities, supporting the construction of a waste gas-to-energy plant as part of the state government’s efforts to decarbonise its resource sector, if re-elected in October. This investment, along with an additional $5 million to develop the Resources Centre of Excellence in Mackay, was discussed during a meeting between Deputy Premier Cameron Dick, Labor Candidate for Mackay Belinda Hassan
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How good are you at trivia? Great or just average? Can’t get anything right if you’ve been before? Feel like you’re letting the team down, just because you’re in the group? Tonight is your night then! My mates at the Mackay Dragonboat Club are having another one of their remarkably successful trivia nights at the harbour and by all reports, it is set to be another cracking fun night. A couple of years ago Dale called me up to ask if I’d volunteer some time on the mic asking the questions wit
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Often when we have been in a career or organisation for some time, or even as we reach a time of year, maintaining motivation can be a challenge. The follow on from a loss of motivation may see us nudging more of a negative mindset than a positive one, which can result in a negative spiral, which pervades all aspects of our lives. It takes a purposeful shift in mindset and here are some practical actions to assist with putting the WOW back into our WHY. 1. Reflect on what was your original m
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Australian Church Women will celebrate World Community Day at 10 am on Friday 25th October, at Northside Uniting Church, Bedford Road Andergrove. We will also collect the ‘least coin donations’ that members have collected each time they pray for peace, justice and hope during the previous year. The Fellowship of the Least Coin is a global prayer movement that supports and advocates for peace, and justice and hopes to promote the physical, mental and spiritual health and well-being of women and
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“A wry, Jarmuschian musing on the human connections and possibilities that spark in the most unexpected places." – OBSERVER Get ready for the next film night featuring Fremont, a poignant and gently humorous immigrant story. The film follows Donya, a young Afghan who moved to Fremont, California after serving as a translator for the American army, spends her days working at a fortune cookie factory and her nights wide awake battling between her desire to rebuild her life and the overbearing gu
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Historically high work participation, lots of job vacancies, seriously strong population growth, rental and sales prices up by 10 per cent in the past financial year putting median house prices in Mackay up above the $500,000 mark. That was the message from Knight Frank Managing Director Craig Stack at a recent Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) function in Mackay. The facts and figures were a confirmation of the “feeling” that we have all had about how this city and region are on t
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Friday 27th September Matwork Pilates 5.45am Wanting to learn the fundamentals? This is a beginner experience and has been designed to show you the ropes and give you a taste of Pilates and how it should feel. This is a no pressure class, it's for beginners to have fun learning yet still receiving the full value of a Pilates session. Pilates should improve strength, flexibility, and overall well-being. Slade Point Community Hall. 4 Wren Street, Slade Point. Pokemon and Lorcana TCG Casual Pla
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Glitz, glamour and goodwill came together for a heart-warming cause last Saturday, as Broken Ballerina Inc. hosted its annual 2024 Be Bold, Be Brave, Be Beautiful Charity Ball at the Mackay Turf Club. Guests arrived in the early evening, gathering in the picturesque garden area before being welcomed into the grand ballroom at 6pm. Attendees were greeted with complimentary drinks and the sight of a glamorous pink carpet leading them into a beautifully decorated space. The ballroom itself was
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