Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Many years ago I found myself relaxing under a tree in a big park in central New Delhi, desperate to peacefully escape the frenetic intensity of the city’s people, noise and bustling activity. Sometimes it becomes too much in India and you need to have a break from it all; so I pulled my cap down over my forehead, closed my eyes and started to embrace the tranquillity. It lasted for five seconds. “Excuse me, you want a drink? Can of coke?” “No thanks.” “Fanta?’ “No thanks”. The drink vendor le
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Anywhere you go around Mackay and the Whitsundays now, you’ll hear the familiar chorus of coughs and splutters – it’s flu season. I’d dare say it’s a pretty bad one at that. One unwell person, who wasn’t even aware they were that ill, was in our office, and within three days there were only four people left standing. Some had received flu vaccines, and by all reports, their symptoms were much less severe. I, on the other hand, had not got a flu jab and spent the entire week regretting it. Seeing
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Mackay's prestigious Woollam Art on Show Awards 2024 is poised to captivate art enthusiasts as entries have now closed. The Mackay Show Association proudly presents the launch of this highly anticipated non-acquisitive National Art Prize and exhibition, set to showcase the finest in art and culture from 2 August to 5 August 2024. Celebrating its eighteenth year, the event promises an impressive array of artistic excellence. In exciting news for 2024, the event will welcome the esteemed Susi Mudd
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Australian Church Women 10am Come and celebrate Fellowship Day - a group of Christian women who seek to promote peace, understanding and unity through faith and love in the one God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones! Church of Christ, 65 Beaconsfield Road, Beaconsfield Submerged Art Exhibition 10am A fantastic all-ages community exhibition featuring creative works inspired by waterways in the Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac Reg
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Screening at the Pinnacle Playhouse at 7:00pm this Saturday, 27th July is THE HOLDOVERS, a feel-good film from a bygone era laced with wit and sarcasm. Golden Globe winner Paul Giamatti is a pleasure to watch as the grumpy teacher in charge of students stuck in a boarding school over the Christmas holidays. The rest of the Mackay International Film Festival is only a week away so don't miss out on the Gala Opening Night on Friday 2nd August for a night of lost love, ancient secrets, and a jou
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Lila McGrath is making waves in the world of ballet after recently taking home the Tanya Pearson Memorial Award at the Sydney Eisteddfod Ballet Scholarship. The prejudice event was held at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall last Sunday, July 21. “It was an amazing experience and atmosphere at the Opera House, I’ll never forget it,” Lila remarked. The 15-year-old ballerina was selected out of hundreds of entrants across the nation and was the youngest out of eight finalists (being five girls
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Friday 26 July The Pub, Airlie Beach Hotel: Geed Up After Dark (7pm – 10pm) Reef Gateway: Jan Arns (6pm – 9pm) Jubilee Tavern: Kieran Mc (6pm – 9pm) KC’s: Alex Kosenko (from 8pm) Saturday 27 July The Pub, Airlie Beach Hotel: Geed Up (2pm – 5.30pm) The Pub, Airlie Beach Hotel: Andy Mammers (7pm – 10pm) Reef Gateway: Sam McCann (6pm – 9pm) Coral Sea Marina Resort: Live Music (from 1pm) Grand View Hotel: Dave Johan (from 9pm) KC’s Sar-Rah (from 8pm) Sunday 28 July The Pub, Airlie Beach Hotel: G
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July 26 Trivia Night Fundraiser, Tom Gard Centre, St Catherine’s College, 7pm 28 Airlie Beach Triathlon, Airlie Beach Lagoon, from 5am 28 Dingo Beach Sunday Markets, Dingo Beach Community Hall grounds, from 8am 29 Family Field Day, Les Stagg Oval, from 3pm 31 The Poems, Prayers & Promises of John Denver, at the Proserpine Entertainment Centre, from 1pm August 1-4 Great Barrier Reef Festival, Airlie Beach, from 9am 2 Airlie Beach Movie Night – Finding Dory, Airlie Beach Foreshore, from 6pm 6
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The 2024 Townsville Congress was held at the end of June with Mackay members in attendance. Val Holbrook and Mackay President Noel Bugeia claimed second in Category A of the Swiss Butler Pairs. President Noel and partner Terrance Sheedy won the Walk Ins on the Friday evening.
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The QCCS Mackay Cutters may have had a break from Hostplus Cup action last weekend, but significant developments off the field have kept the club in the spotlight. The Cutters are pleased to announce the appointment of David Roberts as their new Chief Executive Officer, commencing his role on Monday, 5th August. Following a rigorous recruitment process, David Roberts emerged as the ideal candidate to lead the club. "Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to the Board for giving me this o
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The North Mackay Sinkers Masters Swimming Club and Masters Swimming Qld are observing World Drowning Prevention Day to raise awareness of drowning incidents and its impacts. World Drowning Prevention Day is held annually on 25 July. This global advocacy event highlights the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities and offer life-saving solutions to prevent it. An estimated 236,000 people drown every year, and drowning is among the ten leading causes of death for childre
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On Sunday evening Alannah Dawson’s worst nightmare came true when she returned to her street and saw black smoke billowing from her house. The mother of four had been out with the family for the day so fortunately no-one was home when the house caught fire, but within an hour of arriving, it was evident that all their belongings were destroyed. Despite the trauma and tragedy, however, Allanah has nothing but appreciation for the people that have been by her side throughout – from close friends
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Hi Everyone, No-one can really comprehend what it’s like to lose everything until they do. And then it changes your life forever. This is an experience that one local family are sadly going through this week having lost all their belongings in a house fire on Sunday night. I’d like to thank Alannah (the mum of the family that lost everything in the house fire) for sharing her story with us and for expressing her gratitude to the community at a time when she would undoubtedly be feeling pretty
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Member for Whitsunday, Amanda Camm attended the Midge Point/Bloomsbury community forum last week, to give residents the opportunity to raise concerns and speak directly with her on matters involving connectivity and service disruptions. Ms Camm said she was impressed at the record turnout at the community forum which was held on Sunday afternoon at the Midge Point Tavern. She thanked the Midge Point Progress Association for hosting the forum and the community for the way they conducted themse
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Are you interested in becoming a Queensland Police Officer? The Queensland Police service is holding a seminar in Airlie Beach on the 30th July 2024, to answer any questions you may have about joining the force. The event will provide those interested in a career as a police officer with a range of relevant information and it will also give attendees the opportunity to ask questions about the application process. The session will be conducted by experienced, serving Queensland police officers. T
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The Whitsundays Writers Festival has announced the inaugural Lover Letter to Queensland event, which is set to take place on Thursday 5 September 2024 at the Coral Sea Resort ballroom in Airlie Beach. The event aims to highlight the deep community spirit and affection of Queensland through heartfelt stories and expressions of love. The writing competition invites individuals to share their personal stories and tributes to Queensland, fostering a sense of unity and pride. The competition offers p
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Sunday 4 August will see the Whitsunday Regional Council’s coordination of the Whitsunday Bushfire Resilience Project at the Proserpine SES Shed from 1pm. The Project has been delivered by the Council since September 2022 and aims to assist the community to become more prepared for bushfires. Drawing from funding from the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources as part of the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program, the workshops are offered free of cost to membe
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Welcome to the first in our series of Chat Local segments where we ask community members a topical question of the week This week’s question: How was your day disrupted by last week’s global IT outage? Richard Evans During the recent global IT crash, I was at home trying to meet a publishing deadline. The outage totally disrupted everything. I couldn't access files in the cloud or communicate with international suppliers through email and messaging apps. It really showed me how much I rely
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Where can I get good apprentices, trainees, and young people for my business? Scott McPherson of IDEAL Placements said: "Are you an employer of choice? That is the first question you must ask yourself. With the labour market so tight, you need to know what separates your business from everyone else. That is your starting point and will help market yourself to apprentices and trainees.” “Looking internally is always a great place to start. That young person on your books doing 10 hours a week c
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Whitsunday Regional Council offers lower differential general rates for owner-occupiers of residential properties used as their principal place of residence. Eligible property owners that comply with council’s policy need to complete and return the required form by 4 August 2024 to take advantage of this. If you already receive this benefit, there's no need to reapply. Ensure your property is correctly categorised for the reduced rate by visiting https://bit.ly/WRC-owner-occupier
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Looking for a real estate agent that offers a personalised experience tailored to suit all your buying and selling needs? Kath Barker is just a phone call away, offering extensive experience and dedication to the real estate market. With over five years in the industry, Kath has established herself as a trusted independent agent in the Whitsundays area, operating under Compass Realty Whitsundays, and with the support of @Realty. Having lived in the Whitsundays many years ago, Kath's roots in t
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Next week Whitsunday Regional Council will host a key event at the Shute Harbour Marine Terminal for invited stakeholders to collectively explore the current economic landscape of our region and chart a course towards a prosperous future. Council’s Economic Development Day will focus on “Growth and Opportunity in the Whitsunday Region: Unveiling Our Economic Future" and this event is an exceptional opportunity for invited tourism and commerce stakeholders to network and engage. Guest speaker
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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
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EvoPrime Fitness opened its all-new gym space on Shute Harbour Road at the weekend. The opening event was filled with fun activities, free sessions and delicious food. EvoPrime Co-owner Ash Lade was thrilled with how the opening day went: “It was fantastic, it's probably something that we'll do annually to not just showcase what we do but also connect with the community.” Ash and her husband Matt, have owned EvoPrime since 2019, originally located in Cannonvale. The gym has now expanded and re-o
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Dear Manager, I’m a Millennial. I was born between ’81 and ’96. I am sociable and self-confident, but you may think I’m self-absorbed. I am competitive, goal driven and I rewrite many of society’s habits – like avocado toast & ride-sharing! I prefer online training and a collaborative communication style. I expect change to be a constant and I see it as an opportunity. I love technology – it’s the only way we get stuff done! The internet was my playground and digital is in my blood. I
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