Issue #

26

Catering To All Your Trailer And Container Needs

April 18, 2024

Mackay Containers and Mackay Trailers are gearing up to make a significant appearance at the upcoming sugar trade expo, showcasing their diverse range of equipment. Offering FREE registration on all display trailers during the event, this means potential customers can explore their options without the added hassle of registration fees, making it easier than ever to find the perfect fit for their needs. “Our expertise lies in providing top-quality solutions in secure storage including the hire,

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Cultivating growth: The Greater Whitsunday AgTech Hub

April 18, 2024

The Greater Whitsunday AgTech Hub online portal is reshaping the future of the region's agriculture sector through technology and collaboration. The Greater Whitsunday AgTech Hub, an integral component of the Agribusiness Futures Alliance project, supported by Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) and key stakeholders, represents a bold vision for a world-class agriculture and agribusiness sector empowered by technology. The Greater Whitsunday AgTech Hub developed the online portal to bring new wa

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Property Point

April 18, 2024

If the 2024 Mackay property market were a person, it would be spotted regularly emerging from the local gym with a smile on its face looking fit, strong and healthy and displaying the sort of energy required for continued intense activity. Housing markets take on different looks, depending on location and their particular real estate cycle. In recent years the Sydney market could be seen in its Dior gown and Prada bag stepping out of a limousine in all its finery and promenading along the red ca

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Repurpose Common Household Items With These Eco-Friendly Home-Hacks

April 18, 2024

Repurposing household items is an eco-friendly and creative way to breathe new life into everyday objects while reducing waste. With a little imagination and resourcefulness, you can transform common household items into useful or decorative pieces for your home. Here are six ways you can repurpose household items: Glass Jars as Storage Containers: Empty glass jars from pasta sauce, pickles, or spreads can be repurposed as storage containers for pantry ingredients, spices, or dry goods. Clean a

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Marching Against The Invasion

April 18, 2024

The National Fall Armyworm Symposium was held at Brisbane’s Ecosciences Precinct on April 17-18, bringing together industry, government, researchers, and funders to tackle the challenges posed by the invasive pest. "Fall armyworm infestations are now found in every important growing area in Queensland," highlights Minister Mark Furner, stressing the severity of this year's infestations and the critical role of research and extension efforts. Hort Innovation CEO Brett Fifield emphasises the colla

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Tackling Farmgate Fairness

April 18, 2024

Queensland families are feeling the pinch at the supermarket as fresh produce prices soar while farmers struggle to make ends meet. To address this disparity, the Queensland Government says it is taking proactive steps by introducing a farm gate price monitoring scheme led by industry experts. This scheme aims to establish industry pricing standards and monitor trends across the top 20 products through collating and analysing farm financial performance and pricing data. "As Premier, I shared a s

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Event Guide

April 18, 2024

CQ Rescue Charity Golf Day 11am Taya Rush presents the 2nd annual charity golf day. $100 per player, teams of 4, 18-hole Ambrose. Novelty holes with prizes. Have a game of golf while supporting the RACQ CQ Rescue team! Mackay Golf Club, Bucasia Conversations With Art 1pm Held on the 3rd Friday of each month, 'Conversations with Art' is a free and enjoyable discussion led by Artspace staff as we look at art works and images from gallery and museum collections. POP UP Venue in Residence' room.

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'The Murder Game', by Constance Cox, now playing at Kucom Theatre Review by Mehitabel

April 18, 2024

'The Murder Game' opened at Kucom Theatre on Thursday night (11 April) for a two-week season. Directed by Maureen Coleman, the play has been described as ‘a gripping melodrama that delves into the complexities of love, betrayal, and the dark allure of a perfect crime’. Not your straightforward ‘Whodunnit’ (the ‘who’ is pretty much apparent right from the start), more of a ‘Why-dunnit’. Brian (played by Dennis Rozekrans) is financially dependent on his wife Sheila (Carolyn Roche), happily living

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A Flight Of Hope For An Injured Ibis

April 18, 2024

An injured ibis, also renowned by locals as a ‘bin chicken’, was reportedly found lying in the Mount Pleasant carpark last week, helpless, unable to move and on the brink of death. A local soon spotted the native bird in distress and called multiple animal rescue services within the area, however, nobody was willing to assist. Mackay Pet Rescue stepped up to the rescue once again, arriving on sight to help the injured ibis, sharing their newly rescued patient to Facebook to underline the import

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Meteors Shoot for the Stars in Stellar Showdown

April 18, 2024

By Amanda Wright Cheers echoed through the Crater at Mackay McDonald’s Stadium last Friday night as our McDonald's Mackay Meteors dominated the court early on, clinching a thrilling victory against the Townsville Heat, In a high-flying display of hoops prowess, our boys soared to a spectacular 98-89 win, leaving fans on the edge of their seats and opponents seeing stars. Leading the charge was the dynamic duo of Isaac White and Todd Blanchfield, whose lightning-fast moves and pinpoint accuracy k

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Bella Mackenzie To Sing For A Cause At The Broken Ballerina Charity Golf Day

April 18, 2024

Introducing Bella Mackenzie, an emerging Mackay local singer-songwriter, who is set to grace the stage at the upcoming Broken Ballerina Charity Golf Day on Friday, August 2nd. Attendees will gather for a day filled with golf, camaraderie, and most importantly, support for Broken Ballerina Inc., a non-for-profit organisation dedicated to aiding survivors of domestic violence in the region. Behind Broken Ballerina Inc., stands its founder, Jules Thompson, a woman of courage and dedication. Alongs

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FINCH HATTON MTB TRAILS OPEN THIS SUNDAY WITH FAMILY FUN DAY

April 18, 2024

The Finch Hatton Mountain Bike Trails will be officially opened with a fun day for the whole community. While the trails have been available to the public for about seven weeks, the official opening, on Sunday, April 21, will also mark the opening of the full trailhead site for visitors. Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson said the trails had been in the planning for many years and it was fantastic to now have stage one officially opened. “The opening will include a fun community day, with market stall

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It’s Time to Gather Round, Macktown  

April 18, 2024

The upcoming 2024 AFL Mackay season is set to commence, kicking off on Saturday, April 20, with the debut of AFL Mackay’s "Gather Round" at Harrup Park. The inaugural round will feature eight football games across three competition grades, all held at the same venue. Following the AFL's "Gather Round" in Adelaide, AFL Mackay is launching the "Regional Gather Round," marking the first time in Queensland community football history where a round will be played at a single venue for all senior grad

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Cutters Soar To Success In Historic Wins

April 18, 2024

By Amanda Wright History was made as the Mackay Cutters secured the title of the first-ever Harvey Norman Under 19 premiers. Hooker Paityne Johns emerged as the standout player of the match, steering her team to victory with sheer determination and skill. Reflecting on the momentous win, Paityne expressed her exhaustion but overwhelming happiness at the team's triumph. She credited their success to a collective effort and a mindset focused on giving their best on the field. "My mindset was to

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Runners Conquer The Hills At Tim's Chariots Of Fire Event

April 18, 2024

Nearly sixty runners enjoyed the perfect Sunday morning weather conditions as they traversed the scenic hills of Slade Point to Lamberts Beach for the five-kilometre and beyond to the Harbour North Wall for the ten-kilometre distance. The Tim’s Chariots of Fire event was hosted by club treasurer, Tim Magoffin and the course was a beauty with plenty of varying terrain to keep runners alert and on their toes. The Slade Point and Lamberts Beach suburbs put on spectacular weather where it had Sou

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Mackay Cyclones Multiclass Athlete Dives Into Victory

April 18, 2024

Mackay Cyclones Multiclass Athlete Izabella Wills launched herself into the Australian MC and made waves at the Age championships held on the Gold Coast recently, bringing home a swag of medals. Izabella competed in six events initially, along with six in the finals, securing a medal in each one! Izabella is now the New Australian champion for 2024 in the 50 Freestyle and 50 Butterfly. She also earnt four Silver medals in all her other events for the 100 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Freestyl

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New Council Sworn In

April 18, 2024

Family and friends of the newly elected Whitsunday Regional Council Councillors gathered to witness the Local Government Swearing In Ceremony at the Proserpine Entertainment Centre (PEC) last week. Chief Executive Officer of the Whitsunday Regional Council, Warren Bunker, facilitated the ceremony, formally introducing the new Mayor, Ry Collins, and each of the six Councillors. All signed and received their Declaration of Office and gave a few words. Uncontested Councillors returning to seat

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Opening Night Local Students Shine On Stage

April 18, 2024

Proserpine State High School’s production of ‘Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ opened to hundreds of enthusiastic attendees on Thursday evening. This entirely student-led production was held at the school’s $11 million multi-purpose Performing Arts Centre and will continue to run on Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening. Almost 100 students from years 7 to 12 took part in the production, taking the lead in everything from performing on stage to behind-the-scene

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Editors Note

April 18, 2024

Hi Everyone, Do you think Airlie Beach has a nice beach? Despite the word ‘beach’ being in our local town’s name, many people have expressed their disappointment with the lack of ‘beach’ in Airlie Beach. I remember when I first arrived as a 23-year-old backpacker almost 20 years ago on the Greyhound bus from Fraser Island. After a long, sleepless night crammed into the single bus seat with nothing to view but black sky and the occasional servo, I was mesmerised by a sunrise that sprinkled ov

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Art For Mental Health

April 18, 2024

Raising awareness and talking about your own experiences in order to break a stigma close to your heart can be one of the bravest and most powerful of good deeds. Talented local artist, Donna Lawrence, is doing just this by using her art exhibition at the Whitsunday Sailing Club next week, to open the door to conversations and a broader understanding of mental health. Diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar, Donna uses her art to help manage her mental health issues which ha

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Airlie Beach ‘Beach’ A Visual Eyesore Or Natural Treasure?

April 18, 2024

When tourists come over the hill and see Airlie Beach for the first time, they are mesmerised by the turquoise ocean and excited to reach the coastline so they can walk on the golden sands. When they arrive in town, however, there can be a little confusion, with a common question arising - exactly where is the ‘beach’ in Airlie Beach? The Airlie Foreshore beach has large tidal patterns which reveal its muddy and rocky bay at low tide. When the tide is high, the overall look of the bay improve

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Local Anzac Day Services

April 18, 2024

Every year Australians stand still in solidarity to pay their respects to the fallen Anzac soldiers. At the Anzac memorial services, we remember the brave Australian and New Zealander soldiers that fought in all wars and conflicts. To pay respects, nearby services are as followed: Airlie Beach Main Service: 9.00am - meet at Broadwater Avenue carpark at 8am for march to Airlie Esplanade Cenotaph Bowen Dawn Service: 5.50am - Herbert Street Cenotaph Main Service: 9.30am - meet at RSL at 8.50a

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A Dozen Dead Cows

April 18, 2024

Local resident Henry Petersen got the shock of his life on Friday morning when he past “a dozen dead cows” on the side of the road between Gumlu and Guthalungra in the early hours of the morning. The mango market-stall holder says it was only just getting light when his vehicle was halted on a remote section of the Bruce Highway and he witnessed a row of cattle deceased on the roadside. “All the cattle had been knocked down like dominos, dead on the side of the road, there were more than a doz

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Candle Lighting Vigil To Remember Those Lost

April 18, 2024

Two poignant ceremonies will be held in the region over the coming weeks, one candle lighting vigil will be held in Bowen and a second in Airlie Beach, both held in honour of those who have lost their lives to domestic violence over the past 12 months. May is Australian Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, a time for the community to reflect, ignite change and show compassion for those impacted. In Australia, at least one person is killed every week by an intimate partner and childre

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Cub Scouts Awarded

April 18, 2024

Four inspiring Proserpine Cub Scouts have completed a range of bushwalking, bushcraft and camping activities and have now achieved the prestigious Grey Wolf Peak Award Badge. During these endeavours they learnt compass work, first aid knowledge, how to read different maps, cook a meal on a campfire and camped a minimum five nights with the Scouts. They also completed six different special interest projects and individually organised an adventurous activity. Ryan Penhallurick walked 32 kilometr

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