Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Results for social play on Tuesday Bron Tolcher, Robyn Stitt and Penny Warren defeated Margaret Wilson, Mark Drummond and Sugar Brunker. Merle Elphinstone, Sue Shearing and Geoff Danvers defeated Irene Laird, G Charles and Greg Colquhoun. Ladies Club Competition: B Singles Gwenda Lydom defeated Deb Retchless. Triples: Denise Wallace, Linda Scells and Penny Warren defeated Gwenda Lydom, Irene Laird and Lyn Danvers. Men’s Competition: A Singles Allan Rolfe defeated Kevin Daniels, Mitch Wright
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As the final touches are put in place, Sarina's eagerly anticipated new hospital on Brewers Road is set to open its doors at noon on April 3. Executive Director Terry Johnson acknowledged the seamless efforts of all involved, ensuring a smooth transition for patients, staff, and visitors. The recent Community Open Day drew a remarkable 230 attendees, with overwhelming positivity towards the state-of-the-art facility. Construction finished in February and staff have been undergoing training in
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Dorothy sure hit the nail on the head with her ruby slippers, didn't she? "There's no place like home" – but what if you've got more than one 'home' in your heart? Having called Australia and the beautiful Mackay region my home for over 11 years now, I can attest to the truth in that sentiment. However, my recent 10-day trip back to the land of the long white cloud to farewell a friend was like a breath of fresh air, (or at least a breath of cold air). It's where my family resides, where my chi
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In a heart-warming display of generosity, a dedicated local mother is using her skills as a beautician to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Over a period of two days (18th and 19th of March) Samira offered henna tattoos, eyebrow threading or waxing, and eyelash tinting at just $15 each to raise funds for a school in the remote town of Aragip. Aware of the financial constraints faced by many families, especially in remote areas like Aragip, she al
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Ten Mackay friends have had their week pleasantly de-railed after discovering their 40-year-old syndicate entry scored $1 million in the weekend’s Saturday Gold Lotto draw. The North Queensland ex-railway workers held one of five division one winning entries in Saturday Gold Lotto draw 4453 on Saturday 23 March 2024. The group’s entry won a total prize of $1,054,144.91. One of the winning members revealed how the group came about after an official from the Lott called to confirm the wonderfu
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The lighting component of the Stadium Mackay refurbishment project is now complete and will offer crowds an enhanced viewing experience. The upgrades have been finalised in time for the QRL season and the upcoming Freestyle Kings Live Stadium Tour on April 6. Executive Manager MECC and Events Andrew Bobeldyk said infrared testing showed the upgrades had exceeded expectations. “The field lighting hit a greater lumen level than was initially anticipated,” Mr Bobeldyk said. “The lighting has reache
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OPINION PIECE The Federal Government has run out of excuses after officially breaking its election promise to reduce household energy bills by $275 following the release of draft regulated electricity prices last week. The draft Default Market Offer has confirmed that Labor has fallen short by up to $1,027 of its promised price reduction for everyday households, equivalent to a 37 per cent increase since Labor came to power. Small businesses have also been hit hard by Labor’s spiralling ener
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On the morning of March 16, Lena and her son, Charlie, decided to go out for the day, however, whilst out, life took a sudden detour and shook up the reality of a normal life for the mother and young son. The faulty aircon system above the fridge in the kitchen caught alight, vastly spreading to the room and through the rear of their Andergrove home. The laundry, along with the kitchen and all of the contents within the area was destroyed in minutes. The rest of the home was majorly affected by
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Tropical Queenslanders have been urged to take extra pre-cautions when taking their four-legged friend on beach walks, after a dog recently swallowed a blue button jellyfish and fell ill due to the toxic creature in South East Queensland. Blue button jellyfish are described as coin-sized creatures that tend to wash ashore after heavy winds or large tides and as a result, will float close to the water surface. The toxic species have reportedly washed up at Blacks Beach Mackay and high risks h
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In a devastating news update, police have confirmed the body of a man reportedly found at McCreadys Creek around 9.30am on March 21, was that of missing 38-year-old Mackay man, Scott Billingham. In earlier reports, Mackay detectives were on the search for Mr Billingham after he reportedly went missing on Friday, March 8 around 4pm. Scott was last seen at an address on Andergrove Road, Andergrove and had not been in contact with friends or family since. Major concerns were raised for his wel
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The Queensland Government’s Minor Infrastructure and Inclusive Facilities Fund (MIIFF) has just allocated funding to 171 projects in the Mackay Local Government area where six projects have been approved a total of more than $1.4 million through the program. Local sport and active recreation facilities will be made safe, accessible, inclusive and more efficient, through the Minor Infrastructure and Inclusive Facilities Fund (MIIFF). New changerooms at Mackay Brothers Football Club, upgraded
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At just 19 years old, Mackay local Tamlyn Evans has received a once in a lifetime opportunity in the world of dance, earning the honour of representing Australia at the well-regarded Washington Tattoo in the U.S. Selected as one of only 11 dancers, she will travel to America in April with the international highland dancing team, OzScot Australia. Tamlyn's passion for dance ignited at a young age, encompassing Scottish highland dancing alongside ballet and contemporary forms which have led to th
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Storytelling, poetry, drawing, painting, photography, film and more…the Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership invites local creatives of all ages and abilities to take part in the Submerged in Our Region competition to celebrate 10 years of waterway health in our region. Entrants will get the chance to have their work showcased at a five-day exhibition in July as part of the 2024 Mackay Festival of Arts program and be eligible to win one of five prizes - including a $1,000 Artist Development Burs
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Amidst the shadows of despair, 25-year-old Jess has found a glimmer of humanity and recognition from local business owner Kylie after Jess had been forced to sleep on the streets due to having nowhere else to call home. Kylie recognised the young girl outside her business and offered to help her by initiating a GoFundMe campaign with the aim of securing funds for housing and other essential items to support Jess's needs. Due to no fault of her own, Jess has been homeless for the last four month
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Friday, March 22 was National ‘Ride to School Day,’ Australia’s biggest celebration of active travel, and schools throughout the region, from Seaforth to Sarina, joined more than 870 schools participating nationally. Ride2School is a nationwide program organised by Bicycle Network, designed to support schools to encourage, empower and enable more students to get physically active on their journey to school, giving them the opportunity to create healthy habits for their future whilst teaching th
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Taskforce Guardian, a newly launched rapid response team, has commenced operations in Mackay. Collaborating with committed Youth Justice professionals and local Police enforcement, the task force aims to address recurring property offenders and enhance community safety. Approximately nine young people Between March 11 and 17 were apprehended on 38 offences, predominately for property and bail offences. Specialist Police worked in conjunction with Youth Justice workers and frontline Police co
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Winner of 9 Tony Awards when it debuted in 1964, Fiddler on the Roof is the brainchild of Broadway legends, Jerome Robbins and Harold Prince; songwriters, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick; and book writer, Joseph Stein. Touching audiences worldwide with its humour, warmth and honesty, this universal show is a staple of the musical theatre canon. Next month, the Mackay Choral Society is bringing this classic to the CQCM Theatre over three days. Set in the little village of Anatevka, the story cent
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Mother Cat Ezme and her one and only kitten Lovebug were recently found abandoned in a playground just a few hours after Ezme gave birth. With no human in sight to help, Ezme quickly went into mother-mode and protected her baby kitten by cradling him in an attempt to shield him from the rain. Helpless and alone, Ezme and her newborn baby were stranded in the dreary rain needing urgent care as Lovebug was alarmingly tiny and weak. Thankfully, a nearby resident noticed the two felines in the p
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Registered nurses Aswin Prasannakumar and Chithranjana Chandrasenan, are delighted to discover a side of familiarity in Mackay, where the warm climate, lush greenery and scenic beaches remind them deeply of their homeland in Southern India. Yet, it’s the gracious welcome from their colleagues and the warm introduction to the local Indian community, that makes them feel at home. The couple arrived earlier this year in mid-February and are eager to find a place to call home so they can be reunit
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An upcoming exhibition and publication will showcase landscapes, portraits, weaving, interpreted cultural stories and imagery from four local Mackay artists. The exhibition will also include collected stories, photographs and portraits from Elders sourced from the Multicultural community in the Mackay region. Mangrove is a visual arts exhibition which will be a collaboration of four women artists, Veronica Ah-Wang, traditional owner of Yuwibara country, Visual Storyteller; Janet Ambrose, desce
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Australia’s farm, fisheries and forestry sectors are set to rebound in 2024-25. The most recent Agricultural Commodities and Australian Crop reports are predicting that the gross value of production in 2024–25 will again increase after poor seasonal conditions affected outcomes in 2023-24. Executive Director of ABARES Dr Jared Greenville said a rebound of up to 6% is predicted, bringing the gross value of Australian farms, fisheries and forestry to $90.8 billion, the third highest on record. “
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By Kevin Borg, Chairman, CANEGROWERS Mackay There’s been a great deal of talk around SAFs – sustainable aviation fuels – and some outstanding work done in projects that use sugar cane as a base, particularly in growing regions such as Mackay, the Burdekin, Mossman and Rocky Point/Gold Coast. As a CANEGROWERS elected representative, I was a part of the working group that developed the sugar industry roadmap Sugar Plus: Fuelling the Future of Food, Energy and Fabrication, which was released in Jul
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Easter time is a great time to get out and have some fun around Mackay and the Whitsundays. Sure, Good Friday is the day to think about what the season means to you, then on Sunday everyone gets together and counts the number of calories that the Easter bunny has left behind. If your place is anything like mine, there will be quite a few calories consumed, and you know what, that’s ok. It’s one weekend, that’s it. I remember back in the 80’s and living in Gregory St, we’d all have family over
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In the changing world we live in, there is a growing trend for businesses to try to sell you what they think you should have rather than what you want. And, delightfully in my opinion, they are getting punished for it. A good friend of mine, let’s call him Ben, illustrated this perfectly the other day when he told me about how he went to buy a whipper-snipper. Ben is pretty lawn-proud and he is loyal to a brand that has done right by him. He has had three terrific whipper-snippers, all the same
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