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The Just Saying Project 2024 Women’s Awards

Photo credit: Marty Strecker

Free MenB Vaccine For Queensland Infants And Teens

The Queensland Government is investing $90 million over three years to rollout around 450,000 free potentially lifesaving meningococcal B (MenB) vaccines for infants, children and adolescents. Last year, Queensland recorded 36 cases of meningococcal B disease and two cases have been recorded this year to date. This serious infection can lead to complications from invasive meningococcal disease which can cause significant illness, disability, and death. Distribution of these vaccines is underw

Win The Chance To Get Wiggly!

One lucky Queensland kindy will win a visit from iconic children’s band The Wiggles as part of a campaign to help children learn about electrical safety. Entry into the competition is simple, with children, parents, guardians and educators encouraged to take a photo or video that highlights why electrical safety is important using messages from The Wiggles’ song Electricity! The Queensland Government first partnered with The Wiggles in 2022 to teach children about electrical safety, with the p

Bowling Bliss Mackay's Australia Day Carnival Triumph

Despite the initial setback due to weather, the Australia Day Carnival finally took place on Saturday afternoon under clear skies. The green was bustling with excitement as two groups of bowlers gathered to participate. One group consisted of seasoned bowlers, while the other included a mix of new bowlers and a few experienced ones to guide them. Sponsored by the Mackay Regional Council and Karyn Shepherd from More Air, the afternoon featured two games of 11 ends each. Following the first game,

Ladies In League Kick-Start The BMD Premiership

In a historic move for the Mackay Cutters, this will mark the first ever time that the team will run three female divisions. This significant development comes as the Mackay Airport continues its major sponsorship of the Cutters, coinciding with the start of their season, which aligns with International Women’s Day celebrations, this upcoming weekend. Leading the charge for the Mackay Cutters is 22-year-old Emma Manzelmann, a highly respected captain and player on the team. Emma expresses her ex

2024’s Mackay Airport Twilight City Run

Figures for this year’s race saw over a whopping 900 total registered runners on the day… an all-time record which organisers and community supporters are thrilled about! The Twilight run is a great precursor for the BMA Mackay Marina Run on June 2. Registered Twilight runners are encouraged to lace up again! Early bird pricing for the BMA Mackay Marina Run ends March 13. Photos supplied by Amanda Munn

BMA MACKAY MARINA RUN OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED

On your marks…Get set…GO! The 2024 BMA Mackay Marina Run was officially launched on the 1st of March with organisers predicting over 3,500 participants to be involved. Coming up to its 16th year, the annual run is widely regarded as Queensland’s most scenic running event with a flat, fast course set against spectacular sub-tropical scenery. Event Director, Tim Magoffin advised the run had become a signature event on the national running event calendar. “The BMA Mackay Marina Run offers a uniq

Easter Weekend Smash Mackay Indoor Pickleball Tournament

Calling on all Pickleball Players to hop on down this Easter to Mackay Indoor Pickleball Club! This exciting upcoming event is the first Indoor Pickleball Tournament in the region, taking place at the McDonald’s Mackay Multisport Stadium in Juliet St, South Mackay on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Easter Weekend. This all-inclusive event caters to all competitors of all levels, including individuals who may be quite new to the game or just play socially, through to more Intermediate, expe

Mackay Road Runners Sprint Through The Heat

Nearly fifty runners tackled the extreme humidity as they tracked the bendy pathways from the Bucasia Beach Playground Parklands to Shoal Point last Sunday. The runners didn’t seem to have noticed the severe heat conditions until the return lap, but despite the challenges they continued to push on through! Timekeeper Arthur Dick was in full control as he announced each runner’s start times based on their handicap. Highest handicap marker, Hamish Donnollan had an extremely long wait for his st

Making Waves Of Hope North Mackay Sinkers Support Starlight Children's Foundation

With the aid of supportive fundraisers, the Starlight Children’s Foundation creates moments of joy and happiness for children of all ages facing illness, brightening the lives of those in hospital. Throughout the past month of February, Masters Swimming Queensland clubs have dived on board to support the Starlight Super Swim, raising an impressive amount of funds for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. A fantastic first time total of $2,827 was raised by the participating members of the event,

AT THE TABLE

Young guns Trent Day and Ollie Hamelink played a close match on Tuesday night, Trent up 10, 9, -8, -11, 8. Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday night fixture results February 27, 2024: Division 1: Lexus (Barry Patterson, Andrew McHugh, Janice Kent) d Mercedes (Steven Whiting, Graham Brake, Graeme Walker) 6-5. Steven d Andrew -8, 11, -6, 10, 8. Ferrari (Geoff Denman, Goncalo Serra, Mark Sleeman) d Jaguar (Tim Shehan, Anne Sheridan, Vince Boeske) 7-4. Vince d Mark 12, 11, -10, 9. Andro (Tony Bowman, Mic

Mackay Contract Bridge Club

Players at the Gold Coast Congress (GCC) had a fantastic week of cards, friends, laughter, and food. Players had mixed results, with Diane and Max Holewa taking out third place in the Iva Dahler Butler Swiss Pairs Intermediate category. Annie Lynch and Sandra Morris came fifth in the Bobby Richmond Novice Pairs Championship, while taking out the Qld Novice Pairs. Weekly Results Monday 26 February 2024 – 5 Table Mitchell Green Points N/S E/W 1st Geoffrey Patterson / Terrence Sheedy 1st David T

Floyd Set Free! Sea Turtle Released Back To Wild

A sub-adult Green Sea Turtle was released back into the wild over the weekend, this milestone moment symbolising the collaboration between several entities and the hard work of many volunteers at Eco Barge Cleans Seas. Floyd was rescued by Port of Airlie Marina staff last month when they noticed he was struggling to swim. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Floyd’s front flipper had been entangled with a fishing line, some of which had also been ingested. Floyd received care at th

The Goodbye Banter With Bronte

And just like that, my final paper for Whitsunday Life has rolled around. It feels like a lifetime ago that I put my resignation in with Rach and the team, where I cried and Rach tried hard to not cry with me. And it feels like an eternity ago that I was welcomed into this great team, as a fledging journo with big dreams and a bigger need to develop my skills. But this team have been great, allowing me the ability to grow my skills, with tasteful and constructive criticism, dealing with my spel

Clean Up Australia Day

Over 60 do-gooding locals braved the high temperatures and great humidity over the weekend to participate in the Clean Up Australia Day held at Coral Sea Marina This annual event is part of the broader national event which takes place on the first week of March each year and has seen 21 million Australians participate over the last 33 years. Our local event is hosted in partnership with Tangaroa Blue and Reef Clean and this year, over 100 kilograms of litter was collected from Cannonvale Beac

Have Your Say About The New Life Of Bowen Jetty

Residents of Bowen are welcome to step forward and help shape Bowen’s lasting legacy and the future of the Bowen Jetty, by taking part in the Enquiry by Design (EbD) process and complete in a community wide survey. North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) CEO Brendan Webb said around 50 key stakeholders from diverse backgrounds will be brought together over two days of workshops for the EbD. “We’re already engaging with a range of stakeholders from local government, community groups, loca

New Speed Limit For Lake Proserpine

Whitsunday Water Police have revised and are now enforcing a new six-knot speed limit in Lake Proserpine. This new speed limit is in waters adjacent to the public use area, extending from the shoreline of the dam’s heavy use area out to approximately 100 metres. The new six-knot speed limit applies to all vessels, including jet skis and other personal watercraft. All water users are urged to follow the new speed limit, with penalties up to $365 applying.

Local Youth Win Big At Lions Youth Of The Year Zone Finals

The region’s Lions Clubs have celebrated their 2024 Zone Youth of the Year competition, with a lively speech competition held in Collinsville last weekend. The four regional Lions Clubs, Bowen, Proserpine, Whitsunday, and Home Hill-Ayr each sent a local student to Collinsville for the Zone final. Each student spoke with confidence and poise, their prepared speech eloquently spoken and performed, and their two impromptu speeches delivered with educated knowledge. All the students should be com

40 Years Since First Vessel Arrived At Bowen Terminal

Abbot Point Operations has celebrated 40 years of exports from their terminal just north of Bowen, with the 6,902nd vessel safely berthing and loaded with 60,000 tonnes of coking coal. It was 1984 when the Fukukawa Maru, the first vessel for the terminal, arrived at the facility, loaded with coal from Bowen or the Galilee Basin mines, to be exported across the world. Abbot Point Operations General Manager Port Operations Allan Brown said the milestone was a credit to the hundreds of local work

Cape Edgecumbe Works Unveiled

The first stage of Cape Edgecumbe’s upgrades has finally been unveiled, by the Whitsunday Regional Council. Over 1,100 metres of walking tracks along the trail have been improved, including drainage, track widening, signage, safety rails at lookouts and new steps. These works have taken place across the 750 metre trail from Rose Bay to Murray Bay, Mother Beddock lookout, and over 350 metres of Murray Bay ascent to Rotary Lookout. Engagement and Place Coordinator Jonathan Cutting is proud to un

‘I don’t do waivers and favours’ Richard Evans says what he means, and means what he says.

On the eve of the Whitsunday Regional Council mayor election freelance journalist Samantha Conroy talks to candidate, former Liberal MP, Richard Evans, about community service and the importance of democracy. Samantha Conroy (SC) – Why? Why are you nominating to become mayor? Richard Evans (RE) – Excellent question. Julie Hall announced she wasn’t standing, and a number of community leaders asked me to consider nominating for mayor. My key criteria were to determine if I could make a differenc

ELECTION: ON THE FRONT-LINE

Candidate Forum With Whitsunday Chamber

Registrations are open for the Chamber's inaugural Whitsundays Business Conference! The Conference will be held Friday 31 May and will bring together the region’s business community and stakeholders. The morning program will be hosted in Proserpine, with afternoon practical workshops and a Sundowner cocktail networking event held in Cannonvale. The program is shaping up to be rich in content and highly informative and is designed for attendees to walk away with specific strategies they can imp

Conservation Concerns Debated At Mayoral Forum

Over 60 local residents attended a lively Mayoral Candidates Forum held by the Whitsunday Conservation Council at the Reef Gateway Hotel last Wednesday evening. Candidates Phil Batty, Richard Evans and Ry Collins all took to the stage to answer questions given by facilitator and well-known local environmentalist, Tony Fontes. The fourth candidate, Peter Hood, was invited to participate but chose to sit in the audience, saying that his position as an accountant forbid him take part. In making

Tourism Whitsundays Newest Team Member Meet Rosanagh

Rosanagh Gallivan comes to the region with a wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience to her new role with Tourism Whitsundays, as Public Relations and Social Media Executive. Here is more about Rosanagh: What is your role at Tourism Whitsundays? I've recently taken on the role of Public Relations and Social Media Executive which means I will be involved in all thing's media relationships, stories, and social media marketing for The Whitsundays. What made you chose The Whitsundays? Bei