As Enterprise Bargaining Agreement negotiations continue between Wilmar Sugar Australia and its relevant employees and their respective Union representatives, Queensland Cane Agriculture and Renewables (QCAR) has urged parties to take negotiations “off-line” to enable season commencement to proceed with urgency. With its collective member organisations representing approximately 20% of the sugarcane farmers and 15% of the total sugarcane production in Australia, QCAR CEO Stephen Ryan said the or
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Innovative automation technology has been developed at the Central Queensland Smart Cropping Centre to revolutionise the soil-scanning process vital for effective planning in broadacre cropping planning. For a long time, electro-magnetic survey scanning has been a cornerstone in soil variability detection, analysing salinity, water, and clay levels. Traditionally, this method relied on a scanning sled towed by an all-terrain vehicle, offering insights crucial for informed agricultural decisio
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By Kevin Borg, Chairman, CANEGROWERS Mackay The Plane Creek milling area produces sugar cane as economically and sustainably, and equal or better quality than any region along the Queensland coastline. And that is something to celebrate! 200 people in The Plane Creek growing community came together at Koumala Community Hall last Friday evening (May 31) for the annual Plane Creek Productivity Awards, presented by Plane Creek Productivity Services Ltd (PCPSL). While many of the awards are based o
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“My grandfather smoked all his life and lived till he was 93.” “My uncle bought a second-hand Commodore, drove it around for four years without getting it serviced, and it never broke down.” “My mate hasn’t insured his house for the last 20 years and nothing’s gone wrong.” All these statements could be true and there are others that fit into the theme. And the theme is? Examples of behaviour and decisions that go against conventional wisdom but end up with a good result. Another example I have
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If you answered 110% proud, congratulations. Give yourself a pat on the back. On Sunday just gone, let me tell you I was so proud of my son for something he did, not only for himself, but for many thousands of people. Last Sunday my son and I ran the half marathon with the annual BMA Mackay Marina Run, and of course 628 others with the same direction in mind. To finish and do it with a smile. Rewind a few months ago, I had a chat with my son after he expressed an interest in doing some road r
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Review from Hannah McNamara We ventured along to the Writing Memoir and Personal Stories Workshop last Saturday, presented by power couple Dr Julia Evans, director of 852Press, and author Richard Evans. During the inspiring workshop the pair shared their insights and top tips on how to write a unique memoir or personal story. Julia and Richard were a delight to learn from and delivered a highly informative, yet encouraging lesson that at multiple times had the audience in giggles. Throughout t
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Coffee enthusiasts and food connoisseurs, rejoice! The highly anticipated return of Jamaica Blue to Caneland Central Shopping Centre is just around the corner, with the grand re-opening set for later this month. Situated in its familiar spot downstairs from Snap Fitness, the cafe promises to deliver a fresh wave of flavours and experiences to those who love to sip and savour. The dynamic duo bringing Jamaica Blue back to Canelands is Chris and Jaymee Anderson, the caffeinated crusaders with a p
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Pizza for a Purpose was successfully launched at Caneland Central, last Saturday, June 1. Parents, children, local businesses and organisations such as Real Mates Talk and Run for Mi Life took centre stage engaging in fun activities and offering services all in the name of suicide prevention and to raise awareness for Pizza for a Purpose. Throughout June, five dollars for every large pizza sold at Laffos, will be donated to the Grapevine Group for entirely local initiatives. As part of
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Aussie rock fans gathered at the Harrup Park Great Barrier Reef Arena last Saturday for an electrifying live experience of Icehouse, Jet, Jon Stevens, Pete Murray, Baby Animals, 1927 and Bachelor Girl! Photo credit: Hannah McNamara
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Bringing together locally sourced high-quality produce with one of the most beautiful beaches in the world is the legacy of Kevin Collins who created White on Whitehaven, our region’s only 250-seater pop-up restaurant on Whitehaven Beach. Having started his career as a chef when he completed his apprenticeship in 1978, Kev was always an ambitious and high-achieving individual, qualities that led him to start his own restaurant at just 22 years old. Moving to the Whitsundays in 1983, Kev found
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Friday 7th June Ladies Long Lunch 1pm Ladies! It's that time of year again...Grab your girlfriends and pop the champagne for the 2024 Ladies Long Lunch! This year will feature the talented Matty-Sax on the decks while he plays the saxophone to show you ladies something a little different! Come along and enjoy a canape lunch accompanied by wines, bubbles and beers! This won't be one to miss, see you there! The Dispensary Mackay FREE Art Party Afternoons 3pm Bring your own project! Do you ha
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Get ready to rock, Mackay! Aussie rock legends REGURGITATOR are gearing up to invade the stage at one of Mackay’s favourite local pubs, Seabreeze Hotel, on June 20th. Fresh from the release of their latest album, Invader, the band is eager to deliver an electrifying performance, bringing their iconic hits and boundless energy to their devoted fans in Mackay. Comprised of bassist Ben Ely, guitarist Quan Yeoman and drummer Peter Kostic, REGURGITATOR boasts three decades of music-making expertis
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The BMA Mackay Marina Run made history last Sunday with all event categories selling out for the first time, welcoming over 3,600 participants. The 21.1km half marathon saw a record turnout of 640 runners, including international participants. Over its 16-year span, the run has raised $600,000+ for the Leukaemia Foundation, aiding local services and support programs within the region. Photos supplied
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Riding high on an undefeated streak, the McDonalds Mackay Men’s Meteors faced off against the Darwin Salties last weekend in a game that promised to test their mettle. The game resulted in a clash of titans, with the Salties emerging victorious with a commanding 18-point lead, sealing the fate of the Men’s Meteors with a final score of 113 to 95. Reflecting on the game, Head Coach Joel Khalu acknowledged the harsh reality check it provided for his team. "It was a bit of a reality check for us
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Another competitive week at the Mackay Contract Bridge Club last week. Along with normal play, twelve teams competed in the Whitsunday Zone Teams; winners to go the Queensland Festival of Bridge to compete against other teams from all over the state. The team that will be representing the Whitsunday Zone is Diane Holewa, Max Holewa, Noel Bugeia & Terry Sheedy. Twenty-four pairs competed in the Nation Wide Novice Pairs with Mary Rose Ramsden & Noel Saunders and Sandy Patterson & Geoff Cowan the w
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MACKAY Cutters young guns Jaxon Purdue and Jamal Shibasaski have made every post a winner in the Hostplus Cup. The 18-year-old former Queensland Schoolboys representatives realised a dream last Sunday when they marked their NRL debuts with the North Queensland Cowboys. With the Cutters enjoying a bye, the versatile Purdue and power running forward Shibasaki were blooded in the Cowboys’ top-grade squad and made an impact in the club’s miraculous 18-16 victory over Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stad
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All conquering Mackay Brothers are setting a cracking pace in the 2024 NQBE Mackay Junior League A Grade competition. The runaway leaders demonstrated their power and class last Saturday by trouncing Wests Tigers 30-0 at Leprechaun Park to preserve their unbeaten status. It was the Brothers’ sixth successive victory of the season and keeps them four points clear of rivals Mackay Magpies on 12 competition points. Tom Heggie’s well drilled charges proved too strong for the Tigers with Australia
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Mackay Regional Council was proud to support the Whitsunday STEM Challenge over the weekend at the Mackay and District Kart Club, through their Economic Development and Tourism program. The winning team of the Pedal Prix Human Powered Vehicle 16-hour Endurance Event completed an amazing 573 laps. Mackay Regional Council Congratulated the teams from Mackay Northern Beaches State High School who won the senior and junior boys categories and said it was great to have Cr Alison Jones and youth cou
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Approximately seventy runners and supporters met at The Grove Tavern, Bedford Road, Andergrove for the racing of the annual Grove 10km Handicap Trophy on the 26th of May. Despite the onset of formal winter season only days away, the conditions were humid and sunny as runners traversed the multitude of streets in the Andergrove suburb, including the challenging Apsley Way circuit in a bid to take out the coveted 10km Grove Handicap Trophy. To be eligible for the trophy, all members must start
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Congratulations to Ashton Wallin, a young BMX champion who took home the President Award last week at Mackay and District BMX Club Inc. Ashton won the President Award for consistently giving it his all against older riders and never giving up on the race after displaying constant determination to make it across the finish line. Well done Ashton!
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Recently, Pioneer Tennis Juniors travelled out to the Emerald Open. Great country tournament part of the "Aussie Gold Natural Spring Water" Capra Series. 8 of Pioneer's Next Gen Squad made up part of the 84-player tournament where they showcased some fantastic results. In the 10 & Unders, Uday Singh and Isabelle Daniel took out both the singles before teaming up with other club’s players and taking out the Doubles too. They both now will be receive 50% off Solar Bat Sunglasses and will rec
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The unveiling of two Jetty designs for the new Bowen Jetty showcase ideas and features generated from the feedback of the people living within the region. North Queensland Bulk Ports (NQBP) CEO Brendan Webb said putting the community first was a key part of their planning stage. “We could not have asked for more from the community when it comes to them sharing their passion, local knowledge and great ideas,” Mr Webb said. “More than 770 people have gave their feedback through our first survey
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Hi Everyone, I was out on Cannonvale Beach with my son one morning, taking our excitable Border Collie, Finn, for a walk when I began watching two men at work planting little shrubs in the nearby garden beds. One of the men had a massive drill and was drilling into the soil, up-rooting much of it and breaking deeply into the beds before plopping a plant into the hole he’d created. The other man had a shovel in his hand and was gently scooping away the soil - slowly, quietly and lovingly he cr
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We are blessed to have a vibrant sugar industry here in the Whitsundays, and even more blessed to have an annual event which raises incredible amounts of money for invaluable charities such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The Cut Out Party took place again in March this year - a celebration of the sugar industry and also a fundraiser – the event raised a staggering $53,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The Cut Out Party committee recently travelled to Townsville to deliver the cheq
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A much-loved annual community event which spreads the word of kindness and remembers the life of an inspiring young girl, is taking place across Australia once again this June 22. Billie Kinder was a Whitsunday local who, at just 12 years old, sadly lost her life in an accident while horse riding. Her mother, Danny Mason-Kinder found her daughter’s paintings and poems that illustrated incredible insights into kindness and empathy, and she has since used these to create a book using her daughte
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