Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
The Whitsunday Brahmans recently hosted a spectacular presentation night, celebrating the remarkable achievements of their players, committee members, volunteers, families, supporters, and sponsors. The event was a vibrant showcase of the club's success and camaraderie over the past season. The evening's festivities were enhanced by the exceptional catering provided by ‘I’m the Pizza Guy’, whose delicious pizzas were a hit with all attendees. Their support added a special touch to the celebrator
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The Bowls Club was bustling with activity this week. On Tuesday, the social mixed bowls featured three triples games. Dawn Dowell, Lane Telford, and Tony Whitehorn emerged victorious with a close 20-18 win over Betty Whitehorn’s team, marking the day’s lowest winning margin. Wednesday afternoon, Rik Galea and Michael Jacometi tookJacometi take home the prize money with a 29-18 win against Ash Warland and Bill Gordon. The Jackpot was not won and will increase next week. John Fielding also secured
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Sunday, September 8: The social bowls featured a vibrant mix of players. Marion, Andy, Steve, and Jane triumphed over Allen, Daryl, Ray, and Herb. Meanwhile, Vicky, John, and Spanny faced off against Ron, Steve, and Marion. In Scroungers, Rob defeated Lloyd and Ron. Wednesday, September 11: The competition continued with MaryEllen, Jane, and Kevin securing a win against Ray, Frank, and Wendy. Peter, Kevin, and Daryl also came out on top against Eddy, Gordo, and Gus. In another match, Ron and Ste
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B Pairs Final: The B Pairs competition reached its climax on Tuesday with Nathaniel Watts and Gavin Noonan securing a hard-fought victory over Bruce Uhe and Mike Harrison. The final score of 21-17 highlighted a closely contested match, showcasing the high level of skill present in this year’s competition. Senior Singles Semi-Final: On Wednesday, Bryan Davy advanced to the Senior Singles final by defeating Dale Haack with a score of 25-13. This win sets up an exciting final showdown between Davy
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Tuesday Social Bowls: The social bowls held on Tuesday featured a tight contest in which Robyn Stitt, Gavin Charles, and Margaret Wilson narrowly defeated Barry Gazzola, Irene Laird, and Bruce Magilton. Other winners included Sue Shearing, Jocelyn DeFranciscis, Deb Retchless, and Joe Paynting, who won against Gwenda Lydom, June Paynting, Lorraine Knight, and Greg Colquhoun. Additionally, Lindy Suann, Penny Warren, and Geoff Danvers emerged victorious over Merle Elphinstone, Lyn Danvers, and Dot
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The Cannonvale Cannons swimming team experienced a memorable evening this week as Jax Clayworth shattered a 23-year-old club record. Former Cannons swimmer Abel Morris, who set the 11-year-old 100 metres Butterfly record on March 7, 2001, made a special appearance to pass the honour to Clayworth. Clayworth achieved an impressive time of 1:21.39 in the 100 metres Butterfly, surpassing Morris’ previous record by 0.20 seconds. Additionally, Jax set a new record in the 11-years 100 IM with a time of
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The golf course provided perfect conditions today with sunshine, light winds, and no rain, making for an enjoyable Stableford game. Thirty-one players, including guests James House and Herb Maierhofer from Maryborough Golf Club, took advantage of the ideal weather. In the ladies' competition, Jenny Hounsell emerged as the winner with 33 points, while Leanne Alexander finished as the runner-up with 30 points. The rundown included Beryl Nosworthy and Robyn Whitham with 28 points, and Vickie Wallac
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Ahoy there, parents and guardians! We’re heading into the final stretch of the school holidays, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve been navigating these waters with a mix of excitement, exhaustion, and just a splash of chaos. As I sail through a good week—feeling well enough to get out and about before my next chemotherapy treatment—I’ve been making the most of it with my little one, who’s nearly a year and a half now. Let me tell you, keeping up with a toddler during school holidays is it
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On a quiet Sunday afternoon at the Ampol service station in Farleigh, a local woman found herself in a predicament, unsure of which oil to buy for her car. The young employee, though polite, couldn’t provide much assistance, so they decided on a 5-litre bottle of 30-weight oil. Just as she was about to pay, a friend messaged her, suggesting she needed 40-weight oil instead. Rushing back to the shelves, she encountered what she later described as an "angel" in the form of a "gentle giant" nam
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A graduation ceremony at Mackay Base Hospital for six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students last week marks the next big step in turning their healthcare career dreams into a reality. The teens have completed an 18-month traineeship across various departments at the hospital as part of the Budyubari Bidyiri Kebi Stapal or Big Dream, Small Steps Program. In a ceremony on Tuesday 10 September, the students cut the graduation cake and were presented with their Certificates lll qualific
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Member for Whitsunday, Amanda Camm MP, is calling on the Queensland Government to be open and honest with Queensland commercial and recreational fishers about its future plans for the fishing industry. “For the last two years, this Labor Government has treated our Queensland fishers with contempt bringing in changes with little consultation or transparency around their decision-making process and with little concern as to the implications on the future of the fishing and seafood industry in Q
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By Amanda Wright For nearly four decades, M&P Services has been a cornerstone supporter of the Mackay Surf Lifesaving Club, showcasing a remarkable dedication that started in the 1980s. The foundation of this enduring relationship was laid by Max Lamb senior, who, using M&P’s first truck, transported vital materials to Mackay to establish the lifesaving club at Harbour Beach. This long-standing partnership was celebrated recently when Max Lamb Jr. from M&P Services presented the club with a ge
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Applications are now open for 10 more Regional University Study Hubs to be established around Australia, giving more students from rural and regional areas access to tertiary education. MP Andrew Willcox is throwing his support behind the program which has already supported over 12,000 students in 46 locations across Australia since its establishment. “Living in rural, regional, and remote areas can create significant barriers of entry for students looking to study at a tertiary level, but thi
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Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, has said that Prime Minster Anthony Albanese refused to attend the National Farmer Rally outside Parliament House, ignoring farmers who travelled from across Queensland to plead with the Federal Government to stop an “anti-farming agenda”. Mr Willcox said the Prime Minister has once again demonstrated complete contempt towards farmers and rural, regional and remote Australia. “For the Prime Minister to ignore our farmers, many who have spent days on
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Mackay is set to benefit from the Queensland Government’s ramped-up efforts to combat the housing and homelessness crisis, with dozens of new social and affordable homes under construction in the region. As part of the state’s Homes for Queenslanders Plan, 79 homes are being delivered in Mackay and the Whitsundays, including 27 modular units aimed at easing housing pressures and providing quicker solutions for those in need. These modular homes, which are designed to be built faster, are ideal
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By Hannah McNamara Long after their uniforms were folded away, the toughest fight many veterans faced was the one that no one could see. Founder of the Veterans Support Group Mackay, Mr. Sean O'Mara OAM is a Vietnam Veteran and former area representative for North Queensland Veteran Affairs. He said that before the late 90’s, veterans had little to no support and were forced to deal with troubling flashbacks and emotions that lingered through their minds, even years after serving in the war.
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By Amanda Wright If Queensland wants the Mackay, Isaac, and Whitsunday regions to remain the economic driver of the state, then it’s time to fix our roads to ensure the journey to prosperity continues. This was a collective message delivered by our region’s mayors alongside GW3 Chief Executive Officer Kylie Porter, who are advocating for the state and federal governments to stop paying lip service and commit to fixing our broken roads. Despite generating $74.4 billion annually, our regions a
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Repairs to the decking boards on a section of the Pioneer Promenade commenced earlier this week, with work expected to continue until Friday, September 27. The repairs are focused on the stretch between Macalister and Wood streets. During this time, the affected section of the promenade will remain closed to the public, with pedestrians being directed to use the footpath along River Street as a temporary bypass. Council has apologized for any inconvenience caused by the closure, noting that the
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In a startling revelation, only one in 30 Australians donate blood, despite one in three requiring blood products at some point in their lifetime. To meet the country's growing demand, a blood donation is needed every 18 seconds and Lifeblood requires roughly 33,000 donations every week. With demand on the rise, Australia is calling on its communities to help fill this “life-saving” gap. Despite the common assumption that most donated blood goes to trauma victims, it's cancer patients and tho
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By Amanda Wright Marie Williams has spent decades weaving her compassion into the fabric of the Mackay community, using her remarkable knitting talent to bring awareness and raise funds for causes close to her heart. Handcrafting delicate pink and teal flowers—pink for breast cancer and teal for ovarian cancer—with sparkling bling in the centre, Marie is on a mission to spread awareness and raise money for the Trudy Crowley Foundation. Her latest goal is to raise enough funds to purchase a de
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By Hannah McNamara In recognition of the hardworking, down-to-earth, and selfless men in our region, several celebrations will honour those blokes who have consistently put the needs of their families, friends, and communities ahead of their own. As International Men’s Day approaches on Tuesday, 19th November, Shed Happens Mackay, sponsored by DGH Engineering and Daly Bay, will host three activities over the next four months. These include an Art Show at the Jubilee Community Centre (JCC), th
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By Amanda Wright As the Greater Whitsunday region’s mayors launched their passionate campaign for essential road upgrades, their efforts are being bolstered by federal members who share their frustration. The dangerous condition of the Bruce Highway continues to draw national attention, with alarming new statistics shedding light on the urgency of the situation. The Bruce Highway, particularly in the Capricornia region, has unfortunately claimed the title of Australia's most dangerous crash ho
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The rollout of 42 new RentConnect officers across Queensland, including 25 in regional areas, aims to improve access to rental support services. Additionally, a new online platform is being launched to further assist renters. This initiative is part of the Queensland Government's Homes for Queenslanders plan, which also includes measures such as rent bidding bans, a code of conduct for property management, and portable bond loans. Nearly 10,000 Queensland households have already benefited from
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This week Season to date Cane crushed 62,217 548,224 Average bin weight 3.92 3.88 CCS 14.42 13.53 Cane variety performance for region Variety % CCS Variety % CCS Q183 26.3 14.73 Q253 14.1 14.14 Q240 10.6 14.59 Q138 7.2 13.63 Q208 17.6 14.89 SRA9 9.5 14.12 KQ228 2.4 14.80 Q242 3.2 13.15 Comments: Plane Creek Mill processed just over 62,000 tonnes of cane for the week, bringing the season total to more than 548,000 tonnes. Average CCS fell by 0.03 of a unit over the previous week, closing out at 1
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Being safe around overhead powerlines is a safety message that will feature in the 2025 Farm safety calendar, as illustrated by a local Mackay region student from Homebush State School. Madison Agius in Grade 6 drew a John Deere tractor underneath powerlines, with the safety message, “Overhead powerlines are dangerous. Don’t play, park equipment, operate machinery, or plant trees or crops under them”. Twelve children from across Queensland were selected as winners in this year’s calendar compe
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