When Tanell Thomsett noticed her nine-year-old daughter, Millie, was feeling unwell one Friday night, she initially thought it was just a common virus. However, by Sunday, it became clear that Millie's condition was more serious. She was quickly rushed to Mackay Base Hospital via ambulance for urgent medical attention. “Being a typical mum of three children I just thought she had a tummy bug or something,” Ms Thomsett said. “We had gone out of town for the weekend, but once we got back to Mackay
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By Sam Gillespie For one afternoon a year, Therese Russell and her sister Grace invite friends and supporters to the riverbanks of Dumbleton for their annual afternoon tea and cent sale. It’s an opportunity for friends to get together for a wholesome afternoon in the outdoors while raising much needed funds for cancer research and treatment. The sisters have been hosting the event for 21 years and Therese estimated over $30,000 has been raised in that time. “Over the last 10 years, we’ve been d
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The Post-Footy Journey Of Steve Jackson By Sam Gillespie He’s known for scoring one of the most famous grand final tries in rugby league history and after almost three decades of owning Lenard’s franchise's post-footy career, Steve Jackson has announced his candidacy for Mayor of Mackay. Jackson was born in Mackay in 1965, growing up in a sporty family where weekends were spent playing rugby league, soccer, basketball and Australian rules, before he made the decision to pursue rugby league at th
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The Mackay Festival of Arts has begun and the first week will be packed with the soulful Jazz Brunch, awe-inspiring circus Le Coup, the hilarious High Tea with Booff and plenty more. The first official festival event will transform the MECC into a high-energy spandex romp on Saturday, July 1. Werk It by Circus Trick Tease is an adults-only circus event that is known for its sass, swagger, colour and acrobatic feats. The Friends of the MECC Jazz Brunch, on Sunday, July 2, is a much more rel
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Inclement weather wasn’t going to get in the way of a successful Whitsunday STEM Challenge held in Mackay recently. Seventeen teams had travelled from Goondiwindi, Bundaberg, Emerald, Sarina, Calen and Townsville to participate in the annual Pedal Prix race, which was called off on day two due to bad weather. CQUniversity campus coordinator and secretary for Whitsunday STEM Challenge, Leanne Williams said 10 hours of racing at the Mackay Kart Track had been completed before the race had to be ca
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By Amanda Wright State Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick visited Mackay last week, to break down where an infrastructure spend of $623.4 million for the Mackay-Whitsunday region would happen, on top of the 2023-24 State Budget $613.1 million for the Mackay Hospital and Health Service. After announcing the $75M provision in the budget to cover Mackay Base Hospital’s multi-level car parking building (as covered on page three), Treasurer Dick also visited the Resources Ce
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Heats Up Mackay If you think you can handle your spice, Burger Urge is inviting you to put it to the test. The gourmet burger chain launched the new Nashville Death Wish burger across its Mackay stores last month, featuring the sweat-inducing, tear-generating Aged Moruga Scorpion chilli which is considered one of the hottest chilies in the world, with a heat of 2 million Scoville heat units. The hot new burger boasts a southern twist with hot fried chicken breast, jalapenos, pickles and crunchy
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A significant breakthrough has been made in the investigation into an alleged robbery incident that occurred on Parkland near Barnes Creek Road, just outside of Mackay, during the early morning hours of June 25. Two 14-year-old boys, who were camping at the site, were victims of the disturbing incident. Mackay police reported that the boys were abruptly awakened from their sleep inside a tent by two men who were banging on the tent. Allegedly, one of the men threatened the boys with a knife, whi
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By Amanda Wright For the sixth time in the past five years, foreshore plants at MacCarthy Street, Hay Point have been killed by what Mackay Regional Council has labelled as a “selfish act of vegetation vandalism”. This time, 10 plants, ranging from previously replanted vegetation to mature she-oaks, have been killed, with the council saying there is clear evidence that granular herbicide was used. Vegetation vandalism has occurred at this site in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2022. This is the sixt
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The streets of Mackay are set to become a magical, fairy light-filled wonderland. FireFly Lighting, on behalf of council, will be installing fairy lights in the centre median gardens along Wood and Victoria streets over the next few weeks. 15 palm trees and three street trees will be illuminated as part of the project, said Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson. “We have received a number of requests from local businesses to increase the number of illuminated trees in the City Centre,” M
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Take the Free Bowel Screen Test Today Leigh Stoodley knows just how important it is to complete a bowel screen test. The 59-year-old Koumala resident had a section of her bowel removed in 2015 and was back for an endoscopy procedure last year for investigation following positive bowel screen results. On both occasions she experienced no symptoms or abnormalities prior to screening. June was Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and Leigh is urging people not to ignore their free Faecal Occult Blood Te
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By Amanda Wright Imagine zooming through the vibrant streets of Mackay, wind rushing through your hair as you effortlessly glide on a sleek purple e-scooter. Well, it seems that many locals and visitors to this coastal city have turned this exhilarating fantasy into a reality, as they have collectively travelled over a staggering 410,000 kilometers during the first year of Beam's shared e-scooter operations. The most sought-after spots for e-scooter pick up and drop off are at key shopping and r
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In a significant move aimed at securing the region's sustainable growth and maintaining crucial services, Mackay Regional Council has given its seal of approval to keep this year’s rates rise below the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a practice it has successfully adhered to over the past five years. Mayor Greg Williamson expressed his satisfaction with the budget, stating, "When you look across Queensland, we've done very well. I'm very proud of our council and team for being able to produce an ave
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Signature projects and cautious financial considerations took centre stage at the Mackay Regional Council's 2023-2024 budget meeting. While exciting initiatives, including the Seaforth Esplanade redevelopment and Pioneer Valley Mountain Bike Trails, generated anticipation, some councillors raised concerns about the potential burden of debt and its impact on future rate rises. Mayor Greg Williamson expressed enthusiasm for the transformative projects, highlighting their potential to boost touris
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Business improvement and change management are some of the focus areas in Mackay Regional Council’s proposed new organisational structure. The new structure, if adopted at next month’s ordinary council meeting, will begin in October and is set to create the council of tomorrow by simplifying its operations today. CEO Scott Owen said since taking on the role seven months ago he’d been able to see firsthand the challenges the organisation faced, but also the opportunity for positive change. “I’ve
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Mackay Regional Council Unveils $420 Million Budget Budget special feature by Amanda Wright In a decisive move towards securing the future of the Mackay region, the Mackay Regional Council has revealed its ambitious $420 million budget for the fiscal year 2023-2024. With an unwavering focus on long-term financial sustainability and fostering economic prosperity, this budget sets the
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Bendigo Bank is celebrating 25 years of its unique model of community owned and operated banking in Australia. The internationally acclaimed Community Banking model, originally designed to empower communities at risk of losing face-to-face banking services, has grown to a network of more than 300 branches nationally with $20 billion in loans and $31.3 billion in deposits. Founded in 1998 with branches in Rupanyup and Minyip, the profit-with-a-purpose model sees a majority of the profits generate
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A new online portal has been launched by the Greater Whitsunday AgTech Hub aiming to bridge the geographical divide and create connections between producers and agribusiness across the region. The Greater Whitsunday Agtech Hub is hosted by Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) and is a collaboration between key regional stakeholders to grow the value of agriculture in the region using agtech. Queensland Chief Entrepreneur Ms Julia Spicer OAM launched the Greater Whitsunday AgTech Hub portal at EHS
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Visitors to Comfort Resort Blue Pacific are welcomed to their slice of Blacks Beach paradise with a window into what their stay will entail. “You drive in and you can see all the way down the drive to the Coral Sea,” said Director Cath uit den Bogaard. “It puts a lovely calming notion on a person when they arrive.” The absolute beachfront location and stunning Coral Sea views are just the beginning, with the resort’s attentive and personal service, comfortable accommodation and high standards o
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Council's Vibrant NAIDOC Week Activities Mackay Regional Council is celebrating NAIDOC Week (July 2 to July 9) and the 2023 theme “For Our Elders” with a series of exciting events, exhibitions and programs. Council’s annual NAIDOC Flag Raising morning tea activities will be on Monday, July 3, from 10am to noon in the Civic Precinct and will include guest speakers, a didgeridoo accompaniment and cultural performances. A local cultural weaver, Nitari, will also be sharing her cultural weaving stor
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At Whitsunday Anglican School Whitsunday Anglican School will welcome The James Morrison Quartet as part of the Mackay Festival of Arts in August. Internationally acclaimed jazz musician and multi-instrumental virtuoso James Morrison will take to the stage alongside musicians from Whitsunday Anglican School before performing with his renowned jazz quartet. The legendary jazz artist is considered a ‘genius’ on the trumpet, trombone, piano, saxophone and double bass and has played with legends i
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By Sam Gillespie A group of local comedians are bringing their monthly Open Mic Night to the Ambassador Hotel today, June 30, and are inviting the community to have a crack. The event has run on the last Friday of the month for over two years, giving locals a platform to expand their performance skills while offering Mackay an alternative for their Friday night’s entertainment. Mackay Open Mic Comedy Group formed after a course was hosted by comedians Anna Brennan and Mandy Brown, where they met
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School holidays are halfway over, and I can only imagine it’s about the time that you start wanting to pull your hair out! There are heaps of activities and events around the region right now to keep the kids busy. Why not visit the 2023 Mackay Motor Show at the Showgrounds this weekend? There’ll be heaps of cool cars, new and old, to check out. Something I’m loving at the moment is heading to the Lamberts Lookout to watch the dolphins play, they have been putting on a great show lately. I he
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Perfect Wedding is the most globally performed comedy by British playwright Robin Hawdon, and it’s easy to see why. The play opens with the groom waking up on his wedding day beside a woman who is not his bride. Then we embark on a twisting turning tale with misunderstandings, mistaken identity and a very prominent toilet brush. And it’s all coming to Kucom Theatre in July, for two weeks only, as part of the Mackay Festival of Arts Fringe program. Here’s a personal invitation from the Director,
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It’s not how things start that matters, it’s how they finish. Which takes me back to the Austral Hotel on a Friday evening a couple of weeks ago. I was there with workmates having some farewell drinks for a long-term colleague. I had a few beers and, although it wasn’t many, it was probably one or two beers too many for me to be able to drive. So I left the car in the hotel car park and got my wife to pick me up. I live in West Mackay near the Botanic Gardens and the next morning I decided to r
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