Issue #

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

Bendigo Community Bank Welcomes New Branch Manager

Bendigo Community Bank Cannonvale-Proserpine is excited to announce the appointment of Amanda Anderson as its new Branch Manager. “We are delighted to have Cannonvale local and active community member Amanda Anderson join the Branch team. She is a welcome inclusion for our Branch team, customers, and shareholders. We look forward to her contribution in 2024 and beyond” said Community Bank Cannonvale-Proserpine Chairman Mark Henry. Amanda brings to the role over ten years branch management an

Workshop For Self-Care And Wellbeing

Community Owned Response to Eliminating Suicide, better known as CORES Queensland, is gearing up for another free, community focussed workshop for local residents. This two-hour workshop will focus primarily on self-care and mental wellbeing, providing skills and resources to develop an individualised self-care and mental wellbeing plan, which includes activities to enhance physical, emotional and mental health on a daily basis. The workshop will also explore the concept of self-care and menta

Tourism Whitsundays Networking Night At Mantra Club Croc

Photo credit: Bronte Hodge and Rachael Smith

The Big Chop Proserpine Youth Donates Hair For Cancer

Proserpine State School student, Sophie Dening, has decided to cut her hair for kids with cancer. Getting the big snip last Friday, Sophie has sent off the fallen locks to be repurposed into a wig for a child with cancer. “I have beautiful hair with such a unique colour,” Sophie explained on her fundraising blog. “I wanted to share my beautiful hair with someone who needs to feel beautiful. “Kids with cancer unfortunately lose their hair due to necessary medical treatments to make them better

Literary Giant Christos Tsiolkas Joins Whitsundays Writers Festival

Another massive name is Australian literature will be gracing the Whitsundays Writers Festival stage, with Christos Tsiolkas recently announced to attend. Prepared for the September festival, Melbourne based author, Christos Tsiolkas has penned nine novels, and is an accomplished playwright, essayist, and screenwriter. His novels include ‘The Slap’, which won Overall Best Book in the Commonwealth Writers' Prize 2009, Australian Literary Society Gold, and 2009 Australian Booksellers Association

Join The Black Dog Ride And Start The Conversation

Join Black Dog Ride and PCYC Whitsundays this March for the iconic annual 1 Dayer event, which aims to start a national conversation about depression and suicide prevention. The 1 Dayer event looks to have the riders of Black Dog Ride unite under one banner, with one voice on one single day to amplify a national message of hope, awareness and prevention. Registration for the event includes 1 Dayer patch, a round 1 Dayer 2024 participation bike sticker and a Black Dog Ride bike sticker. Black

Shamrock And Roll St Patricks Day At Airlie Beach Hotel

This St Patrick’s Day, head to the Airlie Beach Hotel for one Sunday of the absolute best Irish jigs, with one of the best Irish tribute bands ever to escape Ireland! Rattle and Hum is Australia’s premier U2 Tribute band, with the perfect recreation of the iconic band’s hits, with smooth beats and near-pristine tunes. Formed in the midst of the mid 90s and crafting their sound and stage presence throughout the 2000s, Rattle and Hum’s unbelievably accurate renditions of U2 are sure to get Airli

Young Racer Sets Sights On Super Cars

With passion dedication and commitment, Daniel Spurway has set his sights on supercar racing, the natural evolution of his karting career. It all started in 2018, when Daniel found himself behind the wheel of a kart and for the first time discovered the thrill of driving on the competitive track, and he hasn’t looked back once. “I wouldn’t call it a passion,” Daniel shared. “It’s more like a life-long obsession with racing.” Closing out the chapter of kart racing in 2023, with 12 wins and 37 p

Momentum builds at Next Stars

Local youth sports coaching organisation Next Stars Sports Academy is delighted to announce the extension of their partnership with Momentum High Risk Training (Momentum HRT) for an additional 12 months, marking a significant milestone in their collaboration. Over the past year Momentum HRT has served as the proud naming rights partner of Next Stars' Momentum Speed Squad demonstrating their dedication to fostering athletic excellence within the community. With this renewed commitment Momentum HR

Cannons Victorious at NQ Champs

The Cannonvale Cannons had a very successful weekend at the NQ Swimming Championships held in Mackay. The Cannons thoroughly enjoyed the relays on Friday night and were very excited with their medals. On Saturday morning, the Cannons started the day on a high, winning the annual March Past. The swimmers looked amazing in the caps and capes. To top off the championships, the Cannonvale Cannons accrued the highest number of points and were named the Champion Club. Congratulations to Jax Claywort

Staying Fit This Wet Season

As the wet continues, maintaining a consistent fitness routine can become a challenge with the unpredictable weather. However, there are plenty of ways to stay active and keep fit, even when the rain is pouring down. 1. Embrace indoor workouts: Take advantage of indoor facilities such as gyms, fitness studios, or even your own living room. From cardio exercises like jumping jacks and burpees to strength training with dumbbells or resistance bands, there are countless workouts you can do indo

Collinsville’s New Nurse Meet Shakarna

Collinsville is excited to welcome a new nurse graduate into their community this year. Shakarna grew up in Clermont, near Mackay, and during high school, she was unsure what she wanted to do as a career. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do in high school, but I started a double degree in nursing and midwifery in Townsville,” Shakarna said. “But that was difficult financially, so I dropped back to nursing only, got work as an Assistant in Nursing (AIN) and completed by degree part-time.” Shakar

Safe Navigation And Colregs On Our Waters Volunteer Marine Rescue News

Some tips on Navigating safely – and remember that as the skipper, you are responsible! • Visibility: Operate slowly in rain, fog, mist, smoke and glare. Take special care when travelling at night as potential hazards are harder to see. Ensure you operate at a safe speed. • Other boats: Slow down in busy areas and when near moored or anchored boats, and remember — working boats and larger vessels may have difficulty manoeuvring. • Navigation hazards: Slow down in shallow areas and when boating i