Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Prepare to be inspired and empowered at Endeavour Foundation’s Business Solutions Employment Showcase, a remarkable event designed to open doors to fulfilling work opportunities for individuals living with disability. This unique event offers you an exclusive glimpse into the incredible efforts of the Endeavour Foundation team, showcasing their dedication and expertise in various work areas, such as assembly work, document destruction, and even painting of stakes and pegs. It's a chance to witne
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Next year Mackay Regional Council will welcome 15 new employees through its doors as apprentice and trainees. The program is now taking applications for a variety of roles across the organisation. Deputy Mayor Karen May said the Apprentice and Trainee Intake program offered an opportunity for successful applicants to gain entry level pathways not only into council but the wider workforce. “Council is a fantastic place to start your career and we encourage people from all walks of life to conside
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Samantha Munt, well-known by her title, S.K Munt, is a local Mackay author who has made the Amazon Best-Seller list twice in Australian Fiction, for her collection of local ghost stories in her book, ‘And The Memory Remains’. By popular demand, S.K Munt is writing a second book and is currently on the hunt for the spookiest ghost stories in the Mackay and surrounding regions. Samantha has been interested in ‘all things spooky’ since she was a young schoolgirl in the early nineties, spending her
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Meet the Director of EDC Accounting, Emma Walker, an expert in her field of accounting for over fifteen years across Mackay, Hervey Bay and Brisbane-based firms. Ms Walker established EDC Accounting in December 2022, after seven years working in a local firm where she enjoyed developing and nurturing relationships with business-owners in the local community. EDC Accounting provides tax agent services and professional advice for all kinds of businesses and services, including tax returns, financ
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Join Zonta Club of Mackay Inc to raise awareness to the impacts of coercive control experienced by members of our community. This dinner, held on 28th October at 6pm, is an advocacy event to facilitate an open discussion within the community about how together, we can act towards changing the narrative of ‘What is Domestic Violence?’. The night will take place at Ocean International, with Jordana Abela from Reynolds Family Law as the Chair, as well as a host of guest speakers including: ● Ma
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Caption: Images from the Queensland Underground Coal Mines Rescue Competition held in July. Photos supplied: AngloAmerican Mines rescue brigades from across Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) will descend on the Bowen Basin this week for the 59th annual Australian Underground Coal Mines Rescue Competition. Four Queensland teams and four NSW teams will vie for the national title at Anglo American’s Moranbah North Mine on Thursday (October 19, 2023), with the winner invited to an international
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Celebrating the success of local tourism operators and their contribution to the region’s economy took centre stage at the 2023 Mackay Isaac Region Tourism Awards, held at the Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre (MECC). 172 people were in attendance, representing the region’s tourism businesses and industry stakeholders. Mackay Regional Council Deputy Mayor Karen May said these awards helped to acknowledge those who had been constantly raising the bar in our tourism industry to achieve s
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A range of employers flocked to the Mackay Job Fair 2023 this week, with the event hosted at CQUniversity and sponsored by IDEAL Placements, Workforce Australia and Local Jobs to offer interested job-seekers a chance at secure employment opportunities. With over thirty businesses and employment agencies in attendance, the event gave opportunity to students from across the Mackay region, to inquire into a range of industries and career pathways. The Transition to Work program, guided by IDEAL P
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The Queensland Resources Dust Disease Support Group attended the Seniors Expo this week, with an important message to retired mine workers regarding their lung health. QRDDSG is a not-for-profit charity providing retired, former and current Queensland mine and quarry workers and their families with guidance, support, and friendship during the health assessment process and in the event of a diagnosis. It is a long road ahead for the volunteers of this organisation, with a goal to test 25,000 form
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Exodas Pty Ltd commenced their operations in 2001 with just two prime movers. Since then, the fleet has grown enormously, now consisting of approximately 120 prime movers and 260 trailers, with a mixture of both fridge vans and tautliners. Exodas services the east coast of Australia, running from Brisbane to Mackay and Whitsundays, Townsville, Cairns, Sydney and Melbourne, daily and return. Specialising in the transportation of produce, refrigerated products, general freight and green life wit
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Time is running out to apply for the 2024 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, a program celebrating and empowering the inclusive and courageous leadership of women in Australia's rural and emerging industries, businesses, and communities. Applications will close on Wednesday, 25 October 2023, at 11.59 pm AEDT. The Award acts as a springboard, inspiring and nurturing Australian women to harness their skills for the betterment of their industries and communities, while simultaneously unlocking door
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Alison Richardson, the Artistic Director/CEO of Crossroad Arts, has made the decision to leave her role at the prominent inclusive arts organisation. She stepped down from her position on October 13th to return to her hometown of Sydney for personal and family reasons. The organisation, board and community acknowledge Alison's artistic vibrancy and advocacy for a more inclusive community through her commitment to the Crossroad Arts vision of Arts for All. Her work over the years on the many pro
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Residents are once again being asked to think about the value of water as we celebrate National Water Week this week (October 16 to 22). This year’s theme is “United by Water” which encourages everyone to think about the vital role water plays in connecting us all. Water touches every aspect of development. It drives economic growth, supports healthy ecosystems, and is essential and fundamental for life. Council’s Director of Engineering and Commercial Infrastructure, Jason Devitt, said council
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The 75th Anniversary Service for the Walkerston- Pleystowe RSL Sub-Branch Inc will be held on Saturday 18th November 2023 in ANZAC Memorial Park, Walkerston. The Walkerston-Pleystowe RSL sub-branch invites all members of the Walkerston-Pleystowe community to the 75th anniversary of the formation of the sub-branch in 1948. A commemorative service will commence at 5.00pm, at ANZAC Park in Walkerston. Dress is jacket and tie, with medals for veterans.
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Walkerston’s Mirani High Graduates of 1993. Last weekend there was a great reunion held at Walkerston’s Duke Hotel. People came from the north, the south and the west of the country to meet up with each other where they grew up some 30-plus years ago. The small township of Walkerston welcomed these ‘Scrubby’ kids who graduated from High School in 1993! Even though many of them, somewhat sporadically, keep in touch with each other via social media; there were lots of ‘Remember when…’ occasions.
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As we lead up to the warmer part of the year, many are left wondering how to prepare their gardens to beat the summer heat. Have no fear, native plants are here! Bush flowers, wildflowers, natives - whatever you call them, these plants are adaptable, hardy and a perfect choice to create a majestic and authentic Australian garden. Not only do native plants attract and provide shelter for local wildlife, they stand up to challenging climates and they look beautiful too! Establishing a native ga
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Walkerston Hockey Premiers A3 1965. B/R Barry Richards, Mark Kelly, Jimmy Evetts, Stephen Renton, Terry Dee, Alan Jorgensen, Johnny Jarrott. F/R Alwyn North, Kenny Sturdy, Manix Creedy (Coach), John Belden, David Lake. Photo supplied on the Facebook page ‘I grew up in Mackay’ by Rob Richards
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Head to Walkerston’s track cycling velodrome next weekend for FREE, fun, family entertainment. Mackay Cycling Club’s annual track cycling carnival will be held on Saturday, 28th October, attracting top riders of all ages from across Queensland. Witness the need for speed across a variety of track cycling disciplines, from the endurance scratch and points races to the fast and furious keirin racing. Grab a bite to eat from the canteen and enjoy a day of entertainment in Walkerston.
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At last week's meeting of the Rotary Club of Walkerston, representatives from the Early Childhood Learning establishments in Walkerston – the town’s Schools, Kindergarten and Day Care Centres – were invited to join club members for dinner followed by each being presented with a bundle of colourful children’s books. It is a proven fact that early literacy helps young children develop and comprehend a significant vocabulary, confident self-expression, and general reading comprehension - tools nee
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OPINION PIECE As you get older, everything starts to hurt, I don’t know why, but everything hurts. Even the simplest of injuries or soreness can lead to another bit of you being sore, and before you know it there’s a chiro leaning over you twisting your body back to where it should be. It’s a discussion I was having with my near teenage son a few weeks ago, why does everything go wrong with you Dad? My only answer was that when you’re younger like he is, everything in your body is “rubbery”,
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OPINION PIECE I don’t like the whole “nanny state” thing. You know, governments, councils, agencies, faceless bureaucrats and the like putting their noses into our lives and creating endless rules and regulations that are usually none of their business. Whether it’s the economy, public policy or just everyday life, I am in the camp of less is best when it comes to government interference and bureaucratic meddling. I love the scene in the movie Wild at Heart when Nicolas Cage passionately descri
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OPINION PIECE I remember a while ago, myself and another councillor were labelled “conservative councillors” in a rather disparaging fashion. I wear that label with pride. Times of plenty can accommodate financial laxity and largesse, but in the history of this planet, good times have always been finite. Myself and others have, for a very long time, warned against thinking that “summer lasts forever”. This has been in the face of some pretty strong headwinds, I must say. It is unfortunate, bu
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KUCOM THEATRE REVIEW BY MIKI PONTING-BOYD You don't need to travel all the way to Sydney for world-class theatre, because you'll find it right here in Mackay with Kucom's latest production "Things I know To Be True", by Andrew Bovell. Set in the home of your "typical" Aussie family, this masterpiece delves deep into the complexities of family dynamics, exploring love, loss, betrayal, morals and the dilemma of "how to share personal struggles with others when those others are the cause". I was
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Friday 20 October Guided Walks in the Gardens 10am – 11:15am A guided walk in the Gardens. These walks last about an hour and are conducted at a leisurely pace. While bookings are preferred, individuals can phone the gardens at 07 4952 7300 or email botanic@mackay.qld.gov.au to reserve their spot. Every Friday until the end of October. | Free entry. Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens Friday Night Live Music Every Friday from 5pm Join us on Friday’s from 5pm for live music from our local favouri
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Each Friday in October, Mackay Regional Council’s Economic Development team hosts a ‘lunch and learn’ event, Yarning Together, as part of celebrating Indigenous Business Month. The weekly event was created as a platform for the business community to come together in a casual setting, to promote and showcase Indigenous businesses by ‘having a yarn’ and spreading awareness of their prominence in the Mackay region. Mackay Regional Council Director of Planning, Growth and Sustainability, Aletta Nug
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