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Mackay Magic On The Marina

The 1.609 kilometre out and back course was held from the beautiful Mackay Marina Breakwater precincts in perfectly cool and sunny running conditions for this year’s annual North Queensland Bulk Ports (NQBP) Open Magic Mile and the Podiatry Mackay Junior Magic Mile. All runners were very excited to run the 1609 metres distance on the spectacular breakwater, although not sure if they had time to take in the views in the fast and furious sprint distance event. The U13 and U18 Podiatry Mackay Mag

Cutters End Season On A High

The Hostplus Cup Mackay Cutters had local fans cheering as they played out their last game of the 2023 season, achieving their first win at home for the season. The beleaguered side secured their third win of the season, joining round 22 opponents Western Clydesdales on 10 premiership points and finishing the season 14th on the ladder. In the first clash between the two sides since the Clydesdales returned to the state competition, the Toowoomba-based visitors drew first blood in the fourth minu

Mackay Contract Bridge Club

Founders Teams Winners After three weeks of fierce competition between eight teams with a minimum of four players, each playing with a different partner each week, Team Conroy has taken first place. Team Conroy consisted of Janelle Conroy, France Brown, Janet Hansen & Alan Brown. Weekly Results Monday 14 August 2023 – ANNE HIRD MEMORIAL TROPHY Week 2 of 3 N/S E/W 1st Diane Stokes / Debra Goodchild 1st Ian Gaskell / Edward Kleise 2nd Antonia Tarradas / Anne Lutz 2nd Joy Block / Monica Darley 3r

Editor's Note

Hi Everyone,My mum is a bit of a conspiracy theorist. She was enthralled by the recent investigative book on the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines doomed 370 flight and regaled me with the theory that different governments knew about a package onboard and shot down the plane.

Detrimental Move For Commercial Fishing

The Federal Government has made the move to ban commercial gillnet fishing, a decision that will drastically impact over 90 licensed fishermen in the region.Andrew Willcox Federal Member for Dawson said the decision came without consultation and allowed no rebuttal from affected fishermen, stating the supposed dangers that gillnets pose to marine life as reason behind the ban.

Wedding Day Rush

Usually organised mother-of-the-groom, Leanne Kettleton, woke up on Monday morning in a panic – it was the week of her son’s wedding, and she was completely unprepared.Working out west for long periods of time, she had just returned back to her hometown of Airlie Beach, and life was suddenly catching up with her.

Mackay Bowls Club News

Albert Wicks, 93, is Mackay Bowls Club’s oldest active member. Albert regularly plays social Triples on Tuesday using his original bowls with only a walking stick for balance. Besides being a past committee member, Albert’s pervious bowling achievements include Club Pairs and Triples Championships, Senior Singles Champion as well as District Finalist in Pairs and Triples. Alberts experience and knowledge is invaluable for all bowlers, especially at Annual General Meetings. Ross Dunstan competed

Record Breaking St Patrick’s College

Celebrate Dual Challenge Titles Aaron Payne Cup North Queensland Cowboys bound half back Jaxon Purdue demonstrated his class as rugby league powerhouse St Patrick’s College completed a unique championship double last week in Townsville. The famous Mackay sporting nursery unveiled several Cowboys’ stars of the future when they slammed Kirwan State High 32-10 to lift the Aaron Payne Cup premiership trophy at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. Played as a curtain raiser to the NRL clash between t

Global Yacht Races Into The Whitsundays

In January next year Airlie Beach will welcome a fleet of 11 racing yachts, as Coral Sea Marina once again becomes Host Port for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. As Leg 4 of the around the world race, the competitors will travel north from Newcastle, in New South Wales, before stopping and resting in the Whitsundays for a brief period before beginning Leg 5.

Forest Of The Fallen Silent Protest In Airlie Beach

A flash mob of protest signs suddenly appeared on the Airlie Beach Foreshore over the weekend when representatives of a movement known as ‘Forest of the Fallen’ publicly displayed photos of people who are believed to have died or been injured following a COVID 19 vaccination.Dozens of faces told the story of the human toll of the pandemic and the lives believed to have been impacted as a result of adverse effects of the vaccine.As quickly as the silent protest appeared, however, it then disappea

Fatal Traffic Accident 6 in 7 weeks

A 67-year-old Dingo Beach man has sadly passed away following a two-vehicle collision on the evening of Sunday August 20, on Strathdickie Road. Initial investigations indicate that the two vehicles collided at the intersection of Strathdickie Road and Staniland Drive, just before 6.30pm on Sunday evening.

Nominations Close Soon For Sporting Awards

The North Queensland Sportstar Awards nominations will close at midnight on Friday September 1. With 11 categories to nominate into, and more than $18,000 up for grabs, there is something for every sports star, recognising achievements of individuals and players who put their very best into their sport. North Queensland Sports Foundation director and Mackay Regional Council councillor Laurence Bonaventura said the planning committee has been pleased with the response so far. “We’ve received a

Mackay Cyclone Athletes Smash PB’s

To Bring Home A Swag Of Medals On the weekend of August 11-13, the Mackay Cyclones had nine athletes compete at the 2023 Hancock Prospecting Queensland Short Course Championships in Brisbane. Over the course of the championships, the club achieved 26 top 10 spots, 50 out of 54 personal bests, five gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze. Mackay Cyclones Swimming Club was given a ranking of 38th out of the 113 clubs in Queensland for the event. It was some of the best results for the co

At The Table

Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday night results August 15, 2023: Division 1: Tibhar (Steven Whiting, Tim Sheehan, Vince Boeske) d Donic (Tony Bowman, Anne Sheridan, Ian McKay) 8-3. Tim d Ian 2, -9, -9, 4, 5. Radak (Mick Ruhl, Lee Brake, Graham Brake) d Joola (Janice Kent, Andrew McHugh, Geoff Denman) 7-4. Mick d Andrew -10, 7, -9, 7, 10. Butterfly (Emma Widdup, Allan Edwards, Graeme Walker) d Andro (George Camilleri, Robbie Richards, Barry Patterson) 8-3. Allan d George 6, 8, -7, 11. Division 2: Xiom

10 Properties At Auction For Council Rate Arrears

A total of 10 properties are due to go under the hammer as the Whitsunday Regional Council auctions off properties with rates in arrears. This is off the back of 13 properties that faced a similar fate in April’s auction, although only one property was successfully sold. The properties, encompassing addresses in Collinsville, Bowen, and Queens Beach, must be in council rate arears of at least three years to qualify, and for the council to have exhausted all other repayment options.

On The Beat

Concert And Conversation At Whitsundays Songwriters Festival

With less than a week to go until the second annual Whitsundays Songwriters Festival and Residency kicks-off, organisers are excited to not only bring together a stellar line-up of legendary musicians for their mentorship program, but also to showcase a host of amazing talent at an intimate concert on Saturday evening.

Experiencing Industry In VR With Bowen Gumlu Growers Association

The Bowen Gumlu Growers Association has been making waves, delivering the ‘New Realities in Agriculture and Aquaculture Project’ to the region’s young people, though a virtual reality project.Participating students were taken through the common misconceptions surrounding the industry and shown the diverse and varied roles that are available for young people.

Schools Take Action For Reef Conservation

Reef conservation is at the heart of Whitsunday schools, with the Whitsunday Regional Council leading waste minimisation programs across the region. Working as part of the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac Reef Community Action Plan (CAP), the council sought to begin reef protection and conservation with the region’s youngest, implanting carbon footprint reducing tactics in schools. Primarily through reduction of food waste in schools, a Waste Education Officer conducted waste bin audits before constructi

Mackay Ladies’ Golden Greens

Social ladies bowls results for August 16, the winning team consisted of Helen Fleming, Bev McDonald and Carmel Bell. Runners up were Sue Roscoe, Jan Comelli, and Doris Dodds. Thursday had three finals played on the rinks at Goosies Sport and Recreation Club with some very exciting and closely contested games. The Under 70’s game was between Hilary Jones-Rowan and Donna Gordon. Both ladies were keen on the green, but Hilary took out the win. The final of the clubs Consistency Competition wa

Family Homes At New Cannon Valley Development

More than 500 residential lots bordered by open space and parkland have just been opened-up and approved for development in Cannon Valley.Gold Coast-based, Alder Developments, have secured this 100-hectare parcel of land at 1405 Shute Harbour Road, Cannon Valley and are looking forward to creating a master planned community “for Whitsunday residents to live in and to raise their families”.

Get Lei’d And Make A Difference With The Tiny Homes Project

Back by popular demand, the third iteration of this lively community fundraiser is returning in October and this time they have extended the party, opening the event up to welcome 500 guests.

A Pop-Up Event For Chamber

The inaugural Pop-Up Chamber event took place at Whitsunday Creatives in Proserpine last week and the relaxed, unstructured morning proved popular with attendees who relished the time to chat, network and share views in a casual environment.

Councillor Column With Mayor Julie Hall

Earlier this month, my fellow Councillors and I attended the Greater Whitsunday Housing Summit in Mackay. The summit is a much-needed collaboration between the Mackay, Whitsunday, and Isaac regions to discuss gaps in our current housing system.We came away with a multitude of learnings and information from the event which we will now use to prepare a local housing action plan to address local issues specific to our diverse industries and housing needs.

Did you know? With Mayor Julie Hall

We have a several different construction crews within Council, all extremely versatile and capable! Our grader teams work hard to repair and maintain our rural road network whilst our maintenance crews work on our major roads to patch up potholes, undertake drainage repairs, conduct line marking, install road signs, and carry out minor concrete repairs.