Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
The 2023 Australian National Championships (ANC) was played at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from 9th to 21st July. Mackay Bridge Club member Lauren Morgan and her partner Paddy Taylor came 1st in the interstate pairs youth category. The Queensland team finished 3rd in the youth team’s event. The full Queensland team was K. Macdonald, L. Morgan, S. Langdon Macmillan, P. Taylor, A. Wu, Z. Ros. Weekly Club Results Monday 7 August 2023 – ANNE HIRD MEMORIAL TROPHY Week 1 of 3 N/S E/W
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The Whitsunday community has been rocked by a spike in road accidents over the past six weeks, with five fatalities across the Mackay and Whitsunday region, four of which occurred in the Whitsundays.This comes off the back of a wider eight-month period of fatal accidents that have claimed 10 lives in the region to date, almost half locally within the last two months.Across Queensland to date this year, 170 lives have sadly been lost on Queensland roads, with 10 deaths alone occurring in the Mack
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Hi Everyone,On the front page this week you will see faces of people that have tragically lost their lives on our region’s roads in the last 12 months.Every person you see was very special, they had loved ones whose lives will never be the same again and futures that will now remain untold.
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Every parent’s nightmare is a sick kid vomiting in the car, not only is the child unwell, but the car’s interior is at risk of smelling like vomit for several years afterwards. Mum of three, Crissy Bottrell, almost experienced this first-hand last week when she rushed to Cannonvale State School last week to pick up her youngest daughter who was sick and vomiting.
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Stakeholders from across the region gathered at the Greater Whitsunday Communities’ Housing Summit held in Mackay on Tuesday.The event was held to address housing issues and develop solutions to issues that were identified at the Greater Whitsunday Housing Roundtable which was held in December last year.
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On August 8, a 37-year-old Mackay woman was arrested and charged with two counts of breaching a protection order and one count of common assault in relation to actions she took against a person’s neighbour. She will appear in court. On August 11 at about 11pm, a 43-year-old Brisbane man was arrested for breaching a protection order and public nuisance offences within a safe night precinct due to his behaviour towards another person.
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With National Homelessness Week underway, the Bowen Neighbourhood Centre completed their annual Hamburgers for Homelessness last Thursday. The annual event sees community members buy a hamburger, with all funds raised going towards supporting homeless people in Bowen.
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The Whitsundays have lost one of its most charming and compassionate community members earlier this month when Janelle Casey passed away peacefully surrounded by close friends and her much-loved husband, Phil.Most well-known as the owner of Flower Hut, Janelle spent 20 years bringing people joy through her exceptional eye for flower design and styling.
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Whitsunday Regional Council will see an internal restructure in the coming months, with more streamlined strategic planning for the region its goal. This organisational restructure will see a separation between operations and strategy, to better focus and strengthen the delivery of services and future planning.
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A group of Collinsville State High School students have just experienced an exciting and educational two-day future-focussed workshop delivered by the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC). The event deep dived into renewable energy, offering students insights into the subject and practical tasks to put their new knowledge to the test.About 60 students from the Year 7 and 8 cohort participated in the action-packed Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) initiative which o
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This year, for the first time, the Whitsunday Tourism Awards will be introducing two new region-specific categories into the mix.This follows the recent announcement that the Bowen Best Business Award and Collinsville Business of the Year Award will be featuring in the upcoming 2023 event which is due to be held at the Proserpine Entertainment Centre in October.
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As we head into mid-August, preparations are well underway for the much-awaited Cape Edgecumbe Walking Trail upgrades which are due to commence shortly.The first stage of the upgrade will start at Murray Bay Road and stretch to Rose Bay Lions Lookout and Mother Beddock Rock. These initial works are set to take place between the 4th of September and early October.
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Hi, I’m Bec, the Tourism Whitsundays Member Services Coordinator. My role is to help you get the most out of your membership with Tourism Whitsundays. Did you know that Tourism Whitsundays has four levels of membership for businesses to ensure no one misses out on an opportunity to be involved?
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The local community is assured that new social housing will be delivered to the region thanks to the Quick Start Fund which will facilitate commencement of 100 new builds in the area before 2025.Two projects are already underway in the region, one being recently completed on Livingstone Street in Bowen, supplying four one-bedroom houses for people living with disabilities.
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The second annual PRD Annual Property Research Night was a huge success, with PRD’s Chief Economist Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo, more affectionately known as Dr Asti, speaking about the Royal Bank of Australia and local property predictions. With almost 70 people in attendance, the second annual PRD Property Research Night was well received with attendees feeling both inspired and reassured by Dr Asti’s comments and predictions.
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The Collinsville community are roaring and ready to go for their ninth annual Bacon Busters event which is due to take place this weekend and is anticipated to be the biggest and best yet.For almost a decade, Collinsville’s vibrant country culture has been displayed at it’s best through this event which brings the community together to raise funds for the local state school.
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With a newly renovated pool open for guests to enjoy, Kipara Tropical Rainforest Retreat has completed the next stage in its revitalisation, welcoming guests to indulge in the tranquil pool grounds, with new tiles, decking, and pool furniture. Kipara also boasts a suite of new villas, which were specially designed for the Retreat and are located near the fully equipped outdoor camp kitchen and dining area which was constructed in December last year.
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The Belvedere Food and Wine Bar at the Toscana Village Resort is inviting the Whitsundays to a special one night only dinner and performance featuring the iconic Billy Field. An intimate group of 40 attendees will enjoy the sweet tunes of this iconic Australian singer-songwriter. This is a special performance while he is in the area for the Airlie Beach Festival of Music, a unique opportunity to see the music legend in an intimate setting, away from the crowds.
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For many years, the fate of the “Llewelyn”, which disappeared off Queensland waters in 1919, remained unsolved, until ……… on August 28, 1998, ‘The Daily Mercury’ reported that a Mackay diver, Mark Earney had solved the 79-year-old maritime mystery when he discovered the wreck near Bees Island. It was almost intact and was resting in a vertical position. The “Llewelyn” was an iron steamship of some 350 tons, 112ft long, 19ft 6inches wide, and 9ft 2ins deep. Built in Chester, England in 1884, it
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Coming off the back of wrapping up his newest project, Australian comedic icon Wil Anderson will be performing live at the Airlie Beach Hotel for one night only!This show is set to be a roundhouse of laughter and gags, with Wil on the lookout for the best audience interactions that he’s ever faced.In a unique first for Wil, the Airlie Beach show is set to include the best of his hilarious comedy.
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Sound of Freedom follows Tim Ballard, a former Homeland Security Investigations operative, as he endeavours to rescue a young girl, Ricio, as she becomes embroiled with human traffickers. Working as a Homeland Security Officer, Tim is becoming frustrated with arresting people in possession of child pornography, but not being able to rescue a single child from this situation.
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The days are getting longer and warmer and most of our visitors have departed as spring is not far away, so Tuesday afternoon we welcomed John Langley from Rich River in Victoria whom with Betty Nicole were runaway winners and Lane Telford a great little bowler herself was proud as punch to receive the prestigious Health Hub award.
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It’s been a very full week this week. On Wednesday, Carol and Nev Smith played their last game with us until they return on holidays next year. John Anderson, Bruce Uhe, and Peter Lawton defeated Arthur Griffith, Carol Smith and Nev Smith 26 - 16; Allen Sanderson, Pat Bownds and Philip Brown drew 14 all with Jim Bownds, Pat Bownds and Sandy Daffara.
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Our Mondays self-selected triples is still being keenly contested. Winners for the afternoon were Ken Wallace, Roone Barr-kemp, and Keith Armstrong who narrowly defeated Alby Vigar, Ron Boskma, and Peter Madden. On Tuesday winners were Alan Pearso,n Austin Maxwell, Dianne Harris, and John Hallas defeated Diane Hallas, Mag Cole, Col Parker, and David Harvey
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Round 18, the penultimate round of darts, took place at the Airlie Beach Bowls Club on Sunday morning with fixtures and opportunities running out fast for some players.Jamie Maher cemented his top 4 status with a commanding 7/1 victory over Gary Robbie.
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