Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Seventeen-year-old James Galea has taken home the Athletics North Queensland Junior Official of the Year Award for the third time, with a consistent contribution to officiating in North Queensland events. James is a field specialist concentrating on throws, officiating events including discus, shot put, javelin, hammer throws and weight throws. His accomplishments dating back from October 2022 to October 2023 were highlighted during the award qualification process. Recently, James was promoted t
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The Airlie Beach Bridge congress was held on 25th and 26th November, with seventeen Mackay Contract Bridge players competing in three different grades with much success. A Category was won by Noel Bugeia and Terrence Sheedy, with Frances and Alan Brown finishing third in A Category. B Category was won by Noel Saunders and Mary-Rose Ramsden. Faith Hutchinson and Dorethy Slater came third in the C Category. It was great to see Karen Caldwell and Susan Gibson (first away congress) participating
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A batch of promising cheer dancers from Mackay are bound for Hawaii next May to compete at the Global Cheer and Dance Games. Young performers from the Adrenalin Cheer and Dance school based at North Mackay showed their wares at the recent Cheerbrandz Super Nationals Championships, staged at Brisbane’s Nissan Arena – securing many places and victories across the weekend. It was the final event of the season for the Mackay club, with the Senior Hip Hop ‘Envy’ team receiving the greatest accolade
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Queensland Schoolgirls netball goalkeeper Shaylah Pershouse and Redcliffe Dolphins-bound rugby league forward Sam Anderson are the St Patrick’s College Junior Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year recipients for 2023. The talented duo were officially recognised for their superb achievements this season on the netball court and football field and accepted their awards at the College’s annual Sports Assembly. Defensive dynamo Shaylah capped a stellar season in her chosen sport when she represente
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The Whitsunday region has reached wide-spread acclaim once again with 10 local operators returning home with accolades from the 38th annual Queensland Tourism Awards which were held in Cairns last weekend.A total of seven golds, two silver, five bronze and one highly commended award were won by local businesses and CEO of Tourism Whitsundays, Rick Hamilton said he is thrilled with the result.“The awards our operators received on Friday night further highlights the outstanding contribution The Wh
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Hi Everyone,Has anyone noticed the wave of Covid that is currently causing many of us to drop like flies across the region?It seems every second person I speak with has a recent Covid story!In fact, I have my own to share.
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Giving his time to John was an easy task for Robert Murphy, a local tradesman, when he heard of John’s callout for some help to do some work on his property. Living with MS and with a steep backyard to manage, John was on the hunt for a contractor to make his back garden accessible for him, but instead Rob answered his call and offered to do it for free. “John’s had a life, helping his community and I just wanted to make sure he could enjoy his life,” Rob explained. Once he confirmed what John
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Hundreds of families and students, both past and present, attended a special farewell assembly at Cannonvale State School earlier this week, an opportunity to say goodbye and good luck to the much-loved School Principal, Angie Kelly. For the past 11 years Ms Kelly has been the charismatic leader for the local primary school and is renowned for her lively weekly assemblies that keep both students and parents entertained. She is also widely respected for being a hands-on Principal who is often i
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Proserpine Hospital is set to receive massive upgrades, totalling close to $8 million in building works. The $8 million from the State Government will include a new renal dialysis service and four renal dialysis chairs and a refurbishment of the Acute Primary Care Clinic. The renal dialysis upgrades are part of the government’s $27.7 million commitment to deliver 33 renal dialysis treatment spaces in regional Queensland.
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Eight children, a loving wife, extended family, and countless others across the local sporting community are mourning the loss of a much-loved, dedicated sports dad this week.Matt Costello passed away suddenly when he was visiting family in Mt Isa, leaving his wife and children devastated, a huge gap in their lives that can only be filled in some small way by the wonderful memories that remain.
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You may not have met Jill and Geoff Wilson, but you’ve definitely felt their influence and their dedicated work. For 20 years now, this couple have been logistical powerhouses, assisting Red Frog Schoolies efforts and making sure that young people return home safe and sound every single night of their Schoolies celebrations. However, Geoff is very humble: “It’s not about me, it’s about the amazing young people, the Red Frogs who take the time off work, travel to Airlie Beach, and work frontlin
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And just like that, Schoolies is over for 2023, but event organisers are proud of the success of their third annual week-long celebration. With over 1,400 Year 12 school leavers partying in Airlie Beach last week, Margie Murphy of Airlie Events, who is responsible for organising the Airlie Beach portion of the nation-wide event was pleased with the reception. “The week went very well,” she said. “The students were very well behaved, from what I’ve seen and heard from the Police, Ambulance Serv
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The Bowen Visitor Information Centre claimed the bronze prize in the Visitor Services category at the Queensland Tourism Awards in Cairns last week.With more than 100 Visitor Information Centres across the state, the competition was very high and the team at Bowen were very proud to be named number three in all of Queensland.Manager of Bowen Tourism and Business, Leanne Abernethy said the team always worked incredibly hard to provide the best information services for the thousands of visitors wh
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Not all heroes wear capes, as we think our Disaster Management Coordinator Sandra Black is a legend who has been at the forefront of Council disaster team for the past six years. Known widely as “Blackie”, Sandra has been with Council for almost 25 years, joining the organisation fresh out of university and initially working at the Proserpine Library. In 2014 she completed her Advanced Diploma in Public Safety and has since continued her professional development, completing many of the Queenslan
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The Cannonvale Library will be trialling extended opening hours from Thursday 2 November 2023 to Saturday 27 January 2024 in order to better serve our community. The extended hours will apply on Thursdays from 8:15 am to 6:45 pm (previously 4:45pm) and Saturday from 8:45 am to 12:45 pm (previously 11:45am). Our regional libraries offer so much more than books, and this extended opening hours trial gives residents more time to discover the extensive range of library services for themselves!
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Born and bred local, Jenny, thrives living independently, in the calm and capable SIL (Supported Independent Living) units, provided by Endeavour Foundation in Cannonvale. For Jenny, the ability to govern herself, create and hold her own routines and be independent has been life changing. She works hard to keep her space clean, dedicated to vacuuming and mopping, cleaning the dishes, and cooking for herself. Jenny has been living in SIL for over two years, and she hasn’t looked back once.
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North Queensland Bulk Ports have announced the nine community organisations set to receive a share of $60,000 in funding, supporting local community with initiatives expected to deliver strong benefits. Of the nine recipients, two organisations supporting Bowen and Abbot Point residents were selected, these being the Bowen Neighbourhood Centre and Girudala Community Co-Operative Society. The Bowen Neighbourhood Centre’s initiative is the launch of an Investment Opportunities Guide, that will s
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Ergon Energy units in the region are calling for farmers to be cautious when completing hazard reduction burns or with cane fires. One such unit in the Burdekin was recently called out to a burnt power pole, following a cane fire. Power was quickly restored to the affected areas, after the fire was controlled, and Ergon Energy crews were able to access the site. Ergon Energy Work Group Leader Lawrence Hitchcock explained that controlled burns could pose a threat if the fires get too close to pow
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As seen through the eyes of pioneer, Eliza Ellen Fuller (1886 – 1983) (Eliza was featured in the September 22 edition of this paper.) The journey by coach from Bowen to Proserpine in 1900 – A Wild Ride As we got to the hotel yard in time to leave for Bowen by six o’clock that Sunday Morning, a chap asked the coach driver, Henry Amos, to get him to Bowen that afternoon in time to catch the “Inaminka” which only stopped at the jetty for about three minutes to throw off mail and pick up mail and
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The smell of ripening mangoes is certainly associated with the festive season.Many people eagerly await the mango season so they can add this delicious fruit to their salads on Christmas Day.The team at the Bowen Visitor Information Centre have taken the theme of mangoes for Christmas to an entire new level – and now have all types of mango-inspired products on offer.As well as offering mango sorbets and mango ice creams at the Visitor Information Centre, they now have a vast array of other mang
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Two Whitsunday Regional Council owned transport hubs have taken home two top spots at the recent 2023 Queensland Tourism Awards, held in Cairns last Friday night. For the same category, Tourism Retail Hire and Services, the Whitsunday Coast Airport took gold, while Shute Harbour Marine Terminal received the silver. Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Julie Hall said the awards were well deserved recognition for the hardworking teams at both the airport and Shute Harbour. “The Whitsundays tourism i
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Leading the way in accessible tourism, the BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort team shone brightly alongside some of the state’s premier tourism operators at the Queensland Tourism Awards in Cairns last Friday.Winning two gold awards, BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort was acknowledged with top honours in the ‘Caravan and Holiday Parks’ category for the sixth time at a state level, as well as the inaugural ‘Excellence in Accessible Tourism’ category.
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The team at Ocean Rafting brought home two gold accolades at the Queensland Tourism Awards on Friday night, further cementing their incredible achievements. Winning two gold awards in the categories of Adventure Tourism and Major Tour and Transport Operators, Ocean Rafting Owners Peter and Jan Claxton attended the ceremony to represent their team and the three generations of family working in the business. “It certainly was a night for the Whitsundays to celebrate, with so many of our region’s t
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Renowned for providing unique and incredible experiences to over 800,000 guests this year alone, it is no wonder that Cruise Whitsundays’ truly memorable tours and accommodation offerings claimed two accolades at the Queensland Tourism Awards this year.Bronze winners in the Unique Accommodation category and the Major Tour and Transport Operators category, Cruise Whitsundays proved once again that they excel across the board.
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Success keeps on coming for Magnums Airlie Beach, as they secured the gold award for 3-3.5 Star Accommodation last Friday night at the 2023 Queensland Tourism Awards. In the heart of Airlie Beach, Magnums boasts affordable and comfortable accommodation that matches any price point for travellers on a budget.
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