Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
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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The Gold Coast SUNS will host Essendon under Friday night lights at Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena in its final match of the 2023 AFLW home and away season. Gold Coast’s Round 10 fixture has today been confirmed with the SUNS to host its fourth match at the venue on Friday, November 3, first bounce 6.45pm AEST. Gold Coast SUNS Head of Women’s Football Fiona Sessarago says the club is excited to bring AFLW football to Mackay once again in Round 10. “Our match in Mackay is always an exciting
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Multiple Sclerosis Swimathon, a statewide series in eight locations across Queensland, held its Mackay event on Saturday, 7th October at the DMR Leisure Memorial pool. The North Mackay Sinkers Masters Swimming Club have supported the MS Swimathon in Mackay for eight events over nine years, with a combined fundraising total of over $52,000 raised. This year, six teams with some 90 plus participants managed to raise a combined total of $14,496 for Multiple Sclerosis Queensland. The teams particip
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Mackay Central’s Class Of ‘72 Reunion Mackay Central State School is gearing up to commemorate the reunion of the Class of 1972, scheduled for 21st October. The organising committee for the event have been busy planning celebrations, with reconnections and recollections set to make this an extraordinary time for past students of the graduating class. The event will begin with an escorted tour through the school on Saturday morning, followed by an afternoon gathering
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Treat your senses to a world tour this weekend at the Mackay region’s largest celebration of multiculturalism. Global Grooves will transform Queens Park into a global village this Saturday, October 21, from 3pm to 8pm. The festival will feature fascinating cultural workshops, mesmerising dance performances and global music, markets, and a smorgasbord of international cuisines. There will be Maltese and Italian baked goods, lechon (Filipino rotisserie pig), curries, dumplings, German sausages, Du
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At the end of September, the Mackay Mustangs Roller Hockey Club Under 16’s team won gold in Perth, competing fiercely in Roller Hockey Australia’s National Australian Club Championships. The National Australian Club Championships ran from 23rd to 30th September, this year taking place in Kwinana, with some of Australia’s most talented roller hockey teams competing. Mackay Mustangs Roller Hockey Club was founded in 1985 as a branch of the Mackay Roller Sports Association. The club has had a nu
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Wednesday Social games for Wednesday, 11th October included winners: Min Andrew, Brenda Trannore and Cheryle Corbett. Runner up was a pairs game, with Helen Fleming and Carmel Bell as the winners of the game. The North Mackay Bowls Club will be set to host a fundraising event for the RACQ CQ Rescue crew, on 14th November. Three Bowls Triples of any combination (men’s and women’s), with games starting at 1pm sharp. Entry fee is $45 per team, with everyone welcome to attend. Great prizes will b
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Rising all-rounder Etienne Pretorius underlined his value with another stand out performance for the Walkerston Roosters in Mackay Cricket Association action at Harrup Park’s George Gorrie Oval. The sixteen-year-old Mackay-Whitsunday representative top scored with 49 off sixty balls and grabbed 3-17 off four overs with the ball in the Roosters’ five wicket loss to Pioneer Valley in the Under 17s division limited overs competition. Pretorius – rated one of the region’s most promising young cric
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The annual Golding Kids Colour Ride, held at the picturesque Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens, witnessed a triumphant day of family fun and community spirit on Saturday, 8 October 2023. Despite challenging windy conditions, children and families gathered to enjoy a memorable afternoon filled with colour, laughter, and unity. This beloved event, which has become a highlight on Mackay's social calendar, brought together children of all ages to ride one or more laps on bikes or scooters around the
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Thirteen Mackay members played in the Queensland Festival of Bridge. 52 teams and Ninety-four pairs competed from all over the state. Well done to Anne Whitemore and Sandra Morris who won Best Novice Pair under 100 Masterpoints and the Brown team - Alan and Francie Brown, Diane Morgan, Janet Hansen and Geoff Taylor who won Best Regional team. Weekly Results Tuesday Evening 10 October 2023 – 5 Table One Winner Mitchell Green Points 1st Eric Goodchild / Noel Bugeia 2nd Helen Van Den Broek / Terre
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In a week dedicated to veterans' health, Mackay Veterans took to the greens at Mackay Bowls Club for a fun afternoon of bowls. Laughter with a few wayward biases filled the air as both seasoned and aspiring bowlers showcased their skills and enjoyed sharing stories, as they have done for many years. The upcoming weekend at Proserpine Club holds significant events for Mick Coll and Steve Cassidy as they prepare to compete in the Men's B Pairs Champion of Champion Bowl. Additionally, the Champion
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i Everyone,Tonight, our fantastic tourism industry will be celebrated at the annual Whitsunday Tourism Awards – good luck to all the local operators!There are nine of us from Core Publishing attending the awards, with some colleagues making the trip from both Mackay and the Burdekin to attend the event.We look forward to seeing many familiar faces there!
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For the first time, possibly ever, two young people with disabilities are starring in a new accessible tourism video that is being filmed right here in the Whitsundays.Jenny and Charlie from the Cannonvale Learning and Lifestyle Hub were thrilled to take centre-stage in the Endeavour Foundation promotional video that not only markets the Whitsunday region, but also promotes inclusivity to all.
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Usually, it takes the encouragement of adults to inspire children to pick up litter, but these youngsters proved they can motivate themselves, finding the time to collect sackfulls of marine debris from the rocks and beaches near Coral Sea Marina.
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For the past three weeks the road upgrades on the intersection of Paluma Road and Shute Harbour Road in Cannonvale appear to have halted without explanation.Since Easter, motorists have been patiently waiting at the traffic lights anticipating the imminent delivery of a two-lane carriageway that will increase traffic flow to Airlie Beach.
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Last Saturday saw a hive of activity at polling booths across Australia, as people cast their vote on The Voice. By early evening, the pre-emptive results were announced, with The Voice being rejected by the majority vote. For any referendum to be successful, the processed Bill must receive Double Majority, meaning it must receive national majority from voters, as well as at least four of six states majority.
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The Whitsunday Coast Chamber of Commerce has been busy, rallying opinions, thoughts and suggestions for the people’s vision of the Whitsunday, as part of their Vision For The Whitsundays project, led by Chamber Liaison Dr Julia Evans. Attending Proserpine State High School and hosting with over 70 student leaders, from years 7 to 12, the Chamber was able to garner valuable insight for the region’s youth, of what they prioritise for the Whitsundays.
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The Collinsville Green Energy Hub project team recently hosted workshops at Collinsville State High School thanks to a partnership with Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy. The workshops explored wind, solar, and hydrogen energy generation.
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Bowen’s iconic Big Mango and the Bowen Visitor Information Centre was on the national stage at the Australian Regional Tourism Convention in Newcastle in early October.Manager of Bowen Tourism and Business, Leanne Abernethy was invited by Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) to present as part of a panel about Visitor Information Centres.
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