Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Flower power! Nineteen blossoming members of the Mackay Orchid Society took a petal-packed trip to Rockhampton to explore other gardens and greenhouses. They got to see how other growers do things, from planting to potting, fertilising to displaying. The group even visited places from North Rockhampton to Yeppoon, covering every hill and dale along the way!
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A marine biology expert is being recognised for her efforts in inspiring the next generation of scientists through an award-winning university-port partnership.North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) Senior Environmental Advisor Nicola Stokes has been designing targeted programs for marine science students at James Cook University (JCU), which allow them to gain real-world experience in the port industry while relating their studies to environmental aspects at ports.
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Mackay Regional Council is bringing The Push, an organisation famous for fostering youth-led events, to the Mackay region to provide an exciting opportunity to young people.The Push is an Australian youth music organisation and registered charity based in Melbourne.
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An exciting new art tourism project involving about 150 artists has received Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) backing.The 2023 Mackay Art Studio Trail is a pilot project for Artists Connect Inc that is set to launch in late June for the Mackay Festival of Arts.
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Last year I attended a coastal leaders forum that brought together leaders from 41 councils. This was an opportunity for our coastal leaders to gather, share ideas and find ways to work together to improve the liveability of our communities impacted by coastal erosion now and into the future.
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Sure, it had been quite funny while it lasted over my indulgent summer break but my impression of the Michelin Man had , well, worn thin. It was time to put a stop to the whole routine.
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Hitch your wagon to a star and mark your calendar for the Friends of the MECC's Morning Melodies as ‘Blue Bayou’ graces the MECC stage on Friday 24 March. Written and performed by Nadia Sunde, the cabaret singer and her band will deliver a nostalgic setlist that will transport audiences back to the golden age of country-pop music. The recipient of multiple national and international awards for her songwriting and performance, Nadia is no stranger to the country genre.
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Woodturning is an age-old craft that has been around for centuries. It involves shaping wood into various shapes and sizes using a lathe and other hand tools. From bowls and platters to pens and kitchen utensils, woodturning can create beautiful and functional items that can last a lifetime.
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The Mackay Marina Run calendar of events was officially launched last Friday before hundreds of social runners gathered for the Mackay Airport Twilight City Run across the Forgan Bridge.
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The Pioneer Dolphins travelled to Townsville for the weekend of March 4-5 – our last carnival for the Long Course season. Swimming North Queensland held a fantastic meet at the Long Tan Memorial Pool. Our Dolphins swam strong, swam confident and swam with pride!
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This week the weather was a lot better and good numbers turned up with 28 for Tuesday Social bowls and 20 for Scroungers on Thursday.This Saturday the Mackay Bowling Club will host Wests Tigers for the Tigers Head Challenge. Teams will be mixed fours or triples.
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Expressions of interest last year in playing schoolboys netball have proved a life changer for talented 18-year-old Mackay athlete Ben Pease. From a reluctant participant to Queensland representative honours in the space of six months – that has been the incredible journey for the versatile colt with a solid background in basketball and AFL.
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On Sunday 26th February the NMBC held its AGM at Goosies. The Club is in a strong position with its finances reflecting the increasing revenue and support from patrons. The biggest challenge is the significant increase in insurance premiums and the ability to find cover for cyclones in central and north Queensland.
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Mackay City Ladies Bowling Club celebrated their 30th year last month.Special visitors Carmel Gibbs from Bowls Queensland and Lynette Jackson, Margot Stanley and Leanne Lewis from MDLBA joined the City Ladies for their special PAH on February 22.
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Last Sunday saw Michele Stockton and Jo Inch face off against Deb Mackenzie and Chris Hall in the final of the North Mackay Ladies Club Championship pairs. With a very excited and intent crowd watching on, Deb and Chris got off to a flying start.
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Delta Goodrem has been enjoying the glorious North Queensland weather while in the Whitsundays filming the romantic feature film Love Is In The Air.The film is produced by Brisbane-based company Jaggi Entertainment and supported by the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland, starring Ms Goodrem as Dana Randall, a seaplane pilot flying in the tropics who finds herself falling for the man sent to sink her business, played by Joshua Sasse. “I feel incredibly fortunate to be shooting here i
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A 23-year-old Newcastle woman, who is walking from Australia’s most southern point to its most northern tip, is passing through the Whitsundays this week as part of her mammoth 5,000-kilometre trek.Bailey Seamer departed from South Point in Wilsons Promontory National Park in May last year and is aiming to reach her destination at the top of Cape York Peninsula in July.
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Hi Everyone,On Sunday I took the family along to Clean Up Australia Day down at Coral Sea Marina and it was wonderful to see how many people participated this year.Parents with strollers, families with brimmed hats and sunnies, couples enjoying a morning walk, individuals who wanted to be part of the movement.
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What was a routine call out for VMR Whitsundays was nothing of the sort for a local 10-year-old.The local Volunteer organisation provided a medical evacuation from Nara Inlet in late January after a young boy was injured when a fishhook became deeply embedded in his hand – an experience that was undoubtedly traumatic.
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RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter airlifted a man stung on the face by an Irukandji jellyfish in Whitsunday waters in one of seven missions across last weekend for the region’s dedicated air rescue service.
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Scarlett Foti, the Proserpine Lions Club Youth of the Year 2023, continued her winning ways at the ‘Zone Final’ of the organisation’s annual program in Home Hill last weekend.
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High tides and wild weather are a fact of life in the Whitsundays and these natural phenomena often cause marine debris to wash up on our shores.With Airlie Beach considered the gateway to the Whitsundays and many tourists’ first impression of our region, some locals believe that the ‘beach’ in Airlie Beach could do with a clean-up.
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A local family is celebrating this week following a life-changing lotto win that will enable them to buy their first home.The mum, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said that initially she’d thought they’d won $16,000 and was astounded when she discovered it was so much more.“I didn’t realise how much it was at first and was jumping around thinking it was $16,000,” she laughed.
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A Whitsundays school has restructured classes and lost teachers due to a lack of student enrolments that it believes are connected to families moving away from the area because they can no longer find somewhere to live.
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Whitsunday Regional Council has taken the first steps towards the construction of a $200,000 Airlie Place of Refuge.Council’s Director of Infrastructure Services Adam Hagy said that Council is seeking a contribution of 50 per cent of the funding for the project through the Disaster Ready Fund Round 1.
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