Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Over the past decade, cheerleading as a competitive team sport has grown exponentially nationwide and worldwide, with the 2022 AASCF (Australian) National Championships having over 13,000 athletes for this single event.
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When a sold-out crowd packed out Mackay Multisports Stadium to watch the Queensland Firebirds take on the Sunshine Coast Lightning last November, Mackay’s love of netball was evident. Mackay Netball Association makes everyone’s netball dreams come true, with programs and competitions available for all ages and abilities.
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There’s nothing more Australian than footy - maybe a snag, but you can grab one of those at the Eastern Swans Australian Football Club while trying out the country’s favourite pastime on February 26.
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The final Mackay Road Runners Shawn’s Summer Social Series was held in appallingly humid conditions from the Memorial Pool car park last weekend. The 5km and 10km course options were as usual adaptable for runners should they choose to reduce their distances.
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THE JET Maintenance Services Sports Expo and Sign-on will return to the MECC this weekend for the first time since 2020. More than 80 local clubs will be on display, creating a one-stop-shop of sport and recreation opportunities.
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There is a whole world out there that you are not aware of: the one of highland and Irish dancing available at Ceilidh Dance Studio Mackay. Some might be familiar with the jig or stepdance where an Irish dancer, clothed in ornate, shimmering outfits, hops athletically to the fiddle with arms pinned to their sides, legs working.
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You wouldn’t expect parkrun records to be set in the warm Mackay summer heat, but that’s exactly what happened last weekend. Jared Havemann joined his fellow runners for the weekly social run through Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens, blitzing the course in 16:27, the fastest time in Mackay parkrun’s history.
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Running onto Suncorp Stadium in a Brisbane Broncos jumper has always been a childhood dream for promising Mackay rugby league half back Adam McSherry. The outstanding 14-year-old schoolboy prospect has taken a giant step towards realising that goal after securing a three-year contract with his beloved Broncos club. Linking up with one of the highest profile sporting organisations in the country has given young McSherry a massive confidence boost in the lead up to this year’s Secondary School
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The Whitsundays helped to make aviation history this week when the first ever Bonza aircraft landed its inaugural flight at the Whitsunday Cost Airport on Tuesday morning. With flights starting from just $49, Bonza aims to be here for ‘Allstralia’ and will open the Whitsundays up to new markets that would not have previously been able to access or afford a holiday to the region.
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For the first time in Bowen TAFE’s history, a range of specialist courses in agriculture will be available thanks to its brand-new $3.4 million upgrade which was celebrated with the opening of its Agriculture Centre Of Excellence on Tuesday.
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RACQ CQ Rescue Helicopter transported a four-year-old boy to hospital after he was found unresponsive at the bottom of a pool on Hamilton Island at 1.06pm on Tuesday, January 25. The child – who was swimming in the main resort pool – reportedly gave his goggles to his mother on the side of the pool before disappearing once she turned her back.
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When Harry Russell was returning home from work earlier this week, he spotted an elderly lady walking around at the end of his road looking lost. Deciding to pull over and ask if she was ok, he was informed that she needed to get back up the hill, so he offered her a lift. The lady gladly accepted, and the pair drove up the hill.
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Hi Everyone, It was a great privilege to be nominated for an Australia Day Award this year and I was deeply honoured to walk alongside the other nominees at last week’s ceremony. When I was made aware of my nomination for Citizen of the Year, however, I have to admit to you that I felt like a complete fraud.
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Two new doctors have just arrived at Bowen Hospital and the young couple say they are excited to embark on a career that not only brought them both from Singapore to Australia but also brought them together in love.
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An independent Queensland-based craft beer company with a brewery in the Whitsundays has gone into voluntary administration, leaving locals wondering what’s next for its Cannonvale venue. Ballistic Beer Co - which began its local operations in March 2021 after acquiring Whitsunday Island Brewing Company – announced the decision on Monday, stating it had suffered financially during the Covid pandemic and through a product recall late last year.
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In keeping with tradition, the Collinsville community gathered together for their Australia Day Breakfast and Awards Ceremony and, with over 200 people in attendance, the event was a lively affair fuelled by a delicious hot breakky served by the Lions Club.
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My commitment is to encourage and support a long-term vision for a vibrant and livable Whitsundays whilst keeping our unique visitor experience. I want to see more of the successful types of low-rise development that we had under our old town plan, and it is evident, with over ten times the number of people commenting on our planning scheme compared to the last consultation that the far majority of the public agree.
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Residents and locals are reminded that they have until the end of March to go in the draw to win $2100 worth of holiday vouchers to be spent in the Whitsundays and Mackay regions. To participate in the Passport Competition, simply call in at all three Visitor Information Centres - Bowen, Proserpine, Sarina – and ask for a “passport” which you will need to get stamped at each of the centres.
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The Boathouse Apartments on the Port of Airlie is now under new management. Lea and Ross Andrews, from Victoria say that their family are thrilled to be managing the popular coastal-inspired holiday apartments. Lea, who is an ex-school principal, and Ross, a registered builder by trade, decided to make a career and territory change to the sunny Whitsundays after pondering the idea for many years.
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Do you have scraps of metal left over from jobs? How about old electronic goods and metal household items cluttering up the garage? Or are you embarking on a new project and need off-cuts and inspiration to get you started?
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Celebrating its first year in business on a high note, SeaLink Whitsundays has just announced that they have received 100 per cent five-star customer reviews on TripAdvisor and Google Business Listings over the past 12 months.
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The recent sale of Council owned ‘green space’ has caused concern among a local environmental organisation that believes our small patches of grassland should be protected from development for the benefit of the community. Tony Fontes, from the Whitsunday Conservation Council, said that he was shocked to see so many pieces of natural land sold to developers without public consultation.
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Bringing together three years of careful research, two years of dedicated writing and a lifetime of curiosity, local author Joab Russo, is proud to present his book Absolute Truth to audiences across the world.
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When Shakespeare asked the question, “What’s in a name?” (“Romeo and Juliet’) he was referring to the idea that names themselves are a convention to distinguish things or people, but themselves do not have any worth or meaning. But pioneering families of Proserpine, after whom the vast majority of early streets are named, might just beg to differ.
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More than 100 experts and leaders within the environmental management space converged in Cairns for the annual Reef Synthesis workshop to discuss the ongoing protection of the Great Barrier Reef.
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