Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
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Proserpine Veteran Golfers cancelled their trip to Home Hill this week after last minute heavy rainfall left the course unplayable – but not to be deterred, 25 players entered a Proserpine Comp.
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This week’s Nine-hole stableford at Whitsunday Green Golf Club was won by Josh Tripcony on 24 points, with second place on 20 Jimmy Millar, and third place to Cameron Mutch, 19.
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The format of this week’s Whitsunday Golf Club's Sunday Stableford competition was changed from a 4BBB to single Stableford Blustery conditions complicated the game particularly on the more exposed greens.
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After a week of hot weather and northernly winds ahead of Whitsunday Sailing Club’s Twilight Race, relief was in sight and the fleet headed out for last week’s Wednesday twilight race.
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A massive sea rescue search mission involving multiple aircraft and on-water vessels was conducted to find survivors of a boating tragedy which occurred last Thursday evening. Three men, two of whom were brothers, were left clinging to their seven-metre Goodwin Longboard 150 kilometres out to sea after a large wave hit and overturned their boat.
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A local, independent, community driven not-for-profit charity received some charity of its own to help continue it’s work supporting public hospitals in the region. Mackay Hospital Foundation was the benefactor of a few choice gifts last Friday when two local girls dropped off donations to the organisation’s Children’s and Adolescent Unit.
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Hi readers. This week, I’m going to share my thoughts on a movie. It’s been an age since I last wrote a movie review. I had a shitty high school blog with a mate on which we would write little reviews of movies and music, so I’ve had plenty of practise, but I’d like to think my tastes have evolved since giving Transformers 7/10.
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Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, is frustrated with what he’s calling the Federal Government’s “brand-new attack on ten million low and middle-income earners in Australia”. The Member said the Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ decision to cut the former government’s 2019 Low- and Middle-Income Tax Offset (LMITO) from the 2023 May Budget, is a “tax on ‘Aussie Battlers’.” The LMITO was originally designed as a one-off payment but was extended through the pandemic by the former Coalition Go
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A statewide wanding blitz saw police search over 450 people for weapons over the weekend in a nation-leading strategy to detect weapons and combat knife crime across Queensland. Here in Mackay police conducted 14 wandings, with no weapons detected. Police Inspector Godbold said that he was pleased with the results. “It was a great result for Mackay,” he said. “We didn’t detect any knives or other weapons.”
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A skydiving instructor was critically injured after impacting heavily with the ground at Laguna Quays Resort near Midge Point on April 16 and has now been flown to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital. Douglas Ball, a 52-year-old skydiving instructor was diving with a group according to police when he “had something go wrong.”
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Orange Sky Mackay is responding to increased demand for their services by adding another evening shift to their roster. With the assistance of another community minded organisation, Team Global Express (TGE), providing a fortnightly barbecue, Orange Sky will welcome friends on every second Wednesday night, starting on Wednesday, April 26.
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Public concern for the future of Mackay Base Hospital’s maternity services mounted this week following reports that the ward could be going into bypass causing patients to be referred to the nearest alternative hospital. Acting Chief Executive Dr Charles Pain was quick to deny these claims, stating that “Mackay Base Hospital has never been on bypass for maternity services and is not at risk of going on bypass”.
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Mountain bikers, rejoice. Three contracts have been awarded for the Pioneer Valley Mountain Bike project, with a total value in excess of $6.25 million, to complete stage one of the project. The approved plans for the major development include 26 trails, a 100-kilometre network of mountain bike trails that navigate Eungella and Sky Window to Finch Hatton, with a 36-kilometre trail to connect Sky Window, Broken River, and Finch Hatton.
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Holy Spirit College, a Catholic co-educational College for Years 7 to 12, welcomes you to their Year 7 in 2024 Information Evening on Thursday 27 April, 5:30pm – 7:30pm. As you learn about the College, there will be family fun activities and a free sausage sizzle.
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A scene of chaos and devastation greeted the volunteers at All Abilities non-for-profit organisation when they entered their Casey Avenue address on Monday morning. They discovered that thieves had “gone through every drawer in the building and emptied out every cupboard” in a destructive rampage which left the usually bustling community centre covered in shattered class and ruined.
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Unmarked burial plots in Mackay have been given plaques and a WWI veteran given official recognition thanks to a family ancestry project. Robert “Bob” James McGill, now a resident of Cairns but born and raised in Mackay, was researching his namesake when he realized his Great Uncle Bob was at rest in an unmarked grave in Mackay Cemetery.
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Preserving the stories of bravery through collecting military memorabilia has been a long running passion for one Moranbah local. ‘Anzac Day 2023’, an eclectic mix of military memorabilia, is on display at the Coalface Art Gallery for the third year running, curated by local military historian Dave Law with assistance from Andrew Tomlinson of the Moranbah RSL Sub-Branch.
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The father of five World War II veterans has been honoured with a headstone 76 years after his passing, unifying a family to reflect on his life and contribution. John Patton passed away on April 12, 1947, and was buried at Mackay Cemetery in an unmarked grave. John had eight children, five of which served various theatres of World War II, with one being killed in action.
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It’s an Australian first that could prove Mackay’s future to be in the safest of hands. 21 Mackay residents between the ages of 11 and 17 are campaigning to be on the Mackay region’s Youth Council, with Mackay Regional Council being the first in Australia to partner with Foundation for Young Australians and adopt the Young Mayors program.
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After months of fundraising, grants and community support, Safe Sleep Mackay excitedly announced that funding has been secured for Mackay’s first sleepbus. With 20 beds onboard, televisions, toilets, charging facilities and storage, sleepbus promises a safe and restful night’s sleep for those who have nowhere else to go.
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Talented Mackay dancers Ruby Meares and Eva Bishop experienced a huge thrill recently when they participated in specialised classes at the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne and Queensland Ballet Academy in Brisbane.
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For the past two years, Naomi Tickle has been leading workshops on smart eating and healthy cooking, and in 2020 she became a Country Kitchens program facilitator. This year, Naomi is one of three program facilitators to receive the Facilitator of the Year award, given to individuals who have completed outstanding contributions to the Country Kitchens program. Country Kitchen is a partnership between the Queensland Country Women’s Association and Health and Wellbeing Queensland, supporting Quee
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Locals will not be able to access Bluewater Lagoon this coming winter, with plans to repair the lining confirmed. Mackay Regional Council has announced the schedule for the refurbishment of Bluewater Lagoon, with the tender awarded to Aquatic Project Solutions. This project with encompass two winter periods, 2023 and 2024, with the 2023 winter seeing the repair of the children’s pool.
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For 25 years, Crossroad Arts has been developing the sphere of celebrating communities, have embraced equity, diversity, and confidence, through collaborative arts. And, for 2023, the Annual Giving Program has taken a turn, with ReNew Mackay vowing to match donations, dollar for dollar, up to $5,000, until June 30. “Supporting things in Mackay, from a financial point of view, is easy,” ReNew Mackay Director, Craig Percival, said.
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Since its inception in 2018, the Mackay region has returned over 174 million containers using the Containers for Change program, and now Sarina is seeing the opening of a brand-new depot in the community. With over six billion containers returned through the Queensland program across the state, this new depot opens opportunities for locals to recycle their drink containers and earn some extra money at the same time.
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