Mayor Lyn McLaughlin

The Burdekin Shire Council's cultural venues play a crucial role in fostering artistic expression and community unity. The Burdekin Theatre, Ayr Showgrounds and Burdekin Memorial Hall are dynamic spaces that host artists and performers from diverse backgrounds, contributing to a vibrant cultural tapestry and promote cross-cultural understanding within the community.

During the 2022/23 financial year, the impact of the cultural venues was substantial. The Burdekin Theatre alone welcomed over 18,000 guests, while the Burdekin Memorial Hall hosted an additional 6,600 guests across a diverse range of events that strengthens social connections and contributes to the local economy. The Ayr Showgrounds hosted 23 events, including the renowned Burdekin Show, as well as dog training, birthdays, weddings, wakes, and various community meetings.

The Burdekin Shire Council takes pride in the extensive utilisation of these facilities by numerous local organisations which offer valuable opportunities for performers, technical support staff and stage managers, among others.

To explore the enriching experiences available at these cultural venues, visit Council’s website burdekin.qld.gov.au.

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Over the weekend, Australia’s decision resounded around the country and with over 80% of the people in the electorate of Dawson voting no, it was a clear result.

The Albanese Labor Government proposed an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and while highlighting the issues of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, is extremely important, I am fundamentally opposed to dividing the country on the basis of race.

What Labor failed to do was provide enough detail to the people of Australia on how the Voice would work, what power they would have, and who would hold that power.

Instead, they chose to spend hundreds of millions of dollars during a cost-of-living crisis and try to convince the public to vote on a vibe and guilt, telling us to vote yes because it was the right thing to do and if we didn’t, we were racist.

As a result, we are now dealing with a divided and emotional country and there is a lot of healing that needs to be done.

Prime Minister Albanese might not like the way Australia voted because he believes he knows better, however voters are never wrong, and what all Australian’s want most is equity and a fair go.

Moving forward, we need to work together. There needs to be an audit on the billions of dollars of taxpayer money that is spent on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that is currently not making it to the rural and regional communities who need it most.

We also need to get back to basics. The government needs to address the cost-of living crisis, the growing rate of crime, the poor road infrastructure in rural and regional areas like Dawson, and the crumbling healthcare system that North Queenslanders are currently suffering through.

As your Federal Member, I focus on the issues affecting all of the people of Dawson, and this week in Parliament I am loudly reminding the Prime Minister and his Labor Government to get back to basics and listen to the Australian people.

Andrew Willcox MP

Federal Member for Dawson

Opinion Piece

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The Ayr Chamber of Commerce held their AGM last Thursday, October 12, reflecting on the previous year and discussing changes to promote the Chamber’s profile in the future.

President Leigh Kefford was elected for a second term and, reflecting on his first term, said mistakes were made.

“The executive team has recognised that, and we’ve got the foundations now set ready to go into the future,” he said.

“Everyone’s happy, energetic, and in the next few years, the chamber will thrive.”

Linda Butler and Laurinda George were both re-elected in their respective positions of Vice President and Secretary, while Lisa Kefford was elected as the incoming Treasurer.

“Congratulations to the Chamber on a successful year and thank you for your promotion of the business community,” said Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Lyn McLaughlin.

Mr Kefford hopes to double the membership by this time next year, with the discussion of a name change hoping to promote a more inclusive Chamber.

A motion to change the Ayr Chamber of Commerce Incorporated’s trading name to Burdekin Chamber was carried unanimously by the executive committee.

“It shows us as the chamber for the Burdekin,” Mr Kefford said.

“Giru and Brandon don’t have a chamber at the moment, so we want to support the businesses in those areas as well.”

Mr Kefford said the Chamber has opted to omit the words ‘of Commerce’ from the name to appeal to a wider variety of not-for-profit organisations.

“Even though not-for-profits aren’t for commerce, they are wanting to be a part of the business community so it’s important for them to have membership as well,” he said.

During the AGM, a letter was read on behalf of Home Hill Chamber of Commerce opposing the name change.

“We want to keep our individual identity and we felt that having them change their name to Burdekin, it would encompass the whole Burdekin region,” Home Hill Chamber of Commerce Secretary Robert Antoniazzi said.

“That would mean that they would be involved in issues in Clare, Giru and Home Hill and they’re certainly not.

“We’ve had new members join so people want to become part of the Chamber.”

While corresponding with Mr Kefford, Mr Antoniazzi proposed that the two Chambers meet annually.

“I thought it would be good if, once a year, the two Chambers get together for a combined meeting, just meet each other and discuss common issues,” he said.

At their most recent counts, the Ayr Chamber of Commerce had 94 paid members and Home Hill 27.

Mr Kefford hopes to have the name change and rebrand in effect early in the new year.

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Ayr Chamber Of Commerce President Leigh Kefford, Vice President Linda Butler, Executive Member Marissa Zanella and Treasurer Lisa Kefford

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The FC Caledonia highland dance studio has been busy, seeing seven Burdekin youth dancers to Canberra to compete in the Canberra Highland Dancing Championships, Titles, and Highland Competition.

It was clear that the calibre of the Burdekin youth dancers is impressive, returning home with a sweep of prizes and awards for their efforts.

“While dancers from north Queensland don’t often compete against dancers from NSW and Victoria, it was wonderful to receive recognition that the standard of Highland dancing in the Burdekin is so high,” explained Fiona Christie, dance teacher of FC Caledonia.

The dancers particularly enjoyed wearing their woollen kilts and velvet vests during the unexpected cold snap that plunged through Canberra over the championships.

“We were all missing the cold weather, but we are straight back into work, preparing for our annual National Dancing Association of Australia Highland Dancing examinations early next month,” explained Fiona.

Joining the dancers was bagpiper Michelle Hodder, who often joins FC Caledonia at local community events.

Michelle competed in the Bagpipe Solo Competition, taking out the title of B Grade Champion Piper.

The dancers would like to thank the Lower Burdekin Celtic Dancing Association for their generous sponsorship which allowed dancers to experience a Highland Dancing competition similar to those held in Scotland every year.

For those wishing to find out more about FC Caledonia, find them on Facebook, or ring Fionna on 0409 973 567.

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Group photo: (Back L-R) Evie Bello, Scotia Oats, Andria Reinke, Issy Littlefield. (Front L-R) Ferne Antoniazzi, Ravenna Davies

Trio photo: Melissa Payne (born and bred in the Burdekin and now living in Canberra), FC Caledonia teacher Fiona Christie, Taylor Res

Single photo: Michelle Hodder. Photos supplied

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Mr Simon Yim, the Founder of SKY Renewables, has set his sight on utilizing local sugarcane waste as feedstock for renewable energy since his first trip to the Burdekin in 2018 and meeting with the leadership of Burdekin Renewable Fuels (BRF). As a visionary first mover, his plan was to process the fibre locally into biomass pellets for export to Japan.

Mr Yim also recognized very early on that biomass pellets are the only form of renewable fuel which is exportable and importable in its original form and economically across continents for years to come. And unlike the intermittent nature of wind and solar, biomass power is dispatchable baseload 24/7 renewable power.

Japan imports over 90% of its energy, including 42% of Australia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) and one-third of Australia’s coal. The Japanese Government encourages biomass power generation as baseload renewable power through offering high feed-in-tariffs in excess of Yen equivalent of $250 per MWh under 20 years of “take-or-pay” power purchase agreements with the generators.

Japan has no meaningful domestic biomass resources. Approximately 25% of global export of wood pellets of 21m tons in 2022 found its way to Japan. Japan also imports the same amount of palm kernel shell from Southeast Asia as biomass fuel, but that volume is going to shrink substantially when the sustainability requirement imposed by the Japanese Government coming into effect in April next year.  

SKY Renewables approached the canegrowers from the demand side as early as 2019 by bringing the Japanese market here through written expressions of interests from Japanese end-users. This complements very well with BRF’s strategy.

Unfortunately, SKY Renewables’ pursuit was interrupted by Covid, just like everybody else. Japan and Australia have both committed to Net Zero in 2020 and 2022, respectively. However, with very limited renewable resources and a large reduction in nuclear generation, Japan has to keep relying on coal and natural gas for power generation. As a long-term mitigation measure, the Japanese Government requires all coal-fired units to co-fire coal with renewable fuel such as biomass pellets in order to reach its mandatory efficiency standard of 43% by 2030. Together with co-firing demand, Japan will need more than 60m tons of biomass pellets by 2030. To address the huge supply shortfall, the Japanese Government has in April this year approved sugarcane waste as feedstock under the FIT scheme. Both Mr. Yim and BRF’s vision have proven correct.

The other black swan event was the war in Ukraine. Newcastle coal price reached a high-water mark of USD435 per ton in September 2022. Even though it has eased to the USD140-160 range in recent months, it is still a far cry from the ~USD70 per ton range just before the war. When the price of coal and biomass pellets have substantially narrowed, using biomass pellets to substitute for coal is a no-brainer.

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Mr Simon Yim

Burdekin Renewable Fuels is a local company owned by sugarcane growers that was formed in 2017 to explore the development of new products and sources of revenue from sugarcane.

Burdekin Renewable Fuels Chair Greg Rossato said, “Sugar crystal continues to be an important product and source of cashflow for the industry, but we are totally reliant upon it which is pure risk and whilst the price is great at the moment, this may not always be the case and can change quickly. For this reason, it is vital that the industry looks towards developing alternative products and markets to diversify our business revenues and enhance our long-term sustainability.”

Burdekin Renewable Fuels is actively pursuing diversification opportunities and is involved in several innovative projects that will diversify and enhance the sustainability of the sugarcane industry.

These projects include the pelletisation of tops and trash for export to Japan to co-fire in coal-fired power stations and the development of a contaminant removal system to reduce contaminant levels in tops and trash to enable further processing.

Tops and trash has also been provided to Licella as part of a feasibility study part funded by the Queensland Government's Biofutures program and was successfully converted into a synthetic crude oil or "biocrude". This biocrude was then upgraded to demonstrate that it was possible to manufacture a Sustainable Aviation Fuel from sugarcane residues. Further work is now being undertaken to have this pathway certified as a sustainable Jet Fuel.

Burdekin Renewable Fuels recently completed a techno-economic feasibility study funded by Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia, Burdekin Renewable Fuels shareholders and Sugar Research Australia investigating taking the whole crop to make bioglycols and sustainable aviation fuels.

“It is important for growers to be actively involved in determining the future of their industry. Growers need to realise that they own the resource and the land on which it is grown and with the global push into renewables to reduce carbon emissions, the sugarcane industry is well placed to benefit from this shift which is gaining momentum by the day. Burdekin Renewable Fuels has been working with Simon Yim from SKY Renewables Pty Ltd for 5 years and we see the pelletisation option for power generation as a logical first step in diversifying revenue streams for growers and we can then build from there.” said Greg Rossato.

“The sugarcane industry with its sustainable biomass is ideally placed to help address climate change and meet the needs of new product markets emerging out of the bioeconomy. The sugarcane industry’s SugarPlus initiative is a positive step forward that provides the opportunity to open doors for the milling and growing sectors to work together on building a bright future for the industry and continue to underpin regional economies.”

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Burdekin Renewable Fuels travelled to Japan to provide key stakeholders an update on their pelletisation project. Photo supplied

With ELA Solutions

From humble beginnings, ELA Solutions has become a big player in the local commercial cleaning industry, expanding both its workforce and its product range to deliver an exciting range of cleaning services to the Burdekin.

At its helm are local couple, Seb and Laura Aguirre, who are celebrating their first official year in business this year, an achievement that is backed by six years of dedication that has seen them move from domestic bond cleaning to significant commercial projects.

Overcoming challenges, including Seb’s six-month battle with his health, the couple have raised their two teenage children and grown the business from a one-man enterprise to a flourishing company which now employs 14 contractors.

It was 2018 that Seb decided to start a cleaning service as a hobby and the couple remember when the operation used to include a pull along Henry vacuum cleaner with everything transported around in their Mazda CX9.  

“We did our time doing bond cleans and residential work, working sometimes seven days a week and long hours every day,” explains Laura.

The hard work definitely paid off as the couple’s reputation for quality results spread near and far, soon big commercial partnerships were formed with Council and many other local businesses.

In 2020, the couple decided to restructure the business and became a trust.

Then, a year ago they secured a new premises, moving business operations out of the home office and into a large complex with room to grow.

Initially, they wanted to use the area for storage and lease the rest of the complex out to a third party, but they quickly realised that the local market was calling for other services that they could offer.

“We were constantly being asked about our products,” said Laura.

“A lot of our products are natural, not chemical based, and they work really well.”

Determined to bring their own revolutionary products to the region, Seb and Laura took a trip down to Brisbane where they found a supplier was prepared to manufacture their own chemical under their own brand.

“This is where we created Solutions @ ELA, and everything kind of rolled on from there,” said Laura.

“When we unloaded all of our chemical from the delivery truck and put it on the shelf, seeing it with our own branded product label on it was a really big moment for us.”

Eager to fill the gap in the market and offer customers one central place to find all cleaning products, the couple decided to use all the available space and opened a retail store on the site.

“We sell Makita products – blowers and vacuums,” said Seb.

“People don’t need to go to different shops for all their cleaning supplies and equipment anymore, they can just come to us!”

While operating a busy retail store and managing the overall operation of the business, Seb and Laura are still very much hands-on, overseeing the quality of each contract.

“That’s what makes us successful – we have a really good team, and we all clean the way we like it to be cleaned at home,” said Laura.

“All our staff clean to the same standard and we work in the business, so do our kids! It’s a real family effort and we wouldn’t have it any other way!”

“We have been very lucky to have the support of our local community as well as the Burdekin Shire Council.

“The support and encouragement as well as the introduction to the Smart Precinct has been invaluable.”

Recently the business has also diversified again, becoming the Mount Elliot water suppliers delivering everything from 600 ml bottles right through to 15 litres.

As the ELA Solutions team reach for the sky, everyone in the Burdekin benefits.

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Time is running out to apply for the 2024 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, a program celebrating and empowering the inclusive and courageous leadership of women in Australia's rural and emerging industries, businesses, and communities.

Applications will close on Wednesday, 25 October 2023, at 11.59 pm AEDT.

The Award acts as a springboard, inspiring and nurturing Australian women to harness their skills for the betterment of their industries and communities, while simultaneously unlocking doors to crucial funding opportunities for existing projects and businesses.

Beyond recognition, the Award also provides a pathway for personal and professional growth, offering not only access to vital funding but also a doorway to extensive professional development opportunities and a cherished Alumni network.

State and territory winners are awarded a $15,000 grant generously sponsored by Westpac. Importantly, the program welcomes applications from women across Australia, irrespective of their location.

AgriFutures Australia Managing Director, John Harvey said AgriFutures are committed to the future growth and advancement of the Award as a means of identifying, celebrating and empowering women.

“If you are passionate about creating impact, innovating, and making a difference in rural and regional Australia, we want to hear from you,” Mr Harvey said.

“By participating in this program, you will become part of a dynamic network of over 350 accomplished women who have been acknowledged for their exceptional contributions to rural industries and rural and regional Australia.”

AgriFutures Rural Women’s Acceleration Grant

AgriFutures also runs a program called the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Acceleration grant. While this runs separately, it compliments the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award.

The aim is to provide a leadership and development opportunity to women who are not quite ready to apply for the Award.

Each year, seven Australian women will be granted with a learning and development bursary of up to $7,000 for professional development to enable them to bring their idea, cause, or vision to life.

The Rural Women’s Acceleration Grant is one of many AgriFutures Australia initiatives ensuring our rural industries prosper now, and into the future.

For more information and to apply for the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, visit our website at https://agrifutures.com.au/opportunities/rural-womens-award/.

For more information on the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Acceleration Grant visit http://agrifutures.com.au/opportunities/acceleration-grant/

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In the year 2000, three Kalamia Mill cane inspectors happened to retire from the sugar industry at the same time as each other, leaving a massive hole in their organisation.

Don King, Ray Saldumbide and Hockey Vernon, a trio who became known as the Three Amigos, stepped away after over 120 years collectively spent in the industry.

“We didn’t plan to all retire at the same time … it just sort of happened that way,” Hockey told the Ayr Advocate in the article ‘Three amigos call it a day!’ published on September 27, 2000.

Over 23 years later, the trio are still close mates, regularly catching up and reminiscing about the good old days.

Don, Ray and Hockey all grew up in the area which they say gave them an innate interest and understanding of the sugar industry.

Ray started his career in the sugar industry back in 1955, when Kalamia was known as the Australian Estates Mill, starting as a junior office clerk before transferring to the team of cane inspectors 10 years later.

Don started his career straight out of school, entering the industry in 1962 as a junior cane inspector while, a year earlier, Hockey got his start working on locomotives before joining Kalamia’s cane inspection department in 1970.

The three men witnessed change upon change in their time in the industry but say they had “the best days”.

“There was office work involved, but every day, we went out into the cane lands to see the farmers and contractors, see how things were operating out there and give them a bearing of what we were doing,” Ray said.

“We had some very good relationships with the growers and the contractors and even in the earlier days with the canecutters, which was really interesting.”

“The job’s changed quite a bit with the advent of continuous crushing, too,” added Don.

“Before, you had the same contractors working five-day weeks and they had the weekends off when mills did their maintenance and everything.

“Now, they have a program to cut back on deliveries, but that’s part of the job; they take it as moving forward.”

The three of them agreed that, since they’ve retired, the industry is almost unrecognisable.

“Technology’s taken over – it’s a different world out there,” said Ray.

“It’s all behind us now and all we can do is reminisce.”

Travel seemed to be a common activity for the three men post-retirement, as well as the occasional hit of golf.

“Nothing too flash, but it was enjoyable,” laughed Don.

Don and his wife, who passed away a few years ago, loved to travel through different parts of Australia with a couple of trips abroad.

Ray also travelled overseas, particularly enjoying Scotland, Britain and the United States.

A cricket fanatic, he’ll never miss a test match when Australia plays in Brisbane.

Hockey remains a busy man, heavily involved in the Ayr Surf Lifesaving Club and his local church.

With 11 grandkids, he and his wife often travel to catch up with family, and they too have been overseas a few times.

They all enjoy retired life in the Burdekin where they can keep in touch with old mates.

“Being such a small town, there’s always a harvesting contractor or farmer who wants to know how we’re going,” said Hockey.

“We always keep in touch, too, us Three Amigos, we’ve been mates for a long time.

“We haven’t agreed on everything, but we always solve the problem.”

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Don King, Ray Saldumbide and Hockey Vernon in 2000. Photo supplied: Ayr Advocate

Don King, Ray Saldumbide and Hockey Vernon in 2023. Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

The AgForce School to Industry Partnership Program had their schedule jam-packed this week on their ‘Ag Inspirations’ road trip.

Joining TNQ Drought Hub on a three-day adventure, the organisations travelled as far as Townsville and Bowen to offer Burdekin students an opportunity to see what their Agricultural industries have to offer.

Twenty-three students from Home Hill State High School were offered the chance to learn about the ever-evolving opportunities.

Day one began with a venture north to the Townsville plant of JBS Australia. The fascination began with students entering the world of meat processing. With over 440 staff, the plant offered an insight into the abundance of career opportunities, as well as an in-depth tour to give a behind-the-scenes look into the array of career pathways.

The next stop for the group was the Port of Townsville, with a guided tour of the port, consisting of historical and statistical detail including details of roles with over one-hundred and sixty different positions.

Day two consisted of a journey south to the Bowen region, starting at North Queensland Fresh, where students were taught about ‘all things capsicums’. This packing facility provided knowledge on the process of farm-to-table and technological advancements.

Coral Coast Barramundi got the students who are keen fisherman excited, with brood ponds full of amazing fish varieties and hatching sheds to view the feeding and care practises.

The final day consisted of the process of prawn farming at Pacific Reef Fisheries, learning about the spawning cycle, pick and packing and everything in between.

Heading to Queensland’s largest family-owned sugarcane farm, Rocks Farming Company gave a tour of their 2,700-hectare enterprise and how they have developed through using technology advancements in their practices.

With 30 employees, students learnt and got to network with some of these industry professionals to see what a day in their life may look like, even getting a behind the scenes tour of their maintenance shed.

Home Hill State High School represented their school with respect and enthusiasm in their learning over the three-day period, returning to school with a newfound respect for the agricultural industry.

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Photo supplied: AgForce School to Industry Partnership Program - SIPP

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Burdekin Christian College ensure to incorporate the wonders and joy of childhood for their junior school students, where creativity is valued and imagination is encouraged.

Every Prep child is given the opportunity to a full developmental assessment and learning experiences to support each child’s strengths, including extension reading groups, fine motor therapy and language-rich tasks.

The school ranges from the Early Learning Centre right up to Year 12, with the Junior School being a special place for children to have the opportunity to learn in a safe and supported environment.  

The outstanding teacher/student ratios allow students’ learning to be personalised.

With every child having a different learning style, Burdekin Christian College cater for students by using learning activities that incorporate a hands-on approach, visual stimuli and real life simulations.

Burdekin Christian College held their Early Childhood Athletics Carnival this past Friday morning, with the school’s littlest learners experiencing the fun of sport within a play-based environment, assisting them in growing confidence and resilience skills.

The athletic highlight of the morning was the track races and turbo javelin, along with other tabloid games such as scooter board races and magnet fishing.

The children enjoyed their ‘under the sea’ dress-up theme, with coral, fish, sharks, and mermaids as the popular outfit choice. A Best Costume award was also presented.

The morning also included playgroup families and Kindy students from the Early Leaning Centre, making it a wonderful morning for all involved.

Mr Panfilo di Lullo cooked a delicious sausage sizzle for guests, concluding the morning’s activities on a full stomach.

BCC would like to thank the wonderful families who came along to support students, as well as congratulating the student helps and all of the children for their participation.

BCC’s Mary Poppins the Musical is set to light up the stage this October, an exciting event you won’t want to miss.

To find out more about what Burdekin Christian College has to offer your child, get in touch via phone on 07 4783 5552 or email office@burdekincc.qld.edu.au.

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Photo supplied: Burdekin Christian College

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More cattle will be transported along the Mount Isa line, with siding extension works at Maxwelton in Central North Queensland recently completed as part of a $4.26 million State Government investment.  

Queensland Rail’s upgrade has extended the rail siding from 300 metres to approximately 1.4 kilometres in length, allowing more cattle to be transferred off trucks and onto full-length trains without interrupting the main rail line.

This has increased the capacity of the siding by almost five times its previous level, improving the efficiency of freight services in the region.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the new infrastructure will enable up to two cattle trains a week into the siding.

“It means it’s now much easier for the cattle industry to make the most of our rail network,” he said.

“To support other long-term freight opportunities, the upgraded loop will also enable the temporary storage of rolling stock at Maxwelton if required.

“This news comes off the back of our recent announcement that the nearby town of Julia Creek will also benefit from a $3 million investment upgrade to its cattle rail siding.”

Queensland Rail Head of Regional Scott Cornish added that construction crews did an outstanding job to complete this challenging task, working through prolonged wet weather to install new track and signalling infrastructure at Maxwelton.

“In collaboration with Richmond Shire Council, Queensland Rail has helped relocate the cattle loading area approximately 600 metres east of the previous loading area,” he said.

“Our works have laid the groundwork for the establishment of new cattle yards which council will now focus on constructing.

“The full-length siding allows trains to stow and other traffic to pass, increasing the capacity of the rail line while also providing operational flexibility for other services in the area,” Mr Cornish added.

“This upgrade is a big win for freight operators and has helped secure the vital longevity of this line.”

Richmond Shire Council Mayor John Wharton added that with the construction of Grain handling facilities at Maxwelton and the expansion of farming in the region, it is very possible that in the very near future, grain could be loaded on a train at Maxwelton for the Townsville Port.

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An upgrade on a major freight route has been completed as part of a $4.26 million investment

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With storm season approaching, Ergon Energy Network’s vegetation management crews have been out in droves, trimming branches away from powerlines to reduce the risk of outages and they are urging the community not to plant tall tree species near the electricity network.

Trees and branches contacting the power network can be one of the most common causes of outages during severe weather, according to Vegetation Management Officer Tim De Vries.

“Severe weather often brings with it high winds that not only snap branches from trees and fire them like missiles into the electricity network, it can also cause large trees to fall over powerlines,” Mr De Vries said.

“This is why our crews continue to prepare the network for storms by trimming branches, and in some cases removing trees altogether, because if they don’t high-risk vegetation could cause significant network damage and prolonged power outages.

“We also work closely with councils when we carry out these tasks and only use very experienced vegetation management teams and qualified arborists when more intricate jobs are undertaken.”

Mr De Vries said the community can also greatly assist in preventing power outages by never planting tall plant species near or under the electricity network.

“Every year our crews have to attend power outages caused by a tall tree or fast-growing species such as bamboo that someone has planted too close to the network,” he said.

“These not only take out power during severe weather, they can also be a community danger if they bring down powerlines or a child climbs the tree and contacts the electricity network.

“Before people plant trees, we encourage them to take a look at our Plant Smart webpage which shows a wide range of safe species that won’t affect the electricity network and won’t require our crews to prune or remove them at a later date.”

More information about safe species of trees can be found at www.ergon.com.au/plantsmart

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Independent and a little shy at first, Dottie is quick to warm up to her humans. Just give her time in a quiet room to settle in and give everything a good sniff and investigation.

Once settled, Dottie will no doubt explore the rest of her new home, finding all the nooks and crannies that she can find, and all the highest shelfs and ledges so that she can see the entire room from one vantage point.

She particularly loves scratch posts and cat trees, or even just a good cardboard box, to stretch and get her claws going.

Dottie also loves a good chin scratch and will be sure to bump into your hand when you stop.

A little nervous with adventurous little ones, Dottie would suit a home with older kids, who will be able to understand when she wants alone time.

A human who is quiet and understanding about her initial shyness would be best, who is patient and willing to wait for Dottie to fully feel comfortable in her new space.

To organise a meet and greet or enquire about Dottie, please complete the animal inquiry form: https://www.angelpawsinc.com.au/forms.html.

FAST FACTS:

Rehoming fee: $185

DOB: 1/3/2022

Sex: Female

Breed: DSH

Kid friendly: Over 12

Dog friendly: Untested

Other cats: Yes

Indoors/Outdoors: Indoors

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A local pilot has been recognised by the Burdekin Aero Club for his contribution to local aviation.

Neil Hoffensetz was presented with a handcrafted timber propeller, made by fellow Burdekin Aero Club member Steve Mcguire, to commemorate 20,000 hours flying and 17,000 hours instructing in light aircraft.

Neil trains emerging pilots out of the Ayr Aerodrome and is considered a legend of the club and the industry.

“I’ve done a fair bit of flying over the years,” said Neil.  

“I meet a lot of people and deal with people, so I enjoy meeting the people.”

In the words of an experienced pilot: “The contribution of a person who spends almost their entire career in the right-hand seat of a light aircraft shouldn’t be underestimated.”

This message was echoed recently when the Burdekin Aero Club recognised Neil Hoffensetz for his contributions as an aviation trainer at Ayr Aerodrome.

Neil’s flying career started with training for his private licence in Ingham in 1968.  

He said his love of flying came from sitting in the passenger seat of his mother’s cousin’s plane in Ingham.

“I just took a liking to it,” Neil said.

A commercial licence and instructor rating soon followed, while work as an electrician funded the venture.

In 1975, Neil accepted the position of instructor and charter pilot with the Burdekin Valley Aero Club as it was then known.

Neil left the Aero Club a year later to start Ayr Flying Services with Kevin Campbell, providing charter flight and air work, marrying his wife Toni that same year.

To train in his own right, Neil required a B Grade Instructor Rating which was attained in 1977.

Nowadays, prospective pilots will contact Neil before they embark on their piloting journey.

“I’ll show them in black and white what the requirements are, what the steps are, how to go about it all,” Neil said.

“They do some flying on their own, but most if it is dual training under instruction.”

People have travelled from all over the country to experience Neil’s tutelage, the furthest coming from Western Australia, while many come from southeast Queensland, western Queensland, and Townsville.

Some of Neil’s students have even gone on to become commercial pilots working across the world.

“I feel very proud of them,” Neil said.

“All those guys worked hard for what they achieved.”

Burdekin Aero Club Treasurer Kerry Paronella, a pilot and club member of four years, was trained by Neil.

“Neil made it very easy because there was never any pressure,” he said.

“There was always corrective advice, assistance, and knowledge.

“He’s just a gentleman while training.”

“Every interaction with Neil is a learning experience, whether it is when standing in the hangar hearing a radio call or observing the weather conditions,” added Bill Mein, fellow recreational pilot, and friend of Neil’s.

“The long-term background and the knowledge, from the regulations to the laws of physics, meteorology, and the application of fundamentals, cover it all.

“To echo the often-heard comment, ‘We are so lucky to have Neil here.’”

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Neil Hoffensetz has trained countless pilots, some of whom have gone onto careers with commercial airlines. Photo credit: Sam Gillespie