Thursday 25 April
Anzac Day Open House
Thursday, 11:00am to 3:00pm
RSL Raemus Rover Off-Road Racing and Iron Works Brewery are joining forces to conduct an Anzac Day Open House for those younger veterans who don't feel comfortable in large crowds. Any veterans of the modern era and family members are welcome.
Iron Works Brewery, Brandon
Saturday 27 April

Burdekin Rags to Runway
Saturday, from 7pm
The Burdekin Rags to Runway, hosted annually by the Burdekin Artisans Community Association, showcases recycled clothing and accessories. The competition calls for entrants to exhibit their creativity by transforming used clothing into fashionable runway pieces in five categories: junior, racewear budget challenge, budget challenge, open section, and accessory section. 
Greek Hall, Home Hill

Sunday 28 April
Burdekin Sugar Rush
   • Sunday, from 6:30am 21km
   • 7:15am 10km
   • 7:30am 5km, Seniors and Juniors U16

The Burdekin Sugar Rush is the signature running event for the Burdekin Road Runners and Walkers Club. The event not only showcases the spectacular features of the Burdekin Shire, but also celebrates the role that fun and fitness has in the community.
The event attracts running enthusiasts from around the region (including Townsville, Cairns, Charters Towers, Whitsundays and Mackay) and also has a key focus of attracting first time competitors through the provision of a half marathon (21 kilometres), five and ten kilometre fun run, team challenge and kids fun run.
Ayr

Family Fun Day
Sunday, from 10am to 1pm
Enjoy markets, raffles, farm animals and a sausage sizzle at Hotel Brandon’s Family Fun Day!
Hotel Brandon

Saturday 4 May
Foyer Sessions with Emma Donovan
Saturday, from 7.30pm
Join us for our first ever Foyer Session at Burdekin Theatre to showcase the talent and the new work of celebrated, ARIA-nominated, award-winning Indigenous singer and songwriter Emma Donovan. This concert with Emma and her band will include her trademark soul/country songs and new music recorded in Gumbaynggirr and Noongar languages. Emma is proudly one of the First Nations artists, spearheading efforts to put traditional languages on the music map. She will also share stories, providing her audiences with an understanding of Country and community.
Burdekin Theatre

Home Hill Sugar Bowl
Saturday and Sunday, from 8am
The Home Hill Sugar Bowl is a tennis competition that has been held annually for 43 years. The event is hosted by the Home Hill Tennis Association and takes place over the May Day long weekend. The competition attracts teams from all over Queensland from as far as Mackay, Ingham and Charters Towers. You will find sportsmanship, camaraderie and friendships at the forefront of this weekend.  
The Home Hill Sugar Bowl is a truly iconic event to the region as players past and present and supporters celebrate another year with their tennis family. 
Home Hill Tennis Association

Wednesday 8 May
Burdekin Junior Eisteddfod
Wednesday to Sunday, May 19
The Burdekin Junior Eisteddfod showcases talented competitors in Contemporary Dancing, Drama, Music, Visual Art and Photography. Participants will take to the Burdekin Theatre stage over the course of this 12-day event.
Come along and see what the Burdekin has to offer, watch our local talent as well as talent from all over North Queensland perform.
Burdekin Theatre
Saturday 18 May
Burdekin Growers Race Day
Saturday, from 11am
The Burdekin Growers Race Day is the Burdekin's premier 18+ social event of 2024 with thousands of locals and visitors flocking to the Home Hill Race Club. The event is not only about horse racing but also about fashion. The Fashion's on the Field is a hotly contested event amongst race goers. The day is filled with thousands of dollars worth of prize giveaways and every patron receives a free box of locally grown fruit and vegetables, so everyone goes home a winner! Live entertainment starts from 5:30pm til late. 
Burdekin Race Club

Sunday 19 May
Norm Perry Memorial Duck Race
Sunday, from 9am
The annual Duck Race by the Rotary Club of Ayr is one not to be missed. Hundreds of plastic, decorated ducks are released by a crane into Plantation Creek and race to the finish line. 
Two local causes receive donations from the Rotary Club of Ayr through money raised by selling ducks. Attendents will be entertained by the race, along with kids games, entertainment and a BBQ lunch. 
Ayr

Saturday 25 May
Burdekin Netball Junior Cup Carnival
Saturday and Sunday, from 7am to 5pm
The Annual Burdekin Netball Junior Cup Carnival will once again be held for teams from all over North Queensland to come and compete whilst having fun with their friends.
With an expected 400 competitors to prepare to take the courts, the Burdekin Netball Association welcomes all residents and visitors to their annual carnival held at the Home Hill Netball Courts. 
Burdekin Netball Association

Thursday 6 June
Morning Melodies: Some Enchanted Evening
Thursday, from 11am
We have all heard their songs and we have all enjoyed their musicals. They were known as America’s most successful musical theatre writing team and their partnership has been called the greatest of the 20th Century.
Join us for a very special event paying tribute to the timeless music from the legendary Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Featuring your favourite tunes from Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific, The Sound of Music and many more, Some Enchanted Evening is truly an enchanted concert of exquisite songs from the golden age of musicals. 
In an intimate setting amongst the stars, come on a whimsical journey through song and dance, and be captivated by the beautiful music of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, ‘Younger Than Springtime’, ‘I Have Dreamed’, ‘Climb Every Mountain’, and ‘Oh What a Beautiful Morning’. With beautiful costumes, extraordinary dancing and a song list that also includes music from their partnerships with Jerome Kern and Lorenz Hart, Some Enchanted Evening is a magical, uplifting experience that is not to be missed.
Burdekin Theatre

Friday 7 June
The Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks Tribute Show
Friday, from 5.30pm
Welcome to The Dreams Show – your ticket to experiencing the magic of Fleetwood Mac and the captivating solo career of their leading lady, Stevie Nicks. Since its launch in 2017, Dreams has gained massive acclaim, both from fans across Australia and from within Fleetwood Mac themselves. Dennis Dunstan, Fleetwood Mac’s Manager (1981-1999), applauded the show, stating, “The Dreams Show was a breath of fresh air when it comes to Fleetwood Mac tribute shows.. these guys deliver.. Big Time! Don’t miss this show if you’re a Mac fan!” Surrender to the enchantment of Dreams, as we recreate everything from their live show spectacle to clothes to choreography and  anecdotes to iconic songs of the legendary band. Enjoy monumental hits like ‘Go your Own way’, ‘Gypsy’, ‘Edge of Seventeen’, ‘Rooms on Fire’, ‘TUSK’, ‘Say you love me’, and many others. $59 tickets.
Burdekin Theatre

Wednesday 12 June
Ayr State High School: Year 10 Careers Morning
Wednesday, from 9am to 10am
The aim of the morning is to provide a broad view of careers and employment opportunities in our local area and surrounds.
The format includes display tables, 10-minute introduction of your organisation and an opportunity for students to ask questions. Students will move between organisations to gain knowledge about career options to support their subject choices for their senior schooling.  
Please use this link https://forms.office.com/r/rpaKQtFiK4 to register. It would be appreciated if each organisation representative could register for catering and workplace safety purposes.
Ayr State High School

Anthology Showcase
Wednesday, 10:30am
Writers from the “Burdekin Creative Writers” and “Night Writers” groups will read a selection of their pieces from the Anthology.

Home Hill Branch of Burdekin Library

Monday 24 June
ARC by ERTH
Monday and Tuesday, from 6.30pm
Showcasing exquisite puppetry, an enigmatic host, audience interaction and a world of rare and exotic animals, ARC is a profound experience that embraces the natural world and the creatures that cohabit this place we call Earth. 
ARC presents intimate, magical encounters with rare and vulnerable species, raising important questions about our collective and individual relationship with nature and loss. Renowned as innovators of physical and visual theatre, for the past three decades Erth’s body of work has explored the depths of the past. With ARC, they look unblinkingly to the future, as this menagerie of animals transforms the stage before your very eyes.
Burdekin Theatre

Wednesday 26 June
Burdekin Show
Wednesday, from 10am
The Annual Burdekin Show hosted at the Ayr Showgrounds is an event for all ages. From exhibits to equestrian, side show alley and fireworks there is something for everyone and the true essence of country hospitality can be found. 
Ayr Showgrounds
Monday 1 July
Flipside Circus
Monday, from 9:30am

Flipside is bringing the circus to town with a fantastic range of workshops to supercharge school holidays.
Flipside Circus’s expert trainers work with young people to teach ground and aerial circus skills including juggling and manipulation, hula-hoop, acro balance, minitrampoline,
tumbling, and trapeze.
The workshops are challenging and focus on; building self-confidence, physical skills, and fitness, as well as teamwork.
KINDY CAMP - 9:30AM - $10.00
2 - 4 YEARS, 45 MIN DURATION
FLIPPEROOS - 10:30AM - $20.00
4 - 8 YEARS, 1.5 HOUR DURATION
CIRCUS SKILLS - 1.00PM - $30.00
8 - 16 YEARS, 3 HOUR DURATION
Tickets Available 8 April 2024 - 3:00pm
Burdekin Theatre Auditorium

Wednesday 14 August
Morning Melodies: A Farwell to Doris
Thursday from 11am
Melinda Schneider returns to the stage in 2024 to pay tribute to the legendary Doris Day.
The world lost one of its biggest stars with the passing of Doris Day. A legend of stage, screen and song, Doris died aged 97, leaving behind an incredible body of work, including iconic movies and unforgettable songs.
Doris Day, “the girl next door”, had millions of fans around the world, none bigger than chart-topping Australian singer songwriter Melinda Schneider, who has recorded two albums of Doris’ songs, co-written and starred in a theatre show based on Doris’ life, and done sell-out tours celebrating Doris’ work.
Melinda Schneider’s, A Farewell To Doris, is a heartfelt tribute to Doris Day. This nostalgic concert celebration will include timeless hits as well as a number of Doris’ big band standards.
Burdekin Theatre

Monday 2 September
Burdekin Art Society Art Exhibition
Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm
The Burdekin Art Society Annual Exhibition attracts lovers of fine art from near and far. Being a week long exhibition allows people from other areas an opportunity to see this very popular event and draws entries from all over the state and further afield. 
The longevity of the event attests to the quality and popularity that the entrants and viewers alike enjoy.
Burdekin Theatre

Saturday 7 September
The Visitors
Satuday, 7:30pm
On a sweltering day in January 1788, seven clan leaders gather on a sandstone escarpment overlooking the harbour. The attendees, six of them Elders and one new initiate, catch-up, laugh together, share a meal and compare notes. But beyond the friendly banter, protocols, and hospitality, a momentous decision is waiting to be made. A mysterious fleet of giant nawi is amassing in the harbour and as they creep closer, these seven representatives must choose unanimously: whether to send these strangers on their way or welcome them?
TICKET PRICES
Adult $40.00
Concession $38.00
Friends of the Theatre $35.00
Youth under 30 $35.00

Burdkein Theatre

Saturday 14 September
Giru Show
Saturday, from 12pm to 6pm
The annual Giru Show highlights the community's talent with a variety of exhibits and stalls. From vintage machinery displays and live entertainment to games suitable for every child, there's something for everyone to enjoy. The Giru Show have recently added games to the schedule for all ages to take part in. The local bands will provide entertainment throughout the day. 
Brolga Park, Giru

Wednesday 2 October
Morning Melodies: Livvy and Pete
Thursday from 11am
Helpmann award winner Michael Griffiths and acclaimed cabaret darling Amelia Ryan celebrate the songbooks of Aussie icons Olivia Newton-John and Peter Allen. 
From their humble small-town beginnings to world domination in sequins and jumpsuits, revisit all of their sing-a-long classic from Rio to Tenterfield, all the way to Xanadu and beyond. As camp as maracas and tender as Pete's gift to Livvy "I Honestly Love You", there promises to be rollerskates, T-Birds, Pink Ladies, 80s jazzercise and an Oscar winning song to boot! Livvy & Pete made its debut in 2016 at the Ballarat Cabaret Festival, and Adelaide's Feast Festival. Since then it has delighted audiences at The Adelaide Fringe Festival (Garden of Unearthly Delights), The Hobart Spiegeltent, The Wollongong Spiegeltent, Vivaldi's Canberra, Slide Sydney, Adelaide Fringe Roadshow, and the Brisbane Cabaret Festival. 
Burdekin Theatre

Saturday 9 November
Home Hill Harvest Festival – Grand Parade & Street Party
Saturday from 5pm
Celebrate the sugar industry in Burdekin. The Home Hill Harvest Festival runs from September to November. The Festival culminates with the Mardi Gras including floats from festival queens, community groups and businesses and ends with a Street Party featuring entertainment, rides, food and activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Home Hill

Sunday 10 November
Burdekin Machinery Preservationists Open Day
Sunday from 9am
Located at the Brandon Heritage Precinct, 21-27 Spiller Street, Brandon, the Burdekin Machinery Preservationists have an open day. Witness the power of the working vintage machinery which includes the historic Marshall Colonial Tractor and the Walkers Engine No.1, which is just one of two working air blast fuel injection engines in Australia. Admire the other vintage tractors and stationary engines on display.

Burdekin Heritage Precinct, Brandon

Wednesday 4 December
Morning Melodies: Andrews and Bin Christmas Swing
Thursday from 11am
The Andrews & Bing Christmas Swing joyful, live, melodious Christmas Show is a stroll down memory lane with the beautiful 1940’s bright & engaging Christmas songs of the Andrews Sisters & the one & only “Crooner” himself, alias Bing Crosby. Three dynamic, harmonious, humble divas with their professional band, “The Miller Horns,” igniting the stage! Clap along to their iconic stylized “Jingle Bells”, listen to the enchanting best-selling song, “White Christmas” & all aboard the Christmas “Chattanooga Choo Choo”.
Burdekin Theatre

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Saturday 20 April
Ayr Surf Life Saving Club presents Take The Floor 2024
Saturday, 6:00pm
The Ayr Surf Life Saving Club is proud to present Take The Floor 2024! This year, the club is inviting you back to the ‘Roaring 20s’ for a fantastic night out with friends. Take The Floor will be at the Memorial Hall on Saturday April 20 and will be hosting a live band 'Godfathers of Funk' to help add to the atmosphere along with the four couples for the evening.
Burdekin Memorial Hall, Home Hill
Wednesday 24 April
The Boys From Oz
Wednesday, from 11am
Let's hear it for The Boys! Come celebrate the greatest songs from Australia’s greatest male singers.
Join JD Smith as he takes you on a journey through the pop, rock & country classics that have been the soundtrack to your life. From the unofficial national anthems of John Farnham's You’re The Voice, Daryl Braithwaite’s The Horses & Peter Allen’s I Still Call Australia Home; Supergroup classics by ACDC, INXS, Cold Chisel, Little River Band & The Bee Gees; the Poptastic stylings of John Paul Young, Rick Springfield & Leo Sayer through to iconic ballads from Savage Garden, Rick Price & Keith Urban…. you will be stunned by the powerhouse vocal versatility and charm that JD Smith brings to these songs on stage. (A lifetime performing around the world in musicals & most recently with the international vocal supergroup The Ten Tenors will do that.) The Boys from Oz will have you singing, dancing and cheering as you remember how much you love these iconic songs from Australia’s most iconic male performers!
Burdekin Theatre
Thursday 25 April
Anzac Day Open House
Thursday, 11:00am to 3:00pm
RSL Raemus Rover Off-Road Racing and Iron Works Brewery are joining forces to conduct an Anzac Day Open House for those younger veterans who don't feel comfortable in large crowds. Any veterans of the modern era and family members are welcome.
Iron Works Brewery, Brandon
Saturday 27 April
Burdekin Rags to Runway
Saturday, from 7pm
The Burdekin Rags to Runway, hosted annually by the Burdekin Artisans Community Association, showcases recycled clothing and accessories. The competition calls for entrants to exhibit their creativity by transforming used clothing into fashionable runway pieces in five categories: junior, racewear budget challenge, budget challenge, open section, and accessory section. 
Greek Hall, Home Hill

Sunday 28 April
Burdekin Sugar Rush
   • Sunday, from 6:30am 21km
   • 7:15am 10km
   • 7:30am 5km, Seniors and Juniors U16

The Burdekin Sugar Rush is the signature running event for the Burdekin Road Runners and Walkers Club. The event not only showcases the spectacular features of the Burdekin Shire, but also celebrates the role that fun and fitness has in the community.
The event attracts running enthusiasts from around the region (including Townsville, Cairns, Charters Towers, Whitsundays and Mackay) and also has a key focus of attracting first time competitors through the provision of a half marathon (21 kilometres), five and ten kilometre fun run, team challenge and kids fun run.
Ayr

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The Ayr Surf Life Saving Club is proud to present Take The Floor 2024! This year, the club is inviting you back to the ‘Roaring 20s’ for a fantastic night out with friends. Take The Floor will be at the Memorial Hall on Saturday April 20 and will be hosting a live band 'Godfathers of Funk' to help add to the atmosphere along with the four couples for the evening.

Couple Number 1: Mick Fraser and Shirley Marshall
Recently engaged and living at Alva with their 3 boys, Mick and Shirley are ready to kick some goals on the dance floor. Mick is your local 'pool man' and is a Bundy Rum enthusiast, which he says will be an essential requirement before dancing in front of a crowd at Take The Floor. Shirley is a Speech Pathologist for Department of education and although it's been a minute since she dusted off her dancing shoes, she knows her way around a dance floor and has a pretty decent Irish jig and can work the Highland swords. Let's hope she can keep Mick in line with those swords.

Couple Number 2: Jimmy Hayllor and Rory Jorgensen
Jimmy is a recent transplant to the Burdekin and is more comfortable working with cane than putting on his dancing shoes. His most recent dance experience is busting a move in the rain on a roundabout in the main street of Ayr where timing was not his strong suit. Thankfully Jimmy has been paired with the master Rory, with 17 years dance experience, to assist with her very flat-footed apprentice. Rory is a local girl who can't remember a time she hasn't danced and has been involved with Burdekin Singers Musicals as well. She's hoping she can get Jimmy to remember his dance moves as, apparently, he struggles to remember what day of the week it is most of the time.

Couple Number 3: Leigh Ryan and Julia Nosworthy
Leigh currently resides in Townsville and is a podiatrist in high risk settings across remote and rural Queensland. Although feet are his livelihood, many say he has two left feet, and his only dance experience is falling over on the dance floor. Although he may go alright in a swimming pool, he may look like a fish out of water on the big stage. Thankfully Julia is a born and bred local who has been dancing since she was four and is ready to whip him into shape. She has choreographed four musicals for the Burdekin Singers Theatre Company and is currently completing a Cert 4 in Dance Teaching and Management and a NRL Cheerleader with the Cowboys.

Couple Number 4: Thom Pickersgill and Jane Olsen
Although they've shared the stage since 2019, they've never danced together! They've been involved in many Burdekin Singers musical productions, but Thom is definitely more confident with singing then dancing. Thom moved to the Burdekin in 2013 to begin teaching at Ayr High and enjoys being involved with school activities, Burdekin Singers and Debutant Balls, whilst Jane grew up dancing in the bountiful Burdekin since the age of six, she does her best work with a glass of bubbles in hand at many social events around town.

There is still time to grab your tickets, whether a table or individual, so contact Kellie Lawry on 0409 180 116 if you are keen to come along ASAP. It is sure to be a great night out.
This is an 18+ event.
Contributed by Kellie Lawry

WHAT: Ayr Surf Life Saving Club presents Take The Floor 2024
WHEN: Saturday, April 20 from 6:00pm
WHERE: Burdekin Memorial Hall, Home Hill
TICKETS: Contact Kellie Lawry on 0409180116

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Home Hill’s signature sculpture festival, the Canefields Ephemera, is back for 2024 and the Home Hill Chamber of Commerce is inviting all interested artists, schools, organisations or groups of fellow artists to be involved.
The much loved and anticipated annual event is now in its seventh year and has continued to grow to its current standing as an outdoor sculpture exhibition which is sure to impress local and state artists exhibiting works.
‘Ephemera’ is defined by something that exists or is enjoyed for only a short time, with the competition inviting local artists to create installations to be temporarily erected in Home Hill’s Lloyd Mann Park.
Once installed, Burdekin residents and visitors alike will be able to experience and enjoy the Burdekin’s Ephemera between Monday September 8 and Sunday September 22.
The Home Hill Chamber will be conducting the event this year and is already working on a project to be included in the Ephemera.
Put on your artist cap and be part of this exciting event in September 2024.
The event is open to anyone, only requiring the completion of an entry form and acceptance of the criteria to be part of the Canefields Ephemera 2024.
A first prize of $1,500 is up for grabs to be judged by a panel of independent judges with $500 on offer for the installation that receives the most votes on the Home Hill Harvest Festival Facebook page.
For more information and to request an entry form, contact Uli Liessmann on 0439 822 064 or Robert Antoniazzi on 0407 637 679.

Uli Liessmann’s ‘Peace’ won the Judge’s Choice Award at Ephemera 2023
‘It’s a Colourful World’ by Maree McKeough and Lorraine Lynch won the People’s Choice Award
Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

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Following a hugely successful 2023 sell-out tour, Queen tribute act Bohemian Rhapsody are returning in 2024, bringing a set of the British rock band’s ‘Greatest Hits’  to the Burdekin Theatre alongside some of the most popular songs from their albums.
Australia's longest running Queen tribute, performing since 1993, Bohemian Rhapsody stars the internationally acclaimed Thomas Crane and returns in 2024 with their brand new show, ‘Made In Heaven’.
Prepare to be transported back in time as the group recreates the visual excitement and electrifying energy of a Queen concert.
Audiences can expect an unforgettable night filled with Queen's iconic hits from the '70s to the '90s, including classics like ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, ‘Don't Stop Me Now’, and, of course, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
The hit movie of the same name exposed Queen to a much wider audience, making the band’s music more popular than ever.  
Queen is amongst the greatest rock bands of the twentieth century and Freddie Mercury is hailed by many as the most charismatic and flamboyant performer in contemporary rock.
Thomas Crane as Freddie, alongside his talented band Bohemian Rhapsody, bring back to life the visual excitement, sound and stage energy as witnessed at a Queen concert.
You’ve seen the hit movie, now see the sensational family friendly show that everyone is raving about!

WHAT: Bohemian Rhapsody Made In Heaven Tour
WHEN: Saturday, April 13 from 8:00pm
WHERE: Burdekin Theatre
TICKETS: www.burdekintheatre.com.au

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Caption: Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

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Caption: Photos supplied: Burdekin Christian College

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