Burdekin School Celebrated Harmony Day with social games, allowing students to explore different cultures and create pieces of a group mural. Photos supplied: Burdekin School Burdekin Community Association Inc. Community Services Officer Aimee Cursio and local resident Allan Lee celebrated Harmony Day 2024 with a market stall on Queen Street. Photo supplied: Burdekin Community Association Inc.Burdekin Christian College marked Harmony Week, the celebration that recognises diversity and brings tog
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In mid-1983, Marie Finn was sitting in the waiting room of Dr Joyce’s surgery for the six-week check of her fifth child, flicking through the latest edition of the Home Hill Observer when she read of the closure of a local kindergarten operated by Mrs Williamson. “Coming from Cairns and driving there regularly, I had often seen beautiful buildings that provided kindergarten facilities and hoped that Home Hill could one day have the same,” Marie said. “Perhaps this was the opportunity, so I spran
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In 2024, C&K Home Hill Community Kindergarten proudly commemorates 40 years of childcare excellence. Since inception, the kindy has been committed to providing a dynamic and enriching educational experience for children aged three to five, prioritising play-based learning where every moment is an opportunity for exploration and discovery. Supported by passionate educators, the program instils a love for lifelong learning in each child. With purpose-built facilities and expansive outdoor spaces,
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In the 40 years since its inception, Home Hill Community Kindy has grown to become an integral part of our small community. The Centre has educated thousands of local children, providing them with wonderful preparation for the commencement of their formal education. The Centre is a vibrant, welcoming space which allows children to grow and develop into curious, capable and collaborative learners. Director, Sue Amore, together with Educator Jodie MacDonald and the other staff implement the C&K ea
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For over four decades, Rural Quip has supported the industrial and agricultural sectors of the Burdekin with passion, knowledge and experience. Established in 1982 initially as a steel fabrication business, the company has since undergone a remarkable evolution, transitioning into a comprehensive retail hub catering to the diverse needs of local industries. Under the leadership of Managing Director Robert Oar, whose extensive experience spans 45 years in agricultural and engineering sectors, Rur
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A cohort of women in agriculture attended a three-day leadership forum in Ayr last week designed to develop leadership skills, personal confidence and be empowered to make future focused decisions to drive a positive change in their communities. The Influential Women Community Leadership Forum, held from March 19 – 21 in the Burdekin Theatre Music Loft, was supported by Tropical North Queensland Drought Hub as part of their commitment to enhancing the skills and capacity of agricultural communi
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Local graziers attended an informative workshop at Warrawee Station to learn how to achieve optimum reproductive performance for their breeder herds. This two-day workshop focused on the theory and practical skills of pregnancy testing and foetal ageing in cattle, and how to integrate skills and information to make decisions about livestock efficiency and performance. Eiren Smith, Dreghorn Station, said pregnancy testing was a valuable management tool to monitor reproductive efficiency and det
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Just as leaving your doors unlocked poses a risk, neglecting to install and maintain smoke alarms in your home can jeopardise the safety of yourself and your loved ones. With more Australians dying in residential fires on average than by all natural hazards combined, it’s sparking a renewed call from experts for Australians to protect themselves with a working smoke alarm. Smoke alarms provide a critical early warning to give you and your loved ones time to escape, so testing and maintaining t
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Social Ladies Bowls on Tuesday March 19 winners were Deslie Olsen, Betty Schultz and Heather Jorgensen defeating Ruth Moore, Isabel Cislowski and Dot Cutting. Merle Nixon, Joy Comollatti and Pam Power defeated Katharina Stuckler, Karen Page and Irene Wilson. Competition Results Thursday March 21 rinks Deslie Olsen, Trish Achille, Beryl Cornford and Pam Power defeated Katharina Stuckler, Elaine Young, Heather Jorgensen and Mary Poli. Singles Irene Wilson defeated Sandra Stidston. Wednesday night
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Wednesday March 20 11 Ladies ventured out onto the green with winners of the day Bernice Kugatoff, Lyn Storrie and Joy Woods. Next contact Joy Woods with names in by 1:00pm for 1:30 start. Sunday March 24 Club Championship events – A Grade single was played between Doug Robins and Brett Wilshere and early on in the game Brett was giving Doug a run for his money however the veteran from Giru was the eventual winner. Thanks to Lenny Feeney for marking yet again. B Grade Pairs Semi Final - the in-f
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18 players rolled up for barefoot bowls on Wednesday March 20. Three games of triples were played. Mark, Margaret and Torrie proved too strong for Kate, Greg and Lloyd winning 23 to 10. Carol, Meryl and Mick prevailed against Phoebe, Yogi and Sam 12 to 6. The final game saw Conner, John and Alex put the cleaners through Brenda, Laurence and Joe 16 to 4. Thursday March 21’s winners by mystery draw were Bones, Bob and Dino. Rink 4 saw triples match Dino, Bob and Bones out lasted Karl/Terry, Al
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27 players turned up on Friday, March 15 to do battle on a course that looked amazing after all the rain. The day’s winner was Pat Toohey who also drew his own ticket out of the bucket. Least amount of putts went to Gary Pappalardo with 12. Pin shots on 9. The ladies winner was Beth Prescott. Gary Pappalardo won the C grade. Sadly no one from A/B hit the green. The fifth hole was the most difficult putting hole with scores of 5, 4, 3 and multiples of them there were only two one putts. F
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Six Juniors from the Ayr Surf Club spent four days on the Gold Coast battling it out with the best of the best for the Queensland Youth State Championships. With over 1,500 competitors from across the state converging on North Kirra, a relocation from its original location at Burleigh due to conditions, it was a sight to see. It was a weekend with big surf, tough conditions and inclement weather where all competitors gave it their all for the entire weekend. The Ayr kids travelled down as part o
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The best of the region’s talent came together at the first ever Super JDS Series event to be hald at Home Hill Tennis Association. Rallying 48 players and 8 coaches together, the event featured interactive workshops, a full-day player camp and a thrilling team competition. The Super JDS series aims to bring key stakeholders within each region together, whilst hosting a fun event that focuses on positive values and future collaboration opportunities. By supporting the aspiring players through
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Our Tuesday Rookie Blaster Group joined the Challengers and Junior Hardball Cricket players at the Nutrien Ag Solutions Cricket Complex last Friday for the final games of the 23/24 Junior Cricket season. Although no stats were recorded for these games there is one thing that should be mentioned: everyone was very excited when Michael Finn hit his first ever six when the ball sailed over the boundary at ‘Cow Corner’ late in the Junior Hardball game. After the games were completed, everyone enjo
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The first grade game against Estates started positively when Matthew Kolb found Jack Gimson's well-timed run with an even better through ball. After being taken down in the box, we were awarded a penalty, which Matthew Kolb calmly slotted to make it 1-0. This kicked Estates into gear, and they started to dominate the proceedings. Estates had a free kick that they crossed in nicely and it dropped to an unmarked player who put it in the back of the net to make it 1-1. This continued and after a lo
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Following on from a successful Home Hill Junior Open on Saturday, Ayr Juniors saw another great field of juniors playing the wonderful Ayr course. 3, 6, 9 and 18 hole competitions were run for both boys and girls, with some great scores and fun had by all. Players and their families travelled from as far as Mackay, Charters Towers, Bowen, Proserpine and Townsville, along with a great local turn our of Ayr juniors, a field of 52 players took to the course. A huge thank you to Oar and Horan Denti
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“Ill-discipline cost us that game, a game we should have won,” Roosters reserve coach Chris Perry said after his team were defeated by the Bowen Seagulls at Rugby Park last Friday night 18-16. The teams were playing for the inaugural Lona Kaifoto Challenge Shield. Lona Kaifoto from Bowen was an integral member of the Burdekin Roosters ten years ago, helping the club to win the TDRL A grade premiership in 2015 defeating Herbert River in the final. He then spent a couple of years with the HostPlus
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A Home Hill cane farmer has achieved his lifelong dream of qualifying to represent Australia in clay target shooting. Joseph Rossato, a member of Bowen’s Port Denison Gun Club, returned from Wagga Wagga earlier this month where he represented Queensland in the 2024 National Trap Championships. Joseph has qualified for the state team six times and competed for Queensland twice, finishing his most recent outing on equal first in the top 25 in Australia, known as the Mackintosh team. Shooters then
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Hi readers My mug has once again made it into the sport pages of Burdekin Life after the team I play cricket with, Guardian Pharmacy, took out the Home Hill Cricket Association grand final on the weekend. You’ll find a photo of the team on the back cover and a report on page 29. It was only my fourth game of the season, but I started to find my radar with the ball in these last few games and I was happy to be a part of the win. Congratulations to my teammates on the win, to the other two teams
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It is likely that Ayr travel agent Pierina Dalle Cort will be declared the next mayor of the Burdekin Shire Council after Burdekin residents hit the polls for the local government election on Saturday, March 16. At the time of writing, 84.85 per cent of the 12,248 enrolled electors’ votes for mayor had been counted, with 52.92 per cent of those going to Ms Dalle Cort and 47.08 per cent going the way of incumbent mayor Lyn McLaughlin. Although close, Ms Dalle Cort is expected to be declared the n
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Students and Staff gathered at Home Hill State High School in the heat to help reduce the impact of rubbish to better their school and community on Sunday March 3. The school thanked all staff and students involved in Clean Up Australia Day including Jack Srisoongneon, Cheynne Worland, Ava Protstat, Zoe Bonanno, Grace Ogomeni, Maliq Ogomeni, Rowen Petersen, Saxon Petersen, Eli Ogomeni, Lucy Young, Louise Hayne, Bridget Zimmerlie, Daniel Hayne, Cruz Torkington, Sean Phayre-Leung, Sharni Smerdon
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High school students from four Burdekin schools have been equipped with potentially lifesaving tools following the delivery of Road Safety Education Limited’s RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) workshop last Friday, March 15. The program included a full day workshop of six practical, interactive and powerful sessions about road safety for students at Burdekin Catholic High School, Home Hill State High School, Burdekin Christian College and Burdekin Educational Engagement Program, delivered at
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Opinion Piece In a bid to reach a supercharged carbon emissions target, the Federal Government has just announced a proposed Family Car and Ute Tax, which is said to cause extra financial strain for families as well as complications within the automotive industry. Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox met with several car dealerships within the Dawson electorate this week and said that a major concern is spreading throughout the industry. “We know this policy is going to have consequences,
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