On Friday November 17, the 2023 Ayr State High School Year 12 graduates entered through the school gate for the last time. After a beautiful graduation event on Thursday night at the Burdekin Memorial Hall, students were given a final school parade in their honour on Friday followed by a family barbecue.
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On Thursday November 23, the Year 6 students from St Colman’s Catholic School held their Graduation Mass and Dinner. The students marked this special occasion with a mass with their family, friends and school staff. Each child’s achievements were celebrated during this event. It is a time of mixed feeling, a tinge of sadness and loads of happiness as we farewell our Year 6 students and send them off to high school. As we celebrated the achievements of our current year 6 students, we also reflect
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Home Hill State High School celebrated National Agriculture Day on Friday, November 17.Each year, the school comes together to recognise the significant role farming plays in shaping Australia. Staff and students were invited to dress in green with this year’s National Agriculture Day celebrating all things agriculture, from what we grow to the people across the supply chain and more.
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The women of the Burdekin will have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills thanks to the Influential Women - Community Leadership Forum to be held in Ayr in 2024. The ‘Influential Women’ Community Leadership Forum, the result of a partnership between the TNQ Drought Hub and BlueWren Connections, will be its second iteration following a successful debut held in Mount Surprise earlier in the year.
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Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox is concerned that the government-backed renewables plan that is being rolled-out across Australia will have damaging consequences in Dawson, continuing to drive up the cost-of-living for the community.Mr Willcox stated that Energy Minister Chris Bowen has implemented a panicked market intervention to achieve 82 per cent renewables by 2030 target by expanding the Capacity Investment Scheme. He believes this will come at great cost to taxpayers in Dawson, d
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An emergency kit is necessary during disaster season and it is vital that we all get prepared.Fires, flooding or cyclones could force you out of your home, or keep you stuck there for an extended period of time. Your kit should include these basics, but you can think about what items your family might use if you had to stay at home for up to three days.
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Discover why it is vital to pay attention to external home maintenance in the lead-up to storm season with this helpful checklist.To start with, check on the status of your insurance policy, whether it is up-to-date and what it covers. If your policy doesn’t adequately cover your home, contents and car, you could be liable to pay out-of-pocket for damages.
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In the face of Australia's unpredictable weather patterns and the ever-present threat of natural disasters such as bushfires, floods, storms, cyclones, extreme heat, and severe weather, staying informed is crucial. Recognizing the need for a unified and streamlined approach to emergency information, the Australian Government has introduced the Australian Warning System (AWS), aimed at providing consistent and clear alerts during potential or active emergency situations.
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The Burdekin Potters have been very busy the last couple of months, preparing for their Annual Christmas Sale. A great range of locally crafted unique pottery gifts will be on offer for that “hard to buy for” or “someone special” for Christmas.The local potters have certainly gone from strength to strength in the last few years, presently boasting a membership of almost 60.
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While this boy is initially a little shy, he is very quick to warm up to his new home and humans. Charlie absolutely loves playing with anyone and anything, particular fetch with his very own ping pong ball, and as well running his claws down a scratching post and running through a tunnel. No need for an alarm clock anymore, Charlie will be sure to wake you up demand head rubs and good belly scratches.
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Sweet FM has improved its outside broadcast capabilities with the acquisition of new satellite technology.Previously, the station would rely on mobile phone networks to broadcast from locations outside of the Home Hill studio.“Typically, we’ve always used mobile phone coverage,” said Station Manager Charlie Scuderi.
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As part of the show’s Tiny Towns Tour, Triple M’s The Rush Hour paid a visit to Brandon last week, broadcasting from the Iron Works Brewery on Thursday, November 23.Brandon was the first stop on the tour which saw Townsville-based presenters AB and Elliot learn about local history and hear from local guests.“We’re travelling around Queensland visiting the unsung hero towns, the ones that aren’t on the tourist maps, the ones with really small populations and short Wikipedia pages,” said AB.
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Rhythm Edge Dance Studios took over Burdekin Theatre last weekend for two sold out Rhythm Nation dance concerts. The shows saw the region’s dancing talent take to the stage, wowing crowds with a dazzling and professional production.
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Tuesday November 21 Social Bowls Rayleen Hervey, Betty Schultz and Dot Cutting defeated Katharina Stuckler, Beryl Cornford and Sandra StidstonRuth Moore, Heather Jorgensen and Pam Power defeated Merle Nixon, Karen Page and Irene WilsonWednesday November 22 Men’s Social Afternoon
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On Thursday November 23, we had 15 players on a rather warm start to the afternoon’s battles. With the new rink we are attempting to use all the rink, it was then that we discovered that we don't have any mystery balls for rink 8 mainly because we never used it previously.
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The Rookies Blaster group had their last session of the year at EASS on Tuesday November 21 as they will move over to the Nutrien Ag Solutions Cricket complex this Friday for their final games for this half of the season. They will return to EASS in the new year when school resumes.
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The 2023 Queensland Solo Championships are done and dusted following a successful weekend of racing at Brandon’s Pioneer Park Speedway.Speedway staff thanked everyone who competed, support classes, spectators and volunteers for their support.Local rider Ky Mitchell backed up his Australian Championships taking out both 125cc and 125cc Pairs classes.
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A morning shower of rain saw Saturday’s cricket action take to the astro wicket where Guardian Pharmacy faced off against Peto’s Marine.Guardian Pharmacy won the toss and elected to bat with boundaries off the first two bowls getting them off to a flying start and helping opener Mark Coventry to a rapid 25 runs from 15 balls.
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The Burdekin Clay Target Club had another successful shoot on Sunday November 12, with 43 competitors competing. Conditions were pleasant with a slight breeze throughout the day, which reflected in the scores. Thank you to sponsors Peter and Juanita Delle Baite and Mick Parison from the Giru store. The club’s next shoot will be the Christmas shoot held on Sunday December 10.
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Following the success of last year’s event, which saw 260 players raise $17,000 for CORES (Community Response to Eliminate Suicide), the End of Harvest Golf Classic is returning in December.
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The final of the Club Pennants was fought out on the greens on Sunday November 19 between Mac’s team and Nipper’s team with Nipper’s team coming away with a narrow victory. Unfortunately for Mac, he was unable to play due to being hospitalized.
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On Tuesday November 21, primary school swimmers from throughout the district competed at the Webber Shield. Competing schools included St Francis Catholic School, East Ayr State School, Home Hill State School, Clare State School, Giru State School, Brandon State School, St Colman’s Catholic School, Maidavale State School, Osborne State School, Jarvisfield State School and Burdekin Christian College.
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Home Hill Cricket Association hosted Bowen Cricket last Sunday, November 26 for an inter-town representative match with bragging rights coming down to the final wicket. Home Hill’s Andrew Cardillo, Alex Stillhard, Ross Parker, Simon Vickers and Darcy Walters did the damage with the ball while Hugh Smith, Ross Parker and Ayden Marano shone with the bat in hand.
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A much-loved kindergarten educator is retiring after an almost 30-year career with Ayr Community Kindergarten.Sandra Maynard has nurtured countless Burdekin children since the kindergarten’s establishment in 1994, with some of those even bringing their children back to the kindergarten years later.C&K Ayr Community Kindergarten Educator Sandra Maynard lives by a saying: “Each child is an individual and is a wonderful part of a mosaic. It would be very boring if that mosaic was all one colour.”
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As a cricket fan, I hadn’t had the opportunity to watch nearly as much of the World Cup as I would’ve liked, so when Australia made the final of the tournament in India, I knew I had to make an effort to watch it.
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