Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
BCA’s Accredited Exercise Physiology Program has been specifically designed to help individuals of all ages. Sessions are delivered from our fully equipped and friendly Burdekin Community Rehabilitation Centre located at 12A Chippendale Street, Ayr. Our Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEPs) supervise all AEP Program participants and provide best practice exercise prescription to ensure that everyone performs exercises that are safe and appropriate for their goals and health conditions. Sessi
Read more
FRIDAY 7 NOVEMBER Rotary Gala Ball 6:30pm–midnight (Dinner 7pm) Celebrate the Harvest Festival with a sit-down dinner, music and dancing. The evening crowns the Charity and Personality Queens, honouring community spirit and generosity. Burdekin Memorial Hall Cost: $80 SATURDAY 8 NOVEMBER 97.1 Sweet FM Markets Saturday 8am-1pm Join Sweet FM for an entertaining morning jammed full of wonderful market stalls from handmade crafts, sausage sizzle, hot coffee & tea, and sweet treats, on the station's
Read more
Young Touch Football players from across the region will converge on Ayr on Saturday, 22 November, when the Burdekin Touch Association hosts a Junior Touch Football Carnival for boys and girls aged 9 to 16 years. The event will feature a ‘Fast Four’ competition format, played on half-sized fields with four players per side and up to six players allowed per team. While standard Touch rules will apply, each set will be limited to four touches, and matches will run for 10 minutes. Divisions to be
Read more
A very successful Burdekin FC Presentation Night was held last Saturday at Populin’s Hall. This completes the 2025 season, and it will not be long before the 2026 season approaches. Night Soccer The sixth week of competition and in a high scoring night, the twenty games produced ninety one goals and there were no Sin Bins! Top scorers were Ladies team Body Tune with fifteen goals, Mottin Earthmoving and Young Guns both netted six and Clare Cutters, UDS and Plumb Dingers all rattled in five goa
Read more
Saturday 8/11 1-5pm Group D - Ben Lawry PC, Kellie Lawry PC, Bella Lawry, Charlotte Lawry, Lisa Vivian Sunday 9/11 AM 9am-1pm Group B - Terry Lund PC, Kristy Wassmuth PC, Heather Scott, Anita Giddy, Briella Wassmuth, Emilee Wassmuth Sunday 9/11 PM 1-5pm Group A - Richard Dale PC, Chris Wicks PC, Jane Olsen, Zachary Dale, Stephanie Dale, Warne McShane, Nico Ortner, Wil Holt
Read more
Last weekend, two Burdekin Roosters A-grade league players were in action in matches at both the north and south of the state. Front-rower Tate Brombal was in Cairns representing the Queensland Italian team, while utility forward Kali Nauque was in Logan, Brisbane, representing Fiji. Two years ago, Tate was selected in the Queensland Italian team to play the Cook Islands in Tully, and he says it was a tough match. This year, the team faced the Cardwell Axemen at the Southern Suburbs grounds in
Read more
Third Grade CNQ – Home Hill vs Wanderers In a tightly contested Third Grade CNQ clash at the Nutrien Ag Solutions Cricket Complex, Home Hill fell just short, posting 110 runs before Wanderers chased the target with four wickets in hand. Home Hill’s innings began shakily, losing two early wickets in the second over. Despite a composed 31 runs from Alexander Romeo, 19 from Salvatore Cardillo, and a late contribution of 13 runs from Tomey Mathew, momentum proved difficult to recover. Home Hill fini
Read more
Twenty players enjoyed a very warm spring afternoon at Home Hill Bowls Club last Thursday, with a welcome breeze arriving around 2pm. On Rink 3, Bob Pickard and Alex Bojack (pictured) proved too strong for Yogi Bunn and Hugh Montgomery. Rink 4 saw Margaret Chapman, Mark Swaine and Trevor Elton on song, defeating Nev Webb, Sandra Darwin and Steve Doig. Rink 5 featured a win for Des Chapman, Dino Poli and Joe Linton over Judy Elton, Bruce McCallum and Mick McClosky. Meanwhile, on Rink 6, in anoth
Read more
Over the weekend, 21 Ayr competitors made the trip south to Mackay, taking on the region’s best at the North Australian Championships. This event draws clubs from as far north as Port Douglas and as far south as the Wide Bay region, with a few Sunshine Coast competitors also in attendance. The championships are a three-day sporting extravaganza, starting with the Pool Rescue Championships on Friday, followed by two action-packed days of surf and beach events over the weekend. At the pool rescue
Read more
A couple of weeks ago, I was driving south down Queen Street, debating whether I felt more like pizza or Maccas. That’s when I noticed sirens and a crowd gathered outside the Queens Hotel, and, like clockwork, my journalistic instincts kicked in. I slammed a U-turn and headed straight for the scene, sensing story potential—and my instincts were right, though not in the way I expected. I parked and wove through the crowd, asking a few people what all the fuss was about. Nobody seemed to know for
Read more
The Burdekin Shire is in for a treat this Friday, the 31st of October, as multiple Golden Guitar winner Tom Curtain brings his nationally acclaimed Katherine Outback Experience to the Ayr Showgrounds. Known not only for his talents as a musician and horseman, Tom Curtain uses his shows to champion important causes, including anti-bullying initiatives through Dolly’s Dream. As an official ambassador for the foundation, Tom spreads awareness about the impacts of bullying and encourages communitie
Read more
The treasured generational entrepreneurial spirit of the McCathie family has been nationally recognised following the nomination of McCathies Furniture Plus in the 2025 Australia’s Favourite Family Business Competition. Just over 50 years ago, Jack and Milly McCathie founded the business in the heart of the Burdekin Shire, and half a century later, the business continues to operate with the same trustworthy, family values as it did in 1974. John and Lyndy McCathie joined the family business in
Read more
The spirit of service was front and centre over the weekend as Marine Rescue Queensland (MRQ) Burdekin volunteers were recognised as founding members of the new statewide organisation. In a ceremony attended by Member for Burdekin Dale Last, Mayor Cr Pierina Dalle Cort, emergency services colleagues, and proud families, the crew received their official MRQ Citations—along with commemorative coins struck to honour the unit’s decades-long legacy. From its early days as Air Sea Rescue to Voluntee
Read more
While the Burdekin has not seen a dramatic increase in housing construction, Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP, believes a recently announced government initiative offers numerous advantages for the construction industry across the state and closer to home. An election commitment, the Small Business Apprenticeship Pilot Program will deliver wage subsidies to small businesses in the construction sector that employ apprentices. “A reduction in tradespeople in the construction industry is both a
Read more
Wilmar Sugar and Renewables’ Kalamia Mill crushed out on the weekend, making it the first sugar factory in Australia to finish the 2025 season. The last bins of cane were tipped at Kalamia Mill in the Burdekin just after 1am Saturday (25 October) and the last batch of raw sugar went up the belt in the early hours of Sunday morning. General Manager Operations James Wallace said it was great to see one of Wilmar’s factories take line honours for the 2025 season. “The start and finish of the ann
Read more
Home Hill marathoner Karin Thorburn has added another remarkable milestone to her already record-breaking career, taking out the Sporting Excellence Award at the 2025 North Queensland Sportstar Awards in Townsville on Saturday night. The accolade recognised Thorburn’s extraordinary feat as the first Australian to complete more than 500 official marathons, alongside her tireless efforts to grow the sport across North Queensland. “I couldn’t believe it [when i heard my name called]... I was in c
Read more
Runners Rise to the Challenge at Mount Inkerman The sun had barely risen on Saturday, October 25, when a group of determined locals gathered at the base of Mount Inkerman for this year’s King and Queen of the Hill event. Starting at 6am, runners and walkers of all ages — along with a couple of enthusiastic dogs — took on the steady climb up the mountain road before making their way back down the goat track to the finish. The event drew a good turnout despite the early start, with a few supporte
Read more.jpg)
Over the past week I had the pleasure of attending the Local Government Annual Conference with Cr John Furnell, Cr Fina Vasta and CEO Matthew Magin, where Matthew and I presented on Council’s innovative Macroalgae Bioremediation Facility. The presentation attracted strong interest from other councils, many of whom are eager to understand how they could replicate this sustainable initiative within their own communities. I’m also proud to share that Council received a Risk Excellence Award, recog
Read more.jpg)
My how the year has flown. It has been almost two years since I was elected Councillor and believe it or not, there is more to the Burdekin than just Ayr. Without Divisions, some areas do not receive fair and equal representation and I consider it my job to represent the whole of the Burdekin Shire. Despite this, there are still those who think I advocate more for Clare, Millaroo and Dalbeg (as I live in Clare) and who have verbalised this to others. Let me assure you that this is not the case a
Read more
Burdekin residents and families living interstate or overseas will now have easier access to cemetery information following upgrades to the Shire Council’s cemetery management system, OpusXenta. The enhancements allow users to access cemetery records directly from smartphones and include digital maps, interactive search functions, and progressively uploaded images of headstones. This means relatives can view memorials remotely, offering comfort and connection even from afar. Mayor Pierina Dall
Read more
It’s been quite a while since the Centre has contributed an article for the paper, and we have to say, we’ve really missed it! We're truly grateful for the chance to connect with everyone in this way. What started three months ago as an initiative to combat social isolation and loneliness has blossomed into a lively gathering filled with stories and connections. Maddy Darley, the Centre’s Community Development Officer, has been instrumental in holding space for a monthly Community Cuppa morning
Read more
Simon Hood Wilmar Manager Grower Marketing Recently, we released the first edition of this season’s comparative analysis for growers. This year’s analysis takes a slightly different focus, offering valuable insights into the strategies growers use to manage their GEI price exposure. Typically, growers who choose to market with Wilmar Grower Marketing use the Target Price and GMPRS pricing mechanisms, which give them maximum control over their final price outcomes. This year’s report analyses
Read more
Combined Rotary Clubs of Townsville, Ingham and Ayr are doing it again! BUSINESSES from across Queensland are already making plans to be part of the 2026 Rotary NQ Field Day on 29-30 May 2026. With a change of venue to the Townsville Show Grounds and more suitable dates than the previous event, the 2026 Rotary NQ Field Day is gearing up to be a cracker event. With a few new faces on the 2026 Committee, combined with some seasoned committee members, these volunteers are working with exhibitors
Read more
A new initiative is urging Queensland businesses to take biosecurity as seriously as other critical risks, with the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) and Biosecurity Queensland leading the charge. Biosecurity in the Boardroom highlights the growing threat of biosecurity incursions across all sectors of the economy, not just agriculture. With risks forecast to quadruple over the next decade, organisers say businesses of all kinds need to act now to protect supply chains, reputations, and long
Read more
Says Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox MP, has raised serious concerns regarding the Bureau of Meteorology’s (BOM) new website, following overwhelming feedback from constituents, local farmers, and weather professionals. “My office has received numerous complaints from residents who rely on the Bureau for timely and accurate weather information,” said Mr Willcox. “The new website has been described as confusing, difficult to navigate, and missin
Read more