The community gathered at Regis Aged Care Home, Ayr, on Wednesday, 9 July to celebrate 100 years of beloved Burdekinite Violet “Vi” Liebrecht. The event welcomed family, friends, and familiar faces from across the region, who were greeted by a vibrant, elegant, and warmly decorated hall. Among attendees was Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP, who was especially proud to celebrate the milestone with Vi. “Vi is one of our pioneers, and has contributed so much to the Burdekin community,” said Mr
Read more
Don West Toyota has thrown its support behind Queensland PCYC's 'Lessons for Learners' driver mentor program, generously donating $5,000 to help sustain its operations. "We donate every year to organisations that we think are essential to the community," said Dealer Principle Don West. "For the last two years, the target has been the youth." Lead by QPS Officer Andrew Sherrington, PCYC’s Lessons for Learners program has focused on assisting Burdekin locals between ages 16 and 25 with obt
Read more
After taking a break from soccer for a while, I’ve had to start getting creative with my methods of exercise. I tried jogging up Mount Inkerman the other day. Mate—what on earth was I thinking. I barely made it a third of the way up before reducing myself to a slow, wobbly walk. Not sure how you guys do it! Maybe I’m just THAT out of shape right now. After that failed mission, I looked for some alternatives. That’s when I stumbled upon Home Hill Swimming Pool. I’ve never been much of a s
Read more
If there was ever a story to illustrate the essence of the Burdekin, it’s four-month-old Zaleyah Codega’s—in more ways than one. It was on Christmas Eve that Burdekin locals Kris and Natalie Codega learned during a routine 30-week scan that their unborn baby had congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)—a rare, life-threatening condition that restricts lung development. “Once we found out, we were sort of left to our own devices to do a bit of research, and to be honest, it was the worst
Read more
The recent state budget includes $1.8 Billion to extend and expand the Surgery Connect program that has already reduced the waiting list for elective surgery by over 2,500 patients in just one month. With 30,000 more surgeries expected to be delivered this financial year, Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP, said the program provided obvious benefits to patients on the waiting list. “Over the last decade we have seen the number of Queenslanders waiting for elective surgery more than double,” Mr
Read more
Kelli, Suzette, Michelle, Simone, & Kellie take on Coastrek Kelli Dabelstein, alongside her friends, Suzette Wallace, Michelle Oats, Simone Casey, and Kellie Keates, will tackle the mammoth 30km Coastrek Hike in the Sunshine Coast this Friday, the 18th of July in support of Beyond Blue. Established in 2009, the national fundraising initiative encourages women to take part in a 20km to 50km hike through some of Australia’s most breathtaking coastal trails. Over the years, Coastrek has supp
Read more
The year 2025 marks a centenary since Agatino Rigano arrived in Brisbane alongside his cousin, Constantino (“Con”), in search of a better life after the devastation of World War I. Two years later, Agatino’s wife, Vita Concetta, joined him aboard the Re di Italia, and the family’s Australian story began. To commemorate the milestone, the third Rigano Family Reunion was held on May 4, 2025, with over 100 attendees gathering at Home Hill Memorial Park. The Rigano name traces back to 1453,
Read more
The New Sales Representative at Burdekin Life Outgoing, confident, and personable—three words Mia uses to describe herself, and three reasons why her new role at Burdekin Life feels like the perfect fit. “I loved my job beforehand but was looking for something different—something that broadened my horizons, gave me opportunity to flourish and work in the area I love,” she said. “When this job came up, I knew it was perfect.” Mia has embraced the role wholeheartedly, from training trips to
Read more.jpg)
School holidays have wrapped up, and it’s been a lively few weeks across the Burdekin and surrounding regions. From local highlights like Burdekin Rags to Runway, to the thrill of the V8 Supercars and Cowboys games, there’s been no shortage of action. And of course, who could forget that State of Origin match—truly one for the history books! This month, I had the privilege of attending the North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NQROC) meeting, which was held on Palm Island for the v
Read more.jpg)
If there is a better place to enjoy winter than the mighty Burdekin, I’ve yet to see it. Judging by the number of caravans travelling through for a stop and stay, I’d say I’m not the only one who thinks so. The last few weeks my extended family and I have been taking in some of the great fishing and camping spots on offer around our town. We spent a couple of nights in Burdekin River and the kids have been enjoying time camping and fishing with my in-laws and the fishing club at Phillips’ and Pl
Read more
A Trusted Local Favourite for Decades In an industry built on sparkle and status, Spearritt’s Jewellers has found a way to meet those needs while maintaining the warm, welcoming, and community-based approach that has kept them a local favourite for decades. Located on Ayr’s Queen Street and trading under the Spearritt’s name since the 1950s, the store has long been part of the region’s social and retail scene. But under current ownership since 1991, its focus has sharpened into somet
Read more
At the Burdekin Neighbourhood Centre, we value collaboration with everyone in our community. For over 30 years, we have partnered with local solicitors to provide a Free Community Legal Advice service. We are deeply grateful to these firms for sharing their expertise on various legal matters with our community. We are excited to announce our latest collaboration with Townsville-based Free Community Legal Services to host a Community Legal Service Expo in the Burdekin community. Community
Read more
Burdekin residents are invited to take part in a free suicide intervention training session on Friday, August 1, aimed at equipping the community with the skills to recognise and respond to early warning signs of suicide. Hosted by CORES Queensland (Community Owned Response to Eliminating Suicide), the full-day workshop will run from 9am to 4pm at the Burdekin Neighbourhood Centre, 40 Chippendale Street, Ayr. The program teaches participants how to identify someone at risk, what to say,
Read more
Girls with a passion for maths and science were given a front-row seat to the wide range of STEM careers in the sugar industry when they visited a Burdekin sugar mill. The students, from Burdekin and Townsville high schools, gave up a day of their mid-semester holidays to go on an excursion to Wilmar Sugar and Renewables’ Invicta Mill as part of their involvement in the STEM Changemakers program. They heard about the different pathways into STEM careers with Wilmar from three of the company’s
Read more
Swift Action Taken To Contain Threat The National Fire Ant Eradication Program has confirmed a detection of fire ants in Moranbah — a worrying sign that the pest is moving dangerously closer to Central and North Queensland. On 9 July 2025, program eradication officers acted swiftly at the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) Broadmeadow Coal Mine site, destroying nests using direct nest injection. While Moranbah is not geographically part of the Burdekin region, it does fall within the Burdekin state
Read more
Students from Clare, Millaroo and Airville State Schools combined for a day of robotics and inquiry learning with the team from Paluma Environmental Education Centre during the last week of the school term. The students caught insects and used apps on iPads to identify what they had caught. It was surprising to see the variety of insects that were found on the school grounds. The students also found evidence of photo synthesisers, carnivores, omnivores and herbivores in the school ground
Read more
Ayr State High School students were among the standout achievers at this year’s Burdekin Show, earning recognition across a range of creative and practical categories. Year 10 student Anastasia Craven-Wall took out Reserve Champion in the Graphic Design section, while Peppa earned second place in the same category. In textiles, JahDal Doyle secured first place in the Machine-sewing article section with a reversible bucket hat that impressed the judges. Meggan Laidlow and Jake Erquiaga also perf
Read more
Recently, eight of the Burdekin District’s small schools came together for a day of fun, friendship and frivolity with an end of term Fun Day like no other at Clare State School. To celebrate the end of the first semester, students were treated to a myriad of activities to complete and participate in at their leisure. The jumping castle, giant slide and merry-go-round were a huge hit with all ages, even the adults snuck in a few goes! Other activities on the day included: craft activities, a di
Read more
Six decades of rich foundational history, strong values, and success will see Nutrien Harcourts McCathies in Ayr celebrate a momentous, 60th anniversary this year. Founded in 1965 by Jack and Milly McCathie, Nutrien Harcourts McCathies, formally McCathies Real Estate, has seen waves of change, innovation and modernisation, yet continues to operate with the same values set by the pair all those years ago. Jack and Milly were a busy entrepreneurial couple, establishing businesses across the distr
Read more
Saturday 12 July Rags to Runway 07:30 PM - 10:00 PM The Burdekin Rags to Runway event encourages competitors of all ages to revamp new or second-hand clothing items into a wearable runway outfit within a strict budget. Entrants are required to purchase items either from second-hand organisations, local dress salons’ throw out racks or their own closet and to redesign them into a wearable runway worthy item, you'd be proud to wear. St Stephen's Greek Orthodox Hall SATURDAY 12 JULY 97.1 Sweet FM
Read more
The Burdekin Uniting Chruch's Gospel Music Festival is returning to town on the 27th of July, with familiar favourites alongside some promising new musicians set to make this year’s event another memorable one. From 4-7pm, the Burdekin Theatre Forecourt will double as a community celebration space, playing host to an evening of uplifting and family-friendly Gospel music. Returning to the lineup of talent this year is Dan Warlow. Having cultivated a strong local reputation through his catchy tu
Read more
Another perfect winter’s afternoon saw 28 players take to the green on 10 July, with a top temperature of 25 degrees. Today’s winning team was Jo Roser, Wayne Newton, and Jeannie Thompson (pictured), who backed up for a second consecutive win. A singles game was played on Rink 3, though no details were received. On Rink 1, Henry Hazel and Steve Doig blitzed Bruce McCullen and Phil Marsden, 30–8. Rink 2 saw Maureen Marsden and Alex Bojack edge out Judy Elton and Hugh Montgomery in a close one,
Read more
The Ayr Bowling Club is celebrating a great week, with members taking full advantage of the cooler winter weather to enjoy both competitive and social matches. Enthusiasm has been high across the board, with players showing strong support for one another and a shared love of the game. The club's vibrant community spirit has been on full display, as bowlers turned out in numbers to make the most of ideal playing conditions. With momentum building and friendships thriving, members actively engage
Read more
It was compared to going from Old Gold chocolates to boiled lollies — the Burdekin Roosters went from a convincing win last week to a 64–10 thrashing at the hands of unbeaten Souths in Ayr on Sunday. The Roosters were outclassed from the opening whistle, struggling to match Souths’ intensity and committing far too many errors to build any pressure. Poor execution and a lack of urgency cost them dearly, with Souths dominating field position and capitalising on every mistake. Coach Steve Lansley
Read more
The annual Burdekin Roosters Ladies Day will be held this Saturday at Bendigo Bank Park (Rugby Park), running from 4pm until late. Around 200 ladies are expected to enjoy an evening of fun, entertainment, and celebration, beginning with the stunning vocals of Megan Law, who will serenade guests as the afternoon gets underway. Guests will be treated to four hours of complimentary drinks (from 4pm to 8pm) while taking in the all-important A Grade Rugby League match between the Roosters and Towns
Read more