Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
The last of Wilmar Sugar and Renewables’ four Burdekin mills were on track to start crushing earlier this week, on Tuesday. General Manager Operations Mike McLeod said he expected the first bin to be tipped at Pioneer Mill near Brandon just after lunchtime on Tuesday, and the first raw sugar to be produced by Wednesday. This means half of Wilmar’s mills will be in full swing by Wednesday, making sugar, molasses and renewable energy. Inkerman Mill in Home Hill was first to begin the crushing se
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The Australian Idol country singing treasure, Trent Richardson, will ignite the Burdekin Showgrounds on Wednesday 26 June. From growing up on an Emu Park camel farm to having his name up in lights, Trent’s musical talents have been broadcast across the nation as part of the 2024 season of Australian Idol earlier this year. Since concluding his time on the talent series, Trent has continued singing and working on his talents with bigger and better plans in mind for the future. “She’s been a w
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Cecillia Cason has been honourably selected to attend the Pacific Honors Ensemble Program in November; a prestigious program held in the United States of America. The program, as hosted by the Young Conservatorium (the pre-tertiary program for Griffith University) and the Western International Band Clinic, is held in Seattle, Washington annually with a small group of highly skilled honor band students selected to attend. Candidates are to audition for a position by performing a piece from a sel
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On the morning of Thursday 13 June, Ayr State High School hosted the Burdekin Chaplaincy Fundraising Breakfast. Chaplains from each school in the region came together to celebrate the work these amazing people do for the community and its students, with all funds raised re-directed to support the youth of the Burdekin. The event ran from 7am and encompassed school staff, principals, business owners, and community members from across the community, along with Mayor Dalle Cort. All attendees ha
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Creating inviting outdoor living spaces through DIY projects can transform your backyard into a functional and aesthetically pleasing area for relaxation and entertainment. Here are several creative ideas to inspire your outdoor makeover: Cozy Outdoor Lounge: Begin with comfortable seating options like DIY pallet sofas or repurposed wooden benches with plush cushions. Add a handmade coffee table using a reclaimed crate or an old trunk topped with a custom-cut piece of glass. DIY Hammock Corn
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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
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Entries are now open for the Love Letter to Queensland community writing competition. The competition is calling individuals to share their heartfelt stories and express their love for the magnificent state. The state is known for its breathtaking landscapes, vibrant communities and unique culture, and the competition wants to hear your individual experiences, memories and connections to Queensland, in the form of a love letter. How you construct your love letter is up to you. Whether thro
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On Wednesday 14 August, the Burdekin Theatre will be graced with the talents of Melinda Schneider as she returns to the stage to pay tribute to the legendary Doris Day. As part of the Burdekin Theatre’s Morning Melodies Series, this performance will encompass a nostalgic concert celebration as Melinda Schneider stages a heartfelt tribute to Doris Day. A legend of stage, screen and song, the world lost one of its biggest stars with the passing of Doris Day. Labelled “the girl next door” Doris
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Sunday 16 June hosted a celebratory milestone for Gumlu’s Biggest Morning Tea event, with community members flocking to the Molongle Creek Boat Club to attend the 10th anniversary of the fundraising gathering. 2024’s Biggest Morning Tea event raised an amazing total of $2,280 for the Cancer Council Queensland due to the outstanding generosity of the community, and Sunday’s fundraising efforts contributed to an overall decade total exceeding $10,000. Regina Lequerica has been running and organi
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Catching up with old school friends? How about catching up 50 years later? That's exactly what the ex-students from Marist Brothers and St Francis Xavier Convent High School did. Meeting at Hotel Brandon, around 42 individuals (pictured below), gathered to celebrate 50 years since they left school in 1974. Many of the alumni travelled a great distance to join the reunion, with some even travelling all the way from New South Wales. Attendees expressed how the evening was an extremely enjoyable
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Caitlin Kross has been celebrated for her refereeing excellence after returning from Basketball Queensland’s State Referee Program’s (SRP) Camp on Monday 17 June. Caitlin was prestigiously selected for the six-week program after refereeing at the U16 States Competition in April and has since been selected as 1 of 4 referees to represent Queensland at the School Sport Australia Nationals in July later this year. Caitlin made the decision to progress into the referring sphere four years ago foll
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Congratulations to Tony Battiston, who celebrated his 70th birthday with family and close friends at the Bocce Club on Saturday. All were encouraged to dress as a movie character, with Tony donning a Jedi costume. He entertained everyone by sharing a few of his favourite riddles and after lunch, a game of bocce was enjoyed by all. Thank you to everyone who came, he had an awesome weekend, one not to forget.
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The latest victim of severe staff shortages in the medical industry is the Bowen Herbert Street Family Medical Centre which announced this week that it will close its doors at the end of June. Over 200 GP clinics in Australia have closed down in the past year, many of them citing the same reason – they simply cannot get enough GPs. Bowen Herbert Street Family Medical Centre is operated by the Girudala Community Cooperative Society, which is a non-for-profit organisation which predominantly ove
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After six weeks of hard work, artist Glen Gillard is thrilled to have finished the latest of Bowen’s murals and is extremely happy with it. “It is probably the longest that I have ever spent on a mural,” said Glen. “I am glad to see the end of it, and I’m happy and think the results are pretty good. “Everybody's saying how wonderful it is and magnificent, but most of the comments I get is that it’s beautiful and that's what I'm really happy about.” Glen joked that his favourite part to paint
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The Mooney Cup ignited the Burdekin Football Club from 3 pm on Saturday, June 15, delivering extraordinary results and plenty of good times across the board. continued on page 43 Caption1: Anna and Brandon Mooney Caption 2: Players with Anna and Brandon Mooney The Memories Continue continued from back page The Mooney Cup, an annual event in honour of ex-player Michael Mooney, who sadly lost his battle with brain cancer in 2019, brought International Park to life. Both players and onlookers gat
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With a frosty start to the day turning into a beautifully warm morning, the Ayr Golf Course was filled with dedicated junior golfers ready to take out a win. The 9-hole gross winner of the day was Oscar with a score of 44, along with the day’s nett winner, Riley with a nett score of 29. The 6-hole victor was Jett with a gross score of 47, on a count back from Kyle, also with a great score of 47. The nett winner was Ivy with a nett score of 17. The 3-hole gross winner with Heath, with a score
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Local Last weekend the Burdekin Panthers had three home games against Riverway JCU on Saturday, winning all of them. The Premiers won 2-1, the Under 23s won 2-0 and the Women Premiers won 2-1. The Division 1 team had a bye. This week the Panthers have four games starting with the Ladies away to Warriors on Wednesday night. The Funkies are at home to Rebels on Friday night and the Premiers and Under 23s are away to Rebels on Saturday. The Ayr Anzac Club Premiers were looking to bounce back afte
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Putting up a good fight but sadly falling short, the Hens unfortunately took a loss to Western Lions 28 – 16. The girls sent the ball wide, making exceptional ground with the “speedsters” of the team taking over, however, the Lions outscored the locals by two tries with all of their five tries scored from running up the centre, close to the line. The Hens did have some setbacks, with star forward Abby King underperforming due to carrying an injury, along with losing Toni Daisy and Margie O’R
Read moreA rollercoaster of emotions was felt by Reserves Coach, Chris Perry as he watched his boy’s 18 nil lead slip away to Western Lions, dominating 36 – 28. With key players, Zac Campbell and Jared Thorley sidelined with injuries, and a couple of players progressing up to A Grade, Chris believes the reason for the drop off was due to other variables. “We seem to go to sleep at times when in front instead of putting the foot down, and putting them away,” said Chris. Players Player was awarded t
Read moreLast Saturday saw a jampacked night at Ayr’s Rugby Park with Townsville’s Western Lions A Grade dominating the Burdekin’s Roosters 26 to nil. The Roosters set out on the field at a disadvantage, missing their two Cowboy stars, and Blackhawk allocations from the team, and fielding a team containing six 18-year-olds against a team with years of experience was unfortunately no match for the much-loved local boys. A lop-sided penalty count against the locals further contributed to the unfortunate
Read moreThis Saturday, 22 June, Rugby Park will host only two matches with Souths set to pay a visit to the Burdekin Roosters. A Grade A mismatched lineup is on the cards, with Souths missing a lady’s team, and the Burdekin Roosters missing an U20s team to play, however, Souths will field their top of the leader board Reserve and A Grade teams, making for an unmissable couple of games. Souths will aim to hold their lead and continue their undefeated streak which has held up over the entirety of the se
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The Ayr Bowling Club’s week began with Social Ladies’ Tuesday on 11 June; an enjoyable afternoon with great attendance. Meryl Smith, Merle Nixon, Ruth Moore and Irene Wilson took home a win, defeating Karen Shepherd, Katharina Stuckler, Linda Guimelli, and Betty Schultz. Also celebrating victory was Lyn Storrie, Isabel Cislowski, Raylene Hervy and Dot Cutting after defeating Margaret Linton, Donna Soper, Beryl Cornford, and Pam Power. On Wednesday 12 June, the afternoon’s competition was over
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On Friday 14 June, the Ayr Golf Club held Captains Day 2024, hosting 27 nominations of ladies to participate in Captain Sandra’s Day. With a few hitches along the way, the day was an overall enjoyable experience with a 50m approach shot after the stableford competition exceeding the ladies line up in their respective grades on hole 18, seeing who could get nearest the pin with 1 shot. “This turned out to be quite the spectacle and could be something we might do a few times a year,” shared the
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The Burdekin Clay Target Club held a jampacked weekend starting on Saturday 8 June which saw 42 shooters take part in the 100 Target Handicap Event as sponsored by JBS Foods Australia. The competition day provided perfect weather and exceptional scores across the board, along with some celebratory results throughout the competition. On Sunday 9 June, 35 competitors garnered outstanding results once again for another spectacular day, with the club’s Andrew Bergin sponsoring the Double Rise.
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The Brandon Bowls Club held a celebratory trophy evening proudly sponsored by BQC Quarry. The night fosters fantastic numbers once again, and the club thanks everyone who attended the wonderful event. The club thanks Garry Pearce for his preparations to organise teams to head out onto the green. Appreciation and thanks was also expressed to Heather Jorgenson and her group of ladies in the kitchen, for preparing delicious smoko for the everyone to enjoy at the evenings conclusion, along with Pe
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