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Regional Visitor Information Centres are a hub of local knowledge, making significant economic contribution to tourism by providing information to visitors that encourages them to stay longer, spend more money, experience more attractions and revisit. The volunteers sharing that local knowledge play a vital role and were recently offered the unique opportunity to network, share knowledge and learn from one another right here in the Burdekin. Burdekin Shire Council proudly hosted the 2024 North Q
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By Chelsea Ravizza The nationally and internationally recognised and celebrated professional actor, Anthony Phelan, has returned home to the Burdekin region to live after travelling to purse an outstanding 42 year acting career. Anthony has led an impressive and highly commended career garnering him numerous prestigious awards and infamous roles in the entertainment industry. Although the Burdekin in the 1970s did not provide a large concentration of acting and theatre opportunities, Anthony
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Rehoming fee: $195 DOB: 1/07/2022 Sex: Female Breed: Domestic shorthair Kid friendly: Yes Dog Friendly: No Other cats: Yes Indoors/Outdoors: Indoors Callie is a beautiful mumma cat. She arrived at Angel Paws Rescue heavily pregnant and with injuries after being attacked by a dog. Luckily, she did not sustain critical injuries in her delicate condition. During her first day in care and she gave birth to seven beautiful kittens. Callie is super sweet and loves to climb up onto her human
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Health experts are urging North Queenslanders to get ahead of the ‘flu season and book their annual vaccination as soon as possible. Commonly known as the ‘flu’, influenza is a contagious respiratory illness which can spread quickly through the community. Ayr Hospital Director of Nursing Tracey Gabiola said people should also be aware of other contagious respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), which are present in the community. “You can catch influenza at any
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Wilmar Sugar and Renewables has delivered the first of four new $2 million locomotives to its home base. Alma is now at Inkerman Mill in the Burdekin region where it will haul cane bins this production season, due to start in June. A second new locomotive, Kirknie, will arrive at Inkerman Mill in June. The other two, Leichhardt and Hinchinbrook, are heading to the Herbert region. The four new locos are modelled on the Brisbane, which Wilmar designed and built from the ground up, and launched l
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Winning team ‘Just Us’ Runners Up and Best Dressed team ‘Whatever Works’ Burdekin Netball Association volunteers
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I would like to express my sincere thanks for your vote at the recent local Government elections. The polling results clearly indicated that so many of you showed faith in my ability to represent you in council effectively. As a new councillor, I will do my utmost to honour that faith and I am excited to be working with the new team for the betterment of our entire Shire. I would also like to thank the outgoing Mayor and councillors for their contribution during their time with council and the
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The recent incident of a boating accident made the team at the Neighbourhood Centre think about the power of communities coming together. Family, friends, strangers, and people from different areas and backgrounds joined forces to search for the missing men, showing the strength of community connection. The emergency volunteers came from different places, but their shared connection brought them together for a common cause. It was an amazing outcome, showcasing the power of people when they come
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Did you know that reporting local issues can be as easy as taking a photo and submitting it to ‘Snap, Send, Solve’? This user-friendly platform is designed to streamline the reporting process, allowing you to select from a list of common issues, add a brief description and location, and submit your report in 30 seconds or less. To report a local concern to Council, you have two convenient options: you can either download the 'Snap, Send, Solve' app for free or visit the website https://www.sna
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Free coffee was on offer last week as Burdekin Chamber hosted its April Chamber Connect event in Plantation Park on Tuesday, April 16. The Chamber are offering free coffee to its Chamber Connect attendees in a bid to drive attendance. The trial is the latest of a number of initiatives aimed at boosting attendance and membership. The Chamber is also offering free membership for businesses, not-for-profits and individuals who are elected to the executive committee. Following a rebrand from Ayr C
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The Home Hill Chamber of Commerce held its monthly Social and Networking Event last Wednesday, April 17, inviting Tony Goddard of the Rotary Club of Ayr to address the Chamber members. Mr Goddard spoke to the Chamber about his involvement with the Rotary Club of Ayr and the club’s activities throughout the region. He joined Rotary in 1994 after being asked to join by Norm Perry and Ross Lewis. “My reason for joining Rotary was to do something extra or special for the community and the opportuni
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We’ve all heard of, and most likely caught a fair few Taxi’s in our lifetime, but have you ordered an Uber before? The American ride-share service has arrived in the Burdekin region with its debut being shared on Facebook, receiving high praise from the community. Picking up locals since its introduction on 17 April, Megan Caspaney has begun her Uber driving career, and believes the community will warmly welcome this service. “I am really excited about bringing this economical but unique
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Queensland families are feeling the pinch at the supermarket as fresh produce prices soar while farmers struggle to make ends meet. To address this disparity, the Queensland Government says it is taking proactive steps by introducing a farm gate price monitoring scheme led by industry experts. This scheme aims to establish industry pricing standards and monitor trends across the top 20 products through collating and analysing farm financial performance and pricing data. "As Premier, I shared a s
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Simon Hood Wilmar Manager Grower Marketing As the close of the 2023 pricing season nears, it's an opportune time to reflect on the journey it has been. Opening in July 2020 with an indicative forward price of $350/t, the trajectory since then has been nothing short of remarkable, with the price steadily climbing to a peak of $950/t towards the end of 2023. Describing the past 12 months as tumultuous would be an understatement. At the beginning of 2023 pricing started at $550/t, steadily growing
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The National Fall Armyworm Symposium was held at Brisbane’s Ecosciences Precinct on April 17-18, bringing together industry, government, researchers, and funders to tackle the challenges posed by the invasive pest. "Fall armyworm infestations are now found in every important growing area in Queensland," highlights Minister Mark Furner, stressing the severity of this year's infestations and the critical role of research and extension efforts. Hort Innovation CEO Brett Fifield emphasises the colla
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The Burdekin Community Garden opened for the 2024 season last Monday morning April 15. This year marks its third year of operation after it was initially established through generous donations from the congregation of the Burdekin Community Church in 2022. The garden exists to grow fresh produce to share free of charge with the local community through the Burdekin Community Association and local school Chaplains. During the first two years of its existence, the garden has produced a bountiful ha
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Country soul queen and revered Indigenous singer songwriter Emma Donovan has released her highly anticipated new album ‘Til My Song is Done’ and is celebrating with a regional Australian tour bringing her to the Burdekin Theatre on Saturday, May 4. ‘Til My Song is Done’ is seen as a return home for Emma, getting back to the sounds of country and her creative and performing roots, conveying a musical journey from singing those big country numbers as a kid, to joining her family performing church
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Thursday 25 April Anzac Day Open House Thursday, 11:00am to 3:00pm RSL Raemus Rover Off-Road Racing and Iron Works Brewery are joining forces to conduct an Anzac Day Open House for those younger veterans who don't feel comfortable in large crowds. Any veterans of the modern era and family members are welcome. Iron Works Brewery, Brandon Saturday 27 April Burdekin Rags to Runway Saturday, from 7pm The Burdekin Rags to Runway, hosted annually by the Burdekin Artisans Community Association, show
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Expressions of interest are now open for projects to go through a new streamlined approvals pathway aimed at unlocking the state’s housing supply. The Queensland Government is inviting industry to put forward housing projects to be considered as part of the new streamlined approvals process aimed at getting new homes built, faster. Led by the government’s new State Facilitated Development team, this new process will prioritise fast-tracking developments that align with state priorities, includin
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To increase real estate literacy and enable everyone to be able to make educated, informed decisions about buying, selling, or renting property in Queensland, the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) has delivered a new, enlightening video series to empower consumers. Titled Prop IQ, the educational video series aims to unpick the complexities of real estate and answer the big questions regularly fielded by real estate professionals. REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella said Prop IQ aimed to demyst
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Last week was a big week at Ayr Bowling Club with both social and competition bowls being played. The week started with a great day of Ladies’ Bowls on Tuesday, with Isabel Cislowski, Betty Schultz, Heather Jorgensen and Pam Power defeating Deslie Olsen, Ruth Moore, Joy Comollatti and Irene Wilson. Wednesday hosted a great afternoon of Mixed Social. First place was Happy Horan, Margaret Chapman and Barry Shepard defeating John Perroni, G Braid and Henry Hazle. On Thursday, Competition Ladies’
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Another busy week at Brandon Bowls Club with the women kicking the week off on Wednesday April 17 when two games were played. Game 1: Kay Garner, Vanda Ballao, Joy Woods and Margaret Chapman def Ann Newton, Sandra Darween, Colleen Olsen and Helen Collins. Game 2: Bernice, Kay Garner, Lyn Storrie and Colleen Olsen def Ann Newton, Vanda Ballao, Joy Woods and Darelle Pearce. Friday April 19 Competition A Grade Singles: New member to the club Jayson Farry played his 1st ever singles game against hom
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Local Senior and Youth fixtures were mostly away last weekend. On Friday the Burdekin Panthers Division 1 should have been at home to Warriors but the Townsville team forfeited. Then on Saturday away to JCU Riverway, the Under 23s lost 2-3, the Ladies lost 0-9 but the Premiers did very well to win 5-3. This week the Panthers have two home games against Rebels on Sunday with the Division1 team playing Olympic on Friday night the Women have a bye. The Ayr Anzac Club Premiers started off well wit
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We had a near full house for Juniors this Saturday with 18 juniors taking the field. It was the March Monthly Medal and some great scores came in for the morning, with some close ones too and two count backs to decide on the winners. Heath Smart was the 3 hole monthly medal winner, Lyla Land for 6 holes, and Gabe Hatherall for 9 holes. Well done to all competitors. We also had coach Darryll from Townsville join us for the morning to teach some short game and putting skills to the juniors first.
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Millie Lyne and her coaches, Kim and Mick McConnachie, travelled to the Gold Coast earlier in the month to compete at the Australian Age Swimming Championships on the Gold Coast and represent the Burdekin Torpedoes at a National level. The experience for Millie was amazing and she would not have reached it without the support of her wonderful coaches and the Burdekin Swimming Club being 100% behind her. Millie raced in the 14yo Girls 50m Breaststroke and put in a fantastic swim to just go above
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