The Burdekin agriculture community gathered to experience the future of farming recently as Sugar Research Australia (SRA) hosted a demonstration of Robotti, a Danish developed autonomous farm vehicle. The Robboti has been imported by Bundaberg company Farm Concepts and is designed for precision operations such as seeding, weeding and spraying, as displayed by Farm Concepts Director Braden Hellmuth and SRA District Manager Terry Granshaw in a cane field at the SRA’s Burdekin Station, Brandon yes
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Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox is backing calls for an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Inquiry into fruit and vegetable prices to make supermarkets pay their fair share. “While Coles and Woolworths made record profits of more than $1 billion each last year, the individuals and families living in our electorate of Dawson are struggling with rising grocery costs during a cost-of-living crisis,” Mr Willcox said. “Over the past 18 months we have seen fuel prices incre
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Home-grown Bowen locals Wendy Bickhoff and her family have been the friendly faces behind Corals City 2 Country since 2009. Retailing high quality western wear, fashion, school clothing and saddlery, Wendy’s description of what her business entails brought a smile to our faces. “We always say, we sell everything from your hat to your hanky,” said Wendy. With two kids, a dog and a horse, Wendy and her husband are forever busy, working up to six days a week in the Whitsundays and seven when tra
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Last week, Burdekin Life reported on local business McCathies Furniture Plus celebrating 50 years in 2024. To reflect this tremendous golden anniversary, Kari and her team warmly invite you to join them at McCathies Furniture Plus on the evening of Thursday, February 8 to enjoy bubbles, memories, and Cheers to 50 Years – this event is not happening today, January 18 as reported last week. Every customer from Thursday, February 8 to Thursday, February 15 will get $50 in McCathies Money to spend i
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Approaching its 16th year of business in the bustling Burdekin region, Dominiques Flowers and Funk has adapted and transformed to suit the ever-changing business landscape whilst keeping true to owner, Jenny’s strong family values. When the business began in 2008, Dominiques Flowers and Funk stood as a florist and accessory store, with a touch of event styling introduced in later years. In 2020, COVID-19 acted as a catalyst for change among each business in the Burdekin region, and for Jenny,
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As the calendar resets and the New Year unfolds, it presents an opportune moment for introspection, growth, and personal transformation. The concept of unlocking your best self isn't merely a cliché; it's a journey toward building resilience, fostering self-discovery, and embracing reinvention. Resilience, the cornerstone of this journey, embodies the ability to bounce back from adversity, navigate life's challenges, and emerge stronger. It's not about avoiding difficulties but about facing them
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Five days of dancing has wrapped up at the Burdekin Theatre as the Verve Dance Festival took over the Burdekin from Thursday, January 11 to Monday, January 15. The competition gives local competitors another opportunity to showcase their talents while bringing people from across north, central, and west Queensland to the Burdekin. Competitors aged 20 years and under performed in over 100 sections across the weekend. Read on to find a selection of results. SECTION: 001 4 years and under Tiny To
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Dedicate a day to exploring the diverse history of the Burdekin. From farming triumphs to the hidden stories of WWII shelters, each place unfolds a unique tale. Follow along on this one day history tour, courtesy of Visit Burdekin, North Queensland on Facebook: • Starting in the small town of Brandon, you will find the Brandon Heritage Precinct, home to the Burdekin Machinery Preservationists. Inside you will find a display of old farm machinery including the restored 1910 Marshall C Class T
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Fast Facts: Rehoming Fee: $425 DOB: 1/1/2022 Sex: Female Breed: Cattle Dog Cross Shepherd Kid Friendly: Yes, Older Children Cat Friendly: Untested Other Dogs: Yes, Slow Introduction Fences: 6 Foot This spirited and youthful pup, named Lara, is bursting with energy and is incredibly excited to meet her forever family. With an affectionate and friendly nature, Lara just loves people and thrives with any sort of human interaction, making her an excellent addition to an active and busy household,
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Inclement weather brought a premature end to the Watts Shield intertown cricket competition in Bowen over the weekend where two teams featuring players from the Burdekin were vying for the 2024 B Grade title. Teams from the Burdekin, Bowen, Proserpine and further afield competed in the two-day tournament, which was scheduled to take place from Saturday, January 13 to Sunday, January 14. Horny Bulls A got their weekend off to a flying start in their first game, scoring 4/231 thanks to unbeaten ha
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Queensland Cricket hosted the Burdekin's first Girls-Only Wet'n'Wild Cricket School Holiday Program last Friday, January 12, providing girls aged five to 12 with the perfect opportunity to learn about cricket in a fun environment. Held at Burdekin Aquatic Centre, the program invited 16 participants to take part in activities and games including classic catches in the pool, hitting water balloons with cricket bats and red light, green light. “This encourages girls to come down and play because we
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The ML Partners Burdekin Sprint meet was hosted at the Burdekin Aquatic Centre on Saturday January 13 and saw 167 swimmers from 15 clubs across North Queensland participating in the event, including teams from as far as Mackay and Charters Towers. The event was well supported by local sponsors who made it possible to put on a seamless showing and showcased some amazing swimmers and some very exciting Dash for Cash swims at the end of the evening. The Burdekin Torpedoes had a team of 17 swimmer
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The Golden Anniversary of McCathies Furniture Plus marks half a century of providing high quality service to the Burdekin region and beyond, with third generation owners, Rob and Kari Ravizza, and their team delivering wonderful pieces of furniture all along the East Coast. In 1974, Kari’s grandparents, Jack and Milly McCathie established the Ayr Secondhand Dealers. Well-known names in the Burdekin region, the pair had introduced many successful businesses to the town including the Supreme Tax
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In 1932, a 19-year-old woman named Jean Morris, widely believed to not be her real name, was brutally murdered in a house she was renting on Queen Street, Ayr. Jean was buried in an unmarked grave at the Ayr cemetery and, over 90 years later, local man Henry Petersen and his friend Paula Dawson are spearheading a fundraising campaign to ensure Jean’s story is remembered forever. “This girl is part of history,” Mr Petersen said. “She died a tragic death. “Even though she was only in Ayr for seve
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Hi readers While I didn’t mention “reading more” as a new year’s resolution in last week’s ‘Sit Down With Sam’, this is one that goes unsaid as at the end of every year, I find myself unsatisfied with the amount of books I read and failing to reach my ‘Goodreads Reading Challenge’ goals. These goals are arbitrary, of course, and I’m not going to beat myself up too much for not reaching them, but reading is one thing I’ve looked to do more of every year since I got back into it in lockdown so you
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The Burdekin Unit of the State Emergency Service (SES) has been engaged for 21 jobs since December 1, with one of the more significant callouts coming before New Year’s Eve. During the two-day search for Elliot Spinaze, who worked at the Kalamia Hotel, the Hotel delivered food and drinks for lunch on Sunday, December 31 to keep the search workers and volunteers satiated. “We’re very grateful, the Kalamia Hotel brought down some well-received food and refreshments for lunch on the Sunday,” said B
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After an intensive local search effort, the body of Elliot Spinaze, a 22-year-old Ayr man who had been missing since the morning of Saturday, December 30, 2023, was found on Sunday, December 31. Mr Spinaze was last seen on Graham Street around 3:00am on December 30 before leaving in a grey Hyundai. The vehicle was located near the Burdekin Bridge later that morning with Police initiating a search of the river involving State Emergency Services (SES) and Mackay’s RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter. Burdek
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Burdekin Shire Council’s Citizen Ceremony will go ahead as part of the Australia Day celebrations on Friday, January 26 despite initial reports, Mayor Lyn McLaughlin has confirmed. Ms McLaughlin said she was surprised to read that Burdekin Shire had been named as one of 80 Councils across Australia not holding its Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony on January 26, saying this information is not correct. “Councillors and relevant Council staff finalised discussion and confirmed planning and logi
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When Allan Petersen began researching for his military history book ‘Home Hill Remembers’, he didn’t realise the number of gravesites in the Home Hill Cemetery that weren’t formally recognised as war service gravesites. This discovery led the Home Hill RSL Sub Branch on a five year journey to honour these servicepeople which came to an end with the installation of plaques and a Dedication Ceremony in August last year. “In all, 56 graves had no recognition as a war serviceman’s grave,” Mr Peters
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I hope everyone had a fantastic and safe festive season and you all enjoyed a well-earned break. 2023 was a big year for Australia, and to say it was tough on everyone would be an understatement. While the Albanese Labor Government was distracted by their divisive and costly Voice Referendum and the Prime Minister enjoyed what felt like more time overseas than time spent in Australia, the people of Dawson were hit with enormous cost-of-living pressures. The Coalition and I fought hard in 2023
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While welcoming moves to hold supermarkets to account and ensure fair prices for farmers and consumers, Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP, wants assurances of action; not another talk-fest. As families face increasing cost of living pressures and farmers lose money on crops, Mr Last said the fact that the big supermarket chains were making billion dollar profits proved the current situation was not sustainable. “This is not the first time we have seen this issue raise its head,” Mr Last said.
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I’m Chelsea Ravizza, a student journalist at Griffith University and current intern at the Burdekin Life Newspaper. After graduating from Ayr State High School in 2021, I began an internship with the Burdekin Local Newspaper before moving to Brisbane to kick off my university studies in 2022. I am currently in my third and final year of a Bachelor of Communications and Journalism at Griffith University and I am loving every second of what my degree entails. I have developed and broadcasted radi
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As another bustling term for Mayor Lyn McLaughlin comes to a close, I had the pleasure of speaking with her on the year that was, and the future plans for the Burdekin region as we move into a new year. Mayor McLaughlin reflects on her past year with great appreciation and gratitude as she was able to experience it in good health, surrounded by the strength of her dear friends, and family. Additionally, she believes all the major achievements of the Burdekin community would not have come to fru
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