FROM WHERE I SIT
At 12.05am on Saturday 15 February, Ayr Police intercepted a vehicle on Bruce Highway, McDesme. The driver, a 36yr old Sunshine Coast man was issued a NTA for driving with a relevant drug in his saliva, possessing a dangerous drug and possessing a drug utensil. He is due to appear in Ayr Magistrates Court on 7 April.

At 1.40am on Saturday 15 February, Ayr Police were called to a disturbance in Edwards Street, Ayr. It was established a person had been punched and knocked unconscious. As a result of investigations, Police located a male who was arrested with regards to this incident.  Upon returning to the Police watchhouse, he threw a shoe at a Police Officer, striking him.  As a result, a 28yr old Burdekin man was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, assaulting a Police officer and committing a public nuisance in the vicinity of a licenced premises. He was released on bail to appear in Ayr Magistrates Court on 22 April. He was also issued a Police banning notice prohibiting him from attending licenced premises in Ayr for 28 days.

On Wednesday 19 February a shop stealing was reported by a local sports shop in the Ayr CBD. As a result of investigations, a search warrant was executed at a residence in Brandon on Thursday 20 February. The property said to have been stolen from that shop was recovered and a 28yr old Burdekin woman was charged with one count each of stealing and commit public nuisance and is due to appear in the Ayr Magistrates Court on 10 March. A 17yr old juvenile female was charged with one count of stealing and due to appear in Ayr Children’s Court on 25 February.

At 3.25pm on Thursday 20 February, Ayr Police went to intercept a vehicle on Norham Road, Ayr when it drove away at speed and pulled into an address in Parkside. Police subsequently located the driver, a 25yr old Townsville woman, who was transported to Ayr Police Station for a further drug test. She was subsequently issued a NTA for failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis, disqualified driving and obstruct Police. She is due to appear in Ayr Magistrates Court on 10 March.
At 11.30pm on Friday 21 February, Ayr Police intercepted a vehicle on Chippendale Street, Ayr. The driver, a 34yr old Burdekin woman was issued a NTA for drink driving, driving .072 and is due to appear in Ayr Magistrates Court on 10 March.

ASSAULTS – It’s Okay To Walk Away

The vast majority of assaults reported to Ayr Police are between parties known to each other. Many occur in private residences between family members, which may constitute domestic violence or friends and acquaintances.

Other assaults occur in the street or licenced premises, where, once again, the involved parties are usually known to each other.

It is a not uncommon occurrence to see news reports where people are assaulted, fall back, hit their head and die. One punch can kill.

“It’s Okay to Walk Away” – that’s the message Ayr police want to send to reduce the number of assaults both when people go out but also in the home.

A split second decision could change your life forever and have an impact on many people, including your family and friends.

Remember - One punch can kill is a shocking reality that simple acts of violence can have tragic consequences. The consequences of assault don’t stop at injury or death.

A single punch is all it takes to seriously assault someone and in some circumstances may cause death. The consequences of such acts devastate the lives of so many people and leads to a lifetime of regret and unfulfilled dreams.

Assaults can steal your future, and your actions could result in negative impacts on your family; your employment; overseas travel, the guilt of taking another person’s life and could possibly result in a criminal record.

Victims of assault don’t always walk away with just a bruise. Permanent disability, ongoing care by family and friends, employment and future prospects can be jeopardised from one senseless act.

From a perspective of personal safety, be aware of your surroundings and alert to what is going on around you. Go out with friends and stay with your group. If you are going to be drinking, just make sure someone in the group is not going to drink and can look after his or her mates and steer them clear of trouble and walk away from violence. Unfortunately too many “good nights out” end poorly due to being assaulted, losing belongings, etc.

Police would like to remind people that “It’s okay to walk away” while “One punch can kill”.

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Did you feel the earth move on the 1st of March? A magnitude 4.4 earthquake shook homes in Townsville on Saturday night, causing a stir across the region.

While the earthquake’s epicenter was located in Townsville, its impact reverberated along the entire Queensland coast, affecting residents in several cities.

Geoscience Australia took to social media to alert locals about the seismic event, which struck at 9:31 PM. According to the agency, the earthquake was detected approximately 17 kilometers from Townsville, with its depth reaching 10 kilometers below the earth’s surface.

Over 5,000 individuals reported feeling the tremor on the Geoscience Australia "Felt Report," with people as far away as Mackay and Cairns noticing the shaking. Many residents experienced moments of panic as buildings swayed and everyday activities were disrupted.

While the earthquake was significant, it serves as a reminder to stay prepared in case of future seismic activity.

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Hi Everyone,

Fantastic to be back in the region over the past few weeks and I’ve really enjoyed connecting with so many people in the community.

First-up was the Home Hill Chamber of Commerce meeting where our Sales Manager Trish and I came along to chat to local business owners and, of course, support our journalist Mark in his engaging talk about his novel.

Next up, it was the Sweet Days Hot Nights launch evening where we were thrilled to chat with event organisers and express our wishes to become Media Partner for the event. We are very much looking forward to throwing our support behind this and extending our coverage over the coming months.

Lastly, I was up early the next morning (which happened to be my birthday!) to celebrate in style at the Industry Breakfast where it was good to see lots of familiar faces from the night before.

As you will all know, the region is positively bursting with culture and character! There are always exciting events coming up and plenty of reasons for us all to get together.

As an ‘out of towner’ (I reside in the Whitsundays but come to the Burdekin at least once a month), I am always thrilled to be so genuinely welcomed by everyone.

I remember at the Industry Breakfast in September 2023 when we launched the first edition of the paper – it was such an exhilarating morning, and I am glad we are still delivering for your region 18 months on.

It is an absolute honour to be part of the team bringing your weekly news to you and I love working alongside all the local businesses.

A big congrats this week goes to Carla and her team at Raine & Horne Ayr for bringing back some state awards last weekend.

If you are a business with something to celebrate, make sure you give us a call, we’d love to help you get the word out.

Rach

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We’re Two Months Into The Year, What’s Something You’ve Done You’re Happy With Or What Do You Have Coming Up That You’re Looking Forward To?

John: “I’m retired now but I used to work at the old Farry’s supermarket here in Home Hill as a butcher. I've been here 28 years now, I lost my partner about six years ago, I live by myself and so I just relax now. I got a son in town, and a daughter in Newcastle, another in Torquay, Melbourne. But now that I'm retired, I just go to a local here and have a few beers and relax and enjoy myself with a few good friends.”

Katrina T: “Well, there's two things that I'm happy about. While I was not happy about the floods I was still able to work during them with everything that was going on, which was wonderful. And I'm looking forward to going to Canberra in August for a Lipedema conference. It's a condition that one in 10 women can have. It’s where the body can’t break down a particular sort of fat. There’s not really much known about it. This is the eleventh conference and it runs for about two and half a days. I hope to learn a little bit more because I have some clients that have it."

Denny: “I’m looking forward to footy season starting, I guess. I follow Parramatta, which is all right. It causes a bit of fun and banter. I’d also love to take a nice holiday somewhere but I haven’t booked anywhere yet. The kids want to go to New Zealand to the snow, me, I just do what I’m told to do. So New Zealand in winter is the plan I guess. I’ve also been renovating. We put in a pool, I put in a shed. That’s it for me I suppose.”

Kevin: “Townsville! We’ve friends there so we're going there to stay with them for a week. We’ve come from Central Coast, New South Wales. It’s been a nice drive. We’ve taken three weeks to do it after we took a bit of a detour because of the storms early on. We didn't know what the weather was going to do, so we slowed the trip down, then ducked out to Lightning Ridge as we always wanted to go out there. So that’s where we went. I do contract work, so work six months straight then take a few months off. After Townsville, we just turn around and come home again.”

Katrina B: “What am I happy with? I'm happy with the growth that my shop has had. I'm getting things together slowly and just, yeah, building on that, building on making the shop better. I’d like more customers. Something I am looking forward to is a family reunion we’ve got coming up in May. That’s in Cairns so I’ll be shutting the shop for that to attend. The one that I did 10 years ago, we had 150 people! There’s a few of us. This time around though, it won’t be as big as a lot of people couldn’t make it. It’s harder to organise than running a business sometimes trying to get everyone there.”

John White is just looking forward to relaxing more and having some quiet beers.
Katrina Thorn’s happy she could work during the floods and keen to go to a conference.
Denny Webster’s keen for footy season to start and taking a holiday somewhere.
Kevin Grew is on his way up to Townsville to stay with friends for a week.
Katrina Bowen is happy with her shop’s growth while planning for a big family reunion.

Photo credit: Mark T. Rasmussen

CANEGROWERS has written to the Federal Government, urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to raise the disaster recovery grant threshold to at least $75,000 for primary producers impacted by the recent flooding in north Queensland.

It has been more than two weeks since the government announced recovery assistance packages of up to $25,000 for affected growers.  

While growers are grateful for the swift response and the inclusion of replant costs in recovery grants, reports from the ground make it clear that $25,000 is simply not enough to support the worst-affected farming businesses, CANEGROWERS CEO Dan Galligan said.

"Growers appreciate the rapid response from both state and federal governments in announcing assistance following these devastating floods. However, as primary producers assess the damage, it’s evident that $25,000 barely scratches the surface for some of the hardest-hit farming businesses,” Mr Galligan said.

"The reality is the cost of recovery has risen dramatically. Prices for goods and services have soared over recent years, and primary producers are facing these higher costs as they work to rebuild their businesses. The level of support must reflect today’s economic conditions.

"We have written to the Prime Minister, urging the Federal Government to act as, we understand the Queensland Government has requested."

Beyond immediate relief, CANEGROWERS is calling for the following actions to help modernise disaster funding:

Updating the definition of a primary producer to reflect modern farm ownership, including those with off-farm income.

Ensuring grants are sufficient by indexing them to match rising recovery costs.

Improving workforce support to help businesses retain staff during recovery periods.

Establishing a dedicated pool of rural recovery officers embedded within industry groups to expedite recovery efforts.

"These aren’t just feel-good reforms – they are essential for keeping farms, communities, and industries viable after disasters," Mr Galligan said.

“CANEGROWERS, along with our partners at Queensland Farmers’ Federation and other commodity groups, will keep working with the state and federal governments to modernise how we approach disaster recovery.

“But in the meantime, it’s vital the grant threshold is increased. Farmers need this support now so they can get back to growing Australia’s food and fibre.”

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On Act of Kindness Day, Ayr State Primary School was privileged to receive a heartfelt and thoughtful donation from Mrs Penny Ford. With creativity and compassion, Mrs Ford transformed scrap materials into stunning library bags, pencil cases, and bookmarks, providing the students with unique, handcrafted items to enhance their learning experience through reading.

The donation, made from upcycled materials, not only promotes sustainability but also serves as a reminder of the power of giving. Each item tells a story of care and dedication, turning what might have been discarded material into something meaningful and useful.

The arrival of the donated items was perfectly timed with Act of Kindness Day, adding an extra layer of significance to the occasion. Students were thrilled to receive their new library accessories, which will surely spark even more excitement for reading and learning.

School captains Ruby and Sage personally thanked Mrs Ford for her kind donation, presenting her with a handwritten card from the Birburu class Year 4/5/6 as a token of their appreciation.

In a greater act of kindness, Mrs Ford has plans to create more items for the rest of the school.

Words cannot express how thankful the school is for her generosity and the lasting impact her donation will make in the school.

Ayr State Primary School is fortunate to be part of such a caring community, and they extended their deepest thanks to Mrs Penny Ford for her incredible contribution.

This thoughtful gesture will leave a lasting impact, reminding us of the joy that comes from sharing kindness with others.

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Nineteen new apprentices have kicked off their careers with Wilmar Sugar and Renewables. The new recruits are based in the Burdekin region, where Wilmar owns four sugar factories.

The apprenticeships are in the electrical, fitting and turning, boilermaking and diesel fitting trades.

Wilmar Sugar and Renewables Training Superintendent Daniel Shipard said he was pleased to welcome such a high-calibre group of first-year apprentices into the business.

“Wilmar Sugar and Renewables has a long history of developing great tradespeople in our sugar milling regions.

“We’re one of North Queensland’s largest apprenticeship providers, with about 150 apprentices employed across our operations at any one time. Our program is also one of the most successful Australia, with a completion rate of 98 per cent.”

Mr Shipard said this year’s intake included five young women, one of whom had transitioned from a school-based apprenticeship with the company.

“We’ve also signed up five seasonal employees who were keen to get into our apprenticeship program and learn a trade,” he said.

Brooke Smith from the Burdekin was Wilmar’s first school-based apprentice and is now enrolled as an apprentice boilermaker at Pioneer Mill.

She said she was excited to be working full time and developing her trade skills.

“Getting into Wilmar’s apprenticeship program means I’m finally going to get more experience and get more involved in what goes in the workshops. It also means I can really be part of the Wilmar business, instead of just being there one day a week,” she said.

Mr Shipard said the first-year apprentices kicked off their trade training with a two-week Safe Start program in December before beginning work at their respective sites.

“Our Safe Start program equips our apprentices to hit the ground running,” Mr Shipard said.

“It’s a comprehensive introduction that gives them important safety and technical skills, as well as the confidence to thrive in their new roles.”

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Jayde Holm and Brooke Smith from the Burdekin region have signed on as first-year boilermaking apprentices with Wilmar Sugar and Renewables. Brooke (right), has transitioned from a school-based apprenticeship with the company.

Wilmar Sugar and Renewables new Burdekin apprentices, back from left, Casey Calligaro (electrical), David Saunders (electrical), Dominik Arrate (fitting and turning), Jaxon Baldwin (diesel fitting) and Lucas Gabiola (fitting and turning). Front from left, Corey Baker (electrical), Jayde Holm (boilermaking), Cooper Raitelli (electrical), Jayden Shelton (electrical), Brooke Smith (boilermaking), Luca Lago (boilermaking) and Jacob Rossato (fitting and turning). Absent are Samantha Christensen (boilermaking), Brad Patti (boilermaking), Daniel Johnson (electrical), William Ghobrial (fitting and turning) and Dominic Forman (diesel fitting).

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Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox believes that residents in the electorate of Dawson have again been let down by the Government when it comes to the Bruce Highway being upgraded.

He states that Queenslanders were promised $7.2 billion in funding by the Prime Minister to fix the notoriously dangerous highway.

However, in evidence to the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport estimates hearings on Monday, department officials confirmed that just $432 million would be spent on the Bruce Highway in the next three years.

“Again the Labor Government have not been upfront with Queenslanders on when workers could get started to fix the highway,” Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox said.

“Only $30 million out of $7.2 billion will be allocated to the Highway over the next 16 months which is simply not good enough.”

“Tragically 43 lives have been lost on the Bruce Highway last year which has a devastating impact for families.”

“The community have been calling for the road to be fixed with more than 1,000 residents signing my Back Our Bruce petition which has been presented at Parliament.”

“If elected the Coalition has a plan to get Australia back on track and that starts with the restoration of the 80:20 percent funding arrangement for Bruce Highway projects after it was stripped away by Labor.”

In the May Budget, Federal Labor cut $488 million from the Bruce Highway over the Budget forward estimates.

“Now they are “restoring” less at $432 million and expect the people to be grateful and say thank you.”

“I am really concerned the Bruce Highway will be worse off over the next three years.”

“This is just like the broken promise that our energy bills would be reduced by $275 prior to the 2022 election.”

Opinion piece contributed by Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox.

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Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox is frustrated by delay in Bruce Highway upgrades. Photo: Supplied

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Home Hill-Ayr Lions Club hosted the club’s Youth of the Year Final on Monday 25 February. Four talented students from Home Hill High School submitted applications addressing a range of criteria about their academic results, their school and community involvement, and their aspirations for the future.

On Monday afternoon, the judging panel interviewed them separately. This component is worth 70 marks. That night, at a dinner at the Crown Hotel, the judges, teachers, family members and Lions and their guests were treated to some great public speaking by these four individuals.

Before dinner, each student introduced themselves to the audience, and then it was time for the impromptu speaking. Each student had to speak for a maximum of two minutes to each of the two impromptu topics. What would you say if presented with the topic ‘If you could be a fly on the wall, whose wall would it be?' with no time to prepare.

After dinner, students each had the opportunity to deliver a five minute prepared speech to the audience. The speakers covered a diverse range of topics but all spoke passionately and engaged everyone present with their points of view. The speaking component is worth 30 marks in total.

The judges returned with their verdict. Christiana Bugeja was the winner of the speaking component, while Sam Perina was the overall winner.

Sam will travel to the District Finals in Townsville next month to compete against the winners from the rest of the Lions District, which covers a large part of Queensland from Mackay and all clubs to the north and west.

After district finals, there are State Finals and a National Final. We wish Sam success.

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judges and for entrants. John McVeigh, Philip Scuderi, Sam Perina, Cruz Torkington, Grace Ogomeni, Christiana Bugeja, Michelle McVeigh
Overall winner Sam Perina being presented by Zone Chait Saraha Wiseman.
Club President, Laurie Land, the four entrants,  Sam Perina, Cruz Torkington, Grace Ogomeni and Christiana Bugeja the the Youth of the Year Club coordinator, Tony Gemellaro.
Zone Chair Saraha Wiseman presenting to Christiana Bugeja who won the Public Speaking section.

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Simon Hood
Wilmar Manager Grower Marketing

February was a positive month for prices with growers using the rally to tidy up 2024 season Target and GMPRS pricing.

Additionally, with 2025 season prices breaking through $650/t, there has been increased scale up selling from Target price growers. There is, however, still plenty of 2025 pricing to go with only about 25 per cent of Target prices locked in at this point.

The rally has also allowed our 2024 season pools to be forecasting higher returns. We have incrementally locked in prices on the rising market to ensure any potential correction will have less impact on final returns for the 2024 season. Likewise, we have initiated hedging on the #11 sugar contract to put a floor under a portion of the new Managed Pool Plus for the 2025 season.

This initial positioning combined with some sub 62 cent currency is providing a good foundation for that pool return. However, there is still a long way to go for 2025 season pool valuations to be finalised. With the focus on 2025 season and beyond, let’s have a quick review of the current outlook.

Most analysts are currently forecasting a small production surplus (Wilmar 3.5m tonnes) for the 2025-26 season based on a large Brazilian and Indian crop. Brazilian forecasts are starting to be scaled back as continued dry weather through February downgrade yield expectations. On the flip side, Indian forecasts are being maintained as high domestic prices encourage crop expansion and a very good monsoon filled storage and moisture profiles.

Nominations for our 2025 season GMPRS pricing mechanism are now open. This remains a popular choice among Target price growers due the flexibility of being able to price all GEI sugar exposure – excluding the US quota proportion – from mid-May in each season. Typically, growers are cautious about pricing too much of the final proportion early in the season as price risk is replaced with production shortfall risk.

During March we will be holding a series of shed meetings to update growers with the latest analysis from Wilmar on the outlook for 2025 season and beyond. Get in touch with your local Wilmar Grower Marketing consultant to find your closest meeting.

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Prices rallied in February, providing an opportunity for growers to tidy up 2024 season GMPRS and Target pricing

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Almost $600,000 had been committed to help state schools in the Burdekin turn the tide on poor behaviour according to Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP.

The funding, which is in addition to existing funding, will allow schools to tailor solutions focussed on tackling poor behaviour and lifting education outcomes.

“This funding is not only about making our schools safer to help improve attendance rates and education standards, it is also about backing our local principals and teachers,” Mr Last said.

“No one knows better when it comes to outcomes for students than the staff of the school they attend, so we are giving those staff the autonomy to tailor the best decisions.”

“Some schools may need additional staff while others may choose to provide existing staff with mentoring, specialist resources or training.  Either way, the focus is on ensuring that students and staff feel safe in the classroom.”

“We know that each child is different when it comes to the best way for them to learn.  The reality is that there is also a wide variety of ways to manage behaviour and that a “one size fits all” model would not achieve the outcomes our teachers and students deserve.”

Mr Last said the investment of $44 Million statewide was proof that the concerns of parents and teachers had been heard and an illustration of the state government’s commitment to future generations.

“This additional funding really is an investment in the future because it is focussed on both short and long-term goals,” he said.  “We all know that what a student achieves at school can have a huge impact on their future so better outcomes today can also mean better outcomes for those students throughout their life.”

“You don’t achieve those outcomes by focussing only on students or only on teachers and that is why addressing an issue that is affecting both teachers and students was a priority for the government.  Students weren’t achieving their full potential and dedicated teachers were walking away from the profession and neither of those results is acceptable.”

“Teaching is a profession that should be celebrated, and our teachers should be leaving at the end of the day feeling respected, not frightened or frustrated.  If we don’t back our teachers, we run the risk of losing the positive impacts that dedicated teachers have on students and that is a terrible outcome for our community.”

“I believe that, by giving local principals autonomy, we are sending a clear signal that this government trusts local staff to make the right decisions to deliver the best results for local students.  We’ve already reduced red tape for teachers and this investment is about addressing their safety concerns so that teachers can do what they excel at; helping our younger generation achieve their full potential.”

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Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP, believes funding to turn tide on poor behaviour will benefit students and teachers. Photo: Supplied.

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I attended the Industry Breakfast on 26th February with my fellow Councillors. It was a very interesting breakfast. Mick Theobold from Rio Tinto came along and gave a very interesting talk about the Pongamia Farms project.

Rio Tinto are developing seed farms in Australia as part of a new biofuels project. They have partnered with Midway Limited to oversee the planting and management of the Pongamia seed farms in the Townsville and Burdekin areas.

I also attended the launch of the Sweet Days Hot Nights Festival at the Burdekin Theatre. The festival will take place over two days from Friday 30 May to Saturday 31 May, including the Burdekin Cultural Fair featuring the First Fire. It will be a great event not to be missed.

Also Rates are due on or before Monday 10th March. Please contact Council’s Customer Service Centre on 4783 9800, if you did not receive your notice and need to obtain a copy. If you are experiencing difficulties paying your Rate Notice and need to organise a payment plan please contact the lovely staff at Customer Service for assistance in helping you set this up.

I would also like to mention Sweet FM will be celebrating their 25 year reunion. They have lots of celebrations happening. On the 5th April from 8am to 1pm they are having an open day at 97.1 Sweet FM, 134-136 Eighth Avenue Home Hill. There will be tours of the facility, interviews with past and present presenters, and market stalls. From 6pm until late they will be having a Reunion Dinner at the Masonic Hall, 120 MacMillan Street Ayr. Tickets will be $50 per person should you wish to attend.

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Emergency Relief Program

BCA provides financial and material assistance for adults experiencing personal, family, relationship and/or financial issues.

The Service assists adults and children with basic needs in times of financial hardship, through the provision of:

• Food parcels
• Toiletries
• Vouchers (food, clothes, chemist, transport)
• Prepaid cards
• Payment of third-party accounts
  Please note that a Centrelink Income Statement is required unless you are affected by domestic and family violence and not receiving a Centrelink payment.
  
  Services are delivered from the BCA Support Centre, 130 Queen St, Ayr.  Ph 4783 3744. Email bca@bcaburdekin.org.au
  Operating hours: 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
  
  Burdekin Community Pantry
  
  We are requesting donations for our Community Pantry. The items most needed are:
• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Non-perishable food (e.g. canned vegetables or fruit, canned spaghetti or baked beans, long life milk, tea/coffee/sugar, pasta)
• Sanity items
• Toiletries
  If possible, please deliver your donation to the Support Centre, 130 Queen St, Ayr.  Your help is very much appreciated.
  
  Services are delivered from the BCA Support Centre, 130 Queen St, Ayr.  Ph 4783 3744. Email bca@bcaburdekin.org.au
  Operating hours: 9.00am to 4.00pm, Monday to Friday.
  
  MyndKind Program
  
  BCA’s MyndKind Program provides Psychological Therapies – counselling sessions for adults and children. Free service for people who hold a health care card, pension card or concession card. Private sessions available on a fee for service basis.

Journey Coordinator – support for community members and provision of more timely mental health care and coordinated support.

Front Door service – information and support regarding mental health, alcohol and other drugs, social support services

MyndKind services are delivered from the BCA Burdekin Centre for Rural Health, 12a Chippendale St, Ayr. Ph 4783 2711. Email bca@bcaburdekin.org.au
Operating hours: 9am to 4.30pm, Monday to Saturday.

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The Burdekin Shire Council hosted its first Industry Breakfast for 2025 on Wednesday 26 February at the Burdekin Theatre. With a receptive and large crowd who all turned up for the 7am start, they got to hear some great talks all while having a warm cooked breakfast.

Providing local businesses with key insights into emerging opportunities and developments in the region, the breakfast brought together industry leaders and business representatives for a morning of networking and knowledge-sharing.

Mick Theobold, Project Lead at Midway Ltd, gave a fascinating talk about their Pongamia Farms project where they’re working alongside Rio Tinto to help develop the seed farms in Australia, which is part of a new biofuels project. This project holds significant potential for regional economic growth and environmental sustainability.

Emma Peters was next to the lectern, bringing her energy and humour to keep those in attendance entertained. As Head of Engagement at Local Buy, she provided insights into how local businesses can become suppliers through Local Buy’s procurement framework.

Her presentation highlighted opportunities for businesses to engage with government contracts and expand their market reach.

Last to speak was Charlie Scuderi, Station Manager of Sweet FM, who discussed how businesses can advertise and support the station with Sweet FM playing a vital role in keeping the community informed.

With plenty of food and drinks (hot or cold), and insights, the morning once again proved popular.

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CANEGROWERS has written to the Federal Government, urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to raise the disaster recovery grant threshold to at least $75,000 for primary producers impacted by the recent flooding in north Queensland.

It has been more than two weeks since the government announced recovery assistance packages of up to $25,000 for affected growers.

While growers are grateful for the swift response and the inclusion of replant costs in recovery grants, reports from the ground make it clear that $25,000 is simply not enough to support the worst-affected farming businesses, CANEGROWERS CEO Dan Galligan said.

"Growers appreciate the rapid response from both state and federal governments in announcing assistance following these devastating floods. However, as primary producers assess the damage, it’s evident that $25,000 barely scratches the surface for some of the hardest-hit farming businesses,” Mr Galligan said.

"The reality is the cost of recovery has risen dramatically. Prices for goods and services have soared over recent years, and primary producers are facing these higher costs as they work to rebuild their businesses. The level of support must reflect today’s economic conditions.

"We have written to the Prime Minister, urging the Federal Government to act as, we understand the Queensland Government has requested."

Beyond immediate relief, CANEGROWERS is calling for the following actions to help modernise disaster funding:

Updating the definition of a primary producer to reflect modern farm ownership, including those with off-farm income.

Ensuring grants are sufficient by indexing them to match rising recovery costs.

Improving workforce support to help businesses retain staff during recovery periods.

Establishing a dedicated pool of rural recovery officers embedded within industry groups to expedite recovery efforts.

"These aren’t just feel-good reforms – they are essential for keeping farms, communities, and industries viable after disasters," Mr Galligan said.

“CANEGROWERS, along with our partners at Queensland Farmers’ Federation and other commodity groups, will keep working with the state and federal governments to modernise how we approach disaster recovery.

“But in the meantime, it’s vital the grant threshold is increased. Farmers need this support now so they can get back to growing Australia’s food and fibre."

Photos supplied: CANEGROWERS

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