Saturday 20 April
Ayr Surf Life Saving Club presents Take The Floor 2024
Saturday, 6:00pm
The Ayr Surf Life Saving Club is proud to present Take The Floor 2024! This year, the club is inviting you back to the ‘Roaring 20s’ for a fantastic night out with friends. Take The Floor will be at the Memorial Hall on Saturday April 20 and will be hosting a live band 'Godfathers of Funk' to help add to the atmosphere along with the four couples for the evening.
Burdekin Memorial Hall, Home Hill
Wednesday 24 April
The Boys From Oz
Wednesday, from 11am
Let's hear it for The Boys! Come celebrate the greatest songs from Australia’s greatest male singers.
Join JD Smith as he takes you on a journey through the pop, rock & country classics that have been the soundtrack to your life. From the unofficial national anthems of John Farnham's You’re The Voice, Daryl Braithwaite’s The Horses & Peter Allen’s I Still Call Australia Home; Supergroup classics by ACDC, INXS, Cold Chisel, Little River Band & The Bee Gees; the Poptastic stylings of John Paul Young, Rick Springfield & Leo Sayer through to iconic ballads from Savage Garden, Rick Price & Keith Urban…. you will be stunned by the powerhouse vocal versatility and charm that JD Smith brings to these songs on stage. (A lifetime performing around the world in musicals & most recently with the international vocal supergroup The Ten Tenors will do that.) The Boys from Oz will have you singing, dancing and cheering as you remember how much you love these iconic songs from Australia’s most iconic male performers!
Burdekin Theatre
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, showcases recycled clothing and accessories. The competition calls for entrants to exhibit their creativity by transforming used clothing into fashionable runway pieces in five categories: junior, racewear budget challenge, budget challenge, open section, and accessory section. 
Greek Hall, Home Hill

Sunday 28 April
Burdekin Sugar Rush
   • Sunday, from 6:30am 21km
   • 7:15am 10km
   • 7:30am 5km, Seniors and Juniors U16

The Burdekin Sugar Rush is the signature running event for the Burdekin Road Runners and Walkers Club. The event not only showcases the spectacular features of the Burdekin Shire, but also celebrates the role that fun and fitness has in the community.
The event attracts running enthusiasts from around the region (including Townsville, Cairns, Charters Towers, Whitsundays and Mackay) and also has a key focus of attracting first time competitors through the provision of a half marathon (21 kilometres), five and ten kilometre fun run, team challenge and kids fun run.
Ayr

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The Ayr Surf Life Saving Club is proud to present Take The Floor 2024! This year, the club is inviting you back to the ‘Roaring 20s’ for a fantastic night out with friends. Take The Floor will be at the Memorial Hall on Saturday April 20 and will be hosting a live band 'Godfathers of Funk' to help add to the atmosphere along with the four couples for the evening.

Couple Number 1: Mick Fraser and Shirley Marshall
Recently engaged and living at Alva with their 3 boys, Mick and Shirley are ready to kick some goals on the dance floor. Mick is your local 'pool man' and is a Bundy Rum enthusiast, which he says will be an essential requirement before dancing in front of a crowd at Take The Floor. Shirley is a Speech Pathologist for Department of education and although it's been a minute since she dusted off her dancing shoes, she knows her way around a dance floor and has a pretty decent Irish jig and can work the Highland swords. Let's hope she can keep Mick in line with those swords.

Couple Number 2: Jimmy Hayllor and Rory Jorgensen
Jimmy is a recent transplant to the Burdekin and is more comfortable working with cane than putting on his dancing shoes. His most recent dance experience is busting a move in the rain on a roundabout in the main street of Ayr where timing was not his strong suit. Thankfully Jimmy has been paired with the master Rory, with 17 years dance experience, to assist with her very flat-footed apprentice. Rory is a local girl who can't remember a time she hasn't danced and has been involved with Burdekin Singers Musicals as well. She's hoping she can get Jimmy to remember his dance moves as, apparently, he struggles to remember what day of the week it is most of the time.

Couple Number 3: Leigh Ryan and Julia Nosworthy
Leigh currently resides in Townsville and is a podiatrist in high risk settings across remote and rural Queensland. Although feet are his livelihood, many say he has two left feet, and his only dance experience is falling over on the dance floor. Although he may go alright in a swimming pool, he may look like a fish out of water on the big stage. Thankfully Julia is a born and bred local who has been dancing since she was four and is ready to whip him into shape. She has choreographed four musicals for the Burdekin Singers Theatre Company and is currently completing a Cert 4 in Dance Teaching and Management and a NRL Cheerleader with the Cowboys.

Couple Number 4: Thom Pickersgill and Jane Olsen
Although they've shared the stage since 2019, they've never danced together! They've been involved in many Burdekin Singers musical productions, but Thom is definitely more confident with singing then dancing. Thom moved to the Burdekin in 2013 to begin teaching at Ayr High and enjoys being involved with school activities, Burdekin Singers and Debutant Balls, whilst Jane grew up dancing in the bountiful Burdekin since the age of six, she does her best work with a glass of bubbles in hand at many social events around town.

There is still time to grab your tickets, whether a table or individual, so contact Kellie Lawry on 0409 180 116 if you are keen to come along ASAP. It is sure to be a great night out.
This is an 18+ event.
Contributed by Kellie Lawry

WHAT: Ayr Surf Life Saving Club presents Take The Floor 2024
WHEN: Saturday, April 20 from 6:00pm
WHERE: Burdekin Memorial Hall, Home Hill
TICKETS: Contact Kellie Lawry on 0409180116

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Home Hill’s signature sculpture festival, the Canefields Ephemera, is back for 2024 and the Home Hill Chamber of Commerce is inviting all interested artists, schools, organisations or groups of fellow artists to be involved.
The much loved and anticipated annual event is now in its seventh year and has continued to grow to its current standing as an outdoor sculpture exhibition which is sure to impress local and state artists exhibiting works.
‘Ephemera’ is defined by something that exists or is enjoyed for only a short time, with the competition inviting local artists to create installations to be temporarily erected in Home Hill’s Lloyd Mann Park.
Once installed, Burdekin residents and visitors alike will be able to experience and enjoy the Burdekin’s Ephemera between Monday September 8 and Sunday September 22.
The Home Hill Chamber will be conducting the event this year and is already working on a project to be included in the Ephemera.
Put on your artist cap and be part of this exciting event in September 2024.
The event is open to anyone, only requiring the completion of an entry form and acceptance of the criteria to be part of the Canefields Ephemera 2024.
A first prize of $1,500 is up for grabs to be judged by a panel of independent judges with $500 on offer for the installation that receives the most votes on the Home Hill Harvest Festival Facebook page.
For more information and to request an entry form, contact Uli Liessmann on 0439 822 064 or Robert Antoniazzi on 0407 637 679.

Uli Liessmann’s ‘Peace’ won the Judge’s Choice Award at Ephemera 2023
‘It’s a Colourful World’ by Maree McKeough and Lorraine Lynch won the People’s Choice Award
Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

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Following a hugely successful 2023 sell-out tour, Queen tribute act Bohemian Rhapsody are returning in 2024, bringing a set of the British rock band’s ‘Greatest Hits’  to the Burdekin Theatre alongside some of the most popular songs from their albums.
Australia's longest running Queen tribute, performing since 1993, Bohemian Rhapsody stars the internationally acclaimed Thomas Crane and returns in 2024 with their brand new show, ‘Made In Heaven’.
Prepare to be transported back in time as the group recreates the visual excitement and electrifying energy of a Queen concert.
Audiences can expect an unforgettable night filled with Queen's iconic hits from the '70s to the '90s, including classics like ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, ‘Don't Stop Me Now’, and, of course, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
The hit movie of the same name exposed Queen to a much wider audience, making the band’s music more popular than ever.  
Queen is amongst the greatest rock bands of the twentieth century and Freddie Mercury is hailed by many as the most charismatic and flamboyant performer in contemporary rock.
Thomas Crane as Freddie, alongside his talented band Bohemian Rhapsody, bring back to life the visual excitement, sound and stage energy as witnessed at a Queen concert.
You’ve seen the hit movie, now see the sensational family friendly show that everyone is raving about!

WHAT: Bohemian Rhapsody Made In Heaven Tour
WHEN: Saturday, April 13 from 8:00pm
WHERE: Burdekin Theatre
TICKETS: www.burdekintheatre.com.au

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Caption: Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

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Caption: Photos supplied: Burdekin Christian College

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The NQ Fast Track Talent Showcase is around the corner, and no one is more excited than the two special guests for 2024, Taylor Henderson and Ethan Beckton.

The two talented artists will not only perform live at the final showcase, but also attend a workshop with performers prior to them taking the stage.

Having both participated in television talent competitions, Taylor and Ethan know how much a talent showcase can mean for someone’s career.

Growing up in regional Victoria, Taylor Henderson was inspired by his father to perform music.

“He was always playing and singing around the house which sparked something,” Taylor said.

“As I got a bit older, I started to love guitar more, I started to play guitar and it was something that really spoke to me.”

Taylor and his father entered Australia’s Got Talent in 2010 when he was just 16, going on to appear on X Factor when he was 20 where he said his career really started, and he has since signed to a record label, released numerous albums, and toured the country.

“It was just a crazy experience,” he laughed.

“I’d just picked up a guitar, hadn’t had much experience, never had a lesson, I was just figuring out what I liked and having fun with it.”

Having recently played sold out shows in Queensland, Taylor will return to the Burdekin in March for the NQ Fast Track Talent Showcase which he said is a great opportunity for young performers to hone their craft.

“It’s a great place for you to get up and figure out what you’re like on stage,” he said.

“It’s a great chance to get out there, put something out that you feel confident in and that you’re excited to share with everyone.

“It’s a great opportunity for anyone to get up there, have a crack, see how you go and see if it’s for you, because it can be such an exciting career.”

Ethan had a similar journey, playing music and performing on the New South Wales Central Coast since he was 14.

Ethan went on The Voice in 2023 and made the grand final which he said really kick started his career.

“Being on The Voice, it opened my eyes to what the music industry is like at a higher level,” he said.

“It gave me a lot of industry perspective and knowledge and gave me the confidence to be able to pursue that.”

Ethan looks forward to using his experience on The Voice and contributing it to the NQ Fast Track Talent Showcase in March.

“For young artists, it’s a really great opportunity to put your foot in the door of the industry, see what it’s like and put your talent out there,” he said.

“Being on The Voice, I got coached and mentored, so I’m looking forward to do a similar thing from the coach and mentor perspective.

“I’m really excited to come up there and see all the crazy talent you have in the Burdekin.”

Open to every talent genre and age group, the NQ Fast Track Talent Showcase offers performers the chance to be mentored by talent scouts and special guests in a unique and fun stage experience.

The showcase will be split into 2-3 heats held from 10am on the morning of Saturday, March 16 with the top 20 performers from the heats to head into the Grand Final Showcase at 7pm that evening where over $5,000 cash and prizes are up for grabs.  

Special guest judges will also perform live during the final showcase.

To register for the showcase, email burdekin@fasttracktalent.com.au for more information.

Visit www.burdekintheatre.com.au to purchase tickets to attend the showcase as an audience member.

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Caption 1: Ethan Beckton

Caption 2: Taylor Henderson

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