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JULY 26, 2024
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Casino’s new era
Gazette returns to shire
Trust’s first chairwoman and 165 years on-site experience l DOUGLAS SHIRE l CAIRNS CBD | Nick Dalton A NEW era has emerged at the Reef Casino Trust as tourism identity Wendy Morris takes over the reins as new chairwoman. However, the Port Douglas resident and businesswoman does not want to focus on her historic appointment as the first female to head the trust. Instead, Ms Morris has highlighted the longevity and experience of the casino senior management team which amounts to more than 165 years of experience at the hotel and casino complex. Not only has she showered praise on the hotel-casino’s executive line-up but also the stability the 350 staff has offered the business. “Between them there is more than a century of experience,” Ms Morris said. They include executive director Allan Tan (29 years), hotel casino chief executive officer Paul McHenry (29), casino general manager Christine
Aylett (29), company secretary Alison Galligan (29), human resources manager Andrew Costello (17), marketing director Carol McFarlane (19) and hotel general manager Wayne Reynolds (13). New trust chief executive officer Brad Sheahon was appointed last year. Ms Morris said the business was “in a very good position moving forward”. As the Wharf St complex undergoes a multimilliondollar repair and maintenance schedule, including a full refurbishment of the signature dome, she said the property needed the wealth of experience to get through “the challenges of 2024” and prepare for the return of international tourists in greater numbers. She said the board and the management team were determined that the venue would retain its reputation as the “must see, must visit” place in Cairns. “It is an icon in Cairns. Personally, to me, it is the Raffles (the legendary luxury hotel in Singapore) of Cairns,” Ms Morris said.
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| Nick Dalton
The senior executive team at The Reef Hotel Casino (from left) includes hotel general manager Wayne Reynolds, trust chief executive officer Brad Sheahon, chairwoman Wendy Morris, company secretary Alison Galligan, executive director Allan Tan and hotel casino chief executive officer Paul McHenry. Picture: Nick Dalton
PREPARE FOR BUSHFIRE SEASON NOW
A PRINTED newspaper is returning to the Douglas Shire after four years. The Douglas Gazette’s first edition is on Wednesday next week (July 31) and initially will be produced fortnightly with the aim of weekly publication in the future. It will be a sister paper to Cairns Local News and The Express on the Tablelands. Publisher Carl Portella, who is also involved with Sentinel News in southeast Queensland, said in the lush, tropical heartland of Far North Queensland, where the vibrant greens of the Daintree meet the sparkling blues of the Coral Sea, a familiar voice was set to return. “The Douglas Shire, a community known for its stunning natural beauty and strong community spirit, is eagerly anticipating the revival of its very own local newspaper,” he said. CONTINUED PAGE 2
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