Cape York Weekly FREE – #123 | Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Editor: Matt Nicholls 0477 450 558 | editor@capeyorkweekly.com.au
INSIDE TODAY
CROC KILLED AFTER ATTACK Page 3
BARRY’S SUPER EFFORT IN POOL Page 5
MAKING A SPLASH
Friends Amaliyah Fitzgerald, Danaher, Josie Case, Kayla Louw and Isla Winton at last Friday’s Endeavour Christian College swimming carnival. Check out the results and pictures on Page 17.
Weipa birthing service up in the air
Pregnant pause By MATT NICHOLLS
CAPE York women will continue to travel to Cairns and beyond to have their babies after Weipa’s birthing service was officially put on hold last week. Millions of dollars have been poured into creating a new birthing suite at Weipa Hospital in preparation for the service, which was
originally supposed to start last year. However, issues with both recruiting and retaining staff have made the process difficult. Cooktown’s birthing service has been on pause since February last year, with no sign of the service coming back online. Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service CEO Beverley Hamerton said hitting the pause
NRL & AFL
button on Weipa’s birthing service was a difficult decision. “Recruitment of medical officers with advanced training in obstetrics and anaesthetics continues to be challenging,” she said. “As a result, the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service regretfully has decided to formally postpone the opening of the proposed new low-risk birthing ser-
vice at Weipa until we have all the necessary additional medical staffing in place. “We were successful recently in recruiting a medical officer with additional skills in anaesthetics to support the proposed birthing service. “They will be in place in the next few weeks.” Continued – Page 2
AUSTRALIA DAY CELEBRATIONS Pages 8 & 9 HEAVY RAIN CLOSES ROADS Page 6
WELLNESS DAY DRAWS CROWD Page 11