Every child needs a safe and caring home.
FREE NEWSPAPER
WEEKLY PROPERTY GUIDE INSIDE
Friday November 3rd 2023
We pay CA$H for scrap metal!
1300 028 922
FIND OUT WHERE THE HOTTEST LISTINGS ARE IN OUR REGION
pages 27 - 33
HELP PROTECT COASTAL WILDLIFE DON’T DRIVE ON DUNES AND BEACHES
read on page 6
Onboard Mackay’s ‘Wildcat’, Al Grundy - Mackay Isaac Tourism, Asher Telford, Richard Roberts and Sam Bloor - Wildcat Mackay, Deb Duggan - Whitsunday Marine Training Centre with students - Max Klosterman, Ryan Meads, Blake Pullen, Baley Allen, Cooper Stuckey, Isabelle Halliwell, Samual Docherty, Daniel Harris, Corbin Schultz, Nikolas Lampe, Caleb Robertson, Jackson Payne, Sam Patroni, Sam Gutsell, Haydee Brice, Jasmina Zec, Chloe Hogan, Dakota Cooper-Rose, Nathan Stephens, Owen Norton, CJ Henry, Nicolas Cheesman, Jaezel Querro, Lee Rennie, Ky Barker
A
s owner of three of the Mackay-Whitsunday region’s top tourism businesses, Asher Telford is used to innovating through challenges, his latest leading him to initiate a unique solution for industry-wide staff shortages, while also creating career pathways for local youth. Last Friday, October 29, a total of 31 Grade 11 and 12 students from 10 schools between Calen and Sarina, completed their last practical session in a yearlong specially tailored ‘Coxswain’ course, aboard Mr Telford’s state-of-the-art vessel and nationally
acclaimed tourism product, ‘Wildcat Mackay’. Officially part of the Queensland Government’s Vocational Education and Training in Schools (VETiS) program, enabling students to gain nationally recognised qualifications while still at school, the course has also been delivered in partnership with the Whitsunday Maritime Training Centre (WMTC). Across the year’s four school terms, WMTC trainers have travelled from Airlie Beach to Mackay each week, to deliver classroom training in venues
provided by the Resources Centre for Excellence, Volunteer Marine Rescue Mackay and North Queensland Bulk Ports. Additionally, for two days each term, and in many cases across weekends and school holidays throughout the year, students have been privileged to access valuable practical training and work experience aboard both Wildcat Mackay and other working vessels in the Airlie Beach-based Red Cat Adventures fleet. Read more on page 7
Disaster Ready Saturday November 4, 9am-1pm Caneland Central (outside Target) disaster.mackay.qld.gov.au
MORANBAH TEAMS WIN NATIONAL UNDERGROUND MINES RESCUE COMPETITION
Mining and Industry feature on pages 14-15
WIN! Enter a prize draw on the day to win a Honda generator valued at $2300.