Proserpine Golf on course for recovery

After battling one of the worst wet seasons, the Proserpine Golf Course now has something to look forward to this year.

The club has just received a special gift of $60,000 in funding which will go towards a new storm water drainage system and repairing existing infrastructure on the course.

During last year's wet season, the club was forced to close for five months, only opening on the occasional day, and as the only 18-hole course in the Whitsundays, its closure was problematic for golfers as well as the club.

Proserpine Golf Club president Alison Day said the club even faced closure with no one playing for such a long period of time, and the damage from Cyclone Ului last year was also a further step back.

Now however, hopes have been restored and the much-needed funding will go a long away to securing the course's life for hopefully a long time to come.

"It's a lease of life for the club. Members were getting fed up of not being able to play. Local members are the life blood of the course," Ms Day said.

Proserpine Golf Club member of 15 years Ron Jamieson said as a regular player on the course the funding is a great step forward.

"It's fantastic. We really appreciate it and it will go a long way," Mr Jamieson said, adding its not just him, but all members, feel the same way.

Whitsunday MP Jan Jarratt met with Ms Day on Thursday to discuss the plans for the course.

"This money will not only help to address the club's immediate recovery needs, but also make it more wether resistant for the future," Ms Jarratt said.

Commencement of the project will commence soon and take around two months to complete.

Whitsunday FC Women working the ball

Whitsunday FC Premier Women played the JPL under 17’s in a home game on Saturday. The game kicked off at 5pm ending in a final result of Whitsunday FC nil to JPL 7.

 Women’s manager Annette Tween said the team worked very hard, being up against a very well drilled unit (JPL). 

 “The opposition came out firing from the very first moment, scoring their first goal in the second minute.  More goals followed in quick succession with the score at the end of the first half being 4 nil,” she said. 

 “During the second half only three goals were scored by the opposition, and were it not for the incredible effort of keeper Becka Page, the ball would have found the back of the net many more times.”  

 Even more remarkable was the fact this was Becka's first game back since giving birth to her baby daughter only five weeks ago.

 “It was good to see Bec back. She made quite a few good saves and kept the score below double figures,” said team captain Emily Smart, who also commended Nichola Borellini as a stand-out player of the match.

 Georgia Murray, who was playing in the left midfield made a valiant effort to hold the JPL girls at bay but it didn't always go her way.

 “Likewise, Emily Smart tried to hold the team together but the JPL girls were far too quick with the ball and found their way around our girls to pass the ball to their striker,” Ms Tween said.

 “All in all this was a struggle for the Whitsunday FC ladies who worked their hardest minus some of their key players but to no avail.  They did not give up at all against one of the top Mackay teams,” she said.

 This Saturday, May 14, Whitsunday FC Premier Women will play another home game against City Brothers, kicking off at 5pm. Saturday’s club games will be held at the Whitsunday Sports Park, Jubilee Pocket, with spectators welcome to attend.

Inspirational speakers visit the Whitsundays

 2009 Toastmaster’s world champion public speaker Mark Hunter joined forces with 23-year-old Congo-born Ilyasi Siraji and dancer-turned-stockbroker Li Cunxin (of Mao’s last dancer), as guest speakers at the Rotary annual conference last weekend.

 These three inspirational men, from very different backgrounds, took the stage at the PCYC to deliver individual speeches with a common theme - optimism.

 “The difficulties in life are designed to make us better not bitter,” quoted Ilyasi Siraji, who at the tender age of 17 fled the Congo with three siblings in tow.

 “I consider myself the luckiest person in the world. Four years ago I could not have imagined this,” he said.

 Li Cunxin, who escaped a life of abject poverty in Communist China, spoke of the glass half-full metaphor and reiterated the importance of passion.

 “If you don’t truly love what you do then you really can’t be good at it. Without passion you can’t reach your potential,” he said.

 Mark Hunter said speaking at the Rotary conference was an opportunity to “make a difference”.

 “When you multiply the audience by time that’s almost 200 hours of life. My goal is to make a difference to at least one person,” he said.

 Both Li Cunxin and Ilyasi Siraji were, at one time, beneficiaries of Rotary.

 “I was on the receiving end of the great things Rotarians do. Coming from a third-world war-torn country, Rotary helped me integrate. I want to encourage them,” Ilyasi said.

 Li Cunxin said it was the opportunities given to him by Rotary that “helped me to change my views about the western world”.

 “It’s important to remind them what a difference they make.”

Grand Airshow celebrates 50 years of the Whitsunday Airport

 The Whitsunday skies were buzzing last weekend, with sights and sounds for the pleasure of all at the 2011 Grand Airshow.

 Planes on the ground and in the sky ranged from the World War II vintage heavy metal warbird Grumman Avenger to the homebuilt Savannah Ultralight, with a variety of rotary winged aircraft in between. Displays included precision aerobatics from Pitts Special bi-planes and the superb formation flying of the RAAF Roulettes.

 The show, which proved a highly popular community event, was also a celebration of the Whitsunday Airport’s 50^th birthday. The weather was glorious and it seemed as though the entire population of the Whitsundays had turned out to watch.

 Whitsunday Airport owner Jeffrey Ruddell described the event as “brilliant!”

 “It’s fantastic to see so many people – there’s been a huge crowd response. A lot of hard work has come to fruition for the enjoyment of many people – it makes me really happy,” Mr Ruddell said.

 Mr Ruddell was treated to a flight in the crowd-pulling Grumman Avenger, piloted by 2009 Australian unlimited aerobatics champion Paul Bennet, from MaxxG Aerobatics.

 Mr Bennet, who currently ranks second in the country, said he always enjoys flying in the Whitsundays, a feeling reiterated by Roulette Leader Glenn Canfield.

 “It’s absolutely fabulous scenery – we did a warm-up/practice-run over Hamilton Island and Whitehaven Beach prior to the show – it was a great view; beautiful water and terrain,” Mr Canfield said. To see the full feature on the Whitsunday Grand Airshow, pick up a copy of the Whitsunday Coast Guardian, available now at leading news agencies, service stations, Coles (Cannonvale) and the Chapman Street office in Proserpine.

Rotary holds Annual Conference in the Whitsundays

 Throughout the Labour Day long weekend Rotary District 9550 welcomed fellow Rotarians from North Queensland and the Northern Territory to the annual four-day conference held at the PCYC under the banner of  ‘building communities, bridging continents’.

 After a welcome reception held aboard Seaflight on Friday evening, the event was officially opened on Saturday by Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business Jan Jarratt, who said in ten years as Member for Whitsunday she had been “genuinely honored by the commitment of Rotary to this community.”

 Ms Jarratt said Rotary’s philosophy was “the embodiment of the mantra - think global, act local” and it was for this reason the “role of Rotary is still so relevant.”

 Nonetheless Rotary International President representative Stuart Heal stressed the importance to the organisation of adapting to changing trends of communication or risk becoming irrelevant to a younger audience.

   In attendance this weekend were many younger faces, notably 22 international members of the Rotary Youth exchange program, including Proserpine’s Marie Kallenberg (from Germany), who opened the conference with a parade of flags.

 The young ambassadors, emboldened with badges and smiles, carried their nation’s flags representing the Rotary ethos of building communities and bridging continents.

  Chair of the Youth Exchange Program for District 9550, Sandy McEachan, is calling for students interested in exchange or families keen to participate in hosting to apply for 2012.

Local talent at Wintermoon

 17-year-old Jessica Eriksson from Strathdickie turned more than a few heads at the WIntermoon singer/songwriter contest last weekend.

 Jessica’s song “An unwritten story” was written in the Whitsundays and performed at the festival to an appreciative audience.

 “The song is about growing up; about not knowing where I’ll be in life,” Jessica said.

 Jessica described her festival performance as “exhilarating”.

 “It’s good to play in front of people,” she said.

 Jessica made it through to the final heat of the competition, which saw her performing live on the main stage of Wintermoon on Sunday.

 Proud mum Wendy Eriksson was watching her daughter from the front row and videoing the momentous event.

 “It’s hard to hold a camera straight when you’ve got tears streaming down your face,” she said.

 Also flying the Whitsundays flag were Valerie and Leola Adams, whose joint clothing enterprise is part of the ‘Made in the Whitsundays’ campaign.

 “Our clothing is all individually cut and hand dyed by ourselves. It’s sewn locally and we use water-saving methods,” Valerie said.

 The mother and daughter team said this was their first time trading at the festival and they had been fairly well received.

 “Morally people are more aware theses days and do want to support locals and local manufacturing,” Valerie said.

 “We find at festivals like this people are very like-minded.”

World Tai Chi Day in the Whitsundays

 At 10am on Saturday morning the Whitsundays were at the forefront of a global focus on Tai Chi. A wave of Tai Chi, travelling across the world, began at 10am in New Zealand, progressing westward and finishing at 10am in Hawaii in celebration of World Tai Chi Day, which is held on the last Saturday in April every year.

 Around 40 people turned out to the foreshore at Airlie Beach (between the Sailing Club and lagoon), to participate in routines led by Sandy McBean from Queensland Health and Maureen Kovachik, a Tai Chi instructor with Queensland Keep Fit.

 In fact, the session proved so popular it is now likely to become a regular event, with many now recognising the health benefits associated with Tai Chi.

 The Whitsunday World Tai Chi Day initiative was organised by Whitsunday Regional Council (WRC) and funded by WRC and the Australian government as part of the ‘Healthy Active Whitsunday Region’ campaign.

 For more information on future sessions pick up a copy of the Whitsunday Coast Guardian, available now at leading news agencies, service stations, Coles (Cannonvale) and the Chapman Street office in Proserpine.