Past and present entice last-minute Chrismas shoppers in Whitsundays

A tea aptly named Christmas Eve, nostalgic wooden train sets, and second hand treasures at bargain prices – Proserpine’s Main Street has it all for anyone stuck for gift ideas this Christmas.

Cathy Selman from Epicure said blokes especially knew what they wanted this festive season and they weren’t afraid to spend up big on their loved ones.

"People are buying practical, better quality stuff. Something that is going to last.

"Men this year have been great customers. They come in, know exactly what they want and then ask us to keep it here, hidden until closer to Christmas. It's quite funny when we call them to tell them their gift is ready to be picked up, and you know the wife is in the background!" she said.

Epicure stocks a beautiful range of kitchenware from S&P which Ms Selman says is rare for northern shops.

"We are the only store north of Rockhampton that stocks the entire S&P catalogue range and we have some beautiful products in stock," she said.

Epicure is open every day until 6pm but hoping to close up by 5pm on the night before Christmas.

"We’re open by appointment as not everyone can make it in time so just call us," she said.

A little further up the street is Lifeline which has literally been a lifeline for those within a budget this year.

Lifeline’s Jodie Lee said the store stocked beautiful brand new silver plated rings, a lot of bric-a-brac and plenty of last minute festive ideas for Christmas.

"We’ve been selling a lot of costumers for Christmas parties. Plus we’ve got a lot of Santa hats and stuff for Christmas," Ms Lee said, adding, glass platters were proving popular.

Across the road is Cherrie Baby a shop packed full of stuff for babies, toddlers and mums.

"Parents are choosing gifts that will last a long time and gifts that can be used by all aged kids," said Kerry Roulston.

"Our tee pees are popular, same with our train track. They’re durable lasting products which means people don’t have a lot of money for frivolous things this year."

The shop where everything has a story boasts a tea which is designed to relax you – which might be handy if the home is packed full of relatives.

"Christmas eve tea by Mad Hatters range is brilliant," says Amanda Deering from Akiah Elan.

"We also have books on massage techniques and essential oils which make great presents, that will help to get the reflexology going and relax people," she said.

Ekiah Elan is open 9am until 6pm and by appointment.

1647 RBTs conducted in Whitsundays before Christmas

Twelve drink drivers were nabbed during an early Christmas police traffic operation over the weekend.

Police from the State Traffic Task Force and Roadside Drug Testing Unit were involved in Traffic Operation Paddington, which focussed on drink/drug driving, speed, seatbelts and fatigue, for three days last week.

Police covered the Whitsunday and Proserpine area, with Bowen, Proserpine and Mackay Traffic Branch, Mackay Tactical Crime Squad, Whitsunday and Proserpine Police also taking part.

The operation was also run in conjunction with the Christmas road safety campaign.

From 132 roadside drug tests, five offenders were caught while 12 drink drivers were stopped out of 1647 RBTs.

Seven people were found to be driving while unlicensed, 61 speeding tickets were issued and 16 people were caught not wearing a seatbelt.

On Friday 10.40pm a 29-year-old male from Western Australia was intercepted on Shute Harbour Road Cannonvale and BAC of .092.

The male was charged with drink driving and his licence was suspended for 24 hours.

On Saturday, at 7.52am the following morning the same male was intercepted on Shute Harbour road and gave a breath alcohol reading of .114 per cent and charged with drink driving and unlicensed driving. Then at 10.30am the male again drove along Shute Harbour Road. Police from the State Traffic Task Force have impounded the driver’s vehicle and charged him with unlicensed driving.

Whitsunday Airport officially opened

If we build it, they will come.

Whitsunday Mayor Mike Brunker, Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt and Acting Premier Andrew Fraser.

This was Acting Premier Andrew Fraser’s message to the community at the official celebration marking the completion of the $7 million airport upgrade.

Flanked by Member for Whitsunday and Tourism Minister Jan Jarratt, Mayor Mike Brunker and a myriad of dignitaries, the former local boy used his speech to celebrate the massive achievements of the community and the airport staff.

"First impressions really count and this new airport with room to grow and allow for future growth will be the well springs of the Whitsundays’ vital tourism industry," Acting Premier Andrew Fraser said.

"This re-development which is on the doorstep of a beautiful region, really puts the region’s best foot forward," he said.

Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt said she was really proud to welcome "local boy" Andrew Fraser back into the community he grew up amongst.

"We never lost sight of this vision and it has been worth the fight. There were some doubters but it was never me, Andrew or Mike. I want to thank each and every member of the community for having faith," she said.

"I cannot overstate how important first impressions are and this is fantastic. I have to thank the council and the workers," she said.

Mayor Mike Brunker opened his speech with his gratitude to council, staff and workers at the airport.

"This is the jewel in the crown to our region. The upgrade has battled floods, two cyclones and an earthquake, so it’s a bit delayed but the fact that it is complete is a real credit to the people on the ground," Mr Brunker said.

Fly in fly out options were discussed as was increasing the number of flights in and out of the airport.

"The sky’s the limit now," Cr Brunker said.

"It’s a remarkable achievement and we’re only going to get bigger and better."

Whitsundays gets into the spirit of Christmas

Embrace the true meaning of Christmas this week by buying a gift for a little boy or girl and putting it under the tree in the library.

The Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor’s Community Christmas Tree Toy Appeal is being extended until this Wednesday, December 21 in the hope there will be plenty for the Salvos to collect.

Council’s Mayor Mike Brunker said the appeal provided an opportunity for the community to donate new toys to assist families facing tough times over the Christmas period and will compliment other appeals occurring throughout the region,” he said.

“All toys will be donated back to the Salvation Army close to Christmas and they will distribute the items to families throughout the whole region.”

All gifts are extremely welcome and the community is asked to place a tag on the gift to indicate the age and gender of the recipient of the gift to assist with the distribution. Gifts can be taken to the local library in your community.

“The Whitsunday community has proven itself in the past to be extremely caring and generous, and this is a great way to help others who are doing it tough at what is such a special time of year,” Mayor Brunker said.

Challengers to take on Mayor Mike Brunker

The man who is tipped to be the next most likely contender to run for mayor says rumours he will ask Councillor Jennifer Whitney to stand down from her campaign are simply not true.

Anthony Maine whose background is in corporate marketing, moved from Sydney to the Whitsundays almost two years ago after selling his successful IT company to a major telco.

“Some people may be saying it out of vicious intent … others just get excited and run away with the story, but I haven’t even met Councillor Whitney yet and i honestly, have not yet even made up my mind whether or not I will run,” Mr Maine said.

Mr Maine’s story begins earlier this year after a series of discussions and meetings with Mike Brunker.

“I was seeing more and more that the Whitsunday region was sick, really sick. So I thought with my 35 years of experience in the world of corporate marketing, I would phone the mayor and go and see him, help him develop a plan because as far as I could see, nothing was fitting in,” he said.

“But they were just humouring me.”

Over the next few months, Mr Maine says the conversations around dinner tables at countless functions were constantly drifting towards concern with the current council.

“I knew they were looking for someone to stand … there were several meetings and names were thrown around but because of business responsibilities or the like, many felt they wouldn’t do it justice. Then there was another meeting and they came back to me and said they would like me to consider running for mayor.

“I didn’t put my hand up for the job. This is something I could never orchestrate myself. The community itself really needs a pat on the back for moving forward with a story and a redirection for the whole region,” said.

On the momentum of the story for the whole region, Mr Maine and his entourage held meetings in Bowen, Dingo Beach, Hydeaway Bay and Proserpine with Collinsville in their sights before Christmas.

“Now we met with a very wide field of key people and I am not going to say that they were marching as one against council wanting to pull the walls down, but there is a definite feel that they are not happy,” he said.

“The Whitsundays is not a homogenous unit. It is not just one thing … apart from the name. The social structure of Airlie Beach is completely different to that of Bowen so if we are going to put up a challenge for the mayoral position we have to be mindful of what the community wants and we are doing that by talking to people everywhere,” he said.

Mr Maine says after Christmas he would be announcing his decision.

“Do we really want this challenge and how are we going to pay for it? They are the fundamentals of it.

“I understand it would be a cheeky, gutsy move to spend 20 months in a place, get a feeling for it and think I might stand for mayor.

“But I am not that barefaced and it is the community who deserves the pat on the back for calling for this challenge.”

***

After hearing rumours of a possible candidate asking her to stand down, Councillor Jennifer Whitney reaffirmed her commitment to the community.

“I always knew it wasn’t going to be a one horse race. I had heard that someone might ask me to stand down but my clear intention is that I will not. I have the skills and knowledge to undertake this role. I have been working within the realms of local government since the early 1980s, and I know that I can hit the deck running,” Cr Whitney said.

Moving to the region from Mackay with her husband Shane in 1983, Ms Whitney said her long term history within local community groups had established mutual trust.

“I have been involved with this council since I moved here. I was secretary to the CEO and the Mayor from 1984 for 13 years until I decided to run for council and was successful in 1997.

“I ran for mayor in 2000 but I was unsuccessful, and in 2012 I am hoping the community will see what is in front of them and know that I will do my very best to put the community’s interests first. At the end of the day I am hoping people will see how dysfunctional we have been since amalgamation,” she said.

The woman who prides herself on honesty and integrity said she didn’t believe there were splinter groups within the community – just people who wanted to be able to trust their local council.

“These groups form because people feel they have been let down. They feel council is not listening,” she told the Guardian, adding she would welcome the opportunity to meet with Anthony Maine.

“If the community can’t see the offer in front of them then there is nothing I can do.

“Everyone who knows me realises my passion is for
the whole region and over the next few months I will be meeting with as many people as I can,” she
said.

LNP talks with Whitsunday small business operators

The inspirational life story of one of Proserpine’s oldest family-owned businesses was shared with the Shadow Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business Jann Stuckey on Monday afternoon.

Gray’s Timber Trusses and Frames’ co-owner Jeanette Gray treated Ms Stuckey to a pictorial-history tour of her family’s business when she pulled into the near 100-year-old mill as part of her tourism roadshow to promote the LNP’s 20-year-plan to get Queenlsand tourism back on track.

“In the Whitsundays especially, tourism and small business are intertwined. A lot of small business operators are actually tourism operators and as part of our roadshow we are finding out from the community exactly what red tape needs to be cut,” Ms Stuckey said.

Ms Gray said the lure of the mines was making it extremely difficult to find workers, across many industries.

“They had a big mining expo here and yes it was well attended but it’s so frustrating for us small business owners who are left to pick up the pieces,” Ms Gray said.

Ms Stuckey said the Labor government had put all its eggs in one mining basket and there were simply no guarantees that people were going to stay.

“The life of a miner is not for everyone,” she said.

Ms Stuckey met with tourism operators from Airlie Beach and talked about the detrimental fallout of the lagging airport upgrade.

“The last time I came here it looked like a dust bowl. Today it’s still not finished and in the past 12 months there’s hardly been an increase in flights,” she said.

Ms Stuckey said the industry had suffered under the policies of the tired, 20-year-old Labor government.

“The Whitsundays is a key tourism industry and has long been the envy of the rest of Australia. The LNP is committed to getting tourism back on track through a common sense plan that includes increasing overnight visitors' spending in Queensland to $30 billion by 2020, coordinated decision making in government and a special unit to encourage investment and infrastructure development,” she said.

LNP candidate for Whitsunday Jason Costigan said Sucrogen’s acquisition of the Proserpine Sugar Mill would no doubt put a lot of the region’s small business operators’ minds at ease.

“Like many people in the community, I am relieved this issue has been finally resolved, especially with Christmas almost upon us. Santa’s arrival had been threatened by some very dark clouds hovering over Proserpine but now we have certainty....not only for the mill but the town in general.”

Whitsunday MP Jan Jarratt said as horrible as it was for Campbell Newman to stand beside Jann Stuckey at a press conference and publicly disown her, she said she thought she was starting to understand his reasoning.

“The LNP is shamelessly selling Labor’s position as their own by adopting the visitor and expenditure targets already committed to by this Government.”

“Even worse, the LNP’s tourism “policy” uses pictures of Mexico to promote Queensland.”

“I’m not surprised Campbell Newman was outraged by this embarrassing error,” Ms Jarratt said.

Same Sex union bill great for Whitsunday tourism operators

Quoting the Bible in the gay marriage debate is no longer an argument says Greens candidate for Whitsunday Jonathan Dykyj who this week is imploring Christian faithfuls to read on.

"The Bible says marriage should be between a man and a woman. This is true, it does state this. But in the very next paragraph it says that marriage should be forever. If they are going to quote the verses why aren’t they out there advocating as strongly against the 50 per cent of couples now who get divorced," Mr Dykyj said.

Setting aside the extreme views that some community members hold on the same sex union debate, the Greens candidate welcomed Labor’s move to catch up with a motion the greens have been pushing for some time.

"It’s a good first step but the ultimate change in the marriage act cannot be done at the state level," he said.

"And why shouldn’t two consenting adults be able to have the same rights as others? Back in the day you couldn’t marry someone outside religion or race but times have changed … and that is basically because love transcends all barriers and bounds," he said.

Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt is sure clever local tourism operators are already working to capitalise on the new opportunity brought about by a same sex union bill passed in parliament last week.

The Guardian caught up with Ms Jarratt at the Whitsunday Coast Airport moments after she landed last Friday.

"This (bill) not only bolsters "brand Queensland" by promoting our state as a friendly and tolerant destination, it delivers a very practical economic boost," she said.

"The Whitsundays is internationally renowned as an unbeatable wedding destination and for the family and friends of same-sex couples it will certainly be much easier to attend a ceremony in Queensland, rather than having to travel interstate or overseas."

Ms Jarratt says research shows the niche market actually represents one of the fastest growing and most profitable tourism segments in the international travel industry.

"This market likes to travel and has the money and flexibility to travel frequently," she said.

LNP candidate for Whitsunday Jason Costigan says he is terribly disappointed with the outcome of the vote.

"Labor’s Jan Jarratt and the tree-huggers who’ve been holding this country to ransom might be jumping for joy but I’m certainly not."

"This vote served two purposes for Labor – firstly, to distract people from the real issues such as cost-of-living pressures and secondly, to score Greens preferences to keep people like Andrew Fraser in the Parliament," Mr Costigan said.

"I maintain that marriage is between a man and a woman, simple as that. Even traditional Labor voters must be thinking...the Labor Party is off its head."

"I wonder what the response would be from various church groups, ministers, etc, in the local community?

"I’m sure they’d love to weigh into this debate."

Whitsunday woman vies for seat on council

Young mothers who move to the Whitsundays and are left feeling isolated after their FIFO husbands go to work in the mines will be one of the focus points of one woman’s campaign as she vies for a seat on local council.

As a social worker in a community centre, Carol Van der Gaag from Cannonvale hears the plight of many young mothers who move to the region and live theoretically like single parents.

“Even though they are not single parents … their husbands might be away for up to seven days at a time and young families start to feel isolated. I want to start running focus groups with these young mums so we can find out exactly what they want and inevitably keep them in the Whitsundays! Otherwise we are at great risk of losing this younger generation,” Ms Van der Gaag said.

While retaining the work force and the social aspect of the younger generation is high on Ms Van der Gaag's priority list, she also feels an unchanged roundtable of councillors will put the community at even greater risk.

Ms Van der Gaag says every cent of council money spent needs to generate money back into the town.

“I am running for Division 2 which is predominately Cannonvale with Airlie Beach as its feeder. The community is worse off now than four years ago. More shops are empty, tourism is struggling and all council can think about is pouring $17m into bitumen for the main street! We need to find ways to encourage shop owners to spruce up their shop fronts – perhaps by rate reliefs, planting big trees instead of bitumen, broaden the pavement. There are a lot of great ideas which will in turn make money for the town. It needs to value add to the community,” she said.

Ms Van der Gaag feels all this can be accomplished with a fresh new team of business minded entrepreneurs.

“Council has lost control over two of the biggest projects in Airlie’s history… The Whitsundays is a beautiful place to live and we can bring it back to where it was. We just need a new team that thinks outside the box! I have a great deal of respect for Jennifer Whitney and I would be happy to work on a council with her as mayor. I am certain the current council does not work ... we deserve better. We need a new team with new ideas to stimulate economic growth and create jobs for the area.”

Whitsunday motorists benefit from new overtaking lanes

Whitsunday residents who are commuting to Mackay for work will welcome the news that four new overtaking lanes will be built between Proserpine and the mining city over the next two years.

Tourism Minister and Local Member Jan Jarratt joined Main Roads Minister Craig Wallace to officially turn the first sod on the $6.57m project on Friday morning.

Mr Wallace said the project was an important part of the government's plans to upgrade the highway.

"The Bruce Highway is the backbone of the Queensland roads network and supports regional economies and population growth into the future," Mr Wallace said.

"A project like this is not just a roads investment – motorists who use the highway will be able to get to work that much quicker, get to school before the bell rings and travellers will get to their holidays quicker!

"The Mackay and Whitsunday region is experiencing significant growth and it’s important our roads are upgraded to meet that growth."

Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt welcomed the start of construction, which is scheduled for completion in August 2012, weather permitting.

"There are more than 4000 vehicles a day using this stretch of road, and 18 per cent of these are trucks, so it’s important to provide safe overtaking lanes for motorists," Ms Jarratt said.

LNP candidate for Whitsunday Jason Costigan who has been heralding the need for overtaking lanes for some time now, said even if the two new overtaking lanes were built within the two-year promised time frame, there still wouldn't be a northbound overtaking lane anywhere between Bloomsbury and the Burdekin River.

"That's a distance of more than 200 kilometres!" Mr Costigan said.

"Is this the same Minister who recently got confused between Sandy Gully, north of Bowen, and Sandy Corner, up in the Burdekin?

"I welcome any moves to improve road safety and the state of the Bruce Highway but this is nothing more than a last-ditch attempt by Labor to hang onto the seat of Whitsunday, a seat they’ve taken for granted for almost two decades.

"Why haven’t these overtaking lanes come to fruition years ago?" he said.

"If elected, I will fight to change this by working closely with my North Queensland-based ‘Can Do’ LNP colleagues, the likes of Burdekin MP Rosemary Menkens and Hinchinbrook MP Andrew Cripps, to get our fair share of funding for the Bruce Highway in North Queensland and that includes more overtaking lanes, flood-proofing in places such as Goorganga and Lethebrook and more rest stops to combat driver fatigue."

Schoolies spend up in the Whitsundays

An army of dedicated volunteers is stepping up its safety campaign ahead of the arrival of more than 3000 school leavers who are making their annual pilgrimage to the Whitsundays this weekend.

Whitsunday Regional Council’s manager of community development and projects Deborah Carrington, who has been heavily involved with Whitsunday Schoolies for a couple of years now, says you can’t hold back the tide – but you can put safety measures in place.

“Some people in the community say we are encouraging a party. But we are not. We can’t put our heads in the sand, thousands of kids are coming here to the Whitsundays so we have to prepare. Whitsundays Schoolies does not market the words event and party – we are a “safety response” and we have the support of police, emergency services, the Red Frogs, business owners, nights spots, ambulance officers, SES – everyone!” Ms Carrington said

While Whitsundays Schoolies is an alcohol and drug-free zone, Ms Carrington said unfortunately there would always be the few who engaged in risky behaviour.

“There will be a high police presence and child safety officers at the beach over the weekend. And those who choose to engage in risky behaviour, we want to arm them with enough information to keep them as safe as possible. We will be especially linking the message about how alcohol can lead to sexual assault. Basically don’t leave your drink unattended and never accept a drink from another person,” she said.

Schoolies Central will be the focal point of the five day party which officially begins on Saturday but will be gathering partygoers from as early as today.

Schoolies Central has two focus areas which are the registration marquee and the chill out zone which Ms Carrington says are still needing the help of volunteers.

“Because its only a few days until the response program kicks off we can only accept people who already have a blue card. But yes we need more volunteers.”

Ms Carrington says the nightspot owners in Airlie’s main street have been in perfect harmony with council’s response approach.

“The managers at Magnums have been to our emergency services meetings. They know all the tricks in the book about how kids try to get into night clubs.

“The message is that we want to ensure the kids who come here - get home safely again to their families,” she said.

Visit the website, www.whitsundayschoolies.qld.gov.au for more of information.

Opposition to Airlie land swap

The Whitsunday Rate Payers Association (RPA) and Save our Foreshores (SOF) have joined forces and are planning a class action against the local and state government if they proceed with the controversial "landswap" decision in Airlie’s main street.

RPA secretary Tony Moscato said over 90 per cent of the community were against the land swap decision and would fight to keep the foreshore area in the community’s control.

"At the end of the day it will be good for locals and visitors alike. We want to retain the ownership in the control of the community and the best way we know to do this is if council owns the facility. We don’t want it sold to private enterprise," Mr Moscato said.

The plight of RPA and SOF has attracted the attention of the Federal Member for Dawson George Christensen and the LNP candidate for Whitsunday Jason Costigan.

Mr Christensen told the Guardian he had called on the minister for regional Australia to take a look at exactly how the federal funding was being used.

"A number of residents have raised valid questions with me that deserve answering.

"They want to know why the plan is to deliberately put a kink in a perfectly straight road. They have been told it is to open up a view, which would then be partially blocked by a four-storey building," Mr Christensen said.

"The community’s opposition stopped a similar proposal some years ago and it appears Mayor Mike Brunker and the Labor Minister Jan Jarratt are quashing public opinion.

"The Federal funding is supposed to be for the benefit of the community and the community should have a say in what that benefit is," he said.

"I have simply suggested the Minister should ask the council to conduct a proper survey of the community and heed its results.

LNP Candidate for Whitsunday Jason Costigan reiterates he is "all for the revitalisation" of Airlie’s main street and always has been.

"After all, Airlie has been to hell and back and we need to get the town back on a pedestal, like the Airlie of old. Anyone who says I’m against the upgrade must think I’m against Christmas. Who are these people? Are they Labor stooges or members of the Jarratt/Brunker fan club?," Mr Costigan said.

The debate here is about the land swap, Costigan says, which has been endorsed by the Labor Member for Whitsunday and the Labor-leaning Mayor of Whitsunday.

" I believe the land swap isn’t necessary and isn’t wanted, reflected by the views of more and more local people, including members of the Whitsunday Ratepayers Association. What we need is a straight out resumption, just like what happened in Townsville where a McDonalds restaurant was resumed to make way for the redevelopment of Flinders Street.

" I am not alone in this fight and I’m very pleased to have the support of Federal MP George Christensen and Airlie’s resident Councillor Cr Jan Clifford who, let’s not forget, was kept out of the original planning group back in 2009.

"The ratepayers, I know, won’t be going away and nor will the LNP’s ‘Can Do’ man for Whitsunday."

Decision imminent for Airlie main street

 Airlie main street submissions to the office of local MP Jan Jarratt have now closed, with the tourism minister expected to make an announcement by the end of the week.

 At the time of going to press on Tuesday afternoon Ms Jarratt was in the process of reviewing more than 100 formal submissions. While the minister had yet to make a decision she also ruled out an extension, requested by the Whitsunday Ratepayers Association, until November 4.

 “The original design concept has been out for discussion for more than a year and I have previously made it clear that October 31 would be the deadline for submissions. I have spoken with the Whitsunday Ratepayers Association committee’s president and committed to accepting their submission, provided it is received by tomorrow,” Ms Jarratt said.

 “I believe our town needs an expedient resolution on this matter and I intend to deliver that,” she said.

 Save Our Foreshore president Suzette Pelt said over 1,063 local people had signed objection letters (to the idea of a land swap and proposal for a four-storey hotel) to date.

 “The public oppose this so-called land swap for good reason and have come out and made their wishes known. The Minister must consider the Land Act’s guiding principles which are founded on the duty of the State Government to “protect the public interest” in the use of State Land on behalf of all Queenslanders. There is clearly no overwhelming community support for the proposal for any public land swap,” Ms Pelt said.

 “Last week’s successful four-day Reef Festival is just one example of how this site benefits the whole town and its organisers are to be congratulated.  There is nowhere else like it,” she said.

Strathdickie couple christen Whitsundays' white whale

 Strathdickie residents Barry Brant and Lorraine Alexandrou have a self-skippered five-night sailing trip in their sights, as winners of the official competition to name the Whitsundays’ baby white whale.

 Mr Brant’s suggestion of “Chalkie” for the white whale calf’s name was selected by a panel of judges from a total of 599 unique and creative entries, submitted to Tourism Whitsundays over the past two weeks.

 Mr Brant said he chose the name because of the colour of chalk.

 “I just thought that chalk in its natural state is white and I thought it was cute,” he said.

 Tourism Whitsundays CEO Peter O’Reilly said the judges particularly liked the name because of its relevance to Chalkie’s Beach on Haslewood Island, which along with Whitehaven boasts beautiful white, silica sand.

 “Ultimately we chose Chalkie because of it’s double meaning – with chalk being white like the baby whale, and also there is a Chalkie’s Beach in the Whitsundays with stunning white sand near where the whale was first spotted,” Mr O’Reilly said.

“While a number of entrants suggested a similar name, the spelling ‘Chalkie’ was chosen to be the same as the beach, and Mr Brant was the only entrant to suggest the name spelt that way,” he said.

Mr Brant owns a motorboat but has never been sailing before and says he is looking forward to the “peace and serenity – just getting away from it all”.

Whitsunday Escape General Manager Trevor Rees said there was even a chance Mr Brant might spot Chalkie during the charter, which will take place in July/August next year.

 “Sailing through the Whitsundays is beautiful any time of the year, but we really hope that Barry and his friends are able to spot ‘Chalkie’ on their trip, during what is some of the best weather of the year in the Whitsundays and peak whale watching season here,” he said.

 There are now plans to establish a Facebook fan page for Chalkie so that whale watchers can post their photos and track sightings of the rare and unique whale as it grows up.

Whitsunday real estate agents join fight against insurance premium hikes

 Harcourts real estate agents Robyn Tyson (managing director) and Sharon Dewsbury (consultant) have joined the ongoing fight against body corporate insurance premium hikes.

 Ms Tyson said units with outgoings, sometimes in excess of $10,000 a year, were now becoming harder to sell.

 “Traditionally (these types of) units were often taken up by retirees, but what retiree can afford ongoing costs of $10,000 a year on a pension?” Ms Tyson said.

 “I think it is interesting that most of the insurance claims prepared by our office after the cyclones were related to trees down and fencing damage. Homes and in particular units had no damage to remark of. But these are the very clients that have seen their insurances double if not treble as well as rates increase,” she said.

 “How do you convince an investor to purchase a unit or a home when there is such extraordinary fixed costs per year to take on board? Insurance companies should be taking our money and investing wisely so that they can ride the storms so to speak not put up insurance premiums to ensure their profitability.”

 Ms Dewsbury said the current situation was not sustainable, with homeowners now forced to spend existing funds and levies on increased insurance premiums instead of building maintenance and upgrades.

 “There’s simply not enough money to do both. If this isn’t rectified, in the long term we’re going to have an awful lot of shabby buildings that are non-compliant,” Ms Dewsbury said.

 Executive for the Queensland Insurance Division (QUID) of Whitsunday Ratepayers Association (WRA) Lester Riley, said Harcourts was the first real estate agency to speak out.

 Mr Riley said QUID was currently working with federal government representatives but had yet to see any action from the state.

 “Warren Entsch (chief opposition whip) and George Christensen (federal member for Dawson) have responded at a federal government level and are in there fighting for us. Why can’t the state do the same?” he asked.

 Ms Dewsbury said it was now up to homeowners to take a stand.

 “We’ve got locals here in town who own a unit in a body corp, that never go to a body corp meeting and take part.

 “I think we need to bring it to the awareness of REIQ (Real Estate Institute Queensland) and the head offices of franchises like Harcourts Qld, but (essentially) it’s the owners of units that are the ones who need to pull their heads out of the sand and speak out. A real estate agency could then support that,” she said.

 For more information contact lesterriley1@gmail.com

Whitsundays man appointed to Tourism Queensland board

 For local man Adrian Bram, an appointment to the board of Tourism Queensland (TQ) marks the realisation of a 20-year dream.

 “It’s been an ambition of mine to be on the board of TQ for over two decades, having previously held some senior positions with the WA tourism commission including media and industry affairs manager, regional director Asia (based in Singapore) and regional director Europe (based in London),” Mr Bram said.

 Mr Bram originally sailed into the Whitsundays and has called the region home since 1996.

 “I decided that I really didn’t need to go too much further on the planet,” he said, detailing the commencement of a colourful career locally, including the role of international sales manager with the previous incarnation of TW, and involvement at management levels in the crewed and now bareboat charter industries.

 Mr Bram said he felt it was important for the Whitsundays to have representation on the board of TQ.

 “For a place like the Whitsundays, which is primarily dependant on tourism for employment it’s critical to have a voice on that table.

 “In these trying times it’s (also) critical that the state’s peak tourism body, which manages millions of dollars of taxpayer funds, channels that investment into the right areas. It’s an enormous privilege to have the opportunity to participate in that process,” he said.

 Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business Jan Jarratt welcomed Mr Bram as one of two new appointments to the TQ Board.

 “As the General Manager of Cumberland Charter Yachts, Adrian has an acute understanding of the needs of regional tourism operators and has a long history of working with government,” Ms Jarratt said.    

Airlie Beach business wins TNT award

 One of Airlie’s longest standing booking agencies won a prestigious award in Sydney last week, thanks to nominations by the very customers it serves.

 Owner/director of airliebeach.com Travel and Internet Centre, Tony Laurent, said the 17-year-old business picked up the “best small travel agent in Australia” award at the “Golden Backpackers Awards” organised by international young travellers’ magazine TNT.

 “This was an a-political competition, which was about votes from customers so we were over the moon (to win),” Mr Laurent said.

 “We have a very simple mantra – put the right people on the right trips and in the right accommodation and they come back happy. That’s the thing my wife and I have always adhered to. We’ve always said that honesty and integrity are what it’s all about and we’re lucky to have great local Whitsundays staff that reflect those principles,” he said.

 “I’m very proud of them (the staff) and I’m proud of the recognition they justly deserve.”

 Mr Laurent said winning the award was also a coup for the Whitsundays as a whole.

 “It’s a wonderful reflection on the region. The standard of operators here is very good. Here you’re not so much a travel agent as a facilitator.

 “There’s a lot of quiet achievers here in Airlie Beach. We just have to feel good about ourselves and our region and present it in a genuine way,” he said.

Whitsunday Game Fish Club hosts light tackle tournament

 The Whitsunday Game Fish Club’s 2011 light tackle tournament was once again a huge success with 28 boats and more than 90 anglers taking part.

 “It was a fantastic weekend and we’re going to start planning for the next one straight away,” said club president Bob Spees.

 The three-day competition ran from Friday to Sunday (inclusive) last week, with weather conditions proving reasonably favorable for the event. Species caught included sailfish, black marlin, Spanish and shark mackerel, longtail and mac tuna, barracuda, cobia, wahoo and shark.

 “There were three billfish caught and probably 30 raised, but they were very shy on the bite,” Mr Spees said.

 Skipper Ashley Matthews from the overall winning team on “Reel Work” described the competition’s shotgun start on Friday morning as “quite spectacular”.

 “Boats blasting off to the horizon in search of big fish, the adrenalin pumping and of course bragging rights of winning the shotgun start are always discussed back at the club on the Friday night!” Mr Matthews said.

 Fellow competitor Bryan Harries, who came fourth overall, agreed the weekend was as much about a spirit of fun as catching fish.

 “It’s not just about the fishing – it’s about everyone at the club getting together and having a good time,” he said.

 Mr Harrie’s son Ben won the prize for champion junior angler, scoring 200 points to win this category.

 “The kids had a good time – they loved it,” Mr Harries said.

 For Scott Grigg and the crew of Bonejara the competition was a win-win event, with the boys taking out the prizes for champion team (under 7 metres) and largest tuna (caught by Jason Bourke), as well as coming third in the Calcutta and winning the “Renegade” raffle prize worth $2,750.

 “We didn’t expect to win that much but we knew we had a chance. We put a lot of work in. We worked out a plan before the competition and stuck to it and it paid off,” Scott said.

 Mr Spees said organisers took great satisfaction in the tournament’s success.

 “Everyone wants to come back next year and that’s a big thrill,” he said.