Whitsunday Tourism Awards honour industry's best

 Nearly 300 guests attended the 2011 Whitsunday Tourism Awards, with this year’s red carpet rolled out at the Whitsunday Airport for a night of celebrations with an aeronautical theme.

 Tourism Whitsundays’ CEO Peter O’Reilly made a spectacular seaplane entrance flanked by his wife Megan and the evening’s emcees. Ben Southall (fresh from his ‘best expedition in the world’) and Bruce “Hoppo” Hopkins (all the way from ‘Bondi Rescue’) were on hand for the presentation of 21 awards, paying tribute to the achievements of the Whitsunday tourism industry’s best.

 “It’s been a tough year (for the tourism industry) and this is a night to honour those who’ve gone the extra mile,” said Mr O’Reilly in his opening speech.

 Mr O’Reilly also commented on the tough job faced by the panel of independent judges, responsible for allocating each of the awards.

 “The standard and competiveness of the applications this year was exceptionally high. A number of the awards came down to just a handful of points,” he said.

 “The high quality of submissions shows just how hard we are working to promote the Whitsundays to the rest of the world.”

 Impassioned acceptance speeches were the flavour of the night with industry stakeholders encouraging each other to stay strong.

 Manager of Villa Botanica Janet Hogan, who was also celebrating the eve of her company’s 150^th wedding, said maybe Charles Darwin was wrong.

 “It’s not about survival of the fittest – it’s about co-operation and working together – understanding that each one of us is just a very small part of a larger organism – the Airlie Beach community,” Ms Hogan said.

 Especially notable award winners included young achiever Emily Smart and Volunteer Ambassador Co-ordinator Judi Dunn, who received a standing ovation for her “outstanding contribution by a volunteer”.

 “My husband is not going to believe this  - I am so touched I don’t know what to say,” Ms Dunn announced as she accepted her award.

 Ms Dunn was one of a handful of ladies whose high standards of fashion gave rise to an impromptu “best dressed” competition, with Caroline Allen eventually taking the crown.

 The evening was catered for by Fish D’Vine, with after dinner entertainment by the 1RAR band, who ensured that the Whitsunday tourism industry kicked up its collective heels.

Fish D'Vine the "best fish n chip shop" in Airlie Beach

 Fish D’Vine is back in business and its larger-than-life seafood entrepreneur Kev Collins is more passionate than ever about the future of Airlie Beach. The phoenix of the Whitsundays has literally risen from the ashes of his once smouldering restaurant and rum bar to repair, rejuvenate and reopen his doors.

 More than 1,400 people entered the ballot for just 200 tickets to Fish D’Vine’s re-opening party on Monday night, where Mr Collins, his business partner Rebecca Clark and “Rum ambassador” Mark Wyatt thanked the community for its ongoing support.

 “On May 17 the ABC had a news story that said a fish and chip shop had burnt down in Airlie Beach. Talk about adding insult to injury,” Mr Collins quipped.

 Local MP and Tourism Minister Jan Jarratt was on hand to cut the ribbon and officially reopen what she says “must be the best fish and chip shop in Queensland!”

 “The Premier signed off for me to leave cabinet early today because she knows how important this is. You are a symbol of hope and as you’ve risen from the ashes so shall the tourism industry in Airlie Beach,” Ms Jarratt said.

 Ms Jarratt revealed to Monday night’s crowd that it was actually at Fish D’Vine some seven years ago, she first had a date with one Ziggy Ziegler, who is now of course the love of her life.

 Kev and his team made special acknowledgement of the emergency services (many of whom were present at the event) and Keith from Oceanic Insurance.

 “If it hadn’t been for the fact we used a local insurance broker who understood our business we probably wouldn’t have our business now.” 

 “Shop local. It makes a big difference,” he said.

Whitsunday Boat and Lifestyle Show draws crowds

 The Whitsunday Boat and Lifestyle Show was declared a great success by the vast majority of organisers, exhibitors and attendees who participated in the weekend-long event.

 Rotary President Alan Robinson confirmed that in spite of tough economic times the show had proven itself financially viable, with a small excess to be returned to the community.

 “I believe we’ve covered costs and I believe there’ll be a small surplus which will go back to the community,” he said.

 Mr Robinson said in all he was “very happy” with the event, and particularly the new Port of Airlie site.

 “It’s close to the water, you’ve got sea views, it’s more visitor friendly and there’s more things for people to do,” he said.

 Mr Robinson said he felt the show had been well attended and was also “good for the town”.

 “It’s been a huge effort by the Rotarians and we’d like to thank each and every one of them,” Mr Robinson said.

 The show was a mix of on and off water displays, presentations, family activities and even helicopter joy flights and a seafood festival, to round things off.

 Kev Collins, who organised the seafood festival in collaboration with other organisations such as Whitsunday Food Services, said it had “added another element that I think has been appreciated”.

 “We’ve fed well over 1,000 people in the two days and it’s gone really smoothly,” he said.

 Media Liaison officer John Nayler said exhibitors had reported achieving new leads, “and not surprisingly they’re from the mining sector”.

 “That’s evidence to us that we’ve done our job and brought people to town,” Mr Nayler said.

Fire at Fish D'Vine

One of the Whitsunday’s premiere dining venues has been extensively damaged by fire, which ripped through the two-storey building early on Monday morning.

 The kitchen at the newly opened Fish D’Vine on the corner of Shute Harbour Road and the Esplanade in Airlie Beach was engulfed in fames when firies arrived at the scene just after 1am.

 Business owner Kevin Collins said he was first on the scene after the security company had called to notify the alarm had been activated.

 “I thought maybe someone was trying to break in but when I got here the kitchen was well and truly on fire,” Mr Collins said.

 “I had the fire hose in one hand and my mobile in the other calling Triple-0. I was scared.

 “The police got here then the firies…but there’s basically nothing left of the kitchen and the entire place is smoke damaged,” Mr Collins said.

 Police and forensic investigators were at the scene on Monday to determine the cause of the two fires, the second one sparking later that morning, the firies said, in a dryer under the building’s stairwell.

 While Fish D’Vine has been a popular venue in the Whitsundays for some seven years, recently moving from the Esplanade into their prominent corner position some 18 months ago, Mr Collins said it would only be a matter of time before they were up and running once again.

 “Well we managed to save the rum!” he said, “So when we re-open, bigger and better, we’ll celebrate with smoked mackerel and rum,” he joked.