Cape York figurehead Noel Pearson will this week kick off a campaign to raise awareness about the proposal to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the constitution. He’ll appear in Wujal Wujal on Wednesday, calling for a grassroots movement. Details – Page 5
CAPE York police are urging local residents to avoid driving on the roads as the wet season kicks in, causing rivers to flood and dirt roads to turn into quagmires.
Parts of the Cape copped a huge
amount of rain last week, with Weipa recording its wettest day in five years on Friday with 237mm measured at the airport.
“Now is not the time to be getting in the car and driving,” said Acting Cape Inspector Dave Perry.
“The roads are wet, the creeks
and rivers are up and you’re more likely going to be needed to be rescued than getting to your destination. It’s just not worth the risk.”
For those living in Cooktown, Hope Vale and the southern Cape, the Mulligan Highway to Mareeba has remained open, however the
McLeod River near Mt Carbine did come up on Sunday for a short period of time.
The other major rivers are all up, with the Archer, Wenlock and Laura crossings all impassable at the time of writing on Monday.
Big wet hits Cape – Page 2
including Cairns and the Gulf of Carpentaria, reaching south into Longreach and possibly Mackay.
The Cape is already soaked after constant rain since Christmas Day.
Southwell Station 758.2mm
Rocky Point (Weipa) 716.6mm
Weipa Airport 705.8mm
Ex-tropical cyclone Ellie is currently still over the Northern Territory after wreaking havoc in Western Australia, with falls of 80mm-100mm on Sunday night.
In coming days, the remnant of the system will move to Queensland, bringing widespread rain and thunderstorms to northern, central, and eastern parts of the state.
Dean Narramore from the Bureau of Meteorology said the main centre of the weather activity would be around the tropical north,
Weipa recorded its wettest day in five years on Friday when 237mm was dumped on the town in just a few hours after lunch.
“That’s a really good soaking,” said Weipa Town Authority chair Michael Rowland, who said he tipped out 245mm from his rain gauge in Nanum.
Ironically, the community which recorded the most rain in 2022 has been relatively dry.
Lockhart River has received just 202mm since Christmas.
RAAF Base Scherger 699.8mm
Kowanyama 672.2mm
Bramwell Roadhouse 581mm
Moreton 555.6mm
Piccaninny Plains 475mm
Merluna Station 444mm
Cape Flattery 443.4mm
Horn Island 428.6mm
Cooktown Airport 415mm
Archer River 387.4mm
Mount Carbine 284mm
Coen Airport 274.2mm
Lockhart River 202.2mm
AURUKUN police officers are gradually making arrests and recovering stolen property after a large number of locals broke into the town’s supermarket last week.
Acting Inspector Dave Perry said Aurukun police were working with Elders, community members, Police Liaison Officers and support agencies following a disturbance on January 2
which saw property stolen from the local store.
Around 8pm, police received reports of a large number of people entering the Island and Cape supermarket.
Police attended the scene but were initially unable to enter due to the crowd behaviour, which included someone throwing a brick through the rear window of the police vehicle.
The crowd dispersed with some stealing property from
the store, including a significant quantity of cigarettes, electrical goods and cash.
Extensive damage was also caused to the business when the alleged offenders gained access through the roof.
“We’ve already recovered a large amount of property and have five offenders on seven charges at the moment,” Acting Inspector Perry said.
“It’s an ongoing investigation but we’re confident of catching
the 10 main offenders over the next few weeks.”
The supermarket was closed the day after the break-in, but has since re-opened.
Acting Inspector Perry said the offenders were hurting their own community.
“Everyone relies on this store, which is why we’ve had great cooperation from the community when it comes to identifying and apprehending the alleged offenders,” he said.
By MATT NICHOLLS
JUST a handful of days.
That’s how long pictures were made available of the Archer River causeway on the Queensland Traffic website before being removed last week.
It’s a move that has frustrated Cape York motorists.
The camera images were able to provide an accurate depiction of the river level, which helped motorists decide on whether to leave home or stay put.
The state government has put cameras on most of the major creeks and rivers throughout the Cape and can access them at any time.
However, images from just a select few are published online.
Northern Cape motorists say that images from Myall Creek, the Archer River and Morehead River should be made public.
The Bureau of Meteorology publishes the Archer River level on its website using data from the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water.
However, the water levels on the BoM site in relation to the causeway are incorrect.
Archer River Roadhouse’s Brad Allan said the measurement had been out by “up to a metre” this wet season.
The Department says the
river levels are accurate, however acknowledged the line on the graphic indicating the height of the causeway may have been incorrectly calculated by either Cook Shire or the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
“The DRDMW gauging station 922001A Archer River at Telegraph Crossing measures the water height of the watercourse directly adjacent to the gauging station, which is about 3km from the PDR causeway,” a Department spokeperson said.
“The quality of the data being collected at this site has been checked and verified.
“The site was last visited by staff on November 23, 2022, in
preparation for the wet season.
“The flood indicator marker on the PDR causeway was not installed by DRDMW and may have been placed there by TMR or Cook Shire Council as an indicator of the height above the causeway.
“This is not linked to the height data collected by the DRDMW Archer River gauging station.
“Any further enquiries about the flood indicator markers or cameras should be directed to TMR or Cook Shire Council.”
● Cook Shire publishes images from some cameras on its Disaster Dashboard, although the Archer is not one of them.
THE LNP’s transport spokesman has spoken out against the state government’s handling of the Archer River bridge construction after it was revealed the project had blown out from $32.3m to $44.8m.
Responding to articles written by Cape York Weekly, the LNP’s Steve Minnikin put questions to the government last year and received a response last week.
In the statement, Transport Minister Mark Bailey said “significant geotechnical challenges were identified” at the site.
“To overcome these challenges, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has had to make changes to the design and construction methodology, which will increase construction cost and delay completion.
“The scope of the Archer
River Crossing and Archer River Crossing Southern Approach projects remains unchanged.”
Mr Minnikin said Cape York deserved better.
“This is yet another example of the Palaszczuk Government being unable to build infrastructure on time or on budget,” the Chatsworth MP said.
“The Transport Minister’s shopping list of excuses is a cop-
out to Far North Queenslanders.
“The state government has been in power for eight years and the Transport Minister’s nauseating blame game shows how out of touch he is.
“The Archer River Crossing is a crucial project for the Cape York region and Mark Bailey needs to publicly outline how and when it will be completed.”
– story by Matt Nicholls
EIGHT spacious two-bedroom units in Cooktown’s CBD have been given the green light, with Cooktown RSL Memorial Club planning to have the first four built in 2023 to ease the crippling housing shortage.
Four two-storey townhouses slated for construction in 2023 would be the first of three stages in the development, on a half-acre block on the corner of Hogg and Hope streets, club treasurer Janne Stewart said.
“The RSL Club is committed to giving back as much as we can to the community, and we thought it would be a good idea to invest in some housing,” she said.
“We’ve noticed some of our staff can’t get accommodation, and there are other local people struggling.”
Ms Stewart said the development would likely be managed by a real estate agent, but the club wanted the accommodation to be rented by individuals, not tied up in long-term government leases.
“We aren’t in the business of making money out of it, the rent might pay the rates, but the main thing is there will be more accommodation,” she said.
“It’s going to be nice mid-range
accommodation and we aren’t going to charge a bucket load for it either.”
Stage two will include two single-storey attached two-bedroom units, with another two units to be built in the third and final stage.
The block includes an existing tenanted house, which is likely to remain onsite for the time being.
Retired long-time builder and club committee member Adam Henderson said the units were designed to give tenants maximum privacy.
“The site could have held about 20 units under the town plan, but to make it more acceptable and private, which is very important in a unit complex, we went with eight well-designed units,” he said.
Although now retired, Mr Henderson has been working closely with Cairns-based architects Clarke and Prince to ensure the development meets the needs of the town and the club.
Each unit will have a private courtyard, garden shed and garage, with balconies on the townhouses.
“We have a six-year development application, so we aren’t in a rush, but hopefully we’ll start stage one (this year),” he said.
Cook Shire Council approved the club’s development application at its December meeting.
HOPE Vale’s Noel Pearson will start the first of likely many Cape York talks in Wujal Wujal this week, preaching the benefits of an Indigenous Voice in parliament enshrined in the constitution.
The Albanese government is making the Voice one of its top priorities, with a nationwide vote on changing the constitution possible as early as August.
Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said the government plans to introduce legislation in March to set up the referendum.
She said the “yes” campaign would begin in late February.
“Once that all mobilises, I think we’re going to have a country that’s ready for change,” she said.
Mr Pearson, a strong advocate for the Voice, will speak in Wujal Wujal tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss the power of a grassroots movement in communities across Australia, including Cape York.
“After generations of being powerless in policy decisions and the matters affecting us, Bama now have an opportunity to harness the power of our collective voices,” the poster for Mr Pearson said.
Wujal Wujal residents are invited to meet for lunch under the big mango tree at noon to hear from Mr Pearson, with a wet weather option also booked.
No email address or internet? – that’s fine too. We combine the best in on and offline communications to ensure ALL of our clients are fully catered for.
If you are just after a market update or wanting to have a chat please call. To make decisions you need good accurate information! Our team are here to assist you with professional and friendly service. Like elsewhere, our market is pretty hot right now with an increasing number of properties going straight from appraisal and listing to sale within the same day. With our current high turnover of listings, we have qualified buyers who are waiting for the right property and are ready to go. Your property may be our next sale contract.
Cooktown offers excellent rental returns on investment properties or be an owner occupier and enjoy our amazing lifestyle in this pristine part of the world.
By MATT NICHOLLS
BEING cut off from the outside world is just something that comes with the territory for most of Cape York’s cattle stations.
And for many of the remaining graziers on the Peninsula, it’s the best time of year.
“I’ll probably be stuck here until after Easter and that doesn’t worry me one bit,” said Richard Price, the owner of Southwell Station.
“I’ve been here since 1985 and I love it here in the wet season.”
The father of five daughters has his youngest, Rebecca, 18, to keep him company on the property as the rain tumbles down.
Since the start of December, the station near Pormpuraaw has been blessed with almost a metre of rain.
“It’s a good opportunity to get in the shed and do a few jobs, although there’s not much room to move as most of the gear is in the shed at this time of year,” the 64-year-old said.
“We call it the slack season but there’s always something to be done. We’re lucky we are pretty self resilient out here.”
Southwell has a menagerie of animals, including milking cows,
goats, guinea foul, pigs, ducks, turkeys and, of course, chooks.
“I’ve just been out breaking up a fight between the animals,” Price said on a drizzly morning.
“We’ve even got emus that hang about the place.”
With fresh milk, a well stocked vege garden and plenty of animals to slaughter and eat, no one goes
hungry at Southwell. There’s also a freezer full of beef and fish, with the Holroyd and Edward rivers providing plenty of places to flick a lure, although it’s not as plentiful as it once was.
“Crocs are a big problem. The fishing has been stuffed because of them,” Price said.
“There’s a spot that would have
about 200 freshies lying around. It’s so bad that even the crocs are starving to death.”
Over the years, Southwell has opened its doors for private fishing and hunting, with visitors enjoying the remote lifestyle and a chance to hunt boars and catch big barra.
It was one of the ways to help pay the bills.
“I’ve battled my whole life but I’m just starting to get ahead now,” admitted Price.
“We’ve always been able to pay the bills but would be scratching ourselves for anything else.
“The carbon credits have made a big difference to this place and I’ve only just recently started making money.
“I reckon next year the bank will be paid off.”
While it’s just “Nookie” and his daughter on Southwell at the moment, there can be up to seven workers on the property in the dry season.
Between mustering cattle and conducting carbon burns, it can get busy in the winter months.
“It’s hard to know exactly how big the herd is but we run about 1500 head of cattle,” Price said.
“They wander a lot and it’s a big job to muster them.”
Southwell Station was originally part of Strathgordon before it was divided into four smaller properties.
“It’s not a bad spot we have as it’s right next to (Toby’s Lagoon),” Price said.
“There’s 146,000 hectares and the homestead is built on high ground because we get big floods.”
While it takes almost two hours to get to Pormpuraaw, the Price family usually head to the big smoke of Mareeba when the roads are open.
It’s a six hour drive when the roads have been graded.
Rebecca was last week hoping to get out as a horse on the property needed vet attention for a hoof issue.
“The horse will be OK but it’d be handy to get it looked at,” she said.
Being resourceful is part and parcel of living remotely, though.
Southwell is lucky enough to have an airstrip that can handle most wet seasons, meaning that the Skytrans mail plane will land each Thursday.
“If we need spare parts or some fresh produce we’ll get it on the plane,” Price said.
“They can also bring passengers and take out passengers if we need to.”
Rebecca said she had no plans of ditching her dad anytime soon, happy to stay on the station and help out.
One of her older sisters opted to head to Mareeba and pick fruit during the summer, no doubt enticed by the social life of town rather
than the sweat-inducing labour of being in an orchard.
But Rebecca is content with life on the land.
The 18-year-old combined her studies with home school, boarding school and school of the air, but is happy to be a bull catcher.
“I like it here at this time of year,” Rebecca said.
“We had a roast goat for Christmas Day. Actually, it was smoked goat as dad built his own smoker.”
A WEIPA family is in mourning after a 10-year-old boy died after sustaining internal injuries from a crash on the Peninsula Developmental Road prior to Christmas.
The boy was thrown from the vehicle when it hit a tree.
Another passenger, a woman was also injured in the crash, which occurred near the Hann River Roadhouse about 5.30pm on December 18.
The boy was airlifted to Cairns Hospital and then transported to the Townsville Hospital.
However, he died in the early hours of January 1.
Police are investigating the cause of the crash.
JUTE Theatre Company has been awarded $72,137 to take a tour to three Cape York schools this year.
It’s part of a state government program to support tours of visual arts, music, theatre and dance productions in 2023.
JUTE’s popular Dare to Dream program, will visit Weipa, Mapoon and Lockhart River as part of the company’s commitment to present new work.
“This fund is supporting an all-First Nations show and residency program to get to some of the most remote communities in Far North Queensland,” said Monica Stevens, the First Nations Creative Producer at JUTE.
A REVIEW of Australia’s controversial carbon credit system has recommended significant changes to how it is managed, but dismissed whistleblower claims that the scheme lacks integrity and is not delivering real cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
The review panel, led by the former national chief scientist Prof Ian Chubb, found the Clean Energy Regulator, a government agency, should be stripped of some of its roles running and overseeing the system to “enhance confidence and transparency”.
It also recommended the abolition of the emissions reduction assurance committee, the integrity body responsible for approving the methods used to create carbon credits.
But the report rejected detailed allegations by a team of academics that failures in the system mean up to 80% of carbon credits approved might not represent new or real cuts in emissions.
LOCAL horse whisperer Ruth Pattie is weeks away from gaining formal qualifications which will result in expanded services at the Helenvale Horse Sanctuary and Therapeutic Centre.
Mrs Pattie, who runs the not for profit sanctuary with husband Marty and their six daughters, said the sanctuary would soon be able to cover its own costs, thanks to her Equine Assisted Learning Practitioner qualifications.
“I can write plans for people to come and spend time with the horses and learn skills, we can have holiday groups, adults and children, and the horses can help pay for themselves,” she said.
“It’s very exciting, it just works, the horses are paying for the care they need, and they are offering joy and experiences to other people as well.”
Since Cape York Weekly last spoke to Mrs Pattie in July, the sanctuary has gained another four horses, building the herd to 18.
The herd are mostly elderly, with horses from all over Far North Queensland seeing out their last days under Mrs Pattie’s loving care.
“I don’t profess to know everything about horses, I’m learning everyday from them and about them,” she said.
“They are here to stay, to be cared for and loved until their time
is up – we don’t rehome horses ever, we give them a forever home, a sanctuary.”
Most of the horses have physical and emotional issues due to their age and sometimes previous
neglect, with monthly vet bills costing more than $4000, and costs including feed, therapy, hooves, teeth, vaccinations, tack and infrastructure mounting.
“But now we have a weekly in-
come and we can apply for grants, so we are really happy and it gives us all a purpose,” Mrs Pattie said.
“I hope that we can get to a point where I can employ other people and put others through the
training and have work experience people come out as well,” she said.
“That’s what this sets us up to be able to do, offer more.”
For more information, visit The Sanctuary on Facebook.
A NEW four-chair supported renal haemodialysis unit will be established at Kowanyama this year.
Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service acting chief executive Dean Davidson said the $3.5 million unit would be built adjacent to the Kowanyama Primary Healthcare Centre.
“Construction for the new Kowanyama unit will start mid-next year after the wet season and is expected to be completed by the end of 2023,” he said.
“The Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service is developing a model of care that will allow dialysis services at Kowanyama to be delivered with the support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners with advanced training in kidney health.
“The health service already has an Advanced Kidney Health Practitioner at the Thursday Island dialysis unit and is training another for Bamaga.
“There are also plans to begin training and support of other health practitioners for all of the health service’s remote dialysis services and other specialist services.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners can provide a range of primary health care and clinical activities, including administering medicines, arranging referrals, assisting with sexual health and oral health checks, and delivering immuni-
sations. They can also ensure the teams they work with deliver care in a culturally safe and suitable manner.’’
Mr Davidson said as well as the new Kowanyama Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner-supported unit, the Torres and Cape HHS already had existing nurse-assisted dialysis units at Thursday Island, Bamaga, Weipa, and Cooktown.
The funding for the new Kowanyama dialysis unit was initially
announced as part of a $27.7 million state government 2020 election commitment for the expansion of Queensland rural and remote dialysis services.
On December 1, 2022, a further $6.35 million capital funding was approved, bringing the total commitment to $34.2 million.
COOKTOWN UPGRADE ADDITIONAL funding also has been allocated to the Cooktown Hospital to allow its existing dialysis unit to double its care capacity
from 16 up to 32 patients. Funding has enabled the recruitment of additional staff, allowing for more supported dialysis sessions to be made available as needed at Cooktown.
Mr Davidson said not all patients requiring dialysis would be able to have their dialysis in one of the Torres and Cape HHS dialysis units.
“Due to the complexity of their conditions and the clinical requirement for them to have immediate
access to highly specialised kidney services in Cairns that are not available in the Torres and Cape HHS, there may always be some patients who will need to relocate permanently to Cairns, or another large centre, to access those services,’’ he said.
“But for those deemed clinically suitable, the availability of assisted dialysis services across five health facilities in the Torres Strait and Cape York is a major improvement in their lives.”
Albatross Bay Resort Cape York Ecoblast Capeaccino Crew
Carpentaria Golf Club Inc. Gulf Parts & Service
Kym-Maree’s Beauty Room LiveLife Pharmacy
Ma’s Rides Tackleworld Weipa
Weipa 4WD, Fishing & Camping Supplies Weipa Asian Store
Weipa Bowls Club Weipa Business Equipment Weipa Community Care
Weipa Furniture & Electrical Weipa Gourmet Meats Weipa News & Traders Weipa Property Care
Weipa Service Centre Pty Ltd Weipa Wildflowers
Whiskey & Wildflowers (Vendors are being updated weekly)
Due to elevated storm water levels the Awonga Point Waste Water Treatment Facility is currently at full capacity.
In accordance with standard operating procedures, storm water from the network will be discharged simultaneously with treated effluent through the approved existing outfall infrastructure, under the Mission River Bridge. This action is periodically required to alleviate the system and ensure continued safe operation.
The discharge will be at minimal flow and will continue until storm water levels abate.
As a precautionary measure, fishing is not recommended within the immediate vicinity of the outfall which is located on the sea floor under the Mission River Bridge, approximately 60m offshore.
IT’S time to pull out your tackle box and sharpen your hooks, with the Gungarde Family Fishing Fun Day on next Wednesday, January 18 in Cooktown.
The fun, free event runs from 9am to 1pm at the waterpark, with lots of fun activities for those who aren’t keen on fishing, including face painting, chalk art, playdough, skipping, bubble blowing, craft and a sign-on for the early learning HIPPY program.
All children fishing must be signed on and accompanied by a responsible adult, and will go into the draw for a lucky door prize valued at $200, as well as a raft of great prizes for the ugliest fish, most colourful fish, scariest fish teeth, longest fish and mystery fish.
There will be a free sausage sizzle and slushy treats to keep everyone well fed.
DESPITE a damp week, Cooktown golfers were treated to a dry and fast track for the first monthly medal for 2023.
With the westerly monsoon flow in full swing, the Walker Bay course played much differently, with harder holes easier and easier holes made difficult.
Campbell Venables was the overall winner with a very impressive nett 59, with Paul Sperring second on 63 followed by Steve Butler with 65.
Nearest to pins went to Sperring for 2/11, whilst Daniel Biddle took 9/18.
This Saturday is the first of three rounds to decide the ambrose champions for 2023. Teams will be picked from two hats (a high marker hat and a low marker hat).
Tee off is around 9.30am from the white tees.
FOLLOWING Friday’s massive downpour and a week of rain, the Carpentaria Golf Club had to close the first hole on the weekend.
The course is still open, with carts restricted until further notice.
Those looking for social rounds should turn up to the Weipa club on Wednesdays from 3pm for Wednesday Wackers, while the Dawn Busters golf crew tees off around 6am on Sundays.
COOKTOWN’S Riley Gibson has defied the odds to gain her taekwondo black belt, despite having a broken arm just months before her gruelling grading.
The youngster is one of only four students to gain their black belt at Cooktown Taekwondo Academy over the past eight years, and will be the last, with trainer Dan Hodgson winding up the group at the end of 2022.
“Exceptional does not even begin to sum up what Riley has been able to achieve,” Hodgson said.
“On average, only one in every 1000 white belts make it to black belt.
“I am extremely lucky to be part of Riley’s journey and infinitely proud of what she has done and her ability to overcome adversity to be able to reach this point.”
The young sportswoman, who has been training taekwondo since she was 9, juggled her Year 8 studies with the gruelling black belt training and her other sporting commitments, proud mother Melanie Gibson said.
“She had to train and study at home, working through a manual and learning Korean,” Ms Gibson said.
“She had to train for six months for the black belt, it was huge, everything she has learnt over the years is all incorporated into the black belt grading.”
Ms Gibson said she made a deal with her daughter, who wanted to attend boarding school, that if she made her black belt at the end of Year 8, she would apply for a scholarship for her.
“She wanted to go to board-
ing school in Year 7, but I made her a deal and said if you get your black belt at the end of Year 8 I will apply for a scholarship for you; we both stuck to our agreement and she was accepted for a scholarship to St Peter’s Lutheran College Brisbane.”
The 13-year-old not only excels at taekwondo, but has achieved top marks at school and is an active member of the Cooktown Amateur Swimming Club and Junior Rugby League Club.
“She’s done really well,” Ms Gibson said.
“Some days she found it hard but she has lots of dedication and Dan was a big encouragement for her.”
Cape York Weekly recognises that our Indigenous forefathers have lived on this land for some 30,000 years. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners, both past, present and future, of the numerous clan groups on Cape York Peninsula. The newspaper is based in Weipa, on the land of the Alngith people, and we acknowledge them as the custodians of this land.
