Church to provide a sanctuary

A FORMER hardware store has been lovingly converted into Cooktown’s newest church, with the building hoped to be open in time for Easter services, and an official opening event in May.

Cooktown Community Church bought the industrial shed on Howard Street in 2017 and have been raising money ever since to convert the building into a church.

Pastor Rick Ashcroft, who is also a builder, project managed the renovations which began last year.

“We are hoping to have approval to open the church for Easter services,” he said.

“And we are bringing one of Australia’s best female preachers to our opening event in May.”

The Cooktown Community Church only has about 40 members in their congregation, with numbers down since people moved to online services post-Covid.

“We haven’t had a place to gather, so we haven’t been able to hold mid-week services and other activities,” Pastor Rick said.

“But we are looking forward to being able to do that now we have a church building.” rent Regional Information Via Electronic Record (RIVeR) electronic medical record system in place across Cape York with an alternative platform,” she said.

The building includes an airconditioned auditorium with seating for about 70 people as well as a spaces for Sunday school.

“The Best Practice electronic medical record software has been selected as the preferred alternative.

“While the RIVeR system performed adequately in some health facilities it was not regarded as optimal at others.”

Best Practice was introduced to the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area in 2010 when the region was a separate health service to Cape York.

“As such, Best Practice, a primary health care system, is already well accepted by TCHHS clinicians across our region and is a well-tried and tested system,” Ms Hamerton said.

“It is important that any transition to a new system occurs in a timely manner, and it is therefore necessary that we transition

Easter Bunny at Ayton

THE Easter Bunny will be making a special appearance in Ayton this weekend for a day of free family fun and, of course, a bit of chocolate.

sites to a solution that is known and readily available today.

“The transition to Best Practice will bring all our health facilities, wherever they are located, onto one single electronic medical record system.

“It has always been TCHHS’s long-term strategy that there be a continuous single electronic patient medical record accessible to all clinicians across our diverse health service region no matter where they work.”

Cook Shire Council’s Easter Family Fun Day is on Saturday, March 25 from 9am to midday at the Ayton library marketplace, and everyone is invited.

Kids can meet the Easter Bunny, go on an Easter egg hunt, get their face painted and get crafty.

Nelson and Linda will be there providing live music, and there are also prizes for the best dressed Easter hat.

Community RSL mural

RESIDENTS and visitors, artists and those who have never held a brush are invited to put their mark on a giant wall mural in a tribute to the RSL and local flora and fauna.

The mural, to be painted on the wall between the Cooktown RSL Memorial Club and Elizabeth Guzsely Gallery, would be an ongoing community project, School of Art Society president Jane Dennis said.

“On April 1 I’m going to start painting the poppies on the Charlotte Street end of the wall, so there will be some nice poppies ready for Anzac Day,” Ms Dennis said.

“It’s going to be a wall of flowers, starting at sunrise with the poppies and working towards an evening garden at the back.”

Ms Dennis said there would be regularly advertised opportunities for people to join in painting the mural throughout the year.

“It is a bit of a fundraiser for us, and a fun way for people to get involved and maybe even for us to get a few new members,” she said.

“People can pay a small fee and come along and paint a flower.”

The 20m long mural is funded by the Cooktown RSL Memorial Club and the design was a joint effort between the Art Society and RSL.