Cape York Weekly Edition 194 by Cape York Weekly

WHAT A CROC!

Bridie Maher experiences a footwear blow-out as she races Thomas Brewer to the finish line in the novelty Croc race at the Weipa Running Festival on Sunday morning. Turn to Pages 20-21 for our special coverage of the seventh edition of the record-breaking event.

ENTSCH READY TO CALL IT

QUITS

End of an era ...

After nine election wins and more than 25 years representing the people of Leichhardt, Warren Entsch has announced he will retire from politics ahead of the next federal election. Read the full story about his decision on Page 3.

Community urged to have its say on ramp upgrade

MARITIME Safety Queensland (MSQ) is in the early planning stage of Weipa’s Rocky Point boat ramp upgrade and is seeking community feedback on the project.

The State Government has committed $12 million towards the Rocky Point boat ramp as part of the 2024-25 Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program, with preliminary feedback received on an initial concept plan at the Weipa Bowls Club information session on 22 July.

MSQ, which owns the boat ramp infrastructure, is leading the upgrade works in partnership with facility manager Weipa Town Authority (WTA).

With boating playing such a vital role in the Weipa lifestyle, Minister for Transport and Main Roads Bart Mellish said the government was committed to seeking community input before progressing with the project.

“We’ve committed $12 million to upgrade the existing boat ramp in these early stages, and now the community has an opportunity to provide some valuable insights. An important upgrade like this will service the Weipa community and surrounds well into the future,” he said.

Member for Cook Cynthia Lui said the collaboration between the government and WTA would provide local and visiting boaties with

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the “best possible facilities” to enjoy their recreational activity.

“This is an important step forward, and I’m excited to hear from the community on how we can help provide better facilities for them at the Rocky Point boat ramp. Improving infrastructure like this is essential to ensure local boaties, fishermen and visitors to our beautiful region have the best possible facilities,” she said.

“I’m proud to be working alongside the Weipa Town Authority to drive this project forward.”

Written feedback is invited from 23 July- 20 August and can be emailed to boatinginfrastructure@ msq.qld.gov.au.

School-based apprentice claims prestigious award

By CHISA HASEGAWA

WESTERN Cape York is celebrating after two students claimed major wins at prestigious 2024 Queensland Training Awards last week.

Western Cape College’s Sean Slack was named the SchoolBased Apprentice or Trainee of the Year (Tropical North QLD) last week after making it to the regional finals in Port Douglas alongside two other nominees.

The 17-year-old was nominated by his work experience host, Rio Tinto, where he is currently undertaking a traineeship in diesel fitting.

“I was pretty surprised,” Mr Slack said of his win.

“The recognition as one of the top school-based trainees across the business is a moment of gratitude, affirming that I’m on the right career pathway.

“It definitely makes me more confident knowing that being given this award makes my resume look better.”

Mr Slack said as a Weipa resident, going into a trade was a no-brainer, adding that he hoped to stay with Rio Tinto for an apprenticeship after he completed his traineeship.

“I guess it’s really just the environment we live in, having Rio in Weipa, everyone around me is doing a trade or working

in the mine, so I thought I’d give it a go,” he said.

“Everyone’s supported me a lot; I work every Tuesday and

it’s a different crew every time, so I work with heaps of different people.

“It’s good, because I can see how other tradies do things and figure out the best ways to do different things.”

In another Rio Tinto-themed win, Aurukun’s Rhonda Woolla was crowned Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year after completing her Certificate IV in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Response while working for the mining giant.

WCC principal Dan Tonon congratulated Mr Slack for his hard work through the school’s program.

“This is an incredible achievement for Sean as an individual, but also for the program we run for our school-based trainees and apprenticeships here at the college,” Mr Tonon said.

“We have one of the highest numbers of school-based trainees and apprenticeships in Queensland.

“We’re also widely recognised in the industry as preparing our students exceptionally well for the workforce, and we’ve got a long history of student success in these awards.”

Maritime Safety Queensland is seeking feedback from the Weipa community on the proposed $12m upgrade of the Rocky Point boat ramp.

Weipa’s Sean Slack has been named the 2024 Tropical North QLD SchoolBased Apprentice or Trainee of the Year.

It’s time: Entsch says he won’t seek another term

By LYNDON KEANE

AFTER nine election victories, 26 years and countless kilometres travelled around the gargantuan Leichhardt electorate, outspoken MP Warren Entsch has confirmed his time in federal politics is coming to an end.

Mr Entsch will not seek a tenth election win when voters head to the polls in 2025 and said he believed it was time for “a fresh set of eyes” to take on the stewardship of the 150,000 square kilometre seat.

“I’m 74 years old and I’ll be close to 75 by the time the elections been called,” he said.

“I don’t want to do a [Joe] Biden-type arrangement; I think it’s time for renewal.

“Time is beating me, but also, I think it’s time for someone to look at it with a fresh set of eyes in a very different environment to what I came into when I started back in 1996.”

It is inarguably a divergent political landscape now compared to the one that confronted Mr Entsch at 11:13am on 20 June 1996, when he rose in the House of Representatives to deliver his maiden speech.

It did not take long for Mr Entsch to speak his mind and gain a reputation as an outspoken advocate for his electorate.

“My arrival in Canberra after 2 March only serves to highlight to me the inadequacies of the services in Leichhardt,” he told Parliament during his first speech.

“I stand in awe of the fantastic infrastructure and services available to the lucky citizens of Canberra; coming from a regional electorate, Canberra seems like fairyland; the services provided here are almost beyond the imagination of my constituents.

“It is little wonder the bureaucrats and decision makers, insulated in the comforts of Canberra, lose touch with the harsh realities of regional Australia.”

After being elected in 1996, Mr Entsch stood down ahead of the 2007 federal election to fulfil a promise to his youngest son, before being re-elected in 2010 and maintaining a stranglehold on the electorate ever since.

While the Leichhardt MP had planned to pull stumps ahead of the 2022 election, then-prime minister Scott Morrison convinced him to run again.

“I was looking at stepping down in 2022 but nobody stepped up, and I was concerned about that, and the prime minister came to me … and asked me what he could do to make me stay,” Mr Entsch recalled.

He identified improvements with regional mobile phone coverage, the commencement of the Peninsula Developmental Road (PDR) sealing, formal recognition of the efforts of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion and marriage equality as highlights in a career he said he believed “made a difference locally, nationally and internationally”.

“There no was mobile phone coverage at all outside the [Cairns] CBD,” Mr Entsch said.

“The sealed road stopped at Lakeland – there was no sealed road to Cooktown, let alone up to the Cape.

“We were way behind, and so that was the start of my political journey.”

Mr Entsch said he was frustrated with the time taken to deliver major infrastructure projects in Leichhardt, especially on Cape York, but added he had few other political regrets.

“I would have liked to see things done quicker; sometimes, I get frustrated with the timelines,” he said.

“It took me two goes to get the sealing done on the Peninsula Developmental Road; it’s not ideal, but at least we’re progressing.”

Cape York Weekly understands the local Liberal Party branch is currently working through a five-candidate preselection process to determine whose name will replace Mr

“It’s not for me to anoint somebody,” he said.

“This is one area the party has the right to make those choices; I’ll certainly be very vocal who I think is the best person to continue my legacy, but it’s ultimately up to the party.”

As he reflected on his political career, Mr Entsch thanked his staff and offered some key advice for whichever candidate was handed the Leichhardt crown.

“The key to my success, in my view, is my staff – I have the most amazing staff,” he said.

“Be committed to the people, not the party; I respect the party I’m in, and I share their values fundamentally, but at the end of the day, politics is not about the party, it’s about the people.

“Remember the friends that you have when you go into the job and maintain those friendships … because they’re going to be the ones still there when it’s all over.”

Entsch’s on the ballot paper in 2025.

Warren Entsch has announced more than a quarter of a century of representing Leichhardt will come to an end ahead of the next federal election.

STOP LABOR LOCKING UP CAPE YORK

Cape York is indeed a place of immense beauty and value, deserving of protection, but our Labor Governments are intent on giving power to UNESCO instead of the people who live, work and depend on this important area.

The Government has suggested they will engage with locals throughout this process, but it is clear that they only intend on engaging wth people who agree with the proposed listing.

To impose a world heritage listing on the Cape York Peninsula region is a decision that could have devastating implications for landholders and traditional owner groups.

Restricting rights and the ability to utilise land that many have struggled and fought over for decades.

We don’t need the United Nations telling us how we can use and how we should preserve our land. Locals have the best knowledge and solutions to the challenges we face.

Sign the petition and demand that the Australian and Queensland Governments halt their proposed world heritage listing for the Cape York Peninsula Region.

Sign the petition by scanning the QR code above or visit: tinyurl.com/CAPEYWHL

Ex-Taipans player to run for Labor in

LABOR has selected a former professional basketballer to try to win the federal seat of Leichhardt for the first time in almost two decades.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in Cairns on 19 July to announce the party had chosen former Cairns Taipans player Matt Smith to contest the electorate, which will be desperate for new leadership following the looming retirement of veteran MP Warren Entsch.

Mr Entsch has confirmed he will not seek a tenth election win when voters choose a new federal government in 2025, and offered a tongue-in-cheek suggestion for those aspiring to replace him.

“If you can grab my staff, they’re going to make you look as good as you can ever be,” he laughed.

“You’ve got to be with the people; don’t disregard them, irrespective of what you think –do your best to find a solution.”

Labor has not held Leichhardt since 2007, when Jim Turnour claimed the vast electorate following Mr Entsch’s first retirement, only to lose the seat when the outspoken politician returned to the political fold three years later.

Mr Albanese told ABC Far North he believed Mr Smith would prove to be a “worthy successor” to Mr Entsch.

“[H]e’s a champion, not just on the court, but off the court as well,” the Prime Minister said.

“He’s someone who’s devoted his life to making a difference here, and he’s gone into just about every school and into communities, providing support for young people, encouraging a healthy lifestyle.

“I’ve seen the way that he engages with people; he’s someone who’s warm, he’s someone who’s really smart, he’s someone who has integrity, he’s someone who can really relate to people, and he’ll be such a

strong advocate; he’s a voice which is well known to people in this community.”

It is understood food and water security, and cost of living concerns will be Mr Smith’s main campaign platforms.

He said his career on the court had fostered a strong sense of community that was driving his candidacy.

“The Cairns Taipans brought me here two decades ago; my time with them gave me a sense of community pride that has never faded,” he said.

“I have raised my family here, found my partner here; Far North Queensland is my home [and] it is through my work that takes me across Far North Queensland that I have seen the pressure families are under.

“I want to be part of the team that is delivering a tax cut to every taxpayer, that is ensuring people are earning more and keeping more of what they earn, and that is delivering a future made here.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

Cape shivers through snap

PALMERVILLE has broken a 125-year-old record as Cape York shivered through a cold snap last week.

On 18 July, the remote community recorded an overnight low of just 0.5 degrees, smashing the record for the month’s coldest day since 1899.

The minimum was also Palmerville’s coldest morning since 1913, when -0.1 degrees was recorded.

There were also plenty of other Cape York residents reaching for the doona and wondering what was happening with the weather over the past few days, with Weipa hitting single figures when it recorded an overnight minimum of 9.9 degrees on Friday. It was a similar case in Cooktown, with back-to-back lows of 9.6 degrees recorded on 18-19 July.

Rio Tinto aerial burns

WESTERN Cape York residents are being urged to avoid areas planned to be targeted in an aerial burn campaign by Rio Tinto from 23-27 July.

The helicopter-administered burns will be undertaken to minimise the size and intensity of late season bushfires to parts of the company’s mining leases.

The targeted areas will be north of Weipa, between the Wenlock River to Skardon River, north of the Mission River to south of the Wenlock River, between the Embley and Hey rivers at Kwokkunum, around Amrun, including Hey Point and Boyd’s Bay, and south of Norman Creek to the Aurukun road.

$10m spent on campaigns

TORRES Strait Island Regional Council (TSIRC) and Cook Shire Council have topped the Cape York and Torres Strait list of candidate campaign expenditure following the 16 March Queensland local government elections.

On 17 July, the Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) revealed more than $10 million was spent by candidates, political parties and third parties across the state during the elections.

Candidates in the TSIRC race spent $25,797.60 on their campaigns and reported $28,640.95 in donations, while Cook Shire political aspirants spent $13,834.41 on campaigning.

Torres Shire council candidates reported $6,549.81 on expenditure and $450 in donations, while those in the Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council boundary spent $4,077.48 and received $250 donations.

Matt Smith (centre), pictured with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the 2024 Cairns Show, has been unveiled as Labor’s candidate for the federal seat of Leichhardt.

Matt Smith grabs a rebound for the Cairns Taipans during a 2007 NBL match against the Melbourne Tigers. Picture: Getty Images

Foundation’s food security focus

ENHANCING food security and bolstering climate resilience across islands in the Torres Strait were at the forefront of volunteers’ minds when the RACQ Foundation delivered its 24th community project this month.

Thirty-eight volunteers completed three local resilience building projects, including revitalising the Frog Gully Community Gardens on Thursday Island.

RACQ Foundation manager Bridgette Muller said the restoration included the installation of a new irrigation system, improving

soil quality, and repairing shade sails and the storage shed.

“Bringing this community garden back to life was an important initiative for us to improve food security and restore this valuable community hub, especially for these islands exposed to increasingly severe weather,” she said.

Ms Muller said other key works included donating and installing an aquaponics system on Horn Island and the preservation of historical artefacts.

“The aquaponics system at the Torres Strait Island Sports Com-

plex will not only feed local students and their families, but also teach future generations new ways to sustainably farm fresh fruit and vegetables,” she explained.

“Our team also digitised and catalogued documents and exhibits at the Torres Strait Heritage Museum to safeguard them against future weather events.”

Torres Shire Council Mayor Elsie Seriat said the partnership with RACQ Foundation had led to positive and long-lasting outcomes for the community.

IED Community Visits

“This project sets a good exam-

ple for other major non-Indigenous corporate organisations to see and adopt what the RACQ Foundation has fostered in our community,” Mayor Seriat said.

“Our current food supply relies on shipments from the mainland, impacting our health and contributing to the high cost of living in our area. These resilience building projects lead to positive outcomes for our wellbeing and employment opportunities, as well as building economic development.”

As part of the visit, Ms Muller said RACQ educators had also

toured schools in the Northern Peninsula Area and Torres Strait to teach students about road safety.

“Our educators visited the Northern Peninsula Area College, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Tagai Secondary State College, taking students through RACQ’s specially designed road and marine safety programs,” Ms Muller said.

“In addition to working on the islands, our volunteers and staff were honoured to take part in cultural awareness sessions and the NAIDOC Week award ceremony.”

RACQ Foundation volunteers and Torres Shire Council staff check out the work done at Thursday Island’s Frog Gully Community Gardens.

Deadly bite: triple-fanged taipan discovered in Cape

By CHISA HASEGAWA

SNAKES are fairly commonplace in remote Cape York, but it’s not every day you see a seven-foot specimen with three fangs.

Cockatours owner Brian “Rossy” Ross was taking a group out on a Cape York tour when he discovered a seven-foot-long taipan on the road.

The group had just been listening to a podcast about taipans as they drove across the Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park.

“I saw a massive taipan that was dead on the road, pulled over straight away and grabbed it, because it was the best opportunity to show them, especially after they had just heard about it,” Mr Ross explained.

“I was showing them what a taipan looks like and pointing out some of its features, and then proceeded to show them the fangs when I realised that it had three –there were two on one side.”

“People have never seen a taipan before, especially one that’s seven feet long, so that was already pretty impressive for them, but everyone knows that a snake normally has two fangs, so seeing one with three was pretty mindblowing for them.”

Mr Ross said he was surprised

at first, but that the three fangs made sense in theory.

“[Venomous snakes] need fangs to inject the venom, so if they were to lose their fangs, they would pretty much just be a gummy shark and wouldn’t have any way of immobilising their prey,” he said.

“They will naturally replace their fangs, usually once they’ve lost them, but in this case, I’m guessing one’s come loose from its base or maybe it was getting

ejected and another started growing beside it.

“I didn’t get to see if it was stable or not because even when it’s dead, if I got pricked it could potentially result in envenomation.”

Distinguished Professor Lin Schwarzkopf, head of zoology and ecology at James Cook University and herpetology expert, said the three-fang deformity was especially rare.

“Various scale and other de-

Important jetty work underway

BADU Island residents will be able to utilise the community jetty from early next month as urgent repair work to improve the public safety of the infrastructure commences.

Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ), in consultation with Torres Strait Island Regional Council (TSIRC), has started work on repairing the damaged jetty through the State Government’s Torres Strait Islands Marine Infrastructure Program (TSIMIP) in a bid to improve accessibility and safety.

The jetty is currently closed to the public and will be restricted by Weipa contractor Carpentaria Contracting until repairs are complete.

formities occur fairly regularly, but I have not heard of that particular one before,” she said.

“It could be that it did not shed or partially lost one fang and regrew another, or that there was a birth defect.

“These kinds of deformities happen from time to time; high temperatures, low temperatures or inappropriate hydric conditions during development can cause deformities.”

The current scope of works for the jetty include the replacement of missing deck planks, the replacement of missing and rotted handrails, rust removal and painting, and the replacement of berthing fenders and waler beams.

Repairs will take about four weeks to complete, weather and construction condition permitting, with the majority of works being undertaken during the day, while some night works will take advantage of tides.

Tourists on a recent Cockatours trip got more than they signed up for when they discovered a three-fanged taipan.

Cook Shire residents to be hit with 5.5% rate increase

COOK Shire Council has focused on maintaining essential services, supporting community development and sustainable growth in its 2024-25 budget.

The council the adopted budget at a special meeting on 16 July, with a 5.5 per cent general rates increase and reported deficit of $13.175 million among the highinterest aspects of how the organisation will manage its finances over the coming 12 months.

The budget projects operating revenue of $104m and costs of $118m, with the latter figure including $15.6m in depreciation that local government legislation stipulates must be factored into reporting.

Mayor Robyn Holmes said she believed the budget would foster sustainable development and community wellbeing, despite the council facing significant economic challenges including the continued recovery costs associated with Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

“Despite the growing economic challenges, this budget is a testament to our commitment to maintaining essential services and supporting our community through the current cost of living challenges,” she said.

“Our 2024-25 budget is about managing unprecedented inflation-

ary cost pressures while delivering critical services and infrastructure.

“We are steadfast in our mission to deliver responsible and effective governance while ensuring that the shire continues to thrive and evolve.”

The council’s 2024-25 capital works program will focus on renewing ageing essential infrastructure, and includes a $1.75m upgrade of the Borefields filter and

chlorination systems, $1m to upgrade the Cooktown Shire Hall to include all-access toilets, $460,000 towards replacing the Laura reservoir and $350,000 to upgrade the John Street Oval lights.

On the planned rate rise, Mayor Holmes said elected members believed it was necessary to “manage the increasing costs of delivering vital services and maintaining council’s extensive asset base”.

First four nights now included

THE State Government has announced those living in remote communities on Cape York and in the Torres Strait will have easier access to healthcare due to changes to the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme (PTSS) .

From 1 August, patients travelling to access healthcare under the PTSS will not have to pay for accommodation in full after the removal of the current fournight rule.

Currently, people pay out of pocket for their first four nights of accommodation each financial year, unless they can access an exemption.

The removal of the four-night rule comes after the government provided an additional $70.3 million over four years to increase the existing PTSS concession rates.

From an operational perspective, key projects for 2024-25 include $52,500 to help beautify the Coen cemetery, $30,000 for the development of a youth engagement plan and $20,000 to help rehabilitate Lakeland’s Perfume Gully.

Cook Shire said an early payment discount of $100 was available for ratepayers, as is rates relief for those impacted by Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

Minister for Health, Mental Health and Ambulance Services Shannon Fentiman said it was a win for rural and remote communities.

“This is a huge cost of living relief win for our regional, rural, and remote communities. Travelling long distances away from pets and loved ones to access healthcare can be stressful enough without the added financial pressure,” she said.

Cook Shire’s new council has delivered its first budget, one Mayor Robyn Holmes says supports the community through current cost of living pressures.

Cruicial service returns to Weipa

By CHISA HASEGAWA

AFTER months of working families’ struggles with childcare, outside school-hours care (OSHC) services are finally on their way back to Weipa.

The OSHC team at St Joseph’s Parish School is currently looking for more staff members to make the service available to the community as soon as possible.

Weipa local and OSHC nominated supervisor Kim Wallace said the closure of the previous service in late 2023 had been difficult for many working families.

“I know there’s a lot of parents that have had to change their hours

full-time hours since it closed,” she said.

“It’s really impacted a lot of par-

Annual burns highlight local skill sets: Ajiin

THE ongoing challenge of monitoring and responding to persistent wildfires on Cape York is in good hands with the establishment of Australia’s first Carbon Management Hub (CMH) by Traditional Owners in the region.

Ajiin CMH chief executive officer Deb Symonds said the team boasted more than 30 years of combined experience in cultural burning, carbon abatement and fire management, with a range of services on offer including fire implementation plans, risk analysis, compliance training, and various fire management training programs.

“This pioneering fire management hub is set to be the first of its kind, not just in Cape York,” she said.

“We place significant importance on the development of fire training, strategic and operational planning, and wildfire response while building capability in Cape York.

“We passionately believe the Ajiin CMH has the potential to significantly impact operations and deliver essential services to all landholders in our region.

“Our vision is to provide service delivery for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous landholders through partnerships, and with emerging technologies, including AI, we can deliver almost real-time fire snapshots of Country.

Ms Symonds said the team was wellequipped to address the ongoing challenges of wildfires, which had been exacerbated by the effects of climate change on seasonal patterns in recent years.

“Our response teams are capable of deploying within 24 hours to provide on-site firefighting assistance,” she said.

“Additionally, we can mobilise helicopters equipped with water buckets to reach inaccessible areas.

“After many years of dedicated effort, we are excited to introduce the Ajiin CMH, which will be able to provide monitoring and response teams to the whole of Cape York.”

have any family up here.

“Even the people that work at the early childhood centre have

had to change their hours, and that’s had a flow-on effect, because their ratios have dropped and less kids can go.”

Catholic early learning and care director at the Diocese of Cairns, Alison Forster, said as soon as staff were in place, everything else was ready to go.

“Basically, everything is set up for a service to open, we’re just looking for more staff,” she said.

“We do need a certain number of educators with qualifications, but we also welcome casuals without qualifications, so it might be something different they can have a go at. With many people in Weipa working for Rio Tinto, we can

also be fairly flexible for partners’ mining schedules.”

Ms Forster said the important service would also be available to students at Western Cape College.

“We’ve really connected with the school communities and established there’s a real need for this,” she said.

“We just want to make sure that when we are open, we’re open properly and there’s continuous service for the community.

“We don’t want to have to be closing sometimes because we can’t get enough staff on.”

Those interested in a position at the Weipa OSHC can contact Ms Forster on 4256 0221.

FREE RODEO SCHOOL FOR NOMINATED COMPETITORS

Thursday 22nd August

Kowanyama man wants to close the healthcare gap in community

A KOWANYAMA man is making strides in his dreams of becoming a nurse, empowering his community, and closing the gap in healthcare.

Through his work at Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan, a First Nations health and wellbeing facility for women and children from Cape York, Liamon Mudd has already made a significant impact in providing culturally safe care for his mob, and is now pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing at Deakin University to further upskill.

“You can be anything you want to be if you’re passionate and want to make a difference for your community,” Mr Mudd said.

“I feel blessed to be connected with mob from the Cape and Torres and provide essential services.

“It’s good to see mob taking up work in the health industry; health is a big issue for First Nations people, and having our own people on the ground, providing a service for their own community and their own people will really help close the gap in healthcare.”

Mr Mudd’s passion for nursing initially led him to TAFE, where he undertook a Certificate IV in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care and a Diploma of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Management

“Health was always my calling; I have that personality to care for people, and I knew that health would be the best pathway for me to do that,” he said.

“TAFE Queensland gave me the hands-on experience to be the best healthcare worker I could be for my mob, my community, and the healthcare centre I work for.

“[They] gave me the boost to go to take the next step; I still can’t believe that I am actually doing nursing at university.”

The aspiring nurse’s university

degree will only add to his list of accomplishments – previously, he won the 2020 Tropical North Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year, and was a finalist for Vocational Student of the Year at the Queensland Training Awards.

Ultimately, Mr Mudd hopes to return to his community and improve health outcomes for Kowanyama’s next generation.

“I’ve got another couple of years before I graduate, but hopefully I can come out as a registered nurse so that one day, I can go back and make that change in healthcare for my community,” he said.

“I want to work as a child health nurse in Kowanyama, providing services that help close the gap in healthcare and benefit our future.”

Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor Territa Dick commended Mr Mudd on his determination and commitment to his people’s health.

“Liamon is making all of us in Kowanyama very proud,” she said.

“He’s working hard to get the education he needs to come back and make a real difference in our community.

“It’s such important work, and we’re inspired by his drive to improve health outcomes for our future generation.”

Liamon Mudd is following his dreams of becoming a nurse as he pursues a Bachelor of Nursing at Deakin University.

Free energy checks for NPA residents

RESIDENTS in the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) are being encouraged to get a free home energy health check to save money with electricity costs.

Dozens of local households have already taken advantage of free home energy health checks, which are being offered as part of Ergon Energy Retail’s Powersavvy program.

Ergon Retail has joined forces with NPA Family and Community Services to deliver the initiative, which is designed to

help families tackle cost of living challenges.

Customer relationship specialist Fiona Wright said the process was simple and identified possible savings to be had on household power costs.

“After you register for a free home energy health check, a team member will visit your home and have a yarn to you about how much your electrical appliances cost to run, how you can reduce your power use and save on your bills,” she said.

“We’ve seen from the turnout to our recent community events in Bamaga and Umagico that people are keen to learn more from the Powersavvy team, and we’d love to see more households sign up for a personalised energy health check by contacting Alison Ytossie at NPA Family and Community Services.”

Ergon Energy Retail has already delivered the Queensland Government’s $1,000 power rebate to orange power cards, and the first $75 quarterly instalment

of the Federal Government’s $300 rebate.

“Your orange power card is your ticket to receiving any electricity rebates, so if you’re missing your orange power card, please visit ergon.com.au/powercards to order a new one,” Ms Wright said.

The Powersavvy team will be hosting more information sessions in NPA communities in September and October.

To register for a health check, call Ms Ytossie on 4212 2000.

Weipa throws its support behind jetski fundraiser

WEIPA has played a critical role for a group of seven adventureseeking fundraisers who have set out on a 3,000-kilometre ride for a good cause.

The group, which is part of a larger cohort of jetskiiers riding around Australia to raise funds as they explore the coastline from a different perspective, set out from Weipa to Darwin on 15 July on a journey likely to take the best part of a fortnight.

Group spokesperson Matt Brown said the group was raising money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and RFDS Near and Far Volunteer Auxiliary on its current ride, and praised the Weipa community for its generosity in supporting pre-departure fundraising efforts.

“We’re just going with charities that actually make a difference and actually do something with the money,” he said.

“Tim from the Alby gave us a couple of meat trays to auction off before we left, and the community there supported us so much, we raised $1,400 out of them.

“We will have probably raised about $5,000 for the RFDS, thereabouts, and $4,400 for the auxiliary.”

The ride has another link to Weipa, with well-known local Sam Nolan jumping behind the wheel of a support vehicle to assist Mr Brown and his fellow riders on the trek to the Northern Territory capital.

The last ride for the group

was the Broome to Darwin leg a couple of years ago, and Mr Brown said the goal was to finalise the lap of Australia by completing Ceduna to Perth in 2025.

The group conquered the Gulf of Carpentaria from Weipa to Pormpuraaw to Karumba in quick time, an effort Mr Brown said took a significant toll.

“It’s like the [snow skiing] moguls all day long, and we were on the ski for about eight or nine hours yesterday, and that was a 300km day,” he explained.

“That was the second day in; 300km days in open ocean are big days – we’d average between 40 and 50 [kilometres] an hour.

“It’s getting through the pain; you’re in pain after the first day

and you’re on there for 10 minutes and you’re already banging and hurting; you’re elbows and legs hurt, because we don’t sit, so they’re your shock absorbers.”

While the threat of saltwater crocodiles is always at the forefront of the group’s collective thinking, Mr Brown said “they aren’t as bad as they are in the Territory”, adding the riders just enjoyed being out on the open water fundraising for a worthy charity.

“It’s people we’ve all been riding with for over 20 years, but just not all the time,” he said.

“The main reason we do it is the adventures, drinking beer in different places and just meeting some amazing people.”

Reis joins trade board

INDIGENOUS business leader Jack Reis will join the seven-member Trade and Investment Queensland board, Treasurer Cameron Dick has announced.

Mr Reis is a proud Badulaig man with heritage stemming from Badu Island, and was the inaugural 2022 Supply Nation Indigenous Entrepreneur of Australia.

The founder and chief executive officer of cyber security firm Baidam Solutions, Mr Reis also signed his first NRL contract when he was just 17 before his promising career on the paddock was cut short by injury. He will join Delvene Cockatoo-Collins on the board and the Treasurer described the appointments as ones that would help give Queensland First Nations businesses a global footprint.

“Jack and Delvene represent a diverse range of sectors, expertise and views to support and foster not just Queensland First Nations’ businesses, but all our exporters,” Mr Dick said.

Rio IED visits planned

RIO Tinto’s Indigenous Employment and Development (IED) team will be visiting western Cape York communities as part of its engagement strategy this month.

After kicking off the visits in New Mapoon on 18 July, the team will be in Aurukun from 9am-4pm today (23 July), Napranum from 9am-12pm on 24 July, and Mapoon on 31 July from 9am-12pm.

The visits provide locals with the opportunity to speak to IED team members about employment with Rio Tinto’s Weipa workforce. For more information, contact Jo Moloney on 0473 016 007 or jo.moloney@ riotinto.com.

Qantas grants help locals

COEN’S Talk About it Tuesday and the Cape York Institute are the local groups celebrating being named recipients of the latest Qantas Regional Grants Program.

Twenty-eight regional community groups will share $2 million in funding through the program, with the Cape York Institute set to use the money to purchase a new purpose-built truck for its Mayi Market social enterprise.

Talk About it Tuesday will use its funding to establish more grief support and wellness gatherings across Cape York, in addition to expanding its range of awareness-raising merchandise.

QantasLink chief pilot and panel chair Captain David Nelson said the quality of applications for the program was getting stronger every year.

The crew prepares to depart Weipa at dawn on 15 July for the first leg of a 3,000-kilometre jetski fundraising ride to Darwin.

CapeYorkWeekly

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Artist celebrates 10 years at CIAF

By CHISA HASEGAWA

GOING into a decade of sharing her paintings and ceramic works at the annual Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF), Kgari 3 Sisters co-owner Susan Reys is a familiar face at the event’s bustling art market.

Ms Reys’ passion for meeting and speaking with art enthusiasts will fit well with the 15th anniversary CIAF theme – Country Speaking.

“I get to meet the people who are going to take home my piece of artwork and hang it on their wall, I get to listen to why they want this artwork and why they appreciate it, and I get the opportunity to share my story, my history, and my culture,” she said.

“In that same conversation, I get to listen to their story, and I love those moments when I hear we have a shared story.

“The people that come have an appreciation of Aboriginal artwork and want to support the communication and storytelling of Aboriginal culture.”

As a proud Guugu Yimithirr and Badtjala woman, Ms Reys’ works are inspired by her connection to Cape York and K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, as well as her passion for colour blending.

“My artwork is full of colour –it usually goes from one extreme, which is fully saturated, to another, which is soft pastels,” she said.

“I will always paint a three sisters story, which was given to me by my father; I have a signature design of the creation story, I always paint the three lores, and I always paint a signature design I have for traditional healing. “I also always paint something symbolic of women healing on

Country, because me and my sister work with women and others in community about how to connect to Country.”

This strong passion for connection to Country came after a pivotal moment in the late 1990s that changed Ms Reys’ artistic style from realism.

MRAEL and Rio Tinto are on the hunt for high-achieving apprentices who are blazing a trail in their trade.

Whether they’re setting an awesome example at work, or inspiring others to do more - nominate your legend in our Western Cape Apprentice and Trainee Awards.

Recognise your apprentices hard work, leadership and skill → contact: Tahneesia.Maunsell@mrael.com.au now.

Winners will be announced on Wednesday 11 September.

They can be working in trades across multiple apprenticeship and traineeship industry qualifications.

“When we got the deeds back to our land, my uncle, Vincent Coates, showed us all of our land that was returned back to us,” she said.

“My mum showed us an ancient practice, which was to put our hand on the land, pick up the sand and let the sand run through our hands,

introducing ourselves to Country. That was a really pivotal moment for me, because I found a sense of belonging that I just longed for my whole life, and that truly inspired me to change my artwork.”

The 2024 edition of CIAF will be held this week in Cairns from 25-28 July.

Nominations Closes Monday 26 August 2024

Kgari 3 Sisters co-owner Susan Reys has been selling her Aboriginal artwork at CIAF for the past 10 years.

Democracy is going up in flames

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

WITH the Queensland election now less than 100 days away, it seems a suitable time to ask the question that seems to be on the mind of everyone with half an interest in politics: why is democracy so broken?

The United States has a population of 340 million, yet the two blokes purportedly most suited to running the place are an octogenarian who looks like he’d prefer to have a nap than lead the free world, and a guy who couldn’t lie straight in bed, and was last week the target of the most politically convenient assassination attempt in history. Oh, did I mention an army of obsequious supporters wearing ear bandages in solidarity, or rolling out Hulk Hogan as some type of shirt-ripping political inspiration at a rally?

Democracy across the Pacific Ocean is proper broken. Like plugit-in-and-risk-burning-the-houseto-the-ground broken.

We haven’t reached these lengths of lunacy in Australia yet, but we are certainly heading down Potential Road without worrying about the speed limit.

Think of our democratic system as that microwave you know you shouldn’t use because of the intermittent sparking and burning

smell, but you do anyway because there’s no easier way to cook your instant oats each morning.

One of the biggest contributors to democracy’s failure is the complete inability for our elected leaders to have an adult, bipartisan debate about key issues without it deteriorating into a name-calling, infantile slanging match designed to score political points, rather than find solutions.

Take the battle for the Cook electorate, for example. Every can-

didate I’ve interviewed has identified cost of living concerns, a lack of progress on critical infrastructure, skyrocketing freight costs and remote sustainability frustrations as the big political red flags heading towards 26 October.

Despite this shared recognition, the seemingly automatic next step for many of the candidates was to point the finger and outline how abysmally another party has been doing things, or would do things, were they to come to power. We

know things aren’t going great. We live here.

We have no option but to notice whether politicians are delivering on their promises, or whether the government has just written us off as not having enough potential return for its pork barrelling buck.

It’s why we try to heat up our breakfast in short bursts each day, rather than the recommended cooking time, fingers crossed the political microwave isn’t going to make popping and crackling

sounds before setting fire to the kitchen. With under 100 days to go until we head to the polls, the political promises, rhetoric and photo opportunities are about to ratchet up to intolerable levels.

The candidates will be shouting at one another and making promises they have no intention of keeping, party sycophants will be belittling those waving different coloured flags and anyone who indicates they intend to vote “the other way”, and the rest of us will be asking ourselves how governing in the best interests of the people morphed into a modern-day re-enactment of Lord of the Flies

Irish writer and political activist George Bernard Shaw once described democracy as “a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve”.

He makes a decent point, given the current state of play here and abroad, because until we stop adhering to the political status quo and start voting for a new normal and stronger, genuine representation that puts people first, not parties, we’ve absolutely got what we deserve.

The old idiom “gone to the dogs” basically refers to something that has spoiled, gone hopelessly wrong or lost its positive characteristics. Can we lump our current democratic model of leadership and representation with that description?

Woof, woof.

With less than 100 days to go before Queenslanders head to the polls, this photo pretty well sums up the state of democratic politics across the board, says editor Lyndon Keane.

Cape York Weekly Puzzles Page

Quick Workout

Fit the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 into the hexagons so that where the hexagons touch, the numbers will be the same. No number is repeated in any hexagon.

Fit the numbers 1-6 once into every hexagon so that where the hexagons touch, the numbers are the same. No number is repeated in any single hexagon.

Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council (NPARC) is re-opening the tender submissions from businesses and individuals seeking to be placed on Council’s Register of Prequalified Suppliers for:

Supply of Trades Services – Contract No. 2023-03-01 and

Plant Machinery Hire (Civil & Building Works) –Contract No. 2023-03-02

Existing Pre-qualified Suppliers do not need to re-tender for the above tenders.

Interested companies and individuals may complete a Schedule for one, multiple, or all of the listed categories in the supplier registers and return with the completed Tender Response.

Tenderers shall submit their Tender Response via email tenders@nparc.qld.gov.au by close of business, 5pm Friday 2 August 2024.

Tender Specification documents are available to download via Council’s website: https://www.nparc.qld.gov.au/ tenders-expressions-interest-1

Further information can be obtained by contacting Council’s Operations Department via email tenders@nparc.qld.gov.au.

Kate Gallaway CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Public Notice 2024 Aerial Burns Campaign

Tuesday 23 July to Saturday 27 July 2024

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Please

The Western Cape Communities Co-Existence Agreement (WCCCA) is an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) over the Rio Tinto mining lease areas of the Western Cape York region of Northern Queensland. The Agreement is between the eleven Traditional Owner Groups, four Shire Councils (Aurukun, Napranum, Mapoon and New Mapoon), Rio Tinto, the Queensland State Government and the Cape York Land Council on behalf of the Native Title Parties. The Western Cape Communities Coordinating Committee (WCCCC) and its three SubCommittees transparently monitor, implement and review the objectives of the WCCCA to ensure that all parties’ obligations under the agreement are met. The WCCT office is the administration arm for all the Trusts and the WCCCC. It manages the overall business of the company including servicing, assisting and supporting the above entities.

WCCT is committed to providing high quality services to our Traditional Owners, and we recognize the importance of employing the most suitable candidates. Currently we are seeking applications for the position of:

ADMINISTRATION OFFICER

Reporting to the Office Manager, the Administration Officer is responsible for assisting in the efficient and effective functioning of the WCCT Office in order to meet organisational objectives. This includes demonstrating appropriate and professional workplace behaviours, performing their responsibilities in a manner which reflects and responds to continuous improvement, and providing administrative support to the Office Manager as directed, and to other areas as required within the office of the WCCT. The Administration Officer is also responsible for assisting in the coordination of all WCCT, WCCCA Sub-Regional Trusts and Sub-Committees meetings scheduled throughout the year.

We anticipate that applicants will have;

• Minimum Year 12 education;

• Minimum 1 year experience in a similar administrative role;

• Sound IT and MYOB experience;

• C Class Driver’s license; and

• An understanding of engaging with Aboriginal people.

Tertiary qualifications in Business/Administration or higher will be considered favorably. Traditional Owners and Aboriginal people are strongly encouraged to apply.

For further information including a position description please contact: Executive Officer PO Box 106

Weipa, QLD, 4874

Phone: (07) 4069 7945

Email: eo@westerncape.com.au CLOSING DATE – FRIDAY, 26TH JULY 2024

Annual Controlled Burns Program

Byrne beats allcomers to secure Dawnbusters win

WITH several regulars having a sleep-in to contest the second round of the 2024 club championships, it was a small field of 10 that teed off for Dawnbusters fun at Carpentaria Golf Club on Sunday.

In a brisk morning on the course, Matt Byrne was not distracted by some early sledging and finished the front nine holes with a round-winning nett 14, well ahead of runner-up Simon Ayles, who had a nett 22.

Ayles rounded out an impressive game by bagging the men’s long drive, while Kerry Boshammer was too good with the long

stick for the ladies. Peter Lamond showed a deft touch to win the nearest to the pin honours, with Viv Dick’s gross 61 earning him Hoffman’s honours.

In a philosophical mood after his winning round, Byrne struggled to embrace any modicum of humility.

“I would just like to thank all those I beat,” he said.

This Sunday, players will tackle the back nine holes, with the first group of golfers getting away from about 7am.

New players are always welcome.

Pride primed to lock in top spot

BATTLELINES will be drawn when the ladder-leading Northern Pride take to the paddock against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in Country Week rugby league action in Cooktown on Saturday.

The Pride will be hoping for major hometown support and a sea of blue in the stands on Saturday afternoon as they aim to tighten their stranglehold on the 2024 Hostplus Cup premiership race.

Sitting on top of the ladder with a 13-3 win-loss record for the season, the Pride will head into the round 19 clash as overwhelming favourites against the seventh-placed

Seagulls, who have been struggling for consistency on the paddock. The team will be in the Cooktown region in the lead-up to game day doing school, club and community engagement visits, and head coach Eric Smith said players were looking forward to running onto the field in front of a big crowd.

“It’s exciting for some of the new players who haven’t experienced Country Week before to get out to the other communities around Cooktown,” he said.

“We’re looking to get a massive crowd up there to build a sea of Pride supporters.”

Kick-off at John Street Oval is at 3:30pm.

Tender No: KASC-2024-022

Batching Plant Operator – Kowanyama-based Council is seeking a suitably qualified and experienced batching plant operator to manage the batching plant as its agent.

Tender documentation is available to download on Council’s Website https://www.kowanyama.qld.gov.au/council/tenders-and-opportunities/

Tenders Close 12:00PM, Friday 26 July

All tender responses must be submitted electronically to: tenders@kowanyama.qld.gov.au and be received by close. For more information, please contact: tenders@kowanyama.qld.gov.au

Kevin Bell, Chief Executive Officer

Hostplus Cup action will come to Cooktown on Saturday when the ladder-leading Northern Pride take on the Wynnum Manly Seagulls at John Street Oval.

Weipa Running Festival 2024

Festival rapt with record runners

By LYNDON KEANE

IT was an eclectic mix of serious runners, once-a-year competitors and first-time entrants when a record field of 332 contested the 2024 Weipa Running Festival (WRF) in perfect weather conditions on 21 July.

With marathon, half marathon, 10-kilometre, 5km and 2.5km fun run events on offer, the big field pounded the pavement and red dirt as they battled themselves and the challenging courses that weaved through the township.

Aurukun’s Jarrod Ausburn claimed men’s marathon bragging rights by being first across the line in a time of three hours, 10 minutes and 25 seconds, while Weipa favourite Jos Middleton was the fastest female home in the marathon and got a raucous welcome from the crowd as she thundered down the finishing chute to stop the clock in 4:08:16.

Ausburn said he was thrilled with the victory, given his “average” preparation for the seventh edition of the WRF.

“I wasn’t sure how I was gonna go after running slow six-minute kays around the [Aurukun] airport, but it worked out well,” he said after his win.

He added the spectacular western Cape York sunrise and his fellow competitors provided unexpected inspiration during the 42.2km test.

“It was fantastic, and getting to see it twice on the way out; you could see the low mist over the lake the first time, and then it cleared on the way back and you got all the birds in there.

“It was quite beautiful, and that’s exactly where you cross the half marathon course as well, so, you’ve got those runners coming back the other way; it’s just as you start to get to that low point – you’ve done about 30 kays and your energy levels are dropping, and to see the rest of the field and the 21 kay runners come through, that just lifts you again.”

In the inaugural team event, the Mission, The Unexpected claimed the spectacular golden runner perpetual trophy ahead of Rum Club and Crew 4 Shiploader.

WRF president Rose Robins thanked the committee and band of volunteers for their efforts, and said it was the “strength of connection and strength of friendships” within the running community that allowed the event to grow every year.

This year, event organisers celebrated having a registered runner from every Australian state and territory, as well as a virtual running competing from Chicago in the United States.

As he celebrated his win, Ausburn praised the event as one of the best he had competed in over “30-something” marathons.

“It’s pretty unreal,” he said.

“Rose has done a fantastic job pulling this together, and the volunteers out on course are honestly the best and lifting the energy out there, and to see all the local businesses get on board, too, that’s pretty fantastic.

“We’ve got a very special event; I know I’ll be definitely get back for it next year again.”

2024 WEIPA RUNNING FESTIVAL PODIUMS

Men’s marathon (42.2km)

1: Jarrod AUSBURN 3:10:25

2: Chrisden RUSS 3:14:32

3: Ross DAWSON 3:45:18

Women’s marathon (42.2km)

1: Jos MIDDLETON 4:08:16

2: Jenni JEFFERIS 4:52:04

Men’s half marathon (22km)

1: Laurie PREECE 1:53:03

2: Anthony STEWART 1:54:35

3: Harvey FLYNN 1:55:11

Women’s half marathon (22km)

1: Sophie BEE 1:44:18

2: Molly TOOMEY 1:58:30

3: Lucy MARTIN 2:00:31

Men’s 10km

1: Jack BARTON 45:06

2: Zigmund FREIBERG 50:10

3: Lang HAINES 52:40

Women’s 10km

1: Bridie MAHER 45:12

2: Lisa FRASER 47:20

3: Clare THOMAS 53:35

Men’s 5km

1: Max LYNCH 19:50

2: Jamie THOMAS 23:24

3: Parx HALL 24:54

Women’s 5km

1: Tanna DE TOURNOUER 22:59

2: Claire MCKEOWN 24:14

3: Eva GINN 24:22

Amanda and Craig Millard prepare for the half marathon.

Kurt Lynch shows off his medal after completing his first marathon.

Jarrod Ausburn is understandably happy as he crosses the line as the fastest male in the marathon in a time of three hours, 10 minutes and 25 seconds.

Jamie Thomas, Max Lynch and Parx Hall after the men’s 5km event.

Lisa Fraser, Bridie Maher and Clare Thomas were too good over the women’s 10km course.

Karishma Maganlal, Zara Hepple and Gemma Price tackled the half marathon.

Men’s half marathon podium finishers Anthony Stewart, Laurie Preece and Harvey Flynn.

The Unexpected team members celebrate after getting their name on the inaugural Mission perpetual trophy.

Nik Clegg, Sarah Agnew and Bethany King.

Amanda Allender, Harvey Flynn and Anthony Stewart talk tactics ahead of the half marathon.

Competitors in the 42.2km marathon get underway at 5am.

Teale Haines and Pharrell Kostecki keep each other in check during the 5km run. Kerri and Michael Kuehn get ready for the 10km run.

Laurie Preece strides it out along Kerr Point Road.

Alana Smith salutes the camera on the 5km circuit.

Bradlee Ginn in the ice bath after completing the 42.2km marathon.

Jos Middleton is all smiles as she heads down the finishing chute to complete the marathon in 4:08:16.

Wilfred Bowie pounds the pavement along McLeod Drive.

Andrew Purvis and Margaret Hindmarsh before the 10km event.

Dominique Querubin, Lea Maury and Wilkee Querubin.

Women’s 5km placegetters Claire McKeown, Tanner de Tournouer and Eva Ginn celebrate their podium finishes on Sunday morning.

Molly Toomey, Sophie Bee and Lucy Martin topped the women’s half marathon finishers on Sunday.

Chrisden Russ, Jarrod Ausburn and Ross Dawson celebrate their top-three men’s marathon efforts.

Visiting Melbourne marathoner Dimitrios Tsironis receives a huge cheer from the crowd as he crosses the line.

Sagigi flies high in Woomeras win

THURSDAY Island’s Mistee Sagigi has a bright future ahead of her after being selected among 38 Indigenous players to participate in the AFL’s Woomeras program.

The program, hosted in Brisbane, had some of the country’s best female Indigenous Australian football talent take to the paddock at Brighton Homes Arena on 13 July, and is recognised as one of the key steps for players in the national talent pathway.

Sagigi performed strongly throughout the game, with her second efforts, hard-tackling style and confidence a standout. After sealing the Woomeras’ win with the final goal of the game, she was awarded the team’s best-onground honours.

AFL Indigenous programs talent lead Ben Davis said Sagigi’s performance had put her in the

spotlight for AFLW clubs for 2025.

“The program aims to provide a platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females to improve

their football and leadership skills through physical training and personal development activities,” he said.

“The top talent in these games will be selected by an external panel and invited into the AFL 2025 National AFLW Indigenous Academy.”

CRUSADERS SHINE

LAST weekend, 20 Cape York and Torres Strait under-14 female AFL players travelled to Townsville to compete in the North Queensland Community Carnival.

The Crusaders played four matches against teams from Cairns, Townsville, Capricornia and Mackay in a round-robin style tournament and finished with two wins from four games, a great effort for a line-up that only met a day before taking to the field together.

The Crusaders beat Townsville 9-7 and Cairns in a 21-1 romp.

CHAMPS HEAD SOUTH THE AFLQ Schools Cup team

from up north will lace up its boots at the North Queensland Championships in Townsville on 23 July after finishing the Cairns event undefeated earlier in the year.

The championships will be held at Riverway Stadium today, with with the winners progressing to the state championships on the Sunshine Coast in October.

AFL Cape York development co-ordinator Kieran Sciberras said the team’s success to date was a huge achievement.

“The girls have worked so hard to get to this event and they’ve been training well since the Cairns competition,” he said.

“There were over 300 school teams involved in the program across the North Queensland region, so for this team to even be playing at the NQ Championships is a huge achievement.”

Seniors Legal & Social Support Service

Free legal and social work support for older people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing elder abuse or ﬁnancial exploitation, Cape York & Torres Strait

• Think someone is humbugging you for your money

• Think you might have been scammed or ﬁnancially exploited

• Want to know more about keeping yourself safe

• Want to know more about Advance Care Planning such as Enduring Powers of Attorney and Advanced Health Directives

• Want to know your options for care facilities and services that keep you on Country

• Are having troubles accessing MyAgedCare or NDIS or need support to access higher levels of funding

• Want to be able to yarn in a safe and supportive space where your voice matters

• Want support to be conﬁdent in advocating for yourself

• Need a little extra support

The AFLQ Schools Cup girls team will take to the Riverway Stadium playing surface in Townsville on 23 July as they vie for a spot at the Queensland championships later in the year.

The under-14 Crusaders line-up from Cape York and the Torres Strait impressed with wins in two of their four games at the North Queensland Community Carnival in Cairns.

Mistee Sagigi (left) celebrates her best-on-ground performance for the Woomeras with her family.

Corrine leads Maroons team to impressive win

By LYNDON KEANE

RISING lawn bowls star

Corinne Stallan has returned to Cooktown with some extra silverware in her baggage after leading her Queensland team to a 2-1 test series win against their New South Wales foes last week.

Stallan, who has only been playing the sport “five or six years”, travelled to Sydney on 16-17 July to contest the women’s under-25 division in a three-test series, where she not only got to don the Maroon on the green, but also captain the four-person team.

In addition to getting to raise the championship shield in triumph, Stallan was named player of the series for her leadership and ability with the bowl.

The U25 women’s team started the test series in the best way possible, chalking up 45-42 and 41-27 victories in the first two games to secure an unassailable lead ahead of the final game, which New South Wales claimed 50-38.

It has been a meteoric rise for

the 18-year-old, who paid her own way to attend the Queensland championships on the Gold Coast in May to seek state repre-

sentation and book her ticket to the Sydney showdown against the Blues.

“I just went along one day

playing social bowls and decided I liked it, and a coach took me under his wing and it went from there,” she explained when asked what piqued her interest in the sport.

“I like the teamwork and playing in a team with my mates.”

Lawn bowls has seen a spike in younger players over the past decade and Stallan said she believed the sport’s popularity was in part thanks to competition grandparents who took kids like her to games.

“It’s a more fun game than a lot of people think, so I think the increase in popularity has been from grandpas taking kids like me along and playing on the green, and finding out they like it,” she said.

“Heaps of the girls I spoke to down there got into it by going to clubs with their grandparents.”

While Stallan has her eye on another potential trip south to battle Victoria in an upcoming test series, she said she was, for now, looking forward to returning to the Cooktown Bowls Club for club competition.

Weipa’s boxing credentials on the line

WEIPA’S status as a force to be reckoned with in the ring will be on display in Sydney and Mareeba on Saturday night as three boxers prepare to do battle 2,500 kilometres apart.

Seventeen-year-old Harrison Klein and 14-year-old Samson Poi Poi will head to Mareeba for the latest round of the 2024 Sunstate Amateur Boxing League competition, with both fighters aiming for a maiden victory.

Cape York Boxing Weipa coach Scott Wallace said he be-

lieved both Klein and Poi Poi would impress in the ring.

“They’ve both had two fights and they’re both hungry for a win,” he said.

Rising star Jack Barton, 17, will travel to Sydney to fight in the inaugural State of Origin series at Arena Sports Club and Mr Wallace said the sledging from south of the border in the leadup to the event had spurred on the Queensland boxers, including Barton.

“Jack’s fighting at 78 [kilo-

grams] and I reckon it’s going to be a great fight. There’s been some big sledging; the promotor does a fantastic job of talking it up big and everyone loves Queensland verses New South Wales,” Mr Wallace said.

“It’s great for him to be recognised to be fighting down there, and I think the rematch in Toowoomba later in the year is going to make this series big every year.”

Barton has recently spent a week in Brisbane training for

the bout, with particular emphasis on his footwork in the ring, something Mr Wallace said would put him in good stead.

“He’s been doing a lot of footwork, and the lad he’s fighting, I don’t think he’s had as many fights, but a lot of those [metropolitan] boxers are doing lots of sparring each week with maybe three quality rounds,” he said.

“Whatever’s thrown at him, I have no doubt Jack will give them what for.”

– story by Lyndon Keane

SPORT IN BRIEF

Netballers contest Shield

PLAYERS will take to the court aiming to hold the Embley Shield aloft when the Weipa junior netball carnival is held on 27 July.

The carnival will run from 8am-4pm at the Weipa Storm Surge Shelter, with netballers aged 5-18 set to compete.

To add to the excitement on the day, some well-known local faces will participate in an adult men’s exhibition match at the WSSS at 11am.

For more information about both events, check out the Weipa Social Netball Club Facebook page or email weipasocialnetball@gmail.com.

Big week for Byrne

THE in-form Matt Byrne collected the weekly Weipa golfing double when he eked out a narrow Wackers victory on 17 July.

A field of 12 contested the Carpentaria Golf Club back nine, with Byrne’s nett 31 enough to secure him the chocolates from runner-up Pete Lamond, who carded a nett 31.5.

Jim Lucas and Richard Dawe had their short irons dialled in when they claimed the nearest to the pin gongs on the 15th and 18th respectively.

Dave Sands took Bradman’s honours.

After his Wednesday win, Byrne went on to notch up a comfortable Dawnbusters scalp on 21 July.

Burton bags Stableford

WILY old fox Graham Burton was too good for the field when he claimed a dominant win in the red tee stroke event at Cooktown Golf Club on Saturday.

Burton made the most of the course’s fantastic condition to return to the clubhouse with a 71/59 42-point round to take the honours, with his old sparring partner Steve Butler claiming the bridesmaid’s tag with his round of 74/63 37 points.

Wal Welsh took bronze spot on the podium with his 82/66 34-point effort. Butler was unbeatable with the short clubs in his hand, bagging all the nearest to the pin prizes on offer.

In the FNQiB Race to the Bay, Daniel Biddle holds a commanding lead over Burton and Jamie Dobson.

COOKTOWN TIDE TIMES

Corinne Stallan (second from right) and her Queensland teammates are all smiles after claiming an impressive series win against New South Wales in the women’s under-25 lawn bowls division.