HEATHER BATRICK FESTIVAL VICE PRESIDENT

Along-term lover of the reef, this passionate scuba diver turned business coach unites her love of community events and the environment with every hour she volunteers to the Great Barrier Reef Festival.

For the past seven years Heather has devoted her business savvy-ness to the festival and used her skills from owning and operating her own dive company, Yongala Dive, to source grants and drive sponsorship.

“It’s great to volunteer with something that includes the reef and brings people here to celebrate the reef,” said Heather.

“And especially with the Immerse Art Installation, it means that people who can’t get out on the reef can still see a magical underwater world.”

Originally from England, Heather has been a Whitsunday local for the past 23 years.

She discovered the Whitsunday Islands when she was travelling Australia and, after diving the Yongala wreck, located 25 metres below the surface near Ayr, she decided to set up a dive company.

Fast-forward to the present day and she is offering her skills as a business coach and consultant with her company HSB Business Solutions, using her spare time to help with the festival.

“I love organising and getting involved with putting the event together,” said Heather.

“When I came back to working in Airlie every day I wanted something that gets me involved with the community and this definitely does that!”

What is your favourite part of the festival:

I love how the event celebrates the Great Barrier Reef which is at our doorstep, and my favourite part of the festival would have to be the Friday night fireworks.

What does the festival mean to you?

The way it celebrates the Great Barrier Reef at our doorstep.

Extravagant Field Days For Proserpine Orchid And Foliage Society

Now in their 60th year, the Proserpine Orchid and Foliage Society have held their 2023 Field Day.

The Field Day is a special event on the Society’s calendar, inviting guests from neighbouring Orchid and Foliage Societies, as well as local members, to their gardens for the day.

The Proserpine members prepared their extravagant gardens for the event, with special guests coming from Bowen, Townsville, Mack- ay, Sarina, Homehill, and Ayr for the day.

The day culminated in a cake cutting by club president Mervyn Fuller and honouring of club patron Velma McDonald with a Life Membership Pin and Certificate.

The Proserpine Orchid and Foliage Society meet on the fourth Saturday of the month at 1.30pm at the Queensland Country Women’s Association (QCWA) Hall in Proserpine.

In April 1923, a meeting was held in the Grand Theatre to form a branch of the Country Women’s Association in Proserpine with the goal of easing the isolation and loneliness of women and children who lived on farms. Only five ladies attended so a letter was written to request that a state representative visit to explain the objects of the association. A successful meeting was held in the Shire Hall in July with fifty-one ladies present to hear the State President, Mrs Fairfax.

And so, the Proserpine Branch was formed. Office bearers were President Mrs Blair (a position she held for thirteen years); Vice Presidents, Mrs Michael (wife of Anglican minister), and Mrs C Faust; and Miss Aimes (school teacher) as Secretary/Treasurer. Meetings were monthly - sometimes in private homes; sometimes in the rest room in the Diggers Hall where women could attend to their baby and rest in between shopping.

In 1923, World War 1 had not long ended. Wives of farmers often worked hard planting cane, milking cows, supervising correspondence schooling for their children. Roads were only dirt tracks and everyone came to town by horse and buggy. Life was difficult. The CWA worked to improve the conditions of women wherever they lived; whatever their interests. They also raised funds to assist others; made regular hospital visits, donated gifts of comfortable chairs, lounges, cushions to the maternity and women’s wards and did mending.