Meet One Of Airlie’s Auxiliary Thomas Torzsok

It is not a uniquely Australian character trait to lend a hand, but Aussies do it better than most.

When things turn sour, the ‘lucky country’ shows its compassion the best way it knows how; getting stuck in.

jobs, still living the life they want, while giving back and serving their community.”

Whitsunday Regional Council encompasses over 537 hectares of open spaces – that’s the equivalent to around 700 NRL football fields!

These areas are maintained by the 38 outdoor team members of our Parks and Gardens team who work together to keep our region clean and tidy for us all to enjoy.

As well as looking after these green spaces, our Parks and Gardens team maintain over 120 parks, 130 barbeques, 305 picnic settings and 250 playground and exercise equipment embellishments across the region. Our team pride themselves on working

Back in Division 5 there’s good news for lovers of walking and hiking, as the sealing of Forestry Road edges near completion. This road meanders up to the beginning of the Great Whitsunday Walk in Brandy Creek.

The road was almost washed away in the floods of 2019. However, thanks to funding from the State Government, we have renewed nearly 50 storm water crossings along the track and will be extending the existing seal in the next couple of months to mitigate such events in the future. The Forestry Road project was made possible thanks to $500k of funding from the Transport and Tourism Connections scheme and $250k of funding from the Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme.

As well as upgrading the road, we are also installing a much-needed amenities block in the car park which services multiple visitors and locals year-round. This is expected to occur early in the new financial year thanks to funding from Works for Queensland, Round 4.

Cheers

Cr Gary

Firefighters embody Australia’s ethos of helping in times of crisis. Through secondary employment, Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) auxiliary firefighters balance full-time work with fighting fires and saving lives.

At the Airlie Beach Fire Station, there are roughly 15 of the casual, station-based firefighters who respond to emergency situations when the demand arises. One of them is Thomas Torzsok.

Mr Torzsok said being an auxiliary firefighter might seem superhuman to some, but to him it is simply serving his community.

“In Airlie Beach we have mineworkers, real estate agents, physiotherapists, and electricians balancing their lives alongside saving others with the FRS,” Mr Torzsok said.

“People working these normal, everyday