With many local schools still impacted by the recent historic flooding event, a visit last week from the Minister of Education, John-Paul Langbroek MP and Minister for Small and Family Business Steven (Steve) Minnikin MP showed support for those affected.

Accompanied by Member for Hinchinbrook Nick Dametto MP, the delegates held a meeting at Ingham State High School to discuss schooling, small business grants, and the recovery of Hinchinbrook Shire.

Langbroek acknowledged that schools have been disrupted, not only due to flooding, but also the long-term impacts to social activities.

“Everyone knows swimming carnivals happen early in the year, but senior staff here reassure me that they're working together to make sure that they aren't going to interrupt the year,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minnikin discussed the grants in relation to Small and Family Businesses.

“In terms of at the height of a natural disaster, obviously the priority has to be life and protecting citizens, of course that's number one. But eventually when the skies open up again with the sunshine and the water recedes there will be a point in time when small businesses face their real hour of need,” he said.

“Media will move on to the next event throughout the state, the nation, etc. But the people of Ingham and North Queensland, they still have to live it.

“They still have to get up and particularly from a small business perspective, they have got to try and recover, and that is when in the coming weeks, they will particularly need state government assistance.”

Nick Dametto also addressed residents.

“This is a flood event that has rocked locals that have lived here their whole life,” he said.

“We've got people that have moved to the Herbert district or the Hinchinbrook Shire in the last 18 to 24 months, post COVID, that have never been through a natural disaster like this before. Those people have perhaps been caught off guard and will likely be the ones that need the most support moving forward.

“We also have a number of businesses out there that have been operating for 25-30, years, that are now considering not reopening because of the inability to get insurance here or having insurance companies playing a bit of muck around with policy on what's actually covered and what's not, and that's something that we will need to address moving forward.”

Despite this, the Local State Member remains positive and reassures the community he will help guide the recovery of residents and small businesses owners.

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The Hinchinbrook electorate has just experienced one of the toughest periods in recent history. The 2025 flood and monsoonal event devastated our region, cutting off entire communities, flooding and destroying homes and businesses, and leaving behind a massive clean-up effort.

But if there's one thing I know about the people of Hinchinbrook, it’s that we will get through this together and rebuild better than we were before.

On Saturday, access was finally restored into the Lower Herbert, allowing us to see firsthand the destruction left behind. It was a privilege to take Premier David Crisafulli into some of the hardest-hit areas. Seeing the devastation up close only reinforced the urgent need to ensure that our community receives the support it deserves.

We also met with Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to tour some local businesses in Ingham and discuss the next phase of the recovery process. Clearing the debris and restoring power is only the first stage, we now start to move on to the betterment projects to rebuild our region to be stronger and more resilient than before.

This week, I’ve had to leave Ingham to attend the first parliamentary sitting week of the year. I will be using my time this week to meet with key Ministers to ensure that the plan for Hinchinbrook’s recovery is thorough and extensive. We need urgent action on things such as roads and flood mitigation projects, particularly the Bruce Highway.

We need to address the housing shortage and the loss we are going to see in the primary production and small business spaces. Importantly as well, many of our local sporting clubs and community groups have lost everything, and we need to ensure they have all the help they can get to start running again.

We can’t flood-proof the Bruce Highway or our beautiful communities here in Hinchinbrook, but we can certainly minimise the impact of major flooding events through smart planning, investment and comprehensive recovery strategies.

The road to recovery will be long, but together we will navigate our way. We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again.

Nick Dametto MP
Member for Hinchinbrook

Following the devastating flooding that hit the Hinchinbrook Shire, the Hinchinbrook Shire Council are now in the recovery stage of a natural disaster.

Deputy Mayor Mary Brown is chair of the recovery group and she said that there are four subgroups - Human and Social, Economic Development, Infrastructure and Environment.

“We've been working in the background for quite some time and that's how we established the community recovery here locally,” explained Deputy Mayor Mary Brown.

“We have a pop up, at Mercer Lane, the main one at TAFE, one down at Forrest Beach, and we're about to go and create a pop up at Halifax.”

The Recovery Group are now in talks with the Government and Ministers about disaster grants.

Mary Brown believes people in the Hinchinbrook Shire suffered extraordinary events, and in turn deserve extraordinary grants.

“These are extraordinary circumstances. So, we need to now start talking about consideration for is there extraordinary support that can be implemented over and above what is business as usual for that disaster grants,” she said.

“The other thing that we're dealing with, which is our highest priority, is the donation hubs that were set up in Townsville and Cairns, where people are gathering donations to send into our community.

“I spoke to that coordinator this morning, which who is an ex local, and in two days they have put together 50 pallets worth of stuff coming, and it will include personal hygiene, cleaning products, bedding, sheets, towels and pillows. Everything is non-perishable.”

The Ingham Theatre Group regrets to announce that the upcoming One-Act Plays, originally scheduled to be performed at the JL Kelly Theatre in March, have been postponed.
“Due to severe flooding of the venue, we have made the difficult decision to reschedule the performances to ensure the safety and well-being of our cast, crew, and audience.
“Our team is actively working to confirm new performance dates, which will be announced as soon as possible.
“We remain committed to providing a high-quality theatrical experience for everyone involved. We encourage everyone to stay tuned for updates.”

While others have been comparing the recent flooding disaster to the 1967 floods, 94-year-old local resident Serena Scuderi says the experience has reminded her of timely story, one that occurred during the floods of 1927.

The floods of almost 100 years ago hold an important place in Serena’s heart because they took place on the exact date her late husband, Frank, was born.

Watching the flood waters rise and the event unfold over the last few weeks took Serena back to stories of that time.

Witnessing water surrounding her own property in 2025 put into perspective how different the event must have been in 1927.

One story of that time that really stands out was of a local doctor swimming between houses, through the floodwaters, to check on his patients.

Serena recalls being told a lot of stories of the 1927 floods by her mother-in-law who had been living in Ingham during the floods and would share tales that brought the experience to life.

“During the 1927 floods, the lady who was delivering babies lived across the road and from the stories I’d been told, I could picture my mother in law being taken on a boat from that house, across the road, and then they took her to a Hotel in Ingham, where she gave birth to her baby,” she said.

Serena shares that the midwife was not actually present at the birth because she had  had just gone back to the home to collect baby clothes that were left behind.

When she returned, she was able to dress the new-born baby in the clothes that had been knitted for him.

This little baby, born in the midst of the 1927 floods and Serena’s future husband, went on to live a full and happy life, passing away four years ago at 98 years old.

Every year, Serena and her family remember his birthday, with this year being particularly poignant as they were once again lived through a period of historic flooding.

The Cassowary Coast Regional Council has announced that dredging works at Port Hinchinbrook have reached 50% completion. While progress has been steady, weather conditions and embankment stabilisation efforts mean the remaining works are expected to take another two to three weeks, subject to weather conditions.

The council appreciates the community’s patience and cooperation during this time and has provided the following key updates:

   • Ramp Access: One side of the ramp reopened for public use on Sunday the 2nd of February, allowing limited access.
   • Temporary Facilities: To improve accessibility, temporary toilets were installed in the car park on Friday the 31st of January.
   • Public Safety Measures: Temporary fencing will be in place to ensure safety while maintaining access where possible.

The council thanks residents for their understanding as these essential improvements are completed. Further updates will be provided as work progresses.

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As I write this Councillor Column, it is the 15th of February 2025. The sun has finally come out, giving us a break in this disastrous February 2025 flood event with the recovery efforts in full swing. The devastation that Mother Nature has dealt has affected every individual, and the loss of life of two of our own residents is particularly heartbreaking. Our businesses, non-for-profit organisations and agricultural sectors have been ravaged in our Shire and it is saddening to see. However, as we have witnessed in previous times of natural disasters, we will regroup, rebuild better and move forward as a community.

Your elected councillors have been delegated to form the Hinchinbrook Local Recovery Group, with Deputy Mayor Mary Brown as the chair of the of the Master Recovery Group and Cr Pat Lynch as the deputy chair. Under the Master Recovery Group, there will be four subgroups that will report to the Master Recovery Group. These are the Human-Social Recovery Sub Group chaired by Cr Donna Marbelli; the Environmental Recovery Sub Group chaired by Cr Kate Milton; the Infrastructure Recovery Sub Group chaired by Cr Andrew Carr; and the Economic Recovery Sub Group chaired by me, Cr Mark Spina.

Based on previous recovery plans, we will focus on a locally led approach involving individuals, families, community groups, businesses and agricultural sectors along side all levels of government to identify and match our recovery efforts to the needs of the community. To achieve this, Hinchinbrook Shire Council will facilitate a locally led approach that prioritises the impacted community to manage and actively participate in their own recovery while considering the values, culture, and needs of all those affected by the disaster. It is important to recognise that the greater community may identify different recovery pathways and that we must remain flexible to meet the changing recovery needs of those affected by this disaster.

Please keep up to date with Disaster Recovery Grants that are available by visiting www.qld.gov.au/ community/disasters-emergencies and above all take care of yourselves and your neighbours during this difficult time, be kind and try to remain positive.

Now that the water has receded, the recovery efforts are in full swing.

Contracts have been let for flood damaged goods collection and the majority of the Ingham township has now been collected. The crews, consisting of over 20 trucks, excavators, backhoes, and bobcats are now proceeding into the Lower Herbert areas. Road work crews are also in the field ensuring all accessible areas are safe. Priority is being given to ensure that everyone is able to access their properties.
 
On the social front, the Community Recovery Hub is in full operation at the Tafe building on Townsville Road, and outreach hubs are occurring in the smaller communities about the district. The hubs are available to assist our residents with a great deal of information including hardship funding and available grants, insurance matters and information on other valuable assistance available to residents.

Recovery processes are available digitally on Council’s Disaster Dashboard and Facebook pages.

Information will continue to be published promptly.

Council’s Disaster Centre remains open for anyone seeking assistance and I urge you all to call if you are needing assistance.

The SES and Queensland Rural Fires continue to assist all residents with house cleanouts and if you require assistance in that regard, please ring 132500 immediately.

Getting back to where we were is going to take a long long time, but please do not suffer in silence. There are plenty of people around to try and assist you out as best as possible, so please do not hesitate to reach out.

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While local residents were without power during the recent widespread flooding event Ingham Meals on Wheels were able to pump out meals to people in need thanks to their generator.

President of Ingham Meals On Wheels Rita Phillips said power went off and the generator kicked in as it was supposed to.

Despite the ability to cook food, however, progress was stalled on Monday 3rd February when Ingham Meals on Wheels were unable to deliver food to clients and people in need, due to their own staff being flooded in and unable to reach Meals on Wheels on Eleanor Street.

Thankfully, Ingham Meals on Wheels were able to start operations on Wednesday 5th February but, with limited stock, they had to reheat frozen meals and had limited supply chain capabilities.

During the crisis, the team of staff and volunteers not only helped their regular clients but also anyone else in need.

Kitchen Coordinator Jamie Belcher said they also made 191 servings of soup for the Cyclone Shelter which was full of evacuated people.

Along the way, the team were blessed with donations which included pizzas, sausage rolls and party pies from Coles. Meals on Wheels heated the items and donated them to firies, ambulance workers and more families in need.

By Friday last week, supply chain capabilities had increased and they could deliver to all of their clients, including Forrest Beach and Lower Herbert and by Saturday they could also cook meals once again.

Throughout the week Rita and Jamie said people and organisations had been amazing with donations, and Coles had just donated 100 bags of potatoes.

Ingham Meals on Wheels have been flat out with cooking and deliveries, but it’s all worth it to them knowing that they are getting nice hot meals to people in need.

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Whilst many residents of the Hinchinbrook Shire had power, some still did not, and with the shops scarce of produce the Ingham Lions Club held a sausage sizzle on Monday 10th February outside Ingham Swimming Pool.

Second Vice District Governor Ed Morris and Ingham Lions Club Vice President Silvia Poggio said that the event was there to help the community.

“It’s a part of what us Lions do following a disaster,” they said.

“We will continue to do it and it's to help the community.

“There are people that have come this morning, that still don’t have power and they’ve got no food.”

A main focus of the Lion’s Club is to raise spirits and make people feel a little bit happier.

Having the sausage sizzle was also about igniting conversations and building morale in the community.

In addition to serving those who attended the event, the Lions also delivered sausage sizzles around the area, to ensure that everybody was a part of the community spirit, and were not left out.

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Applications are now open for the 2025 Backing the Future program, which offers $50,000 grants to individuals in remote, rural, and regional Queensland. The funding is aimed at supporting people aged 18 and over who are working on innovative projects designed to improve the lives of young people aged 12-30 in these communities.

What sets the Backing the Future program apart is that it funds individuals, not just organisations. This removes one of the common barriers to accessing funding and gives people the freedom to develop new ideas that have the potential to make a lasting impact.

VFFF CEO Jenny Wheatley said the program offers a unique opportunity to back transformative ideas at an early stage.

“We have already supported 17 incredible community changemakers in QLD through previous rounds of this program, and we look forward to backing 10 new ideas that will create lasting impacts for young people in their communities,” she said.

The program focuses on projects that have been in development for fewer than three years, recognising that the hardest part of starting a new initiative is often securing funding for early-stage work, particularly in rural and remote areas. Backing the Future provides the resources needed to test and refine these ideas.

Past grantees have used their funding to launch new events, social enterprises, and even charities that continue to benefit young people in Queensland. One recipient, Jameson Harvey, used his grant to deliver robotics workshops to remote schools, giving students access to STEM education that would otherwise be out of reach.

FRRR CEO Natalie Egleton highlighted the program’s potential to provide new opportunities for youth in rural areas.

“We know that young people are the future of vibrant, resilient and sustainable rural communities. By providing opportunities that strengthen their connection and open doors to new possibilities, we can empower them to create transformative outcomes for themselves and their communities.”

Applications for the 2025 Backing the Future program close on the 17th of March. Those interested in applying can reach out to FRRR’s Youth Futures team for guidance or attend a webinar on the 5th of February to learn more. For further information or to apply, visit www.frrr.org.au/backing-the-future.

Simon Hood
Wilmar Manager Grower Marketing

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It has been a challenging time across our growing communities, with every region affected to various degrees by the recent rain event.
The Herbert region obviously bore the brunt of it with extensive flood damage, lengthy power outages, communication issues and prolonged supply issues.
In the Burdekin, we had floodwater through Invicta Mill at Giru twice in the space of one week, and the whole region was impacted by localised flooding, highway closures and access issues. Our Proserpine region had some local flooding and minor track damage while Plane Creek largely dodged a bullet.
As our Grower Marketing consultants live in the regions, they have been reaching out to our growers to check in on their general well-being as well as assessing crop status for this year’s harvest.
It’s too early to say what the impact will be on the 2025 crop. Suffice to say that we need a bit of clear weather to allow growers to get into fields to visually assess crop status – particularly in the Herbert.
A few days of sun will also allow us to do a detailed inspection of our Herbert rail network and get the job under way of assessing bridges and replacing ballast that was washed away by floodwater.
Our Grower Marketing team has also used this period of time to talk growers through the wash-up of pricing for the 2024 season.
Even with final deliveries and CCS being lower than estimates, there were very few hard washouts, which is a good result.
There is still a portion of pricing to be done for the tidy up of the 2024 season with growers hoping for a kick above $700/t to close out their orders. Growers appear to be targeting $650/t as the next level to fix some more 2025 Season GEI sugar exposure.
Interestingly, results from our survey of growers last year indicated that, among the things that keep them awake at night, sugar price volatility ranked number four while the weather came in at number seven.
A quick reminder for growers who may need a cash injection with the disruptions caused by the recent flooding. Our Pre-Season Payment allows for an advance of $5/t cane for all cane nominated to Wilmar.

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Mirusia Louwerse is no stranger to Ingham, on Friday 24th January Mirusia was the Hinchinbrook Shire Australia Day Awards Ambassador, and in March she returns for her Ingham performance debut.

On the 15th of March Mirusia will be performing ‘Celebration’ at the JL Kelly Theatre in Ingham.

Mirusia is looking forward to her Ingham return, she is eager to showcase her classical crossover music.

“Today (Friday 24th January) I had the fortune of being able to be a tourist in your city and look around, and I saw some incredible things, it is so beautiful here,” said Mirusia.

“It's like farm meets tropical island. It's just so gorgeous and I had a really great time.”

“The thing I'm really looking forward to, though, is bringing my music to Ingham, and that means classical crossover music, music I've performed around the world with André Rieu, the music that I've written, and also some special requests as well that I've already had on my social media from fans in Ingham.”

Mirusia describes her music as classical crossover and that means it isn’t as daunting as traditional opera music.

“Classical crossover is a little bit more accessible. It sort of is classical music brought in a more modern, I want to say jacket, we jush it up a little bit and make it a bit more accessible to somebody who may never have dared to go and see classical music before,” said Mirusia.

“André Rieu was a fantastic forefather of the classical crossover genre, along with Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman and I do it in my own way, so the Mirusia way.”

Mirusia has performed her music all over the world, including with the fantastic André Rieu.

She explained that her grandmother had sent her EP to André without her knowledge and one day she had André Rieu on the phone, asking her if she would like to accompany him on a world tour.

From her time with André Rieu Mirusia learned a lot, and she will bring all of that experience with her on her Ingham debut in March.

What: ‘Celebration’ by Mirusia
Where: JL Kelly Theatre
When: Saturday 15 March at 5pm

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The barramundi fishing season in Queensland officially opens on the 1st of February each year, following a seasonal closure from November 1st through to February 1st.
This closure is vital for the protection of the species as it occurs during the critical spawning period, allowing barramundi to reproduce without the added pressure of fishing activity. During this time, the fish are able to spawn and strengthen their population, helping to ensure that barramundi numbers remain healthy and sustainable for years to come.

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This seasonal closure plays a pivotal role in the long-term conservation efforts of barramundi. It not only supports the fish during their most vulnerable period but also helps to safeguard the future of barramundi fishing in Queensland. The decision to close the season during spawning times ensures that the fish can reproduce successfully, which is essential for maintaining a healthy and thriving population.
For anglers who are eager to fish for barramundi once the season opens, it is essential to adhere to the regulations in place. The minimum legal size for barramundi is 58 cm, and the maximum size is capped at 120 cm.

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In addition to size regulations, there are also possession limits in place to help prevent overfishing and maintain sustainable practices. Each person is permitted to possess a maximum of five barramundi, with a boat limit of 10 fish if there are two or more anglers on board.
By respecting the seasonal closures and abiding by the size and possession limits, anglers play an important role in ensuring the ongoing health of Queensland's barramundi populations.

This year, for the first time ever, two recipients were awarded the Shire Citizens Award at the Hinchinbrook Shire’s Australia Day Awards presentation. Rita and Keith Phillips were both worthy winners for their significant contributions to the community.

Along with Rita and Keith, Coen Luxford won the Young Shire Citizen Award, for his amazing contributions.

Keith Phillips has been recognised for his vital contributions to the Lower Herbert community, including his leadership in building the Lower Herbert Seniors Centre, a 21-unit apartment complex in Halifax. Alongside his wife, Rita, Keith donated land, funds, and countless hours to establish the new Meals on Wheels centre on Eleanor Street.

Rita Phillips was acknowledged for her voluntary work with Meals on Wheels and the Anglican Church. She played a key role in redeveloping the Meals on Wheels facility, coordinating volunteers, managing finances, and ensuring its sustainability. As Warden and Lay Minister for the Hinchinbrook Anglican Diocese, Rita oversees church operations and organises the monthly Conroy Hall Markets.

Together, Keith and Rita were both worthy winners of the award and their dedication and generosity have profoundly impacted their community.

Despite their enormous dedication to the community, they stress that they do not do these things for awards.

“The community has been very good to us since we’ve been here, and we just like to give something back to the community,” said Keith Phillips.

“Just to be nominated is a great thing, I think it’s great to get recognition by people in the community that think you’ve done things for them, and to receive the award is just as special.”

Rita said she was overwhelmed with the win.

“We don't do things to be out front, I like to be behind the scenes, and we're just fortunate that we can help people,” said Rita Phillips.

“There's a lot of vulnerable people here that need help either through Meals on Wheels or even our Lions Club and winning the award is just a bit overwhelming.”

Shire Young Citizen Award was presented to Coen Luxford for drumming at all local ANZAC Day parades, his involvement with the Ingham Theatre Group, and serving as Junior Sports Captain and now Senior School Captain at Ingham State High School. In 2024, Coen represented the Hinchinbrook Electorate as a State Junior Member in the Queensland Youth Parliament, attending Parliament House numerous times to represent the region.

Hinchinbrook Shire Australia Day Awards Ambassador Mirusia Louwerse was present on the night, and she presented awards, gave a speech and sang the national anthem.

At the Hinchinbrook Shire Council Australia Day Awards, many other awards were given out too:

Junior Sports Award
Liam Fascetti

Senior Sports Award
Ally Rhodes

Junior Cultural Award
Kaitlyn Rapista

Senior Cultural Award
Alan Giles

Individual Achievement Award
Helen Stanton

Community Event of the Year Award
Dean Schifilliti Shield held by Herbert River Junior Rugby League

Beryl Prior Memorial – Service to the Community Award
Evlyn Bailey
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