This year's ANZAC Day saw hundreds turn out to remember the efforts of Australia and New Zealand's great service men and women. Veterans, schools, clubs and businesses poured into the streets to march in grand parades, and packed in close to attend services held across the Hinchinbrook Shire. Beautiful wreaths were lain and the bugles mournful tones echoed across respectful silences as flags were lowered to half mast. A gunfire breakfast, coffee and traditional ANZAC biscuits kept everyone going
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Allan Colquhoun grew up in Sydney, but his life has taken him far beyond the city limits. In his youth, he worked with a station owner named Bob, whose property combined dairy and sheep farming with a focus on Jersey bulls and cows. One vivid memory that’s stayed with him is of Bob chasing down a bull meant for butchering on his stock horse —a beast that, to Allan’s amazement, climbed over the holding fence one hoof at a time to escape. Allan spent most of his working life as a coastal travelle
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Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Tourism held their monthly Coffee Connect last week, being hosted by local business Wild Local. There was a very strong attendance at this event, with Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter and KAP Senate candidate, Robbie Lyon. Rebecca and Dom Zaghini provided a delicious light snacks and gave the audience an overview of their business journey from inception to their current location, the diverse range of products they provide and some insight into t
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Over the weekend, the Ingham Kennel Club hosted six rounds of dog shows, featuring judges from across Australia who rotated to ensure fair and balanced competition. Dogs were entered into one of seven group categories, with the Toy Group attracting the largest number of entries. Sunday's shows saw the Italian Greyhound emerge as a standout, making up 20 of the 170 total entries across the weekend. Unique and rarely seen breeds like the Xoloitzcuintli and Briard added excitement to the event, of
Read the full storyA new venture, Oxitec Australia, is taking on two of the deadliest virus-carrying mosquitos in the Pacific region—Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus —to fight the spread of diseases like dengue, Zika, and yellow fever, which claim hundreds of thousands of lives globally each year.
Oxitec Australia is a collaboration between CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and UK-based Oxitec Ltd, the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests.
The new venture leverages Oxitec's proven biological Friendly™ platform where genetically engineered male mosquitoes carry a self-limiting gene that ensures only non-biting males survive, reducing pest females and overall mosquito numbers through sustained releases.
Professor Brett Sutton, Director of Health & Biosecurity at CSIRO, said Oxitec Australia is now seeking partners to accelerate its activities and product development in Australia.
“Oxitec Australia offers a unique opportunity to help combat the growing threat of invasive and exotic pests, some of which are on mainland Australia’s doorstep like Aedes albopictus,” Professor Sutton said.
“Factors like climate change and growing pesticide resistance will only bring greater challenges to the health of Australians and our region via vector-borne diseases.
“By investing in new and innovative solutions that complement existing control programs, we can reduce the public health impacts of these exotic and invasive mosquito species.
“This technology platform could also be used to develop solutions for a wide spectrum of pests that threaten livestock and crops and our food systems.”
Subject to government and regulatory approvals, Oxitec Australia’s first solution will be a “just-add-water” product using the Friendly™ Aedes aegypti mosquito technology.
This innovative product allows for the rapid production of Friendly™ non-biting male mosquitoes following the addition of water.
Oxitec Australia is also developing a solution for the Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) with funding from the CSIRO to help prevent a major invasion risk to mainland Australia.
The new venture is already working with local communities in the Torres Strait affected by these mosquito and dengue outbreaks. Once completed, it aims to deploy this technology in impacted regions.
Grey Frandsen, CEO of Oxitec, said, “In collaboration with Indigenous communities, leading scientific institutions, industry partners, and farmers, we’re committed to transforming how pest threats to health, food security, and ecosystems are addressed. In doing so, we aim to not only protect lives, livelihoods, and biodiversity but also empower Indigenous communities.”
Oxitec Australia is also working to address pests threatening crops, such as the fall armyworm caterpillar.
Fast facts:
Mosquitoes
• Mosquitoes in the Indo-Pacific spread diseases like malaria, dengue, and Japanese encephalitis and cause over 23,000 deaths each year.
• Globally, dengue alone infects more than 390 million people every year and threatens billions more across the tropics.
• Only female mosquitoes bite and are capable of transmitting viruses to humans.
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