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
Read the full storyAllan 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
Read the full storyHinchinbrook 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
Read the full storyOver 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 storyThe story of Paul Tabone is a tale of passion, discovery, and the timeless allure of opera. From the sun-kissed streets of Ingham to the grand, historic theatres of Italy, Paul’s journey into the world of classical music was forged not just in notes and scales but in the rich, centuries-old traditions of Italian opera.
Paul Tabone has been interested in music for as long as he can remember. He has been playing the piano since he was nine.
Despite being in the school choir, he didn’t know he could sing until his piano teacher asked him to sing one day.
“I didn't know I could sing until later on in life, I was about 14 or 15, but it was only because Mrs. Phillips (Paul’s piano teacher) asked me to sing one day,” said Paul.
“She heard me sing, and it was only then that we discovered that it was possible.
“Then I got very interested in that concept because I'd already, for many years, been infatuated with classical music, like that of Pavarotti and Mario Lanza.
After school, Paul completed his studies at CQ University’s Conservatorium of Music with a Bachelor of Musical Theatre, and he excelled straight out of university.
Paul was in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s $12 million dollar opera ‘Love Never Dies’, but following this Paul moved to Italy to study opera and invest in himself as a classical singer.
“I owe everything to going to Italy and learning a proper technique, which I think is something that young singers here in Australia lack because, the tradition of opera is a very old tradition in Italy, and it's very difficult to find teachers here in Australia who actually teach a proper method of singing,” explained Paul.
“The technique is called the Melocchi, and it's not a technique that you can find here in Australia, because there's only four remaining practitioners of that technique, and they're all in Europe.
“It was extremely eye-opening for me, and it was wonderful.”
Paul is looking forward to an exciting 2025, including a show right here in the Hinchinbrook Region.