2021 Mackay Community Directory
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2021 Mackay Community Directory An up-to-date community resource for the Mackay region _____________________________ Updated February 4, 2021 2021 Mackay Community Directory 1 Welcome to the Mackay directory This directory has been brought to you by MackayRegional Council as a community resource to connect everybody in the Mackay region. The information in this directory resource is linked to My Community Directory, an Australia-wide online community directory. Any health or community service can list their information for free on My Community Directory and manage their information to make sure that it is accurate and up to date. The purpose of this resource is to provide you with an effortless way to see all of the information listed in the directory in the region. Information in the online version of this document is updated nightly with the latest available information from the My Community Directory platform. If you notice information is incorrect, please send an email to [email protected] or call 1300 762 515. You can also update your own information by logging in to My Community Directory yourself at www.mycommunitydirectory.com.au/Account/Login. If you would like to see events that are happening in the area or you are a service provider who would like to list events yourself for free, you can visit www.mycommunitydiary.com.au. Event and directory information is also available on the Access My Community App available for download for free on iOS or Android devices. We hope that you find this a valuable resource to connect with your local community. 2021 Mackay Community Directory 2 Information about the region Mackay offers a fresh, stimulating lifestyle with plenty of space to work, rest and play. The region’s 66,484 square kilometres encompass a diverse natural environment which includes a picturesque blue-water river, secluded beaches, a seaside marina and pristine rainforest hinterland. The region has experienced the most prolonged period of growth in recent history and Mackay has established itself as a modern, regional city. The region’s growth is fuelled by the strength of our diversified economy, led by our globally recognised resource and engineering sector, resurging agribusiness, and growth in construction, education, logistics and tourism. Only an hour’s flight from Brisbane, the region boasts many benefits of a fast-growing coastal city. Its coastal location is complemented by its spectacular natural environment, which includes 31 beaches, a picturesque blue river and pristine rainforest hinterland. Mackay also boasts easy access to the world-famous Whitsunday Islands, a group of 74 pristine islands in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. The Mackay region is home to a diverse and vibrant community with rural and coastal living opportunities in 30 townships, small rural settlements and rural residential areas. There are about 40 different nationalities represented in the region and the region also boasts the largest Australian South Sea Islander population. The Mackay Regional Local Government area is one of the fastest growing in Queensland, with a population of over 117,000 people. Meet our councillors 2021 Mackay Community Directory 3 Cr Greg Williamson - Mayor of Mackay Regional Council Phone: 4961 9455 Email: [email protected] Mayor Greg Williamson has an undeniable enthusiasm for the region he’s always called home. Whether it be inspiring local sporting teams at their season launch or telling anyone who will listen that the Mackay region is the best place in the world to live, he speaks with unbridled passion when it comes to Mackay. A fifth generation local, Mayor Williamson was re-elected unopposed at the 2020 local government elections. Prior to that he’d returned to the mayoralty in 2016, having previously been mayor of the then Mackay City Council from 1991 to 1994 before amalgamation with the former Pioneer Shire Council. Following that first stint in the top job in the early 90s, he gained vast management experience in large businesses and brought that skillset back to the mayoralty. Mayor Williamson has a long history of service to the community, ranging from Rotary to the then Small Business Association and Mackay Tourism and more than 35 years of service with the Australian Air Force Cadets. Mayor Williamson has also been at the helm of the Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) as chair during Cyclone Debbie in 2017, the bushfires in 2018 and the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Cr Karen May - Deputy Mayor of Mackay Regional Council Phone: 0419 669 134 Email: [email protected] Cr Karen May’s vast local government experience, which totals more than 16 years, will hold her in good stead for her role as Deputy Mayor in the current council. The most experienced councillor on council, she was a councillor, deputy mayor and mayor of the former Sarina Shire Council. As mayor, she led Sarina through amalgamation with Mackay City and Mirani Shire councils in 2008. She is a strong advocate for issues in our region and played a leading role in recovery from Cyclone Debbie and bushfires. As Deputy Mayor, she is a key support for Mayor Greg Williamson on the Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG). Cr Martin Bella Phone: 0419 793 479 Email: [email protected] Cr Martin Bella is serving his second term on council, having been re-elected in 2020. During his first term from 2016-2020, he earned a reputation for being straight-talking and a strong voice for rural landholders. He is especially a key advocate for residents in the southern part of our region, including Sarina, Sarina Range and Koumala. After being heavily involved in recovery in that southern region post Cyclone Debbie in 2017, he again helped lead residents in those areas during an unprecedented 2021 Mackay Community Directory 4 bushfire crisis in November 2018 and through the subsequent recovery. A former Queensland State of Origin and Australian representative in rugby league, he’s tackled his role as a councillor with plenty of passion. His expertise in sugar and beef provides council with a good insight into these industries. Cr Bella’s career has included a vast range of roles, such as cane farming, grazier, mining, retail agricultural sales, construction and maintenance, sales, hospitality and transport and freight. He is a qualified physiotherapist and has owned and operated his own practice in Anzac Street, Sarina. Cr Laurence Bonaventura Phone: 0427 638 673 Email: [email protected] Cr Laurence Bonaventura, who is serving his third term on council, has plenty of experience and knowledge when it comes to our waste facilities and initiatives. During his first term in 2012-2016, he held the Waste, Health and Regulatory Services portfolio. Waste, including facilities, projects and initiatives, remained an area of interest for him during the 2016-2020 term. Cr Bonaventura is a member of the Water and Waste and Transport advisory boards. He represents council on the North Queensland Sports Foundation, Road Accident Action Group (RAAG) and the Rural Safety Working Group. Cr Bonaventura’s rural experience is wide ranging. Raised at Habana and still a resident there today, his entire working life before local government had been in sugar cane farming, earthmoving and construction. Cr Bonaventura also has an extensive history of involvement in the community, ranging from Habana and District Progress Association to St Vincent de Paul. He has a passion for bringing people together and rallying behind worthy causes. Cr Justin Englert Phone: 0439 611 580 Email: [email protected] Cr Justin Englert, serving his second term on council, has a passion for the regional economy, including tourism. He’s council’s representative on the Mackay Tourism board and is also a representative on the Mountain Bike Alliance. During his first term in 2016-2020, he was a key advocate for a mountain biking project planned for the upper-Pioneer Valley. Before becoming a councillor, he had a thorough understanding of the workings of council, having previously been local controller for the State Emergency Service (SES). That experience is valuable in his position on the Mackay Local Disaster Management Group. He’s also completing an Advanced Diploma of Public Safety (Emergency Management). Cr Englert holds three trade qualifications, 2021 Mackay Community Directory 5 including industrial protective coatings, avionics fitter with the Royal Australian Air Force and electrician. Much of his community involvement has been through the SES as a volunteer trainer and responder, co-founder and facilitator of the PCYC Emergency Service Cadets in Mackay and co- founder of the SES Association of Queensland. Cr Michelle Green Phone: 0434 589 161 Email: [email protected] This is Michelle Green’s first term as a councillor on Mackay Regional Council but her second foray into local government. Her passion for local government began in 2016 when elected as a councillor for Muswellbrook Shire Council in the Upper Hunter Valley in New South Wales. She and her husband are Mackay born and raised and after travelling extensively have returned to the region to raise their children in the Northern Beaches. Cr Green is a qualified exercise physiologist, has a passion for active living, and is a member of the Sports and Recreation Advisory Committee and the Mountain Bike Alliance. She is a future-forward strategic thinker, motivated to promote economic diversity and embrace the 4th Industrial Revolution to enable our communities to evolve and thrive in a rapidly changing future. Cr Green sits on the Water and Waste Advisory Board, LAWMAC, Sustainability and Environment Committee and Invest Mackay Committee. She has extensive experience in the METS sector, having been a past winner of Operator of the Year in the Queensland Women in Mining Awards.