Cooktown’s back on feet

A SMALL Far North Queensland town once referred to as the “murder capital of Australia” has come together to rebuild its image.

Cooktown experienced a spate of crimes last year as three alleged murders and an ice epidemic took over the town.

For a town that hadn’t previously recorded a murder since 2004, the alleged crimes cast a dark shadow over the community and its image.

But now almost 12 months on, Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott said things were at last looking up.

He said the community had worked hard to rebuild and had come out stronger than before.

“Things are looking very positive in Cooktown,” he said.

“The community’s really lifted, we were at a low last year. “But once that crime was solved (an arrest was made in the Donna Steele murder case), that lifted a bit of the weight off the community.

“We’re on a real upswing as far as community sentiment goes.”

Councillor Scott said projects such as the recently upgraded Cooktown Foreshore Activity Precinct on Webber Esplanade had played a major part in lifting the community’s spirit and confidence.

He said the project had been brought forward and it was one of four precincts in the Cook Shire’s Waterfront Master Plan that would be rolled out.

Cooktown Police Station officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant John McArthur said the town was looking forward to a fresh start in the new year.

“Cooktown is aware of the issues it’s had, but it is on the up and up,” he said.

“Ice has been around this year, but it’s not a big issue. It’s very much in the minority.”

He said the town wasn’t focused on what outsiders would consider a horror year.

“It wasn’t the best year, but it was never so bad that it brought the town to its knees,” he said.

“Looking at the town from my perspective, it’s flowing along nicely.”

THINGS ARE LOOKING VERY POSITIVE IN COOKTOWN. THE COMMUNITY’S REALLY LIFTED. COOK SHIRE MAYOR PETER SCOTT