Town by town
NORTHERN CITY Language courses
SMITHFIELD Library is offering people the chance to access 60 foreign language courses and 17 English courses taught completely in the user’s native language. Learn languages like Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Italian and many more. The service is also available at other libraries across the Cairns region. Use the service online or download the council app. For more details, visit the Cairns Regional Council website at www.cairns.qld.gov.au and search under the ‘Library’ tab.
DOUGLAS AND TABLELANDS Car dealer awarded
MAREEBA Mazda has been awarded the prestigious Mazda Master Dealer for 2018. It is the fourth consecutive year award the business has taken out the accolade. Lead by dealer-principal David Mete, Mareeba Mazda is also ranked the number one rural dealer in the country against 53 like-sized businesses.
Road repairs
DOUGLAS Shire Council has advised that crews will be completing important road repairs to the Mossman Gorge Rd for three days from today. The road will be closed to all traffic past the Mossman Gorge Community during this time. People will be unable to access the Mossman Gorge swimming area. The road is expected to reopen on Friday.
Illegal dumping
TABLELANDS Regional Council is partnering with the Queensland Environment Department to reduce littering and illegal dumping on the Gillies Range road. Motorists are asked to keep any rubbish in the car and use the free waste disposal available to residents at transfer stations.
CAPE YORK & TORRES STRAIT Afternoon tea
NAPRANUM residents are being invited to join the conversation and share views on what is happening in their community. The local PCYC is hosting an afternoon tea on February 25 at 3pm at the Napranum Youth Centre and a breakfast the following day at 8.30am. Everyone is invited to attend.
Women’s meeting
KOWANYAMA Women’s Group is looking forward to a productive year ahead. Hosting its first meeting of 2019, about 35 women of all ages attended. The night involved a relaxation session, a discussion around ideas for what the women’s group could do this year, as well as including planning for International Women’s Day.
King tides reminder
COOK Shire Council has advised that king tides coinciding with the full moon (February 17-21 and March 18-21) could bring higher than usual tidal waters around the region. Residents and visitors are urged to be aware of water over low lying roads and keep children and pets away from the water’s edge, especially if heavy rain coincides with the king tide dates.
Minister appointed
UNITING Church presbytery minister Richard Wallace has been appointed part-time to Aurukun. Prior to his retirement in 2012, Dr Wallace was co-ordinator of the Uniting Aboriginal and Christian Congress National Leadership Training Program and taught at Nungalinya College in Darwin.
Mental health service
CAPE York residents affected by floods can now access a free dedicated mental health support service, providing confidential 24/7 counselling support during flood recovery. To access NQ Connect, phone 1300 059 625, or visit https://www.nqphn.com.au/