Woolworths’ remarkable reopening

TALK of the town this weekend will be that Woolworths is reopening its Fairfield Central store today.

Considering the shopping centre was inundated in the February floods, it’s remarkable the supermarket is reopening just six weeks later.

It’s also remarkable that Woolworths has gone above and beyond and taken the opportunity to improve on the store’s offerings.

Yes, it’s just a supermarket, but it will be jam-packed today because its reopening will mean a lot to not just the people living in Idalia and surrounds but the broader city.

Sadly, this week we’ve had to report on day care centres that won’t reopen after the floods and there are countless flood-affected businesses in limbo about their future.

But during the week the muchloved Café Bambini reopened at the centre and given the supermarket is an anchor store at Fairfield Central, it will help bring foot traffic to that business.

The shopping centre’s owners say most of the retailers would reopen during the next two months.

This complex getting back on its feet will provide jobs and a muchneeded amenity for locals.

It’s a milestone in our recovery and should be celebrated as such.

Order in the court returns

DURING the week, the highlighted the lack of a Federal Circuit judge in Townsville and the issues it was having on the local case load.

Thankfully, today we can report that a judge has been appointed and, better still, the Federal AttorneyGeneral has selected an experienced family law barrister who will move to Townsville for the job.

He also is considering the possibility of bringing in another judge for a short period to clear any backlog.

This is a positive outcome and hopefully things can get quickly back on track now.