NEW ROLE AT INDIGENOUS ART FAIR
ENTHUSIASTIC Cairns performing artist Naomi Wenitong has been named ambassador for the 2021 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF)to be held at Munro Martin Parklands from August 17 to 22.
Ms Wenitong came to prominence as part of pop girl duo Shakaya and, more recently, performing alongside her brother Joel in hip-hop group The Last Kinection.
She will be performing at CIAF on August 21 and said there were surprises in store.
“I will be doing something special for the audience, with new material coming and I am really looking forward to sharing it with my hometown first,” she said.
“Being ambassador is about getting the word out for people to support the whole festival, we really want to be able to support our home grown artists and this is a really good way to do it. I’m looking forward to how much talent is going to come out of Cairns, we’re going for gold.”
Known for her generosity in mentoring young musicians, Ms Wenitong has just launched a 10-week Native Mentorship intensive training program.
A DECISION by Douglas Shire councillors to block a multimillion-dollar contract from going to a Cairns concreting company has paid off for a Mossman-firm, which has been awarded the job of a lifetime.
Mossman company MC Group has been handed a $2.6m road works upgrade of a small section of the Bloomfield Track after being overlooked by internal Douglas Shire council staff in favour of GEO Construct.
The move didn’t sit well with councillors at an ordinary council meeting in January – with the local group coming in $400,000 cheaper – and the tender recommendation was rejected.
Cr Roy Zammataro put in a passionate plea to give the lucrative contract to the Mossman-based company and his amendment was passed at Tuesday’s council meeting.
“The more I read of this report … the more I’m convinced the tender should be given to a Douglas Shire company,” Cr Zammataro said.
“I can’t see Cairns Regional Council sitting there too often and discussing giving the job to a Douglas Shire company that is $400,000 dearer than a Cairns company.
“Our motto is do it in Douglas, not don’t do it in Douglas. We need to start giving the work to local companies as much as we can.”
Councillors Lisa Scomazzon and Peter McKeown agreed the time was right to “give a local company a chance” at the concreting job.
“I’m happy this time to put my head on the block and go for the local company,” Cr McKeown said.
Cr Zammataro said MC Group would employ “100 per cent” local suppliers, contractors and “quite possibly” all of its labour.