But her world was shaken upside down after mum Jasmine spotted bloody urine in her nappy. Mackay teenager Jaiden Simonsen, 16, was lucky to escape with his mate and little brother after the boat they were on started sinking off Keswick Island on Saturday, December 5, 2020. Picture: Contributed
Almost half the drivers who died on Mackay roads in five years were under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. That is the stark reality revealed in the University of the Sunshine Coast s Road Safety Research Collaboration study into fatal crashes in Queensland from 2011 to 2015. Professor Jeremy Davey said data suggested drink-driving and drug-driving fatalities were higher for rural and regional areas like Mackay. Last week on Mackay region roads, police stopped 17 alleged drug-drivers and 14 alleged drink-drivers, Acting Senior Sergeant Daniel Goldburg of Mackay Road Policing Unit said. The figure is almost double the average of 9-10 drug-drivers charged per week in the Mackay district last year.
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Subscriber only What a massive year it has been for the Mackay region with COVID-19 and the local and state elections undoubtedly the guiding forces. With that there has been a renewed vigour on speaking out on the issues that mattered. So without further ado, here are some of the Mackay region personalities who featured in the headlines throughout 2020:
Vicki Blackburn Vicki Blackburn, a mum plagued by what ifs since her daughter was brutally killed in Mackay almost seven years ago, has never stopped fighting for justice. She started off 2020 by hosting an awareness morning tea before she bravely pushed through the findings of an inquest into Shandee Blackburn s death in which the coroner found John Peros responsible.
Mr Symons said more people would use comprehensive health insurance as they advanced in age. More seniors were dropping their health insurance as the price was becoming too high for them to afford. I am still on private health, but I had a procedure a couple of years ago down at the Wesley Hospital (Brisbane), Mr Symons said. BMA was accused of failing to identify serious safety risks that led to the death of Allan Houston. Picture: Daily Mercury
January 4-5: MT OSSA Rural store owner Adrian Zarb said frequent power outages in December 2019 meant losing a five-month-old fridge that cost him $6000.