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Subscriber only It goes without saying how tumultuous the business scene was in Mackay throughout 2020 because of COVID-19. Many were shocked when long-established businesses folded under the pressure of an unprecedented environment of lockdowns and quarantines. But amid the chaos, there were also new starts as entrepreneurs took a risk despite the uncertainties. We took a look back through the 2020 archives to collate the most notable examples of businesses that thrived and those that dived in the year that was. The Mackay institution since about the mid-1930s closed its doors in August, allegedly having been in gradual decline for years.
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Subscriber only A Mackay magistrate has questioned why it will take a doctor two months to supply basically one paragraph in relation to a man s injuries following an alleged one-punch attack at Caneland Central. Jesse James Ryan has been in custody since the incident which was captured by CCTV cameras on September 5 this year. A court heard his bail bid was initially rejected but Magistrate Damien Dwyer said prosecutors may have to rethink their position on his release if it was going to take two months to obtain further medical evidence labelling Mr Ryan s continued detention as becoming unjust .
Connor Stephens, 7, at Caneland Central, Mackay, on Thursday December 10. Picture: Zizi Averill
Connor Stephens, 7 Needles are not good but people need medicine. Because if they get it (coronavirus) they can spread it. If they get the needle they won t get coronavirus and they can go to school. Ruby Stephens, 9, at Caneland Central, Mackay, on Thursday December 10. Picture: Zizi Averill
Ruby Stephens, 9 Yes, so it can stop the spread. It didn t really change life for me because we still went to school. But we were in a big classroom. I would like things to return to normal. Bowen resident Bill Moxham, 37, at Caneland Central, Mackay, on Thursday December 10. Picture: Zizi Averill
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Subscriber only They may walk through the door for a haircut but Heath Paton: Hair For Men is about shaving back the layers. The owner and A Real Mates Talk advocate Heath Paton said many men would talk about what was on their mind. We hear first-hand about life s challenges, which we re all faced with every day, Mr Paton said. Their struggles can unravel as soon as they step in the door and take a seat in the chair. Three-quarters of people who die by suicide in the Whitsunday, Isaac and Mackay region were men who did not reach out to their family, friends or a support service for help.
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Subscriber only A SEVERED leg and foot with the boot still on - found in the belly of a huge shark - marked a gruesome end to the vicious attack of a dockworker in waters off Mackay. It was the night of August 26, 1935 and Patrick Quinn was working as a stevedore on the barge Terka to the cargo vessel Alynbank at Flat Top Island. The 38 year old was about to cross from one vessel to another when he fell overboard, and immediately grabbed a buoy that had been thrown to him. A boat was lowered and it had almost reached Quinn, who was clinging to a buoy, when suddenly he disappeared - his body was never recovered.