Skytrans Blog

Flight with Skytrans – Experience of Franziska Steinicke – Tourism Marketing Intern at Out the Back Australia, Cunnamulla

February 14th, 2012

My experience with Skytrans

Last year I decided to complete an internship at Out the Back Australia, a tour operator which guarantees the real Outback experience and that is located in Cunnamulla. Of course I was really excited so I prepared everything carefully for my 6-month-stay in the Outback.

The real Australian adventure started soon: It was the 3^rd of February when I arrived in Brisbane for a stop-over before travelling to Cunnamulla. The atmosphere and the sights including the famous South Bank of Brisbane caught my interest immediately so I enjoyed wonderful days in the biggest city of Queensland.

After staying two nights in the YHA in Brisbane I packed my bags for the next stage. Therefore I had to wake up very early in the morning. It was 5.30 am when I checked-out and said goodbye to Brisbane in order to get my flight with Skytrans at 07.45 am to get to my next home for the next months. At first I was a little bit worried about the flight because I guessed that it might be a very small plane. But as you will read later in this article my worries were not justified – quite the contrary!

So I went to the Check – In point of Skytrans where I talked to a nice woman. She gave me the boarding pass and showed me directly the way to the gate that I achieved very easy and comfortable and without any problems. Because the boarding time was not until 07.30 am I decided to have a hot chocolate at the gate and to relax before the flight departs. So after the drink I gave my boarding pass to the women of the ckeck-in point so that I could go through the tunnel which led directly to the aircraft of Skytrans.

The aircraft was not as small as I expected at first so I was really relieved and happy. It looked very safe instead. In the aircraft I was friendly greeted by the attendant Gilian Davison (picture below) and the captain Scott Heywood (picture below) as well as by his co-pilot Jordan Frazer. They also familiarized the passengers very straight with the safety instructions and all necessary information. Gilian was very polite and asked us the entire flight if we would like to have some drinks so I never felt thirsty at all. She also gave us a breakfast with a delicious fruits salad. Later this day we all got another meal with a Muffin and some crisps.

The flight was also very calm and comfortable. There were not a lot of turbulences as I had expected before. Although I had to fly more than 7 hours it has never got boring. Gil gave us little snacks and drinks as well as a headset so that we could watch a series on the screens. We needed 7 hours to arrive in Cunnamulla because of the flood entering the area these days so that our captain decided to change the flight route. We stopped at first at Thargomindah and Windorah instead of Cunnamulla but because of the service on board it was alright.

The flight was absolutely comparable with an international one except the nice view I could enjoy because the aircraft did not fly too high. As you can see I took a lot of nice pictures especially of the flood and water that gave me really an impression what I would expect in the Outback.

All in all, it was really a great experience to fly with Skytrans that I have never experienced in this way in my life before – the little airports in the Outback, the nice views and the friendliness of the crew are really unforgettable!

Posted in Cunnamulla, Western 1 | Comments Off

‘Strangers’ No More

February 13th, 2012

The Kowanyama LARR-YANVMRR Skytrans Strangers travelled to Rockhampton this Australia Day Weekend to compete in the Central Queensland city’s annual Rugby League Reconciliation Carnival. The carnival is designed to promote Reconciliation and Indigenous Culture by bringing together teams from throughout the state to compete for around $30,000 in prize money for the eventual winners. From all accounts the ‘Strangers’ impressed many opponents and spectators by playing their own style of tough and running Cape York Rugby League. The Strangers also surprised many by reaching the semi-finals of the carnival only to go down to the Purga Wagtails 4 – 12. The Strangers Squad of 30 consisted of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous members of the small Cape York community coming together in the spirit of Reconciliation to represent Kowanyama.

Skytrans will always look at giving back to the communities that give to us. Making Social Investments into events, programs and activities that improve the quality of life that people enjoy is both extremely satisfying and important to the company. Skytrans would like to congratulate the Kowanyama Strangers on their success at this year’s Reconciliation Carnival and know that when the boys return to compete again in 2013 they may be Strangers by name but not in nature…

Strangers Captain Tony Daniels & Skytrans Community Develpment Manager Billy Gordon with the teams’ playing strip

Posted in Community Support, Kowanyama | Comments Off

Dirranbandi Hospital Auxiliary are all winners!

January 31st, 2012

Last November over 100 locals and visitors flocked to The Dirran Pub to join the Melbourne Cup Luncheon hosted by the Dirranbandi Hospital Auxiliary. A fabulous lunch, champagne, prizes, fashion parade, laughter and fun flowed to create a wonderful party atmosphere.

The Fashion on the Field Judges (Lisa Mulholland & Cheryl Spackman) had the arduous task of selecting contenders for the various categories and a winner from each. Among these were Patti Twidale (Winner of Best Classic Female Racewear) and Andrea Crothers (Winner of Best Female Modern Racewear) for which the prizes included return flights from St George to Brisbane. Many thanks must go to our major sponsor Skytrans for their ongoing support each year.

The Auxiliary Auction reached an all time record with Auctioneer Steve Burnett taking the total to $10500. The lucky buyers of the winning horse (Ed Kennedy & Martin Sullivan) went away extremely happy and cashed up.

The Committee extend their thanks to the many supporters – the day successfully raised approximately $4000. Funds raised by the Auxiliary are used to purchase equipment for the comfort of patients & their relatives and the staff. Funds have also been used to establish the Hospital Memorial Rose Garden. A beautiful arrangement of roses from the hospital garden created by Michele Hadenfeldt brought a touch of Flemington to the Dirran Pub.

L to R: Tom Perkins (Dapper Tie); Patti Twidale (Winner of Skytrans Ticket for Best Classic Female Racewear); Andrea Crothers (Winner of Skytrans Ticket for Best Female Modern Racewear); Donna Stewart (Best Fascinator); Karen Mason (Best Hat); Sam Stewart (Most Creative Outfit); Karena Purcell & Ben Wilson (Best Dressed Couple)

Posted in Community Support, St George, Western 1 | Comments Off

Charleville Street Party

January 23rd, 2012

In conjunction with Western Travel, EW Wilkinson & Co and the Lions Club in Charleville, a Christmas promotion was undertaken to encourage local people to shop locally.

Skytrans provided a return trip for two from Charleville to either Toowoomba or Brisbane.

The prize was drawn at the Lions Club ‘Street Party’ in Charleville on 22 December with activities including face painting, jumping castle, games, BBQ as well as local bands and choir providing a festive atmosphere. Our Charleville Agent, John Rigby presented the prize to the lucky winners, Lyn and Greg Roberts, who look forward to visiting Brisbane in the next of months.

Posted in Charleville, Community Support, Western 2 | Comments Off

Aurukun Community Christmas Carols Evening

December 22nd, 2011

Aurukun held its Community Christmas Carols Evening on Tuesday 20 December 2011 and one of the highlights of this evening besides Father Christmas’ arrival, was the presentation of the prizes for the Christmas Lights Competition.

Because of Skytrans’ generosity in donating two return airfares Aurukun/Cairns last year and again this year, Aurukun Shire Council has chosen to call this annual competition, the Skytrans Christmas Lights Competition. Maureen Karyuka was the winner this year and she received her voucher from Aurukun Shire Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr John Japp.

The children had a great evening starting with the Jumping Castle and face painting and then the arrival of Father Christmas who was escorted by the police with sirens blazing.

Again this was a great evening of celebration for the Aurukun community.

Posted in Aurukun, Community Support | Comments Off

Halloween Party held at Thargomindah in aid of the RFDS QLD

December 19th, 2011

On Saturday 29^th October, the small community of Thargomindah donned their witches and wizard costumes to attend the Halloween Party. The event started with a “Trick or Treat” event for the local children on a warm evening. Local school teachers guided 41 keen youngsters to various houses in the town who received plenty of “treats”.

The party then moved on to the local Shire Hall where the adults were waiting to greet the youngsters with a smoke machine and cob web decorations to set the atmosphere.

Supper was provided and there were some ghoulish dishes including a coffin chocolate cake and green cupcakes.

The judging of the costumes was done with difficulty by 3 local dignitaries as Thargomindah residents really do like to dress up and put a huge effort into their costumes.

The highlight of the evening was the drawing of the lucky door prize, a return airfare for two to Brisbane with Skytrans Airline and this was won by Paul Rush, the local caravan park manager.

The evening then progressed with a disco of suitably ghoulish music and over $3000 was raised for the RFDS.

Posted in Community Support, Thargomindah | Comments Off

Swell Sculpture Festival 2011

December 2nd, 2011

The ninth annual Swell Sculpture Festival was a tremendous success with over 178,000 visitors from far and wide discovering and experiencing 47 sculptures installed at Currumbin Beach in September.

Highlights of the program included over 500 children participating in sculpture workshops and indigenous children from Lockhart State School who were able to attend and were inspired through new experiences with the Cape to Coast project sponsored in part by Skytrans. Lively conversations were prompted at the Public Art Forum and the master classes spurred new creativity.

“It was terrific to meet the children from Lockhart River and to see them involved at Swell. We thank Skytrans for its wonderful support.”

Ruth Della | Director Swell Sculpture Festival

: Photo by Daniel Michaud

: Photo by Steve Holland

: Photo by Steve Holland

: Photo by Daniel Michaud

Posted in Community Support, Lockhart River | Comments Off

No Boundaries Program

October 10th, 2011

The 2011 NO BOUNDARIES PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM has been a wonderful success and further strengthens the relationship between AFL Cape York, Federal Government, Gold Coast Suns and Skytrans Airlines with the NPA Communities.

The No Boundaries Partnership program was established to give further sporting opportunities to children living in the NPA area but more importantly to encourage students to attend school regularly.

The Gold Coast Suns players visited the NPA communities on two separate occasions to visit the schools at Bamaga and Injinoo. During those visits Suns player spoke at assemblies and in class rooms about the importance of living healthy and school attendance and the good and bad consequences around these issues.

Suns players that visited the communities were Cairns product Jarrod Harbrow, Rex Liddy, (Hopevale), Roland Achee and Alex Magin they were accompanied by several Gold Coast Suns officials and media with all activities coordinated by AFL Cape York Development Officer, Marc Harbrow.

To complement the program and reward those students that supported the program eight students were selected to travel to the Gold Coast as guests of the Gold Coast Suns AFL team for a week. The activity called NPA Legends to highlight great leadership was well received and those selected students had a ball. We would also like to acknowledge Nola Lewis from PCYC who travelled with the group acting as a supervisor and did an outstanding job.

The week’s itinerary was full with visits to Fun Parks and escorted by Gold Coast Suns players, Rex Liddy, Jarrod Harbrow and Harley Bennell. They attended the Gold Coast Suns training programs and workshops with medical staff from the club. Gold Coast Suns Dietician MR Dean Robinson was very impressed with the students and in particular their interest in healthy food. Further activities consisted of visits to All Saints Anglican College and Griffiths University, goal setting workshops and to finish the week the group were guests at the Gold Coast Suns V Adelaide Crows match held at Metricon Stadium.

AFL Cape York would like to thank partners of the No Boundaries program. Skytrans have been outstanding not just for its involvement in this project but for support for well over ten years for the AFL work conducted in the Cape and Torres Strait.

It is hoped the No Boundaries program will continue in 2012 and we look forward to having the partnerships grow even stronger between the program and its supporters.

Posted in Bamaga, Community Support | Comments Off

Doomadgee Rodeo Spectacular

October 7th, 2011

BY EVAN MORGAN

THE DOOMADGEE Rodeo is part of the real outback complete with red dust, scrub bulls and bucking broncos.

Held over three days each year in the last week in August it comes without the frills and glitz of a Gold Coast re-enactment or the bells and whistles found at Mt Isa.

The rodeo features mostly indigenous ringers riding for the pride of their community going head to head and toe to toe with cranky cantankerous scrub bulls straight from the paddock.

But the event also draws some of Queensland’s best bucking bulls and broncos and this year former world bull riding champion Troy Dunn from Proserpine came to give a workshop on the art of riding a bull and to keep an eye open for raw talent.

The indigenous community of Doomadgee is situated 76km west of Burketown and 110km east of theNorthern Territoryboarder and was founded in 1931 as a mission by the Christian Brethren.

Originally built on the coast it moved to its current location on the banks of theNicholsonRiverafter a cyclone destroyed the original mission in 1936 and became an Aboriginal Shire in 1987.

Former Doomadgee Shire councillor and rodeo committee member Jason Ned says the event is not to be missed and encouraged more visitors to come to the town for the annual rodeo.

“We like to see a big mob of people come to Doomadgee for the rodeo.”

He said Doomadgee used to have a bad reputation but when people visit they see it is a good place and they meet a lot of good people.

“I always talk to anyone along the road and they always talk good about Doomadgee.”

Aged 36, he runs 2000 head of cattle on Spoon Creek Station, 40km north of Doomadgee and, with the help of several locals, built the current rodeo ground in 2002 after getting funding from the State Government.

He says the rodeo is getting bigger and bigger and this year they had good bucking bulls come fromRichmond.

“I brought in 31 scrub bulls from my place for the second division bull ride. They are just scrubbers straight from the bush,” he said.

“They went well when we bucked them through yesterday and they livened a few boys up, made them go for their money.

“I’m riding in the second division bronc riding and should go all right.

“I have won it a few times here hope I get a good one and stay with him.”

“We only have the rodeo once a year and for the young people in the community it’s the biggest excitement in the town

“This time of year everybody gets together and we meet families from outside and they come in here and show respect to the other families in town here.

He says competitors come from all over the gulf to compete at the Rodeo.

“There are riders here from Borroloola, Normanton, Mt Isa, Croydon, Camooweal, from all over the place.”

Former world champion Troy Dunn considers the Gulf country to be full of untapped bull riding talent.

“I just like the idea of helping these guys as they have a lot to offer and I like coming to these places because it is a good social service for the bush.”

He says campdrafting and bull riding were important for the north and its communities and he was keen to pass on some of his knowledge.

Each year he picks the Australian team to compete in the Professional Bull Riders world cup and said with the talent he had seen in indigenous communities he could soon be choosing an Aboriginal rider.

He said places likeBraziland theUnited Stateswere factories for bull riders with thousands and thousands of them in each country.

“InAustraliawe might only have 50 to 100 capable bull riders so we are behind the eight ball big time in just sheer numbers.

“I feel it is my job to do junior development and it would be good for bull riding and good for PBR if one day one or two indigenous kids were in the world cup side,” he said.

There is one guesthouse in Doomadgee offering both breakfast and dinner which is within walking distance to the rodeo ground and can be contacted on 07 4745 8235.

Doomadgee is under an alcohol management plan and is known as a ‘Dry Place’ with restrictions on the amount of alcohol that can be taken into the community.

For more information on these restrictions go to the Queensland Government Office of Liquor and Gaming website.

Skytrans has regular flights to Doomadgee and to nearby Burketown which offers more accommodation options and is only s short distance by car.

Burketown bills itself as the Barramundi capital ofAustraliaand a gateway to the Gulf region and apart from fishing has a hotel, a lodge and a caravan park.

Posted in Community Support, Doomadgee | Comments Off

NPA Family Fun Day

September 9th, 2011

The residents of the five communities in the Northern Peninsula Area were able to enjoy a ‘back to the future’ experience on the first weekend in August when the NPA Family Fun Day was held in New Mapoon.

The New Mapoon Aboriginal Corporation was a major sponsor and the NPA Regional Council Events Team organized and ran the event with lots of help from volunteers from the New Mapoon community.

The support of Skytrans was invaluable, with a combination of financial and in-kind assistance. The major prize of return tickets for two to Cairns on Skytrans added even more excitement to the events. Congratulations to Marjorie Sagigi, the winner of the tickets!

With live entertainment, side-shows, fun events for all ages, and an amazing fireworks display, there was something for everyone.

Thanks Skytrans for helping us put on a great show!