On the 31 March 2012, the Gregory Educational Facility P&C, once again held our annual Fishing Competition. The nominations exceeded expectations with a total of 58 people nominated with our youngest being 4yrs old.  Some wonderful fish were caught and a great day was had by all competitors.  Congratulations to the following winners:

Bream 

• Mini – James Geeves
• Junior – Aidan Munchenberg
• Youth – no Bream Caught
• Women – Margaret Brock
•  Men – Damien Brock

Catfish

• Mini – Hayley Brock 
• Junior – Katie Brock
• Youth – Nicole Forshaw
• Women – None Caught
• Men – Darryl Shingles 

Barra

• Youth – Nicole Forshaw
• Women – Rachel Arnold
• Men – Paul Everingham

Other Fish

• Men – Darryl Shingles

King of the River – Gordon Arnold

Queen of the River – Blair Taber

Child of the River – James Geeves

Thankyou to everyone who helped make this day a great success, and raise $1500 for our little school, especially our sponsors, including Skytrans, Gregory Downs Hotel & Mt Isa Mining Supplies.

]]> http://www.skytrans.com.au/blog/?feed=rss2&p=835 0 http://www.skytrans.com.au/blog/?p=827 http://www.skytrans.com.au/blog/?p=827#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 04:53:42 +0000 chelly http://www.skytrans.com.au/blog/?p=827 Skytrans are pleased to continue our support of Mount Isa Group Apprenticeship, Traineeship and Employment Inc. (MIGATE).

MIGATE is a ‘not for profit’ group training organisation whose core business is the indenturing of local people into traineeships and apprenticeships, creating career opportunities and assisting local companies to fill vacancies and develop a skilled and experienced workforce.

The MIGATE training awards took place on Thursday 3^rd May, recognising and awarding Apprentices and Trainees who have excelled in their chosen fields & the local businesses helping them attain their career goals.

Skytrans proudly provided prize sponsorship for the Apprentice of the Year category, donating 2 return airfares Mount Isa to Cairns to the winner.

Billy Gordon, Skytrans Community Development Manager, attended the awards and had the honour of awarding the Apprentice of the Year prize to Timo Kuivalainen from Hardrok Engineering & Metal Fabrication.

Congratulations Timo!

This was the first time either student had made the Regional team. A lot of training and preparation went into getting ready for this event. David, Nick’s father, as the pool Lessee for Quilpie and Swim coach for the swimmers had them as fit and prepared as they needed to be.

We boarded the plane with Captain Mark Davies and Hostess Gillian Davison keen to get us comfortably to our swimming event.

Thanks to Skytrans and their sponsorship of our tickets, we arrived in one afternoon instead of 12 hours driving. This helped in our preparation so we weren’t so travel weary on arrival in Brisbane.

On Saturday afternoon we went to Chandler for our team photos.

 Our South West team was made up of swimmers from all over our region from Quilpie to Chinchilla and St George to Tambo.                            

On Sunday we had our march past around the pool and got to see the rest of the competitors. We had a warm up in the pool which is nearly double the length and width of our Quilpie pool. When everyone was warming up there were approximately 600 swimmers in the pool, more than the population of our town. We think the Chandler complex itself was probably larger than Quilpie town too.

Nick and Asha both competed in the relay teams on the Sunday. This was a great introduction to the pool and its surroundings.

Nick began his races Monday. His first race was the 100m freestyle & he swam 1:16.17 a 7.5 second PB coming 12^th overall.

On Monday afternoon Nick swam his second race the 50m backstroke & swam 40.16 to qualify 9^th for the Final out of 49 swimmers, in the final he swam 39.46 & finished 9^th achieving a 3 second PB.

On Tuesday Nick swam the 100m backstroke. He achieved a 6 second P.B in a time of 1:26.32 and qualified 6^th for the final, in the final he swam 1:25.86 and finished 7^th achieving another Personal Best time.

Asha swam her 50m race on Tuesday and came 7^th in her heat and 14^th overall in her Breaststroke. She also achieved a P.B of 47.97 seconds.

On Tuesday afternoon Nick swam his 50m freestyle. He achieved another P.B and came 24^th in this event. Nick competed in 8 events and achieved 8 PB’s.

Overall Nick and Asha had a wonderful experience and it was great to see these kids from the bush up there competing with their peers and swimming their best.

 Thank you Skytrans, for providing our kids a chance to swim their best, at the State Primary Schools Competition for 2012.

Final Figures have not yet been tallied, however but early indications are that the proceeds will be of the order of $5,000 – 6,000 which will be donated to the local school, kindergarten and health clinic.

The boat motor and trailer nomination prize for the adults went to Cody Zahl from Alpha and the Junior nomination prize a Ninetendo Wii went to Shakiah Douglas from Burketown.

The Skytrans voucher for 2 return fares Burketown to Cairns was won by a local – Miss Mayaar Yanner

Shania Hookey & Mibbi Yanner                         Kobe & Maddison Marshall

Congratulations to all the winners :

“I was raised by my grandfather and he taught me how to repair engines and motor vehicles that our family owned, like a small generator, an out-board motor and a Mini Moke which we depended on,”Eugene said.

When he was 17 Eugene met and married his wife Roxanne and, with little baby Alex on the way, they moved to Thursday Island where Eugene took a job at Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ).

However, he continued to work on his car and his in-laws’ cars in his sparetime and soon others in the area began to ask Eugene to repair their cars. “It gave me an insight into what I could do with my future,” he said.

Another move, to Cairns, saw Eugene secure a mechanical apprenticeship with Ganes Mechanical. It took six years for Eugene to finish his apprenticeship, due to illness and moving away from home and other challenges, but his ability was always apparent.

He was Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year for

2011 and chosen to tell his story before more than 200

people at the institute’s official National Closing the Gap

Day celebration.

Finally he is on top after completing his apprenticeship and receiving a Certificate III in Automotive Mechanical Technology.

Eugene believes that education is a way to a better life and leads toan understanding of where you come from, where you want to go and the courage to believe in yourself.

“Because of my education, I know I can do this,” he said. “I can do anything and I don’t have to rely on anyone anymore because I am an educated man.”.

Eugene’s future goals centre on being an effective ambassador for his industry and community.  He is already trying to make a difference in the lives of Indigenous youth in Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands when he speaks at job networks and youth group meetings.

He intends to continue his motivational speaking and one-on-one work with the job networks and various Indigenous youth mentoring groups. True to his nature, Eugene wants to pass on his knowledge and skills to make a difference in the lives of members of his community.

Eugene also buys broken down cars that no one wants, fixes them up and sells them to people who need a car but can’t afford to buy a new one. “It’s fun for me, I usually break even but it’s a hobby and I get to spend time in the garage with my son,” he said.

Eugene has just bought his nineteenth vehicle he says that one day he will own his own car.

“I’ve learnt that what you put into life, you get out of life,” he said.

The deadly stories campaign celebrates the many achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their communities.

To read other stories or post your own, visit www.deadlystories.qld.gov.au

Four Artists from Pormpuraaw Art & Culture Centre travel to Melbourne and exhibit their work

On April 16^th 2012 four Pormpuraaw artists Elliot Koonutta, Sid Bruce Short Joe, Romena Edwards, Christine Holroyd and their manager Paul Jakubowski traveled to Melbourne for a “Meet the Artist” event held at the our first out of state art exhibit. The exhibit was held at the Alcaston Gallery on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy.  It was the first time any of our artists had ever been to Melbourne and the biggest city they had ever experienced. The event took more than a year to plan and prepare for. Thank you Skytrans for your support and providing us with discounted tickets. The show included weavings, wood carvings, paintings and prints. The Pormpuraaw Art Centre has come a long way in the last few years. It has become recognized for having talented, motivated artists and selling inventive, quality work.

The trip was a real thought provoking, educational experience. On a normal day you would find our artists fishing in the river out in the hot sun and keeping a watchful eye out for crocs. “Then suddenly” they find themselves immersed in a huge concrete and steel multicultural city keeping an eye out for cars and trucks and not getting run over in the crosswalk.  During the first day I could see expressions of confusion and being out of place on their faces. They were looking for their relatives, homes and pet dogs. They were out of their comfort zone and experiencing something new and exciting. Home sickness was kept in check by eating out at several fantastic restaurants.   The people of Melbourne were incredibly nice and friendly to us. Everyone wanted to know where we came from who we were and all about our show.

While in Melbourne they visited the National collection of Aboriginal and western art. The artwork was overwhelming and inspiring. They visited the Natural History Museum and saw the skeleton of a blue whale and the remains of Far Lap the race horse. We even took an exciting first time ever tram ride to Luna Park.  The waters of the bay smelled and tasted different then the waters of home.  The fish living under the jetty looked similar yet different somehow connecting to their own country. 

Pormpuraaw art work is an expression of community and culture and a bridge to the outside world. The experience of artists seeing their work on display in a beautiful gallery and meeting collectors for the first time is unforgettable.  An experience that will hopefully inspire more exciting work. Collectors wanted to shake their hands and hear the culture stories behind the work. One collector was so emotional he was brought to tears.

After four days of exploring this urban environment everyone was ready to go home and be with family and friends and all things familiar. To live in a simpler life style and place called Pormpuraaw.  All readers are invited to visit our centre meet artist and see their work.

              Arictle & Photos courtesy of Paul Jakubowski

                    Pormpuraaw Art & Culture Centre

He said the team’s performance in the lead-up to the final between NPA Crocs and Cairns was outstanding. “It was very entertaining to watch through those two days,” Bowie said. “Our team took to the challenge, and it was our first experience playing on that level.” The NPA Crocs team is Gabriel Bowie, Phillip Bowie, Johnny Tamwoy, Michael Solomon, Stanley Addo, Frankie Walker, Levani Nedredre, Gordon Solomon, Harvey Morseu, and Patrick Ropeyarn.

“To our major sponsors Skytrans and PCYC, we the NPA Crocs 8 Ball team would like to forward to a very big thanks or eso for made everything possible to us,” Bowie said. “Without you this would have never happened.”

NPA Crocs 8 Ball team members at the competition in Babinda.

- Article and Photo Courtesy of the Torres News

With 381 nominations, and 344 fish weighed-in, why would you be anywhere else? We would like to say that the weigh-ins reflected the amount of fish caught, but also the huge catch and release numbers (the amount unknown).  The stories of how many fish were actually caught were mind boggling.  Our winners were…

OPEN:

1st – Siti Stroud with 14.89kg/110cm (the fish was almost as tall as her) *Pictured

2nd – Clint Spry with 11.54kg/106.5cm (this ripper was weighed in on Saturday, but pipped on Sunday)

3rd – Robyn Busch with 11.04kg/110cm (was weighed in on Sunday also)

Heaviest Catfish 6.92kg weighed-in by Gwendoline Callope

Heaviest Other Fish with Scales was a bream by Warren Rossow

JUNIOR:

Lachlan Anderson took out all the honours with Heaviest Barra, 1st – 8.47kg, 2nd – 7.64 kg, and 3rd – 7.19kg weighing in late Sunday afternoon *Pictured

Supplementary prizes went to Tyler Neilson and Kailan Rainbow

Junior heaviest catfish went to Jaylen McMullen with a ripper 7.14kg catty

Heaviest Other Fish with Scales was Cameron Millard with a Garfish

Teams Winners were Team ‘Don’t Know’ with 89.56kg of Barra between them – Scott McDowell, Greg Smith, Clint Spry, and Jett Spry *Pictured

Our $10,000 cash Raffle went off on Sunday night, and an extremely enjoyable weekend of fishing, entertainment, prizes and raffles (over $25,000 in cash and prizes) was had by all.  The Skytrans flights were won by Dawn and Brad Bird.

A huge big thank-you to Skytrans for their ongoing support for our fishing comp and region as without their support we cannot keep producing not only the fantastic prizes, but the donation back to the community from the proceeds, which will be approximately $9000, going to Normanton State School, Gulf Christian College, Normanton Day Care Centre, Normanton Gun club, and the Normanton Cricket Club this year. We hope to have to see you all there next year, with your fishing rods in hand.

- Coutesy of the Normanton Social Fishing Club

Therefore, for flights departing on and after 1 July 2012 a Carbon Tax of $3.85 will be charged on Skytrans flights.  The amount collected will be passed on in full to the Government to be used for industry and household assistance.  The tax equates to an approximate increase of 5% on our fuel costs.

At this stage, the Carbon Tax only affects the following routes:  Bamaga, Kowanyama, Edward River, Lockhart River, Coen and Aurukun.  Further ports will be added in the coming months prior to 1 July 2012.

It is important to note that the payment of the Carbon Tax does not offset your flight and you will not be flying carbon neutral unless you purchase this option online at the time of booking.

The trip can only be described as a resounding success with the boys being great ambassadors for Carpentaria Shire and the Gulf region.  All the boys had to attend many weeks of training before the trip, and they should all be commended for their willingness to participate and the high level of enthusiasm and commitment.  Many of the boys had never travelled on a large plane or been to Brisbane, so this in itself was a reason for much excitement.   To the delight of the boys, and the adults as well, there was a brief photo opportunity with some of the Melbourne Storm players at Brisbane airport en route to the Sunshine Coast. 

Over the weekend the boys had as much success off as on the field.  With 74 teams comprising 1000 players in the competition the boys made it to the quarter finals.  Isaac Owens was named Best and Fairest player for Saturday and Sunday games.  Jesse McPherson and Isaac were selected to represent Queensland in the under 14’s Oz Tag Team in June 2012. 

Due to their commitment the two boys were also selected to play in the Far North Queensland Senior Open Men’s team to play in the Queensland Oztag Senior State titles.  Skytrans were proud to provide the boys with return flights from Normanton to Cairns at no charge, in order to compete at such an advanced level. Both boys displayed skills beyond their years and competed extremely well against mature aged players. 

It is hoped that this is the first step on the path to establishing an OzTag competition in Normanton and the wider Gulf region and providing other youth with opportunities to also play at high levels of competition.  

Congratulations to the Normanton Crocs:  Gasmun Kampf; Jesse McPherson; Renee Turner; Carl Casey;  Nicholas Casey; Rakeem Rainbow; Juwan Fraser; Zachary Gilbo; Troy Kumsing; Isaac Owens; Collis Casey; Kelean Logan; Raymond Dalton; and Isaiah Callope.

Isaac Owens & Jesse McPherson with Skytrans Community Development Manager Billy Gordon

Normanton Crocs Under 14 Oztag Team