Cr. Nathenea McNamara

07/09/2026

Who's ready for a party in the park...

03/09/2026

🎉Registrations are OPEN for the 2027 Mackay Sport & Rec Expo!

📅 Date: Sunday, February 7th, 2027
🕘 Time: 9AM – 1PM
📍 Location: Mackay Basketball Stadium

Join us for a massive day of fun, fitness, and community! With 100+ sport and recreation groups, Active Zone demos, and prizes galore, there’s something for all ages and abilities!
🏀⚽🏊‍♀️🎯 Whether you're looking to sign up, volunteer, or just explore—this is the place to be!

👉 Sport & Rec Clubs: Book your FREE booth now to connect with new members and volunteers!
🔗 Register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/F9nU1zc2v3?origin=lprLink
📅 Deadline: Midnight, Sunday 14 December 2026 (or earlier if we hit capacity!)
Let’s make 2027 our biggest Expo yet! 💪
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01/09/2026

30 years of lifesaving service to our region 🚁

What a wonderful evening celebrating an incredible milestone for BMA CQ Rescue at their 30 Years of Lifesaving Legacy Gala on Saturday night at the MECC.

For three decades, CQ Rescue has been there for our community when people have needed them most, providing a lifesaving service across Mackay and the wider Central Queensland region.

Behind those 30 years are so many people, the crews, staff, volunteers, sponsors, supporters and businesses who have helped keep this vital service in the air. It was wonderful to see so many of them come together to celebrate everything that has been achieved.

The evening itself was absolutely spectacular and a fitting celebration of such an important part of our community. And I have to say, the live speed painting was pretty incredible to watch too! 🎨

Congratulations to everyone involved with CQ Rescue, past and present, on 30 remarkable years. Here’s to the next chapter of this lifesaving legacy 💙🚁

29/08/2026

A great showing from the Mackay Regional Council team too!

Wonderful to have so many of our Mackay Regional Council Councillors and staff attend and support the Housing Industry Association - HIA Building Women Lunch, connecting with industry and celebrating the contribution women make across our region 🏗️

And Congratulations Eli on your Bingo win 🤗

Councillor Ash-Lee Johnson
Councillor Karen May
Councillor Belinda Hassan
Councillor Anne Baker

28/08/2026

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking at the 2026 Housing Industry Association - HIA Mackay Building Women Lunch, surrounded by an incredible room of women who all contribute in different ways to our building and construction industry.

My presentation was called “Foundations” and for me, it was a chance to go right back to where my own story began.

Growing up with a builder for a Dad, building sites, display homes, plans and the family business were simply part of life. From those early days, through to Professional Inspectors and now my role as a Councillor, the building industry has remained a thread throughout my life.

And yesterday I got to share why I believe building is never just about buildings.

We build homes, but we also build businesses, careers, jobs, confidence, opportunities, families and communities.

I certainly wasn't the only one sharing a story yesterday.

Simone Aitken shared her inspiring journey of starting East Coast Steel Supplies and establishing herself as a woman in what has traditionally been a very male-dominated industry. Hearing about the scale of the projects her business is now contributing to locally was a wonderful reminder of what can grow from backing yourself and having the courage to start.

Melissa Green, Chair of the Mackay Community Foundation, spoke beautifully about seasons of life, change and identity after a 30-year career with BOQ came to an end. Her story of moving into a new chapter while continuing to give back to the community was such a powerful reminder that sometimes what we're building changes and so do we.

And our wonderful MC Amy Savage became one of our speakers too, sharing the story behind her Grow As I Go podcast, a space for honest conversations about personal growth, resilience and figuring life out as we go. If you haven't discovered Amy's podcast yet, it's certainly worth a listen.

What I loved most was that while our stories were all very different, there was a common thread running through the day, growth, resilience, community and having the courage to keep building whatever comes next.

Thank you Simone, Melissa and Amy for the inspiration you brought to the room, and thank you HIA Mackay for creating an opportunity for women across our local industry to connect, learn from one another and celebrate the contribution women are making.

I asked the room a question during my presentation:

“Beyond the building itself, what does the work you do help build?”

It's a question I've found myself thinking about again since.

Whatever your role, and whatever you're building…

Your contribution matters.
Never underestimate the part you play 💜

26/08/2026

🇦🇺🏏 Australia wins in Mackay!

What an incredible couple of days for our region over the weekend.

Australia took the win against Bangladesh at the Great Barrier Reef Arena , wrapping up what was scheduled to be a three-day Test match in just two days! 👏🏼🇦🇺

But beyond the result, I think the real win is seeing an international sporting event of this calibre happening right here in Mackay.

To have a Test match played at Harrup Park and the Great Barrier Reef Arena is such a huge achievement. For the past two days, eyes from across Australia and internationally have been on Mackay — and what a fantastic showcase of our region it has been.

The atmosphere was just brilliant. A packed venue, families and cricket fans everywhere, and that wonderful buzz that comes when something really special is happening in our own backyard 💚💛

Through our Invest Mackay program, Mackay Regional Council was proud to support bringing this event to our region.
Events like this are about so much more than what happens on the field, they bring visitors to Mackay, support our accommodation, hospitality and local businesses, and continue building our reputation as a destination capable of hosting major events.

A huge congratulations to Harrup Park, the Great Barrier Reef Arena, Cricket Australia, and everyone involved behind the scenes in bringing this Test match to Mackay. An enormous amount of work goes into making an event like this happen, and today our region got to enjoy the result.
And seeing “AUSTRALIA WINS - THANK YOU MACKAY” up on that big screen was a pretty special way to finish it!
Congratulations to the Australian Men's Cricket Team 🇦🇺🏏💚

26/08/2026

🇦🇺🏏 Australia wins in Mackay!

What an incredible couple of days for our region over the weekend.

Australia took the win against Bangladesh at the Great Barrier Reef Arena, wrapping up what was scheduled to be a three-day Test match in just two days! 👏🏼🇦🇺

But beyond the result, I think the real win is seeing an international sporting event of this calibre happening right here in Mackay.

To have a Test match played at Harrup Park and the Great Barrier Reef Arena is such a huge achievement. For the past two days, eyes from across Australia and internationally have been on Mackay — and what a fantastic showcase of our region it has been.

The atmosphere today was just brilliant. A packed venue, families and cricket fans everywhere, and that wonderful buzz that comes when something really special is happening in our own backyard 💚💛

Through our Invest Mackay program, Mackay Regional Council was proud to support bringing this event to our region.
Events like this are about so much more than what happens on the field, they bring visitors to Mackay, support our accommodation, hospitality and local businesses, and continue building our reputation as a destination capable of hosting major events.

A huge congratulations to Harrup Park, the Great Barrier Reef Arena, Cricket Australia, and everyone involved behind the scenes in bringing this Test match to Mackay. An enormous amount of work goes into making an event like this happen, and today our region got to enjoy the result.
And seeing “AUSTRALIA WINS - THANK YOU MACKAY” up on that big screen was a pretty special way to finish it!
Congratulations to the Australian Men's Cricket Team 🇦🇺🏏💚

25/08/2026

23/08/2026

A little update on our Mackay Show Day conversation...

A few weeks ago, I asked for your thoughts on the suggestion raised at a Council meeting about whether the Mackay Show Day public holiday should remain on Thursday or move to Wednesday.
And you certainly had your say! 😊

After working through all of the comments across my Councillor page and the community pages where I shared the question, I put together a summary of what I'd heard and sent it through to the Mayor, my fellow Councillors and our CEO.

Importantly, I didn't just share the numbers. I also shared the reasons behind your views, including the perspectives raised by families, educators and businesses, as well as the concerns around the Show winding down early on the Thursday.

I've since received confirmation that this matter will come back to Councillors next year for further discussion about whether there is an appetite to consider changing the public holiday.

The feedback you've provided will be taken into consideration as part of that conversation.
For me, that's what asking for community feedback is all about. It's not just about putting a question on Facebook, it's about listening to what you tell me and making sure those views are carried forward when the discussion comes back to the Council table.

So once again, thank you to everyone who took the time to have your say.
I'll keep you updated when this comes back for discussion next year.