Mayor Ry Collins - Whitsunday Regional Council

04/06/2026

Sometimes the most important infrastructure is the infrastructure you never see… until you need it. 🌧️

🌧️ New culverts in Bowen as part of region-wide stormwater upgrades.

Council is continuing to upgrade critical stormwater infrastructure across the region, replacing ageing culverts that are nearing the end of their service life.

Recently, new reinforced concrete box culverts and kerb lintels were installed at Tracey Street, Bowen. Completed in April, the upgrade will improve safety, increase flood resilience and provide more reliable access for residents during heavy rainfall.

So far, six key stormwater assets have been renewed across the region, including:

• Gladstone Park Road – completed December 2025
• Korah and Marshall Streets – completed February 2026
• Golf Links Road Caravan Park, Bowen – completed March 2026
• Tracey Street, Bowen – completed April 2026
• Hillview Road/Soldiers Road intersection – completed May 2026

These upgrades are helping to build a safer, more resilient road network for our community.

01/06/2026

What a magical Whitsunday weekend it was! ☀️🌴⛵

Perfect weather on both land and water, and I hope everyone had the chance to get out and enjoy it.

On Saturday evening I had the pleasure of attending Welcome Whales event, celebrating the start of the annual whale migration season in the Whitsundays. 🐋

The Whitsundays is the world's first Whale Heritage Site located within the UNESCO World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef — a recognition of the special relationship between our community and these incredible marine visitors.

Each year, more and more humpback whales make their way into our pristine waters, providing unforgettable marine diversity. It's just another reason why the Whitsundays is such a remarkable place to call home.

Well done to Olivia and the team at Whitsunday Marine Conservation inc. for putting together another fantastic event on the Airlie Beach Foreshore. 👏🐋

🐋💙

30/05/2026

🚒 Celebrating 75 Years of Service 🚒

This morning Mel and I had the privilege of joining current and former firefighters, their families and the wider community to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Proserpine Fire and Rescue Station.

For 75 years, generations of firefighters have answered the call when our community has needed them most. Through cyclones, floods, grassfires, road crashes and countless emergencies, they have stood ready to protect lives and property across the Whitsundays.

What makes regional communities special is that the people who turn up in our toughest moments are often our neighbours, mates, work colleagues and fellow community members - even a few former shire Mayors! Their willingness to serve others deserves enormous respect.

A particular highlight of today's celebration was the unveiling of the new honour board recognising the 158 firefighters who have served through the Proserpine Fire Brigade over the past 75 years. I was proud that Whitsunday Regional Council could contribute this commemorative honour board to help acknowledge their service and preserve this important piece of local history.

Thank you to every current and former firefighter, officer, volunteer, support staff member and family member who has contributed to this proud legacy.

Congratulations on this remarkable milestone and thank you for 75 years of courage, dedication and community spirit.

👏 Happy 75th Anniversary Proserpine Fire and Rescue Station!

🚒🔥

28/05/2026

Today we came together at the Proserpine Entertainment Centre to mark the start of National Reconciliation week alongside community members and student representatives from our local schools. 🌿

This year’s theme, “All In For Reconciliation,” is a reminder that reconciliation is more than words — it’s about continuing to build understanding, respect and stronger relationships across our communities and this was proudly exemplified by moving speeches from student leaders from St Catherine's Catholic College, Bowen State High School and Proserpine State High School.

It was wonderful to see the community come together for such a meaningful event, including a powerful performance by the Proserpine State High School Seagrass Theatre group. 🎶

The Whitsundays is incredibly fortunate to be home to rich First Nations culture and connection to Country, and events like today are an important opportunity to reflect, listen and continue moving forward together.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to today’s ceremony. 👏

27/05/2026

A shout out to the Jubilee Tavern who are hosting Airlie Beach’s biggest meat tray raffle this Sunday with proceeds going to a great cause at Whitsunday Su***de Prevention Network - WSPN.

24/05/2026

This week has been National Volunteer Week — a chance to recognise and thank the thousands of volunteers who help keep our communities strong across the Whitsundays. 👏💙

Today I attended the Bowen Volunteer Expo at the Bowen Markets with the family and it was fantastic to see such a strong turnout on a glorious Whitsunday day.

It was great catching up with so many local community groups including Bowen Lions, Rotary, Bowen RSL, Zonta Club of Bowen, PCYC, The Bowen Community Centre, Girl Guides, Marine Rescue Queensland, Bowen SES HQ, GEMFM, Bowen Historical Society & Museum, Bowen Tourism & Business, Real Mates Talk and Meals on Wheels — just to name a few.

Volunteers are the backbone of regional communities. They support our sporting clubs, emergency services, community organisations, events and vulnerable residents, often without recognition and simply because they care about giving back.

Volunteering is also one of the best ways to meet people, build friendships, learn new skills and strengthen your connection to the community. If you’ve ever thought about getting involved, there’s never been a better time.

Thank you to every volunteer and community group across our region for everything you do to help make the Whitsundays such a great place to live. 🌴

23/05/2026

John Dutton may have left town… but the spirit of the west is just getting started 🤠✨

Get ready for this year’s Mayor’s Charity Ball — Whispers of the West. Dust off your best boots, round up your crew and prepare for a great night supporting a great cause. 🐎🌵

21/05/2026

This week marks the 70th anniversary of Under 8’s Day — a wonderful celebration of our youngest learners and the importance of play, learning and connection. 🎉

Today I had the pleasure of joining Proserpine State School for their ‘big morning out’ special event, with kids, families and the wider community coming together in spectacular weather for a great morning of activities and fun. ☀️

It was also great to see students from Hamilton Island and Hayman Island State School invited to make the trip over to be part of the celebrations.

A big thank you to the emergency services and community agencies who supported the day, and well done to Principal Jeremy and the Proserpine State School team for organising such a fantastic event. 👏

14/05/2026

UPDATE : Have spoken with responders on site. A number of people have been taken to hospital in both Bowen and Ayr, there are 3 in a serious condition. Unfortunately some Deja vu to a similar accident 2 years ago and believe many of the passengers were travelers.

The Highway should open one lane under traffic control shortly.

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Have become aware of news coming through this afternoon from the north of our region of a serious bus crash at Gumlu on the Bruce Highway.

At this stage, there are reports of multiple serious injuries and emergency services remain on scene.

My thoughts are with those involved, their families and loved ones, and the first responders, including our council traffic crews working through what is clearly a very serious incident.

Please avoid the area if you can, drive with care, and follow all directions from emergency services while they do their work safely.

Will provide a further update as it becomes available, Thank you to all emergency responders for your efforts in very difficult circumstances.

09/05/2026

You make the most of the opportunities in front of you — so it was great to connect some of our regions young swimmers to spend the morning with a four-time Olympic gold medallist 🏅🏊‍♀️

Following yesterday’s State of the Region event, Council was proud to help coordinate a special swim clinic at the Proserpine Pool with none other than Olympic champion Cate Campbell.

Around 80 young swimmers from Whitsunday Swimming Club, Bowen Swimming Club and the Cannonvale Cannons Swimming Club had some time with Australian swimming royalty, getting some tips and hearing firsthand about dedication, resilience and what it takes to achieve at the highest level.

Whitsunday Regional Council is committed to supporting grassroots sport through significant and ongoing investment in our public pools and other sporting field facilities including the in-development Whitsunday regional sports park. We want to help young athletes chase big dreams right here in the Whitsundays. 🌴

Who knows — keep training hard and maybe one of these young swimmers will be representing Australia in the years ahead. 👏