Townsville Community Events

Mayor’s Christmas Appeal launches to help locals in need

Local can help locals with ease this festive season with the new-look Mayor’s Christmas Appeal.

Townsville City Council has revamped the Mayor’s Christmas Appeal to help make it simpler to donate directly to local community organisations that are making a difference across the city.

Mayor Jenny Hill said Christmas time was about connecting with family and community, as well as a time to give to those less fortunate.

“The Mayor’s Christmas Appeal this year is focussed on putting the spotlight on the wonderful charities across our city that work hard all year round to support locals,” Cr Hill said. “We have developed a campaign to showcase these groups more widely and have also developed a website with information and links to local charities and organisations for people to provide their support and donations directly. By generously giving to these organisations people will be able to support locals in need during Christmas.”

Cr Hill said Christmas was the perfect time to connect community, especially following a tough year.

“Our city has had a few challenging years, with the unprecedented monsoon last year and coronavirus this year,” she said.

“It’s more important now than ever for our community to come together to support each other. It’s as easy as checking the website and asking what you can give to help make Christmas brighter for everyone in our city.

“You can donate money, gifts, or food by heading to mayorschristmasappeal.com.au.

“The organisations and charities involved are in close contact with those in need across the city, so this is a great way to ensure that they are getting the right kinds of donations this Christmas season.”

For more information, head to mayorschristmasappeal.com.au.

Indigenous art celebrated as part of NAFA COVID Safe

Delve into the art, music, and culture of Townsville’s Indigenous community when Townsville City Council presents A Celebration of Dance this Saturday.

Produced in collaboration with Big Eye Theatre, A Celebration of Dance is a one-night-only performance as part of NAFA COVID Safe.

Community and Cultural Development Committee chairperson Ann-Maree Greaney said the performance was well worth seeing.

“A Celebration of Dance is a real showcase of our region’s incredible first nations culture,” Cr Greaney said. “We’re lucky here in Townsville to have incredible groups like Big Eye Theatre who are able to deliver cultural performances that embrace, promote and educate the wider community with first nations dance and music. This performance is free to attend, but capacity is limited and bookings are essential for COVID contact tracing, which helps keep our community safe.”

A Celebration of Dance runs from 6 pm to 8.30 pm at Dancenorth on the corner of Stanley and Walker streets this Saturday, 31 October.

To book your free tickets, head to acelebrationofdance.eventbrite.com.au.

AFL Grand Final on the big screen at Riverway Stadium

Football fanatics and families alike will be able to enjoy a big-screen viewing of the AFL Grand Final at Riverway Stadium this weekend.

Townsville City Council and AFL – with the support of the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland – are hosting a free, family-friendly event from 4 pm until 10 pm this Saturday to celebrate the first-ever Queensland AFL Grand Final.

Sport and Recreation Committee Chair Maurie Soars said he is excited that Townsville could play host to a grand final event for a history-making match.

“This has been a year with unique challenges for sporting codes across the board, but it’s a huge coup for Queensland to have secured the first-ever AFL Grand Final outside of Victoria,” Cr Soars said.

“I’m thrilled that Townsville is hosting an event at Riverway Stadium and that families and AFL fans will have a chance to share in the excitement of the Grand Final, regardless of whether their favourite team is playing or not.”

Cr Soars said this event, like others held at Council venues, would have COVID-19 contract tracing in place.

“I want to assure residents that COVID contact registration will be taking place on entry at the event through QR code or manual registration,” he said.

“As usual, we ask residents to ensure they maintain a 1.5m distance from others and follow directions from staff to ensure that COVID restrictions are being adhered too.”

The event will also include live music, roaming performers, food vendors, and football-related activities for the kids.

 

Cr Soars said he is excited to see Riverway Stadium host the grand final viewing.

“Riverway Stadium is the home of AFL in Townsville and with any luck, will be the home ground for some future stars in the making,” he said.

“I’m hopeful that kids watching this on the big screen, seeing the players on the field for Queensland’s first ever Grand Final, will be inspired to get active and either join the large AFL community in Townsville, or join any other sport.”

For more information, visit What’s On Townsville here.

 

Introducing “Pete on the Street”

Stable on the Streets introduces 2020 Mascot ‘Pete on the Street’!

Townsville’s Favourite Family Friendly Christmas Event, Stable on the Strand this year presents Stable on the Streets!

Stable on the Streets is an invitation for individuals, families, groups, churches, and sponsors to ‘Express Christmas’ in their driveway, shop front, car, veranda, street, etc.


Pete will be encouraging everyone to ‘Start with a Star’ for their decorations and the community will be invited to drive by. Townsville will come alive this Christmas as homes, businesses, and Churches present Christmas. There will be displays, banners, lights, and stars all over Townsville. Large spotlights will criss-cross the night sky as Townsville comes alive. Stable on the Strand will present 3 of its traditional Christmas story scenes at separate spots across the city. Carollers will sing in the streets! Empty shop fronts will be lit up!

Food carts will be available for those hungry children! The public will be invited to a Stable on the Strand ‘drive-by’ experience following our Discovery trails and joining in the massive scavenger hunt full of interactive and fun activities, especially for families.

Stable on the Strand organizer, Anne Harley said, “Although we are disappointed at not being able to bring Stable on the Strand to Townsville this year, we are excited that, ‘Stable on the Streets’ is bringing new and creative ideas. ‘Pete on the Street’ is one of these ideas. Pete will be front and center in our promotion of Stable on the Streets.”

Stable on the Streets will run from 18th – 22nd December and is a free event. 6:00-9:00 p.m. each night

For more information, you can visit- www.stableonthestrand.com.au or their Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stableonthestrand

 

Community living reimagined by Townsville student

An Oonoonba State School student has won top honors in a state-wide competition that encouraged students to create and plan their perfect community.

 

Grade 3 student Victor Jensen has recently presented a $2,500 cheque by Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill for his winning entry in the Local Government Association of Queensland’s (LGAQ) Better Communities competition.

 

The Better Communities competition challenged primary and high school-aged students to build a community while balancing realistic economic, environmental and community factors.

 

Cr Hill said Victor had a promising career in town planning ahead of him.

 

“The judges commended Victor on the great look and feel of his community, especially the range of housing types and good access to services and parks,” Cr Hill said.

 

“You never know – one day Victor might join the team at Townsville City Council working to make our city an even better place to live and work.”

 

Students used the Better Communities simulation game – which the LGAQ developed with award-winning Queensland game development studio Bail! Enemy Jet and local communications experts Articulous – as the platform to create their entries.

 

LGAQ CEO Greg Hallam said: “The entries we received from across the state showed a lot of creativity and innovative thinking. Town planning and civic leadership require out of the box thinking and it is clear there is a lot of ingenuity and big ideas out there in Queensland’s schools.”

 

The competition judges were former Attorney-General, former Minister for Local Government and lecturer in Strategic Metropolitan and Transport and Infrastructure Planning Paul Lucas, planner and University of Queensland School of Earth and Environmental Sciences associate lecturer Laurel Johnson, and LGAQ CEO Greg Hallam AM.