TOP NEWS

Bright Light Christmas Cheer At Paul Cavallaro’s House

With countless cars making the drive out to see the infamous Christmas lights at Paul Cavallaro’s house, this lively and extravagant display has become a Hinchinbrook family tradition during the merry season, dating back 21 years. Paul and his mother Mary began creating a lights display for Paul’s nephew and discovered that they enjoyed it so much they continued expanding their collection and, as the years went by, their reputation grew. Continued on page 3 Paul Cavallaro and his mother Mar

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Shop & Win Success At The Late Night Shopping Event

With unpredictable weather attempting to dampen the festive spirit of the region, the Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce and Markets at the Mosaic organisers assured the second 2024 Late Night Shopping event would go ahead, rain, hail or shine! On Thursday 19th December, a wonderful turnout filled Mercer Lane and surrounding precincts, with stalls retailing handmade delights, delicious treats, beautiful plants, fantastic florals, and more for all to enjoy. Shoppers flooded the streets, supporting

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Mangiamo, Beviamo E Cantiamo At The Australian Italian Festival

Ingham will soon be treated to another wonderful celebration of Italian culture with the return of the Australian Italian Festival scheduled for Saturday 7 June, and Sunday 8 June 2025! An annual celebration of all things food and culture, the Australian Italian Festival continues to make headlines across the state, with the atmosphere beautifully complimented by Ingham’s gorgeous TYTO wetlands and parklands. Since its establishment in 1995, the festival has grown exponentially with the suppor

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Graduation Night Excitement For Hinchinbrook Emergency Service Cadets

On Monday 9 December the Hinchinbrook Emergency Service Cadets had their graduation, acknowledging the hard work they have dedicated to the service. 18 Cadets received their end of year graduation certificates marking the completion of the 2024 Program, while one Senior Cadet who is now over 18, graduated the whole program, having been a cadet for the past four years. On the night all Cadets graduated the year and some received special awards. Keldon Fletcher was awarded the Don Prichard mem

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Living The Dream Meet Halifax Hotel New Owners

The new owners of Halifax Hotel are loving their new life in the Hinchinbrook Region.

In August 2024 Luke Penning and Joe Mikuletic opened their doors to the Halifax community, and were thrilled when more than 200 people came along to welcome to them.

Between the two of them, Luke has the hospitality experience. He has been in the industry for almost 20 years, starting as a barista, and then worked in nightclubs, RSL, clubs, pubs and hotels.

By comparison, Joe has been selling forklifts for the past 27 years and, deciding to go for a career change has now been working in the hospitality industry for 15 weeks, saying he’s loving it so far.

“We're living the dream,” said Joe.

“When I was 18, drinking at the pub I always wanted to buy a pub and 30 something years later, we have.

“What I like about it is the small town, everybody knows everybody. Everybody looks after each other. Everybody respects each other.

“The community is tight knit and so welcoming as well, once you are here you feel like a local and are treated like a local too.

“The way they have welcomed us has been very humbling.”

Meanwhile, Luke said employing local is very important to them.

“We employ local first,” he explained.

“We have an extra seven positions now and they've all gone to locals.”

Since taking over, Luke and Joe have been busy with renovation works too, giving the place a new paint job and spruiking it up so there is a new light and airy feel that the community say they love.

In the future, the pair hope to add a beer garden extension, outdoor entertainment areas, an external wood fired pizzeria, an outdoor bar, and even a kids playground.

Owners of Halifax Hotel Joe Mikuletic and Luke Penning have big plans for the pub. Photo credit: Daniel Heggie

IN OTHER NEWS

Christmas For Everyone
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Rural Health Worker Incentives Cut Dametto Concerned About Government Decision
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Ingham Maraka Festival Has Big Plans For 2025
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Christmas Message from Nick Dametto MP
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