Council kicks off field lighting upgrade at Mossman Showgrounds

FOUR new light towers with smart technology will tackle inefficient sports field lighting at the home of the Mossman Sharks Rugby League Club.

Douglas Shire Council awarded a $288,753 contact to GMH Solutions Pty Ltd for Coronation Park Sports Field Lighting project.

The project will see decades old lighting infrastructure replaced with new energy efficient LED technology and a user-friendly smart lighting control system.

Council successfully obtained grant funding through the Department of Sport & Recreation Active Game Day program.

The new 27-metre-high lights are expected to be installed mid-2023.

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said improving sports facilities helped encour- age the community to engage in sport, recreation, and healthy activities.

“The new light towers are a fantastic investment that allows us to replace the current floodlights on wooden poles which are about 30 years old,” he said.

“Our local rugby league club will be thrilled to have brighter and more reliable lighting for training and night games this season.”

“Council identified the need to replace the lighting in its Coronation Park Sports Masterplan which can be used by local sporting clubs, organisations and Council to seek grant funding from State and Federal Governments.”

The new lights will have automated controls which can be managed through a cloud-based system.

You can download the full master plan at the following link: https://douglas.qld.gov.au/download/community_development/Port-Douglas-and-Coronation-Park-Master-Plan-Final.pdf pdhotsteamy.com.au

Douglas leads nation-wide repatriation of Indigenous artefacts

A COLLECTION of Indigenous artefacts such as chisels and axes that were stored at Mossman Shire Hall will be returned to Traditional Owners from across Australia.

Douglas Shire Council has notified the Queensland Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships’ Cultural Heritage Unit which will contact Indigenous groups from 12 locations in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

The second repatriation efforts follow the return of 101 local artefacts to the Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation, which is the legally recognised cultural body in Douglas Shire with authority to make decisions around ownership. Local items include some collected from Cooya Beach, Daintree River, Newell Beach, Mossman, Mossman Gorge, and Wonga Beach.

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said Council followed all protocols set out in the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 (Qld) since it was approached about the collection cared for at the Mossman Shire Hall.

“Council is very keen to see these cultural items returned to where they belong in the correct manner as directed by state legislation,” he said.

“These artefacts were donated in the mid-1990s by the family of John Patrick Dwyer, who was a registered collector of bird eggs and an ardent gatherer of shells and Aboriginal artefacts.”

The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 (Qld) states that Council is obliged to return artefacts to the Aboriginal peoples who have a traditional connection to them.

The full collection includes points, tula chisels and tula slugs, stone implements, polished axes, grinding stones, axe blanks before polishing, groove axes, pestles, knives, millstones, and percussion stones, collected from across New South Wales, Northern Territory and Queensland. The dates of collection are unknown however some of the items have been marked with the place of origin.

“Since the request for artefacts, staff have searched Council offices thoroughly to ensure there were no further artefacts that may have been missed, and I urge residents who may be holding similar artefacts to also assist in returning these items,” Mayor Kerr said.

Barra farm catches agritourism grant

A barramundi farm at Wonga beach has secured an Agritourism Diversification Grant for a new Hook-A-Barra tour.

Daintree Saltwater Barramundi Farm was one of twelve QLD farming businesses that secured grant funding to engage specialist services, and construct or modify on-farm

WHAT’S ON - FEBRUARY 2023

• Saturday 4th – Mossman Markets, 7am – 1pm

• Sunday 5th – Port Douglas Sunday Markets, 8am – 1.30pm

Wednesday 8th – Mossman Markets, 7am – 1pm

Saturday 11th – Mossman Markets, 7am – 1pm infrastructure.

The Queensland Government is supporting the resilience of our farming sector while growing the agritourism sector through another round of Agritourism Business Grants in partnership with the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF).

• Saturday 18th – HAVE YOUR SAY - Port Douglas Aquatic Precinct Consultation - Come and play – 9am-12pm at Jalunbu Park, on the corner of Garrick St and Mowbray St.

Saturday 18th – Family Movie Night, 5pm at Reynolds Park