First Cairns Fashion Week aims to put Far North on global map Cash back campaign gains pace

l CASSOWARY COAST

A PUBLIC rally to gain the community’s support to try to get Cassowary Coast Regional Council to reverse its cashless payments policy is being held in Innisfail on Sunday, June 25.

An organiser, Dr Karen Benn, said the gathering was dubbed the Cassowary Coast Bring Back Cash Event.

She said it would also involve the launch of a new residents and ratepayers group called Cassowary Coast Action Network.

“We have (Hill) MP Shane Knuth, (Federal Kennedy MP) Bob Katter, (Cairns regional councillor) Brett Olds and Triccy Triddy (of The Peoples’ Revolution based in Brisbane) all speaking at our event and possibly (Mirani) MP Stephen Andrew as well,” Dr Benn said.

The rally will be at Anzac Park, Edith St, from 11.30am or in the event of bad weather at the Warrina Lakes Botanic Gardens in Emily St. Bring back cash T-shirts will be on sale.

The rally and the new group have formed after 12 residents came together to campaign to allow people to pay for rates and other council fees with cash.

The council’s website says from July 1, 2022, the local government “will no longer accept payments by cash or cheque at our customer service centres and other council run facilities.”

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CAIRNS

Isabella Guzman Gonzalez

THE first fashion week in Cairns is full to capacity with designers and a waiting list is already in place for next year.

The event will be showcasing the best fashion on a local, state and national scale.

Spread across the Tanks Arts Centre and Crystalbrook Collection hotels, the event will launch on June 20 and will host some of Far North Queensland’s most iconic designers like Sonlia, Murrii Quu and Dada’s Step.

Cairns Fashion Week founder and organiser Jade Turnbull said thousands were expected to attend across the five days.

“We have sold out our podium showcase at the Tanks, and we only have tickets available for a few other shows, which is absolutely fantastic,” she said.

“We are at full capacity for designers and we already have a waiting list of designers for 2024.

“Everyone is really looking forward to attending, whether they’re local, interstate and even international.”

Ms Turnbull said fashion week would make the local fashion industry widely known.

“Cairns Fashion Week will put Cairns on the world map for fashion,” she said “Moving forward this is going to be a very strong event and something to look forward every year.”

Sonlia is one of the lucky local boutiques set to showcase their fashion, an honour to designers Liana Hastie and Sonya Alba-Miller who were keen to get their work back on the catwalk.

“We haven’t had this opportunity for many years and to do a fashion catwalk with this sort of calibre and at this high level is amazing,” Ms Hastie said.

Ms Alba-Miller said the week could open doors for local designers in the future.

“It’s good to get the labels out there a bit more because it is so hard to get your fashion out there in this day and age,” she said.

“It is great for local designers to get together and showcase what they have and showcase their talent.”

With only three days to go for the launch of Cairns Fashion Week, Ms Turnbull encouraged the community to participate in the events and be treated to a “sensory feast”.

“I recommend everyone to attend so that they can see the high level of production and attention to detail,” she said.

“I like to call it a sensory feast, for the Tank shows there will be giant flowers everywhere, even down to diffusers that will have floral scents going throughout, so it’s treating your eyes, your smell, and every single sense.”

For more information and to buy tickets visit www.cairnsfashionweek.com