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Shandee Blackburn, 23, died after being brutally stabbed more than 20 times while walking home after a shift at Harrup Park Country Club in Mackay, Queensland in February of 2013.
by Kate Kyriacou Premium Content Subscriber only Families who have lost loved ones to domestic violence have spoken of the heartbreak that comes with being surrounded by Mother's Day celebrations - and what they do to remember those who they've lost. Vicki Blackburn, whose 23-year-old daughter Shandee was murdered in 2013, said Mother's Day for her came with "underlying grief" that threatens to "overwhelm". In an emotive Facebook post, Ms Blackburn used Mother's Day to highlight the scourge of domestic violence, telling The Courier-Mail she wrote it beca...
"We don't want to be burying anymore brothers or bike riders". That was the message from Sons of the Southern Cross Mackay president Ken "Smiley" Hyde who urged motorists to take more care on the roads. The memorial at Handlebar Heaven, Ooralea, created by Sons of the Southern Cross Mackay members for fellow late member Wes "Pop" Carlton who died in a tragic crash in Kyogle, New South Wales on October 20 last year. Pictured are SOSS members Ted "Bubbles" Walters, James "Knuckle" McGovern, President Ken "Smiley" Hyde and Josh "Professor" Van Loenen. Picture: Heidi Petith
Premium Content Subscriber only This year will probably go down in the history books as one of the most eventful in modern history. For some, it was a year they would like to forget. But for others, it was an opportunity to start afresh. No matter how much you were affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, there is no doubt that 2020 was quite the rollercoaster ride for the human race. From the fallout of coronavirus to disasters we never saw coming and the moments that made us proud to call the region home, here are the 10 events that shaped Mackay in 2020 in no particular order:
Premium Content Subscriber only What a massive year it has been for the Mackay region with COVID-19 and the local and state elections undoubtedly the guiding forces. With that there has been a renewed vigour on speaking out on the issues that mattered. So without further ado, here are some of the Mackay region personalities who featured in the headlines throughout 2020: Vicki Blackburn Vicki Blackburn, a mum plagued by "what ifs" since her daughter was brutally killed in Mackay almost seven years ago, has never stopped fighting for justice. She started off 2020 by hosting an awarenes...