Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce Industry & Tourism in Ingham, Queensland | Business service

Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce Industry & Tourism

Locality: Ingham, Queensland

Phone: +61 7 4776 0090

Address: 32 Herbert Street 4850 Ingham, QLD, Australia

Website: https://www.hinchinbrookchamber.com.au/

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25.01.2022 The Shop the Hinchinbrook Way community gift card program and gift voucher giveaway is coming soon! We're so grateful to Hinchinbrook Community Support Centre Inc, Wilmar Sugar Australia and Nick Dametto MP for sponsoring the program and for purchasing a combined total of $7,200 worth of cards to giveaway. Stay tuned to learn where you can buy a card for Christmas and how you can win a card during the six month giveaway.

25.01.2022 One of Hinchinbrook's longest running businesses, Felix Reitano Real Estate. #hinchinbrookway #lovelocal

24.01.2022 Today the Hinchinbrook Shire received commitments from Scott Piper - LNP for Hinchinbrook and David Crisafulli during two separate announcements that focussed on improved marine access at Forrest Beach and Lucinda. These election promises included: $2M committment for a boat ramp and pontoon at Cassadys Creek... $2M committment towards dredging and a rock wall at Dungeness. Ask questions and learn more about the priorities and committments of all of our candidates next Thursday at Chamber's Candidates Forum.

24.01.2022 Chamber is busy checking in with our Ecommerce Microgrant recipients to stay up to date with their progress. It was great to meet with Ingham State School P&C Association Secretary Lauren Kopeshke and Tuckshop Convenor Rhonda Byers this morning - you ladies are doing a great job! The Ingham State School Tuckshop will soon be accepting cashless payments for the students' lunch orders thanks to this grant. ... Many thanks to the Ergon Energy Community Fund for making this possible.

24.01.2022 On behalf of Chamber's Management Committee and membership, I would like to again extend warm wishes to Peter Reitano after attending his 50th birthday celebration last night. Peter is a pillar of the Hinchinbrook Community and an asset to Chamber's team, tirelessly dedicating his valuable time to making our district a better place to live. He is also a genuinely nice bloke. After many years of having the privilege of working with Peter, I took a moment to reflect last night... and realised the following: Small towns often nurture a degree of gossip - some harmless, some harmful - and community organisations sometimes battle an environment of internal politics. I doubt there's anyone who can say that they've never said a bad word about anyone or that no one's ever said a bad word about them. Peter is the exception. I've never heard Peter speak ill of anyone. I've never known him to engage in negativity, even for a moment. And as a friendly, genuine, humble and generous individual, I've never heard a bad word spoken about him. He's easily one of the kindest, hardest working people I've ever had the pleasure to meet and I'm proud to call him a friend. So while his birthday was last Monday and his party was last night, I'd like to express a final "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" to my good friend and right-hand man, and invite everyone who hasn't done so to send Peter a message in the comments below. Let's never miss an opportunity to tell people like Peter how much we value their kindness and selfless contributions.

24.01.2022 Just some of our favourite family businesses in Hinchinbrook, celebrating National Family Business Day last Friday. #supportsmall #supportsmallbusiness #supportlocal #livelocal #lovelocal #shoplocal #golocal #smallbusinessisabigdeal #familybusiness Photo credits: Peter Reitano and Cameron Bates... Felix Reitano Real Estate MAMS Group Jk's Deli Guido's PANEL and PAINT

23.01.2022 Chamber is exploring new platforms to promote #thehinchinbrookway to the regional family market. Townsville Family Life is one such avenue and we're excited to see where this partnership leads. Watch this space!

22.01.2022 As part of the Works 4 Queensland funded projects, Council has allocated $240k for the installation of either a Pump Track, or an Adventure Playground in the Ingham area targeted at teenage youth. Which would you prefer to see in your community? Please click on the link below to vote:... https://poll.app.do/as-part-of-the-works-4-queensl/dviJlTuv See more

22.01.2022 Chamber is proud to be contributing blog posts to The Hinchinbrook Way website. Was there a better place to start our blogging journey than Hinchinbrook Island? We think not! As our shire is the southern gateway to Hinchinbrook Island, it's a privilege to share some of the unparalleled experiences to be enjoyed at this world class destination.... Check out our first blog below. https://www.hinchinbrookway.com.au/blog/hinchinbrook-island

22.01.2022 Shop the Hinchinbrook Way gift cards are flying off the shelves only three days after the program officially launched on Monday with early sales exceeding expectations. In addition to the $7,200 worth of cards that are to be given away during a six-month long promotion, local businesses and members of the public are snapping up the gift cards at a pace that is surprising organisers and sponsors. Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Tourism President, Rachael Coco, sai...d it was great to see locals embracing the program with sales quickly"skyrocketing" in the lead up to Christmas. "Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, we've already sold over $6,500 worth of cards to local businesses who will use the cards as Christmas bonuses for their staff and many more businesses are making enquiries to do the same" said Ms Coco. "Distributors are already reporting sales to members of the public who are seeking versatile gift solutions for friends and family members and we're finding that locals are eager to 'go local' and avoid the trap of travelling to Townsville or supporting large multinationals this Christmas" she said. Read the full Media Release here "Update: Shop the Hinchinbrook Way | Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism" https://hinchinbrookchamber.com.au//update-shop-the-hinch/

22.01.2022 Council invites local businesses to register to a new e-newsletter for business owners within the Hinchinbrook Shire. The e-newsletter will feature information such as upcoming workshops, events, grants and networking opportunities facilitated by Council. If you are interested in registering please click on the link below. ... For further information please contact Council on 4776 4600.

21.01.2022 September Pulse Survey Leading into the State Election, it’s more important than ever before for Queensland businesses to be heard. The Election will give Business the opportunity to have a say and we are positioned to really drive change to benefit Queensland businesses, as all political parties are acutely aware of the Pulse survey and are anticipating its results. To maximise its influence, we need as many responses as possible.... Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TVLPulseSept2020 Please take the time to share your experiences and do this survey and be heard.

21.01.2022 PEAK BUILDING BODY BACKS RENOVATION REBATE Chamber is thrilled that Master Builders North Queensland has endorsed our "Renovation Rebate for Regional Queensland" policy proposal. Applying the Queensland First Home Buyers' Grant to existing homes will address many issues in low growth regional area, including population decline, youth retention and job creation.... This policy will form one of Chamber's election priorities in the lead up to the Queensland State Elections 2020. Read the full press release here: https://hinchinbrookchamber.com.au//peak-building-body-ba/

20.01.2022 Seafood lovers can't go past Wild Local Prawns. #LocalAsQld #hinchinbrookshirecouncil #hinchinbrookway #lovelocal

19.01.2022 Chamber is pleased to announce that our Chamber Connect Coffee Mornings will be recommencing in March, with the first event celebrating International Women's Day. So kick off those COVID-19 blues and mingle with like-minded business owners! When: Friday, March 12, 2021 Time: 7:30am - 9am Where: TYTO Precinct... Cost: FREE RSVP: Not essential, but helpful for catering purposes. Email [email protected] This is a relaxed, social event and guests can attend and depart at their leisure. Breakfast will be provided courtesy of North Queensland Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd however attendees are requested to BYO coffee from their preferred coffee shop. Lucky Door Prizes can be won during the event and anyone who attends before 8:45am will go in the draw! So even if you can only pop in for 10 minutes, make the effort to celebrate and connect with business, Chamber, Council and community. #ChooseToChallenge #IWD2021 #chamberconnect #networking #coffemorning #connect #love

19.01.2022 JOBMAKER HIRING CREDIT The JobMaker Hiring Credit will help to accelerate growth in the employment of young people during the COVID-19 recovery. ... This will improve their economic, health and social outcomes and reduce the scarring from long term unemployment. The JobMaker Hiring Credit will give businesses incentives to take on additional young job seekers. This will help young people access job opportunities as the economy recovers. The JobMaker Hiring Credit will be available to employers for each new job they create over the next 12 months for which they hire an eligible young person, aged 16 to 35 years old. It is expected that around 450,000 positions for young Australians will be supported through the JobMaker Hiring Credit at a cost of $4 billion from 2020-21 to 2022-23. Key facts From 7 October 2020, eligible employers will be able to claim $200 a week for each additional eligible employee they hire aged 16 to 29 years old; and $100 a week for each additional eligible employee aged 30 to 35 years old. New jobs created until 6 October 2021 will attract the JobMaker Hiring Credit for up to 12 months from the date the new position is created. To be eligible, the employee must have received the JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance (Other), or Parenting Payment for at least one of the previous three months at the time of hiring. https://budget.gov.au/2020-21/content/jobmaker.htm

19.01.2022 Celebrating Family Business Day! Wonderful to meet with Bernice Day and Louise Lannen this morning, two women who know what running a family business is all about. From juggling kids, working with your spouse or sibling and passing on your business to the next generation to innovating to keep up with the times, these women know the joys and struggles of family business.... Congratulations to MAMS Group for taking the time to organise this online event. Be sure to share your experiences in family business as we support each other and promote the wonderful local businesses who service our community. #businesssupportingbusiness #livelocal #lovelocal #shoplocal #golocal #smallbusinessisabigdeal https://m.facebook.com/events/1625734814275710?view=permalink&id=1628757493973442

19.01.2022 Three very familiar local faces! Supporting our local retailers and hospitality businesses is wonderful, but so is supporting our service industries including health, construction, professional services and automotive. You can enter our #giveaway competition by supporting businesses like Guido's PANEL and PAINT and even redeem your gift vouchers there.... Another thank you to our beautiful sponsors Hinchinbrook Community Support Centre Inc, Wilmar Sugar Australia and Nick Dametto MP for purchasing prizes for our gift voucher giveaway. #shopthehinchinbrookway #hinchinbrookway #smallbusinessisabigdeal #livelocal #lovelocal #shoplocal #shoplocalthischristmas #SupportSmall #golocal #golocalfirst

19.01.2022 Local legends! We've just finished filming at Wild Local Prawns - a seafood lovers dream! Keep an eye on our page to see Dom feeding Scott an oyster

18.01.2022 The last couple of days were AMAZING! It was such a rewarding experience to watch fishing legend, Scott Hillier, filming commercials to launch Chamber's HOLIDAY THE HINCHINBROOK WAY campaign. With a professional TV host and film crew, we hardly needed President Rachael Coco pretending to be a "producer", but there were many laughs to be had, lessons to be learned and memories to be made along the way.... Gratitude to Hinchinbrook Shire Council for funding this project, Nick Dametto MP for providing our cue cards, JRNQ Productions for filming the commercials and the eight local tourism, accommodation and hospitality businesses for taking the opportunity to participate. The biggest thank you of all to Scott Hillier for agreeing to be our campaign spokesperson - you are such a great ambassador for the Hinchinbrook Shire. We all need to work together to promote our businesses and beautiful region to the rest of the world - especially if we are to recover from COVID-19 - and this project is a great example of collaboration at its best. It's our time to shine! Stay tuned to see the commercials in the coming months. The TV campaign is set to launch in 2021 on Channel 7. #LocalAsQld #hinchinbrookway #lovelocal #shoplocal #supportsmallbusiness #teamwork #love #timetoshine #nature #culture #adventure #fishing #worldclass Hinchinbrook Adventures Felix Reitano Real Estate Australian Italian Festival Wild Local Prawns Ingham Tourist Park formerly Palm Tree Caravan Park Taylors Beach Holiday Park Lucinda Fishing Lodge Tropixx Motel & Flames Restaurant

18.01.2022 "We sell the earth and what's on it." Felix Reitano Real Estate #livelocal #lovelocal #shoplocal

13.01.2022 We're very thankful to CCIQ and the Brisbane Junior Chamber of Commerce for launching the #LocalAsQld campaign, which we are a part of. This is just a preview of the school holidays campaign currently underway. So much to see and do in our backyard. ... #hinchinbrookway #holidayherethisyear #holidaythehinchinbrookway https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=161617782251769&id=109192580827623

12.01.2022 Council is seeking feedback from the Hinchinbrook Shire Community to ensure that its strategic aspirations and goals both capture and align with the priorities of the community. Public consultation will close 5.00pm Friday 30 October 2020. To provide your feedback on the Draft Corporate Plan via an online survey, please follow the link below or alternatively contact Council on 4776 4600.

11.01.2022 A $16,500 win for Chamber - and local businesses! DRFA BRINGS "GO LOCAL" VISION TO LIFE The Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Tourism is celebrating a significant windfall after securing $16,500 in funding for its upcoming Shop the Hinchinbrook Way community gift card program.... The substantial grant, jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) will allow the chamber to take its Go Local initiative to the next level as it strives to support local small businesses. Chamber President Rachael Coco said the committee and project sponsors were elated at the outcome, which promised to bring short and long-term benefits to the Hinchinbrook business community. Read the full press release here: https://hinchinbrookchamber.com.au//drfa-brings-local-vis/ Photo credit Cameron Bates

10.01.2022 CHAMBERS UNITE FOR INSURANCE REFORM A united front will be adopted by the Hinchinbrook and Townsville Chambers of Commerce as they tackle rising insurance premiums, market failure and stamp duty on commercial and farm insurance following the ACCC report into the Northern Australia Insurance Inquiry. While the inquiry focused on domestic insurance, the two chambers believe findings could be applied to commercial insurance and used to support their joint advocacy efforts to rem...ove Stamp Duty from insurance products. According to the ACCC report, the revenue generated by governments on household and strata insurance alone in North Queensland was $65.3m in GST and $64.6m in Stamp Duty in 2018/2019. Hinchinbrook Chamber President Rachael Coco said it was evident that North Queensland paid more than its fair share in taxes, claiming a commensurate return in the form of services and infrastructure was sorely lacking. It’s no secret that we already pay proportionately more than our southern counterparts because of various risk factors, lack of competition and transport costs we pay more for construction, we pay more for insurance, for electricity, fuel and other goods and services so it’s time to level the playing field and make insurance accessible in North Queensland, while fostering economic growth by making the region an attractive prospect for start-ups and investors said Ms Coco. We support key recommendations in the report included the abolition of Stamp Duty on domestic insurance products in its entirety or, failing that, rebasing Stamp Duty so that it is calculated on the value of the assets insured instead of the premiums paid she said. We will lobby for these types of solutions to be applied to commercial and farming insurance products and we have other policy proposals that warrant investigation. Read the full press release here https://hinchinbrookchamber.com.au//chambers-unite-for-in/ Townsville Chamber of Commerce Chamber of Commerce & Industry Queensland

08.01.2022 Vote for your preferred playground by clicking on either of the images and following the prompts. Chamber previously consulted with various community groups and stakeholders before appealing to Council for a Big Tractor playground. We even engaged with TMR with quite promising results!... So now that Council has received this funding, it's up to the community to have their say and determine the future vision for Rotary Park's playground. Vote now!

08.01.2022 Congratulations to the first five winners - but don't forget, there will be another 25 weekly draws so keep those entries coming!

07.01.2022 Tune into this online event on Friday to celebrate local family businesses. Hear stories from local business owners who will be sharing their insights and inspirational experiences with the community. Congratulations to MAMS Group for pulling this event together. ... https://facebook.com/events/s/celebrating-family-business-da/1625734814275710/?ti=cl

07.01.2022 Great school holidays campaign by Townsville Enterprise. #ExploreNextDoor #exploremore #LocalAsQld #holidaythehinchinbrookway #hinchinbrookway #discoverqueensland #loseyourself #wallamanfalls #hinchinbrookisland #tytowetlands #fishing #worldclass

07.01.2022 How are the major parties scoring on their policies and committments that benefit and enable Small Businesses? CCIQ has been passionately advocating its Election Priorities on behalf of QLD SME's. This scorecard reflects the responses to these priorities, under five pillars, from the ALP and LNP. #smallbusinessisabigdeal #supportsmallbusiness... #supportsmall See more

07.01.2022 Thursday's AGM and launch of the Shop the Hinchinbrook Way community gift card program was at great night, well attended by members, business owners and representatives from DESBT. Congratulations to Chamber's incoming Management Committee President : Rachael Coco... Vice President: Peter Reitano Treasurer: Tracey Castles Secretary: Madeleine D'Urso General Members: Kieran Volpe, Monique Devitt, Adam Douglas and Ryan Andersen Many thanks to Tish Andrews from DESBT for delivering the Key Note Speech, Nancy Douglas for serving as the Master of Ceremonies, Kara Fien for providing the Vote of Thanks to the outgoing committee and Mayor Ramon Jayo for delivering the Vote of Thanks. And Chamber's Operations Manager, Mandy Cominardi, deserves a Special Mention for her tireless efforts pulling this event together It was also wonderful to be joined by Verena Coombe from the Queensland Small Business Recovery Advisory Council, Shelley Cooper from DESBT and Small Business Financial Counsellor, Russell Lowry. Sincere gratitude to our sponsors, Wilmar Sugar Australia, Hinchinbrook Community Support Centre Inc, Nick Dametto MP and Hinchinbrook Shire Council. The caterers Wild Local Prawns, Majestic Cafe, Espiago's Foodland and Monique's Sweet Treats did a brilliant job, as did the food and beverage attendants supplied by Workways. Our Go Local signs from Significant Signs looked amazing with special thanks to Ann Verdanega, Mostyn Swain, Cameron Bates, the Maraka Festival Committee and Australian Italian Festival Committee for their contributions. We can't wait to install these displays in our CBD! Looking forward to a productive and proactive year with the new committee on behalf of our valued Chamber members.

06.01.2022 Such a critical issue! Insurance is an essential service and yet consumers are suffering due to market failure. Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Tourism is proud to have supported the Townsville Chamber of Commerce in their budget submission to the Federal Government.... A re-insurance pool, amended legislation, baseline, government products and GST / stamp duty exemption are some of the workable solutions that deserve consideration in response to this increasingly dire issue. It's time for change!

06.01.2022 It was great to see Lindsay Blues from ILove Boutique assembling her brand new, professional photography equipment purchased with her Ecommerce Microgrant. Lindsay decided to think long term and make an investment in her business with her grant. This purchase allows her to improve her existing online store and social media marketing with high quality images each time new stock arrives. Great to see a young entrepreneur thriving in the online marketplace and striving to expand... and grow. Many thanks to the Ergon Energy Community Fund for making this possible.

05.01.2022 CHAMBER CONNECT NETWORKING EVENT - Lower Herbert edition After a brief hiatus (caused by COVID-19) it was great to resume our Chamber Connect Networking Events with nibblies, cold drinks and good company in the Beer Garden at Lucinda Point Hotel yesterday. Chamber is striving not only to connect with business owners, but to connect business owners with each other and reach out to businesses in the Lower Herbert and at our beaches.... Thank you to everyone who came - it was great to see some new faces! And aside from the great atmosphere, we enjoyed the tasty platters provided by Angela and the staff - thanks so much. We would love to see even more attendees at the launch of our Shop the Hinchinbrook Way community gift card program at TYTO on Thursday, November 12. The evening will also see our AGM take place, with Chamber's new Management Committee set to be elected, so put it in your calendar now!

04.01.2022 Beautiful Forrest Beach. #LocalAsQld #hinchinbrookway

03.01.2022 So many congratulations to give! Congratulations to Roger and Heather on your imminent retirement - you should both feel immense pride at having started what's become an award-winning, market leading business. Congratulations on the sale of Liddle & Sons Agricultural Sales to Australian heavyweight Elders, maintaining your service to farmers and freeing up capital for the ambitious expansion plans for Liquaforce.... And congratulations on the aforementioned expansion of Liquaforce, including the set up of a new production plant in Mackay. Constantly evolving and innovating and leveraging technology - what a truly impressive example of a local family business!!

03.01.2022 A final word from Scott Hillier..

03.01.2022 REMINDER - JANUARY MEETING POSTPONED TO NEXT WEEK Hi all, just a quick reminder that Chamber's January General Meeting will be on the THIRD Monday of the month at the normal time and venue (530pm, Royal Hotel). NO MEETING TONIGHT! Meetings will revert to the second Monday of the month in February. Hope to see you there!

03.01.2022 The ASMTI is progressing nicely. Has your business registered its interest to be involved? Contact Chamber on [email protected] if you'd like to know more.

02.01.2022 Another Ecommerce Grant recipient - Significant Signs - hard at work. This multi generational business performs some pretty hands on and diverse work, but Neale and Ryan Brown are always looking for ways to innovate and expand. Significant Signs will be using their ecommerce microgrant to build a new website, with an online store, to sell branded merchandise to customers all over the world.... Most people wouldn't realise that even businesses in the service industries have embraced technology to grow. It's great to see local businesses from all industries continuing to look towards the future and take advantage of opportunities like these grants. Thank you Ergon Energy Community Fund for making this possible.

02.01.2022 QUEENSLAND ELECTION 2020 - CANDIDATE SNAPSHOT Following the release of chamber's "Hinchinbrook Shire Election Priorities" (see copy within the comments below) to candidates running for the seat of Hinchinbrook, and having given candidates the opportunity to review and respond to the key issues identified, chamber has produced the below Candidate Policy Snapshot. Due to limited responses from most of the candidates, the commitment level of many priorities has been left blank. ... In other cases, chamber has extrapolated commitment levels from announcements that have been made and / or verbal responses that were provided during our recent Candidates' Forum. The priorities contained within these documents were identified on behalf of our members and the broader Hinchinbrook Shire business community. To realise the potential of the Hinchinbrook Shire our community needs targeted responses and solutions to specific issues. Investing in infrastructure, innovation, job creation and a skilled workforce are critical to our ability to survive and thrive following COVID-19. Policies, projects and practices must address the unique challenges and needs of the Hinchinbrook Shire. We welcome the opportunity to update this snapshot should candidates respond in the near future and thank the candidates who have taken the time to respond already. NOTE: Chamber has not been able to reach Michael Sullivan to date. We have emailed the One Nation head office in the interim.

01.01.2022 Good morning all January 18th Meeting CANCELLED Chamber January Meeting has been CANCELLED due to weather concerns. Please make sure you are Prepared, Stay safe and ensure you are Disaster Ready.... Next Chamber Meeting will be Monday February 8th. Hope to see you all at the February Meeting.

01.01.2022 Fresh is best! Wild Local Prawns

01.01.2022 Chamber is thrilled to see one of our members being recognised for excellence. Congratulations to the owners, management and staff at Hotel Hinchinbrook - what a great achievement!!