A weekly re-cap of the events that have made news in Cairns over the past week.

Monday October 15, 2001 36th Edition

There is some security in normality and for the people of Cairns who have watched the World's events unfold with a degree of disbelief, there is a need for normality to be returned. With a grim economic outlook for the region, at least in the short term, it is a time to band together and support those less fortunate and to work to keep the local economy and society working together. Evidence of this was shown with the large turnout for the last Reef Festival Parade, a community celebration that was a welcome relief for the people of Cairns.

The last Reef Festival attracts over 55,000
The Cairns Reef Festival has been the main event every October for the past 39 years. This year's parade and following celebrations were the last before the new look festival begins next year. To celebrate the end of an era, over 55,000 people visited the Esplanade on Saturday night to watch the parade and the fire works show. The Reef Festival has developed to celebrate the diverse cultural backgrounds of the people who live in Cairns and the environmental diversity of the region.

The new festival, which will begin in October 2002, is being designed to be much larger with a month of events and community based promotions including a golf tournament, food festival, concerts and mardi gras style parade.

Cairns Post headlines - "The War Begins"
Last Tuesday's edition of The Cairns Post had the grim cover title - "The War Begins", announcing the initial retaliation strike by the US and associated forces. Whilst all eyes are focused on events in Afghanistan and America, there is a sense of the need to try to get life back to normal in Australia.

Developer confident in the future of Cairns
Japanese owned developer, Daikyo, has announced the development of three new projects, destined to provide up to 2000 new residential housing blocks. Daikyo has strong interests in North Queensland, owning a number of major tourism operators including Great Adventures, Green Island Resort, Cairns International Hotel, Matson Plaza Resort. Daikyo has recently developed two new budget style accommodation projects in Cairns and this recent announcement is in response to the expected doubling of the Cairns population in the next ten years.

Over 80% of Daikyo's international interests are in Cairns and the company has had a long history in the development of the City. Visiting Daikyo President, Masaharu Hasegawa, stated that Daikyo was very confident in the future of Cairns and as a result the company planned many for ventures for the City in the next ten years.

Tourism leader calls it a day
The CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Mr Ian Kean, has announced his resignation from the regions main tourism promotional body. Mr Kean made the announcement at the recent TTNQ annual general meeting, citing his desire to pursue his own business interests in Brisbane. Mr Kean will continue in his current role until February 2002.

$70 million dollar high rise to go ahead
Thakral Holdings announced the commencement of a major Esplanade development last week. The $70 million Trilogy waterfront units will change the skyline of Cairns. Apartments will be priced between $240,000 and $1.4 million and provide over 300 jobs for almost four years.

Historical Cargo Vessel needs a home
An 80 year old wooden cargo boat may have to be sunk unless a new owner can be found. The boat, MV Malanda, carried freight between Cooktown and Cairns in the 1920's. The current owner of the MV Malanda, Mr Bill McLeod, has lived onboard for the past five years, however he was forced to move ashore due to his age. Mr McLeod has offered the boat for free to any organization or community group that can use the vessel and hopefully showcase its historical contribution to the history of the region.

Virgin Blue takes another look at Cairns
The on again off again "Virgin Blue flying into Cairns" saga seems set to continue. Virgin Blue has increased flights throughout regional Queensland, favouring less mainstream destinations such as Cairns, in favour of cities including Mt Isa and Mackay. This has caused considerable anger amongst tourism operators in Cairns and Port Douglas, especially those that have been impacted the most by the loss of ANSETT Airlines. There have been a number of high level discussions that have indicated that Virgin Blue could start flights into Cairns by Christmas, if certain issues such as landing fees charged by the Cairns Port Authority, can be resolved.

Cairns Taipans off to a shaky start
The National Basketball season kicked off last weekend and unfortunately the Cairns Taipans went down 100-92 to arch rivals, The Crocs. The game was played in Townsville before a sell out crowd and this early support is a positive sign for the coming season.