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

Monday May 21, 2001 15th Edition

The main news in Cairns and around Australia has been the crash of insurance giant, HIH. With debts of up to $4 billion, virtually every Australian will be impacted in some way. Stories are beginning to emerge of extreme hardship caused by the collapse. On a more local level, Cairns is in the grip of a cold snap which would probably make most other people laugh but to the locals the jumpers are being pulled out and the heaters turned on.

John Singleton visits Cairns
Well known Australian advertising guru, John Singleton visited Cairns last week to host a lunch for key business people. Mr Singleton, who is known as an Aussie larrikin, is one of the richest men in the Country and the director of the largest advertising agency in the world. During the event which was held at The Courthouse Hotel Mr Singleton reflected on his life and his achievements before "shouting the bar" in celebration of his race horses victory.

Papua New Guinea to close Cairns Consulate
The Papua New Guinea Government has announced that it will be closing it's Cairns Consulate office in an attempt to cut costs. The PNG Government is in a very tight cash position and a total of twelve consulate offices around the world will be closed in the next six months. There is some concern that as Cairns has the largest population of PNG citizens living outside of the country, the loss of the Consulate will result in a number of very negative impacts. By not having a presence in North Queensland the amount of trade between Australia and PNG is expected to drop.

Crocodile settles on Four Mile Beach
The popular Port Douglas swimming area, Four Mile Beach, has become home to a 3m crocodile. The reptile has started sunning itself on the beach, a normal habit for these animals at this time of the year. Unfortunately it is a little unsettling for tourists and locals alike. Authorities will decide this week if the crocodile will be caught and relocated.

Cairns hit by cold snap
Temperatures have dropped in the past week as Cairns experiences the first cold snap of the year. Department of Meteorology representatives stated that it is very unusual for temperatures to be as low as they are at present. The overnight lows are up to seven degrees below seasonal averages. Temperatures as low as 13 degrees Celsius have been recorded.

Man charged over $1.3 million opal theft
A Cairns man has been charged with the theft, and subsequent recovery, of over $1.3 million dollars of opal jewellery from a Cairns resort last week. Over one thousand pieces went missing from a guests room. The man has been sentenced to appear in Court on the 25th of May. Whilst there have been a number of similar crimes involving large scale opal thefts, the police believe that the cases are unrelated.

Port Douglas Carnival tipped to be the biggest ever
Carnival is set to start at the end of this week with up to ten thousand people expected to travel to Port Douglas specifically for the event. In an annual celebration that showcases the best of Port Douglas there are street parades, food and wine tastings, live bands, buskers and street performers. This years Carnival is predicted to be the biggest ever with the weather for the three day festival being forecast as perfect.

Weddings on the Reef
Cairns based cruise company, Sunlover Cruises, has recently launched a new concept of wedding ceremonies at The Great Barrier Reef. The concept is unique in Australia and so far it is proving extremely popular, particularly with the Japanese market. The company has employed a full time wedding coordinator to assist couples with the planning stages of their wedding ceremony.

Fruit Bats still causing headaches
Mareeba Shire Council have been battling a colony of fruit bats for almost 3 years. An estimated ten thousand of the noisy animals have moved into a residential area and all efforts to move them on have appeared to fail. The community is divided over the issue as many people believe that the bats should simply be left to their own devices, whilst others feel that they pose a health problem. Mareeba Mayor, Cr Mick Borzi is leading a petition to the Premier to have to bats moved on. At present most of the objections are coming from conservationists living outside of the area.

Cairns "Business Woman of the Year" named
Well known local identity, Beverley Cheeseman, has been named as the regions Business Woman of the Year. A total of 39 prominent Cairns business women were nominated for the prestigious event with the awards ceremony being hosted at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday night, 19th of May.

Navy visit ends on a high note
The visit to Cairns of two US navy vessels has ended as the USS Blue Ridge and USS Germantown left to participate in the joint war game, Tandem Thrust. The visit has ended with no major incidents or problems and with most business operators describing the visiting military as very well behaved. The week long stay also provided a cash injection of over $4 million dollars for the Cairns business community.

HIH crash impacts in Cairns
As the extent of the HIH Insurance crash unfolds, many people in Cairns and the surrounding area are only just starting to realise that they may in fact be uninsured. In what is being described as the largest commercial disaster in Australian corporate history, the Federal Government have stepped in to offer assistance to those individuals experiencing extreme hardship as a result of the crash. Total losses are expected to be in the vicinity of $4 billion dollars, however unofficial estimates believe that it may go as high as $7 billion dollars.

North Queensland Cowboys have a win
Despite ongoing staffing problems on the coaching team, the North Queensland Cowboys had a decisive victory over the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday night. The final score was 35-18 and interim coach, Murray Hurst was described as being very pleased with the victory, especially in such a time of club instability.