Hero five year-old prevents drowning in Douglas
DOUGLAS BRIEFS
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5-YEAR-OLD SAVES TODDLER
A three-year-old toddler has been saved from drowning by a girl just two years older than her at a pool at the BIG4 Port Douglas Glengarry Holiday Park.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson said paramedics were called to the park on Mowbray River Rd after 11am on Wednesday. They assessed the toddler after she had been revived, and the child’s mother decided she did not need to go to hospital.
It’s believed the five-year-old pulled the younger girl out of the water and dragged her to the side of the pool. The toddler’s mother then took her out of the pool, and a man revived her by patting her back until water was expelled and she regained consciousness.
REEF AWARDS
Mossman High Year Seven student Ema Parker has won the Reef Youth Champion Award at an annual night in Cairns held by the Queensland Farmers’ Federation.
Ema had been involved in a number of activities relating to marine conservation and raising public awareness.
Other winners in and around the Douglas region were:
- Rebecca McHardie, Mossman: Reef Extension Officer Champion Award;
- Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation: Reef Traditional Owner Group Champion Award;
- Ashlyn Skeene: Reef Traditional Owner Youth Champion Award.
The Reef Champion Awards are funded by the Australian Government and the Queensland Government’s Reef Water Quality Program.
CRASH UPDATE
A 65-year-old driver whose truck carrying molasses rolled off the Captain Cook highway south of the Cooyah Beach turnoff last week, remains in hospital but now in a serious but stable condition, a Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service spokesperson has confirmed.
The man was flown in critical condition to Cairns Hospital after being rescued from the truck wreckage on Monday 28 November.
Police are still investigating the crash, and are continuing their appeal for information or possible dashcam footage from any witnesses to the accident, which occurred during heavy rain.
CRAZY ANTS
Douglas Shire area has again managed to be kept virtually free of invasive yellow crazy ants.
The Wet Tropics Management Authority, which manages the far north’s yellow crazy ant eradication program, has urged continued public vigilance and awareness by the public in the Douglas area over activities such as pot plant moving and soil transportation, to keep the pest out of the region.
The nearest infestation area to Douglas – which has almost been entirely treated – is in Kuranda.
The ants, which can build super colonies that devastate local flora and fauna, impact on agricultural and horticultural production and kill large numbers of native insects, frogs, birds, and lizards – are currently being eradicated and monitored in areas of Cairns, mainly in the city’s southern suburban and farm areas.
TOY DIVE
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr says the community has dug deep and supported the second annual Toy Dive, donating almost 50 gifts which are sitting under the Christmas tree at the Mossman Pool.
“After just one week, this is already a fantastic outcome and our pool staff are really happy with how popular it has been,” Cr Kerr said.
“Most people are also making the most of the free pool entry that comes with the donation. I would also like to thank everyone who contributed to the Mayor’s Christmas Appeal, which helped create 40 hampers for our local families doing it tough this Christmas.”
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