Townsville Bulletin’s biggest stories of September 2024
Townsville’s suspended mayor Troy Thompson was challenged to resign, the Cowboys downed the Knights at home and the Killers announced their massive show. See what else made headlines in September.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The council drama continued in September as councillors and local and state politicians stepped in to boost support to oust former embattled Townsville mayor Troy Thompson.
The month was also full of highs as well, with the Cowboys beginning their finals campaign, eventually finishing fifth on the ladder and bringing some epic moments for fans to remember for years to come.
Here’s all the big news stories from the month that was September.
------
September 4
Councillors Defend CEO
Following the verbal spray from currently suspended Mayor Troy Thompson, Townsville City councillors rushed to the defence of the acting, and now current, chief executive Joe McCabe.
The CEO was the target for the verbal attack following Mr Thompsons claims that Mr McCabe had lied to the media about whether he was pursuing the permanent CEO role and leaking internal communications.
Mr Thompson took to social media claiming “this could be seen as misconduct” and that he would be asking council solicitors to report the situation to the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Councillors refused to confirm whether Mr McCabe was short-listed in the recruitment process due to confidentiality issues, but endorsed the acting CEO as a great candidate for the job.
A few days later, Mr McCabe broke his silence by denying the allegations the mayor had made against him and calling for Mr Thompson’s resignation
September 5
Troy Thompson’s list of demands
The council drama continued into the month with currently suspended mayor Troy Thompson emailing councillors a list of demands, stating if they didn’t comply he would ask the former Local Government Minister Meaghan Scanlon to dissolve the whole council, triggering a by-election.
The demands included calling for acting CEO, Joe McCabe to withdraw his application for the permanent role, criticisms to the council’s decisions and a directive that they should “acknowledge and respect the mayor’s authority and leadership role.”
A couple of days prior, Ms Scanlon warned the council to “act like adults”.
Mr Thompson attached a draft media release to his list of demands, in it stating the council had made “unlawful” decisions and discriminated against him because of his epilepsy.
Townsville Bulletin obtained the email
Cowboys sack coach over DUI
As the Cowboys entered their campaign to the finals of the 2024 season, assistant coach James Maloney was fired for an off-field incident.
In the lead up to North Queensland’s clash against the Bulldogs, Maloney was booked by police for drink driving.
Cowboy severed ties with the two time premiership winner immediately with Maloney claiming that it was a low-range charge but due to his leadership role the club deemed it as unacceptable behaviour.
September 9
The Killers announce their Townsville show
American rock band The Killers announced they would be kicking off their Australian tour with a stadium show in Townsville.
Known for their smash hits Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me, the band arrived in North Queensland for their show on November 20 before heading down to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
September 11
Manslaughter trial for death of three-year-old girl begins
The trial for a North Queensland man who was charged with manslaughter of his three-year-old girl and endangering his son began.
The man, who could not be named because it would identify his son, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Crown prosecutor Monique Sheppard told the court of the neighbour’s traumatic experience when they entered the waist-high water of a stormwater drain and found the toddlers body facing upwards.
The man’s two-year-old son was found nearby walking the streets naked.
Defence barrister Darin Honchin told the jury that the case was about “children getting out of a house and what someone should have done to avoid the children doing that.”
September 12
High cost of parking drives out customers
CBD businesses voiced their frustration of doubled parking fees following the Townsville City council’s decision to increase fees at the end of July.
A CBD business survey conducted by the Townsville Bulletin found businesses in the city centre were being negatively impacted by the price hike.
Mello Cafe owner Danielle Davies said “the overall impact of parking fees has been negative.”
My MaLi owner Lisa Hullick said she was losing customers because of it.
“(Customer) numbers are definitely down. Many locals refuse to pay for parking and shop at the larger shopping centres where there is plenty of parking and it’s free,” she said.
Cowboys announce the NRLW’s move to Cairns
The North Queensland Cowboys announced their plans to build a high performance centre and move the NRLW squad to Cairns.
Cowboys chairman Lewis Ramsey said the community development and high performance centre would be built in the Barlow Park precinct.
Mr Ramsey said “our vision for the Far North is not about changing how we operate in Townsville, it’s centred on ensuring the Cowboys continue to grow and remain sustainable for generations to come within our entire North Queensland footprint.”
September 16
Cowboys defeat knights in home ground victory
The North Queensland Cowboys claimed their first finals game victory in Townsville since 2016 after taking down the Newcastle Knights 28-16.
A few quickfire tries from Reuben Cotter, Murray Taulagi and Jordan McLean punched the Cowboys ahead after they wrapped up the first half trailing by eight points.
The momentous win pushed Cowboys forward to take on the Cronulla Sharks in the second round of semi-finals.
September 17
Cowboys fans scramble for flights
With the Cowboys primed to head into a Friday night semi-final, their biggest supporters were packing their bags ready to head south to cheer on their team but were left shocked with the extreme ticket costs.
Some fans forked out $1500-plus to jet down to Allianz stadium as Qantas scrambled to organise additional flights.
Cowboys chief executive Jeff Reibel said he was excited to see as many supporters make the trip as possible to cheer their team home.
September 18
Foreign takeover bid for Townsville’s zinc refinery
Nearly 1000 jobs and billions of dollars were put on the line after a hostile foreign takeover bid for Townsville’s Sun Metals zinc refinery was made.
The bid was made by South Korean zinc producer Young Poong and private equity fund MBK Partners, offering a $1.5 billion offer for shares in the owner of Sun Metals, Korea Zinc and its sister company Ark energy.
The Sun Metals chief financial officer and Ark Energy chief executive Michael Choi was seriously concerned the change of ownership would undo decades of work the companies had put into safety standards and their move towards renewables and hydrogen.
September 19
Mayor urged to apologise
After making accusations Townsville councillor Kristian Price accepted expensive gifts from a CEO candidate, Townsville’s former mayor was urged to apologise.
During an ordinary council meeting, Mr Price demanded the mayor apologise after he made claims on social media and at a press conference that the councillor accepted gifts including cowboys tickets and a yacht trip.
Mr Price said these claims were false and Mr Thompson did not take the opportunity to apologise to any councillors about the claims.
September 21
Father found guilty in daughters manslaughter trial
A Townsville father was found guilty of the manslaughter of his three-year-old daughter who drowned in a stormwater drain near their kelso home.
The man, who could not be named to protect the identity of his son, originally pleaded not guilty to manslaughter of his daughter and endangering his son.
The 30-year-old man nodded his head in acceptance when the jury revealed their guilty verdict.
September 23
Residents fury with councils dredge dumping proposal
Nelly Bay residents were fuming with the Townsville City council after they proposed a plan to dump 12,000 tonnes of dredged soil from the harbour right into their backyard.
The proposal aimed to make Nelly Bay Harbour safer for boats with a council spokeswoman stating community consultation was taken and this was the cheapest and most sustainable option.
Nelly Bay resident, Angela Hallett said the community rejected the proposal.
“The community clearly don’t want it and even if they’ve identified that as a place to put it … the reason that they want to put it there is because it’s the cheapest option,” she said.
September 24
Developer welcomes Townsville Enterprise’s $65M housing package
The managing director of Maidment Development, Glend Maidment said he strongly agreed with Townsville Enterprises $65 million housing package which would unlock more than 5600 new homes.
TEL said housing was a key priority for Townsville, stating since 2020 the city experienced a vacancy rate of below one per cent.
A spokesman said figures show Townsville’s housing crisis is only set to worsen without government intervention.
September 25
U-turn on paid parking?
Following the roll out of the controversial paid parking plan for The Strand, South Townsville and the Pimlico health precinct, but frustrated businesses made sure their voices were heard.
Following an hour long private meeting between councillors and business owners, former mayor Troy Thompson said he would try and pause the metre rollout at the following council meeting.
September 26
New inquiry into Baby’s death
A coronial inquest into the death of a six-week-old boy began, 13 years after his life support was switched off in Townsville Hospital.
The boy’s father, Nicholas Aaron Baxter, who was initially convicted and later acquitted of his death, was called upon to be questioned but the baby’s mother was not required to give evidence.
The inquest looked to examine the common theme of evidence from hospital staff which outlined the father wasn’t behaving in a normal way to the grave medical situation his son was in.
September 27
Times Up, Mr Mayor
Former Queensland Premier Steven Miles sought out legal advice in late September in an effort to oust embattled Mayor at the time, Troy Thompson.
A spokeswoman for the Premier told the Bulletin they were attempting to take immediate action to seek legal advice regarding the mayoral position.
Mr Miles said Troy Thompson should be ousted and “the best ting for Townsville is for him to stand aside.”
September 28
The city says go
The Townsville councillors made their voices heard in regards to the premiers bid to remove former embattled mayor Troy Thompson, with Brady Ellis stating “It’s never too late to fix wrongs.”
They weren’t the only ones however to back the move to oust him, with David Crisafulli, Federal LNP member for Herbert Phillip Thompson and Katter’s Australia Party Deputy leader Nick Dametto also throwing their support behind it.
September 30
The clock ticked down for former premier Steven Miles to issue a “show cause” notice to former mayor Troy Thompson.
It was understood Mr Miles would stand down the Mayor as his final official act as Premier before the state government entered caretaker mode as the election campaign began.
Originally published as Townsville Bulletin’s biggest stories of September 2024
Church program helps connect youth with country
A Townsville church is helping develop future First Nation’s leaders in the community through a mentoring program, with support from a not-for-profit organisation.
Townsville circus school flipping excited for school holiday workshops
Circus fun is coming to the North Shore these school holidays, with a Townsville circus school holding workshops to allow young kids to burn off some energy and learn new skills in the process.
‘Hey Albo, we’re not silly – we know you’re trying to win votes’
A $7.2bn Bruce Highway upgrade has been announced by the Albanese Government but what do Queenslanders think? WHAT YOU SAID
‘Best way to start the year’: Mount Low grandmother celebrates $1M lotto win
A Mount Low grandmother is celebrating this morning after being given the life-changing news that she won $1 million in last night’s Weekday Windfall draw.
Motorcyclist hospitalised after crashing bike stolen on Christmas Day
A motorcycle reportedly stolen on Christmas Day caught on fire after its rider crashed in a Townsville suburb. Police are investigating.
83-year-old man dies after Boxing Day house fire
An 83-year-old patient who was seriously injured in a Boxing Day house fire in Gulliver has died after almost two weeks in the Townsville University Hospital.