Burdekin cane cutter Roxanne Vass has maintained her undefeated status at the Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships (AHCCC), taking out a remarkable fourth-consecutive Ladies Cup.

Vass, 45, made quick work of the cane on Saturday, cutting her way through three seven-metre drills in a speedy 5:37.03.

She was followed by locals Sue King (6:59.69) and cousin Nikki Vass (7:03.00)

The Ladies Cup was first introduced to the AHCCC in 2016, meaning Vass is the only woman in the competition’s history to win the title.

Meanwhile in the inaugural Ladies Novice competition, Roma’s Anne Tuttle proved she too was handy with the cane knife, finishing in a respectable 6:56.16. Germany’s Kathi Strein (8:01.22) and the Burdekin’s Krystal Kerr (8:53.44) finished second and third respectively.

The Gilbert boys have written themselves into the history books by winning three separate divisions at the Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships over the weekend, continuing a strong history for the Tully-based family.

In only his third year of competing, 18-year-old Stuart took out the Queensland Sugar Limited Under 35 Years division. His time of 10:06.25 to cut 60 metres of cane was enough to hold off uncle Adam Gilbert (11:34.41) and Burdekin local Chris Vass (11:48.92).

Whilst all three men secured a spot in the Queensland Sugar Limited Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships Final, it was ultimately Adam who had the last laugh, winning the 100-metre marathon in a time of 18:46.41 ahead of third-placed Stuart (21:31.21).

In the last competition of the day and with big crowds cheering them on, Scott, Adam, Stuart and Angus Gilbert rounded out the trifecta by winning the Swindley Memorial Cut, Top and Load competition in 11:34.88.

Youngster Angus (17) also competed in the Under 35 Years competition and was joined by patriarch Paul in the Cut, Top and Load competition.

Festival-goers are being encouraged to smash plates and mountains of spaghetti when the Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival newest event rolls into Ayr tonight.

It’s the Burdekin Cultural Fair – an event dedicated to food, fun and family.

Attendees can try for a local food scoffing record by entering the spaghetti eating competition.

Or they can test their skills in the Hellenic art of breaking plates during the Plate Smashing Competition.

But Mayor Lyn McLaughlin says the novelty competitions are just two of the activities organisers are bringing to the table.

“There will be a range of cultural dancing displays including Polynesian dancing, Chinese Lion Dancers and Scimitar Moon Belly dancers as well as Greek Zorba dancing with audience participation encouraged, “Cr McLaughlin said.

“There will also be authentic food cooked and sold on site, including Greek, Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean and much more.”

Cr McLaughlin  said the event will be a family friendly affair.

“For the young ones, there will be free activites including a climbing rock wall, jumping castle, hair braiding, henna tattoos and face painting.”

The Burdekin Cultural Fair is on Friday 31 May from 5:30pm to 9:30pm at MacMillan Street, Ayr besie the PCYC. Entry is free.

It’s one of three events making up this year’s Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival. 

It’s normally the team at Queensland Sugar Limited (QSL) giving tips to cane farmer Mark Vass, but the roles have been reversed ahead of Saturday’s Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships.

QSL Burdekin’s Greg Watson and Kristen Paterson, joined by their QSL Brisbane teammates Barb Roberts and Ginette Barrett, will race to cut 60 metres of cane by hand when they compete in the inaugural Corporate Challenge.

Eager to get a leg up on the competition, Greg and Kristen visited Mark – a two-time Under 35 Years hand cane cutting champ – at his farm this week.

Mark took out the title when he first entered the back-breaking championships seven years ago and says he’s only ever missed one year due to a shoulder reconstruction.

“My three tips would be never grab more cane than you can cut in one swing; stack ’em right; and strap your hands.”

When asked if blisters were a risk, his answer was simple.

“Oh you’ll get blisters; you’ll get blisters everywhere.”

For Greg, the sugar cane industry is in his blood.

His father and uncle both worked as hand cane cutters in the Burdekin before mechanisation revolutionised the industry.

Greg’s father, now in his 70s, will be in the crowd cheering his son this Saturday as he brings to life the back-breaking work of a bygone era.

Meanwhile, former Charters Towers girl Kristen is a little newer to the industry – but that hasn’t held her back from getting her hands dirty.

“Before I started with Queensland Sugar Limited, I hadn’t even stepped foot on a cane farm. That was six months ago,” she said.

“As presenting sponsors of the Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships, it is important for us to show people we’re not simply putting the QSL name to the festival – we’re in there and we’re getting involved in the event as much as we can.”

The Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships presented by Queensland Sugar Limited gets underway from 11am on Saturday 1 June at the Home Hill Showgrounds, with the final commencing from 2:15pm.

Nominations are still open by emailing tourism@burdekin.qld.gov.au before Friday midday, or by nominating on the day before 11am.

The championships is one of three events making up this year’s Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival between 30 May and 1 June.

The wait for the highly anticipated 2019 Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival is nearly over, with the three-day event kicking off tomorrow night.

This year’s festival will feature an exciting mix of creative fun for the kids, live music, novelty competitions and culinary delights, plus the inimitable First Fire and Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships.

First up is the First Fire, which gets underway from 5:30pm Thursday at the Home Hill Showgrounds.

The event will mark the start of the Burdekin’s cane fire season when organisers light a one-hectare purpose-grown cane field, prompting a massive cane fire to roar through the autumn night.

Soulful singer Miella Sartori will entertain audiences from the Sweet Stage before the fire twirling Sensory Circus Tribe jump into action.

Across from the Sweet Stage, festival-goers can drum to their heart’s content with The Rhythm Connections’ drumming circle.

Returning this year is the festival’s signature art installation, the Sculpted by Fire effigy. Festival-goers can write down a secret, fear or concern and pin it to the sculpture before it is set on fire.

There’s also plenty of fun to be had on Friday night when the inaugural Burdekin Cultural Fair gets underway.

Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Lyn McLaughlin said the fair – which is happening from 5:30pm in MacMillan Street, Ayr beside the PCYC – is a celebration of all things food, fun and family.

“There will be a range of displays including cultural dancing, as well as authentic culinary delights and novelty competitions such as a spaghetti eating and plate smashing competitions,” she said.

“There will also be plenty of free activities, including a jumping castle, face painting, rock climbing wall, hair braiding and henna tattoos, plus the first 250 children to visit the Burdekin Shire Council tent will receive a free gift bag.”

Meanwhile, Saturday is all about the Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships, which kicks off at the Home Hill Showgrounds from 11am.

Attendees can be a part of the action and vie for cash prizes by entering one of seven different hand cane cutting divisions, including the inaugural Ladies Novice and Corporate Cup.

For those not eager on testing their cane cutting skills, there will be plenty of other activities on offer including the duck races, mini quad bikes, face painting and the animal farm.

Entry to the Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival is free.

For more information visit www.sweetdayshotnights.com.au

“I spent my childhood at my cousins’ house, jumping the fence to get into the neighbouring cane fields to play hide and seek with my cousins,” says Barb Roberts, a 33-year-old now living in Brisbane.

“I remember snapping off pieces of cane for a sweet treat. We’d peel them with our mouths and chew them as we walked home to Grandma’s.”

It’s a childhood that wouldn’t sound out of place in the Burdekin, but Barb’s upbringing happened a world away from North Queensland.

The Queensland Sugar Limited (QSL) Trading Analyst was born in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo and spent her school holidays in Piracicaba – the heart of the centre-south’s cane growing region.

“I remember driving down the road and seeing them cutting the cane with knives. The sugar cane industry was big in that area.”

She left the world of sugar behind when she moved for her tertiary studies, but now many years later, Barb is getting back to her sugar cane roots.

The Brazilian pocket rocket has entered the Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships, representing QSL in the inaugural Corporate Challenge on Saturday 1 June.

“When I began with QSL eight months ago in Brisbane, I had a chance to go to Bundaberg and be in the cane fields again. It was really nostalgic for me, so when I heard about this competition, I wanted to be a part of it.

“I’ve never cut cane before and I’m only little, so I don’t know if I have the strength, but our team is going to work hard – and hopefully win!”

The Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships, presented by QSL, gets underway at the Home Hill Showgrounds from 11am on Saturday 1 June.

Nominations for the seven different divisions are currently open.

To nominate, visit http://bit.ly/AHCCCreg, phone Burdekin Shire Council’s Tourism Department on (07) 4783 9800 or email tourism@burdekin.qld.gov.au. Competitors can also nominate on the day.

A Cutters Muster will be held prior to event to provide young and new competitors the chance to learn skills from experienced hand cane cutters.

The Championships is one of three events making up this year’s Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival between 30 May and 1 June.

For more information, visit www.sweetdayshotnights.com.au.

Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival organisers are encouraging locals to pull out their phones and snap a selfie with festival mascot Mick to win.

Organisers are holding a ‘Take a Pic with Mick’ competition with entrants going in the running to win a $100 Burdekin Gift Card.

Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Lyn McLaughlin said life-size cut-outs of the akubra-wearing, guitar-playing hand cane cutter will be appearing around the Shire in the lead up to the highly anticipated event.

“With less than two weeks to go until the 2019 Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival, our festival mascot Mick is eager to explore the sites of our Shire,” she said.

“If you find Mick, snap a selfie and upload your photo to Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #SweetDaysHotNights to go in the draw to win.”

The Take a Pic with Mick competition will run from today until Saturday 1 June.

The Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival, presented by Pacific Hydro, is a celebration of our rich agricultural region and our relaxed lifestyle.

The 2019 festival includes the First Fire (Thursday 30 May), Burdekin Cultural Fair (Friday 31 May) and Australian Hand Cane Cutting (Saturday 1 June) events.

For more information, visit www.sweetdayshotnights.com.au.

Rugby League Hall of Fame legend Shane Webcke will leave Brisbane for sweeter days, with Webcke today revealed as the MC for the Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival’s Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships.

The Brisbane Broncos great is a household name for running onto the paddock as a Queensland Maroon 24 times and for representing Australia in 26 tests. He was also awarded the Daly M Prop of the Year award three times.

Throughout his NRL career Webcke was regarded as one of the toughest in the game– but he says even that hasn’t prepared him for the intensity of hand cane cutting.

“I’ve never been near sugar cane, including cane cutting knives. I think I might give the competition a miss – lest I return home minus a limb or two!” Webcke joked.

“I’m looking forward to mixing with regional Queenslanders and soaking up the atmosphere of one of our iconic industries. It’s sure to be an enjoyable occasion.”

Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Lyn McLaughlin said Shane Webcke was a great fit for the national hand cane cutting competition.

“The Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival is all about showcasing and celebrating our rich agricultural region here in the Burdekin, from our world-class produce to our iconic sugar cane fires,” she said.

“Shane grew up on a sheep property in the Southern Darling Downs and now owns his own farm where he runs wool growers, fattens lambs and grows grains. He has a great appreciation of all things agriculture and is a perfect match for the festival.

“I had the pleasure of hearing Shane speak in the Burdekin last November. He is such an engaging speaking who resonated with the entire audience. We’re incredibly excited him to have him come on board as part of the 2019 Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival.”

The Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships kicks off from 11am on Saturday 1 June at the Home Hill Showgrounds, with finals to commence from 2:15pm.

The Championships is one of three events making up this year’s Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival between 30 May and 1 June. For more information, visit www.sweetdayshotnights.com.au.

Do you want to help us make this year’s Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival bigger and better than ever before? Then we need you for our 2019 volunteer event crew!

Community volunteers are the friendly faces of the three-day event, helping to create the festival atmosphere and are essential to its success.

The commitment doesn’t need to be huge- even one hour would help organisers enormously.

Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Lyn McLaughlin said a range of tasks were available to suit different skills and personalities.

“Volunteers can help with everything from marshalling, to event programme distribution, to data collection and even race timekeeping,” she said.

“There’s a role to suit everyone, with each and every volunteer crucial to making the 2019 Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival an incredible experience for tourists and locals alike.”

Volunteers can choose one or more of the following events:

• First Fire – Thursday 30 May
• Burdekin Cultural Fair – Friday 31 May
• Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships – Saturday 1 June

Applications for volunteer event crew close on Friday 17 May at 5:00pm.

A mandatory induction and information session for all volunteers will be held from 5:00pm to 6:00pm on Wednesday 29 May.

For more information and to apply, phone Council’s Tourism Section on (07) 4783 9800 or email tourism@burdekin.qld.gov.au.

Excitement is building for the first ever Burdekin Cultural Fair which is being held in Ayr on Friday 31 May.

The event, which kicks off from 5:30pm, will be a celebration of all things food, fun and family.

Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Lyn McLaughlin said the Cultural Fair was the latest addition to the Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival, turning it into a three-day event.

“After the overwhelming success of the Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival last year, Council investigated ways to expand the festival even further,” Cr McLaughlin said.

“This year, Council is introducing the Burdekin Cultural Fair as a way of celebrating the diverse population that calls the Burdekin home, and to entice visitors to spend a little longer in our beautiful Shire.

“The Burdekin Cultural Fair is one-way Council can celebrate our rich multiculturalism whilst also supporting local businesses and boosting our visitor economy.”

Entertainment includes traditional dancing performances by Greek, Indian and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups. There will also be Chinese lion dances, henna tattooing, a jumping castle, arts and craft activities and a variety of food vendors.

Cr McLaughlin said the event had originally been scheduled for Sunday 2 June, however organisers decided to change the date to Friday 31 May to entice visitors to stay overnight in the region.

“Visitors can come to the Burdekin on Thursday afternoon for the First Fire, stay for the Burdekin Cultural Fair on Friday Night, and enjoy all the action of the Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships on Saturday before travelling home later that afternoon or on Sunday,” Cr McLaughlin said.

“This allows them to make the most of their time in the Burdekin and enjoy all we have to offer.”

The Burdekin Cultural Fair will be held from 5:30pm to 9:30pm in the grounds adjacent to the PCYC building in MacMillan Street, Ayr.

Cr McLaughlin thanked the Queensland Government for supporting the Burdekin Cultural Fair under the Celebrating Multi Cultural Queensland Program.

For more information about the Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival, including information on the First Fire and Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships, visit www.sweetdayshotnights.com.au.

Australia’s best hand cane cutters are preparing to slice through the competition this June, with nominations for the 2019 Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championship opening today.

During the annual competition, competitors will race to harvest sugar cane armed only with a cane knife. Cane sticks must then be neatly stacked after being cut, and no more than 5cm of the cane should be left behind in the field – or else penalties apply.

Burdekin Shire Council Mayor and past competitor Lyn McLaughlin said the national championship was the ultimate test of skill and endurance.

“Hand cane cutting is dirty, back-breaking work. You have to swing a knife over and over again as you cut and lay the sticks as quickly as possible,” Cr McLaughlin said.

“Walking around the showgrounds, you can tell who’s competed that day because they’re typically covered head to toe with sticky black residue.”

There are seven different cane cutting divisions this year.

The male divisions are broken into the Under 35 Years, 35 to 55 Years and Over 55 Years divisions.

Age will go out the window when the top eight male competitors progress to the final where they compete for the title of Australia’s best hand cane cutter.

Women can compete in the Ladies Cup or the inaugural Ladies Novice – an event aimed at first timers. Teams of four can also compete in either the Swindley Memorial Cut, Top and Load or the inaugural Corporate Challenge.

Last year, more than 30 people from across Australia entered the unique competition.

Cr McLaughlin says the Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championships is one of three events that make up the Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival.

“The Sweet Days, Hot Nights Festival is a uniquely Burdekin experience. There are very few places in Australia that even burn sugar cane anymore,” she said,

“To see a one-hectare cane field fire as part of the First Fire event, and then watch that same field be used during the Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championship is something that people can’t experience anywhere else in Australia.”

The Australian Hand Cane Cutting Championship is presented by Queensland Sugar Limited and kicks off at 11am on Saturday 1 June at the Gudjuda Home Hill Showgrounds.

A Cutters Muster will be held prior to event to provide young and new competitors the chance to learn skills from experienced hand cane cutters.

To nominate, visit http://bit.ly/AHCCCreg, phone Burdekin Shire Council’s Tourism Department on (07) 4783 9800 or email tourism@burdekin.qld.gov.au. Competitors can also nominate on the day.

For more information, visit www.sweetdayshotnights.com.au