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Places sold out, merchandise is in high demand as Bundaberg will host the first NRL match

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A white picket fence protects the carefully manicured green grass of the Salter Oval, but will fall apart when the city’s biggest sporting event arrives this Sunday. Key points: Record attendance expected for Bundaberg’s first sold-out NRL match Bundaberg shop says team merchandise is in high demand The Bulldogs will have an open training session for fans on Saturday morning Bundaberg is busy counting down the NRL round of 21 clash between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and final challengers North Queensland Cowboys, the first time the city will host a competition points match. Temporary stands have been set up for sold-out spectators, and space has been made for the arrival of a large media crowd to broadcast the match to league fans across the country. “I think it’s going to be an audience record,” said Bundaberg Rugby League chairman Mike Ireland. “The Cowboys are second on the competition ladder and the Bulldogs are starting to collect some win...

This small town is thriving but this business is considering closing shop

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After nearly 30 years in business, Barb Moffat is considering closing the doors of his beloved bakery, as customers have stopped coming. “We have no, or almost no customers because they can’t park,” Moffat said. As COVID-19 restrictions ease in 2021, the main road in the central Queensland town of Gracemere returns to its normally busy highway. But in September, business owners said people had stopped shopping there because it was too difficult to park due to roadworks. “This is embarrassing… It’s just a nightmare,” said Moffat. “Parents can’t come, mostly every day there will be accidents. “We’ve suffered and suffered and I’m not the only one; FoodWorks, butchers, doctors, real estate … when will it stop?” Construction is ongoing to improve the Gracemere main road. ( ABC Capricornia: Rachel McGhee ) Construction is underway to upgrade Lawrie Road from two to four lanes, which is designed to reduce congestion...

Lydia loves her career in mining, but very few of her role models look like her

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Lydia Gentle has loved every minute of the 17 years she has spent working in the resources sector. Key points: One in five workers in Queensland’s resource industry are now women, up from 6 per cent in 2006 The sector is still far from the Queensland Resource Council’s target of 30 per cent female labor force participation by 2026 Not everyone agrees that targets are the solution to achieving a diverse workforce But it’s not easy cutting his teeth in a male-dominated industry. “When I started, even when I was at university, I was probably one of the few women out of over 100 men,” Ms Gentle said. “I didn’t realize it was a male-dominated industry when I started studying, but I learned it very quickly.” She said the lack of visibility of women in the industry, especially in leadership positions, made her feel out of place. “I don’t really have any female role models I can respect,” she said. “It’s very difficul...