Holly Richardson

2 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Holly Richardson |Christopher Testa

A teenage boy has died after falling from an e-scooter near Cairns in Far North Queensland. Emergency services were called to Strattmann Street in Mareeba about 10:45pm on Tuesday, where paramedics believed the boy fell from an e-scooter. The boy suffered critical head injuries and the Queensland Ambulance Service said he died at the scene. The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating.

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Christopher Testa |Holly Richardson

When Arlene Clubb and her relatives joined their local volunteer fire brigade in rural Queensland a decade ago, they were not entirely welcomed with open arms. "People didn't want us there because we were Indigenous people," the Kuku-Thaypan, Kuku Yalanji and Kuku-Possum woman said. "[Some members] in a photo, they turned their backs on us, they didn't want to be in the same photo as us and it just sort of made us feel no good. "But we didn't let that faze us.

Feb 26, 2025 | abc.net.au | Holly Richardson |Adam Stephen

In the past week, the total number of cases for melioidosis in Far North Queensland reached record-breaking levels. There have been 87 reported cases in the Cairns and Townsville regions since the start of the year, and 12 people have died. Survivor Debbie-Joy Manttan says people need to take the disease seriously and limit risk factors for exposure.

Feb 18, 2025 | abc.net.au | Conor Byrne |Christopher Testa |Holly Richardson

When floods cut off supply routes to Far North Queensland shelves in the region's large supermarkets were quickly emptied. But smaller, independent stores sourcing produce daily from nearby farms were able to keep fresh stock on hand and saw a surge in customers. Jonssons Farm Market in Stratford reported a 300 per cent increase in customers one day this month — its biggest day in 13 years of business. "Everything we possibly can obtain is from local suppliers," manager David Harris said.

Feb 11, 2025 | abc.net.au | Sophie Mcmanus |Holly Richardson |Conor Byrne

Cases of a deadly soil-borne bacterial disease have exploded in Queensland’s far north, including two people who have died since the start of the wet season. The Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service has recorded 36 cases of melioidosis since November. "It's a very big number of cases for the Cairns and Hinterland region, and we've only just started seeing the effects from the rain," Tropical Public Health Services director Jacqui Murdoch said.