THE WHITSUNDAY Sailing Club (WSC) hosted Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox at their new state-of-the-art maritime training centre, on November 2, 2023.
After WSC secured $2.5m in funding from the previous Coalition Government, Andrew Willcox MP said it was amazing to see the project finally coming to life.
“The Whitsundays is the heart of the reef. Not only are we ranked number two in the world as an international tourism destination, but we now have one of the best maritime learning centres in the country,” he said.
“This training centre redevelopment will boost the tourism industry right here on the doorstep of the reef.
“It will also be able to service the surrounding North Queensland ports from Townsville, Bowen, and Mackay, who need expertly trained mariners.”
The redevelopment has doubled the floor space of the club by providing five, purpose-built classrooms, an engineering workshop and a lecture theatre, as well as a multi-use boardroom opening to picturesque sea views.
Estimated to quadruple the training centres enrolment numbers, Mr Willcox said this was a huge win for the region and the investment would have positive impacts throughout the entire community.
“The new training facility will attract students from within Australia and will pull in students from overseas who want to learn from some of the best in one of Australia’s most picturesque locations,” he said.
The tour of the new facility was carried out by WSC president Terry Archer, general manager Robin Ross and director Mark Beale.
