On behalf of the Council and all King Islanders, Mayor Marcus Blackie congratulated the island’s longest-serving councillor, and former warden, David Bowden, who recently turned 80.

“An auspicious milestone, sir … we hope you had an appropriate celebration with friends and family,” Mr Blackie said in a council message.

“You continue to serve and are an inspiration to us all. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.”

David Bowden came to King Island as a teacher and, over several years, he worked as an agricultural contractor while establishing his farm at Reekara. He, and later with his son Andrew, cleared bush blocks and then joined them together. In many ways, David is a visionary.

After the collapse of the wool industry, he pivoted into dairy. He built the dairy with the help of his late wife, Jocelyn, and their children. As the dairy grew, David saw the need, and opportunity, for another string in King Island’s bow.

He thought that if there were somewhere to sell surplus milk, everyone would benefit. The startup was a UHT factory, and it was intended for farmers to grow their businesses by supplying surplus milk to become long-life products that could then be exported.

While the idea was innovative and there was a new emerging product and market, the then-owners of the cheese factory were not so enamoured by the idea, and it soon became a legal battlefield that ultimately stopped the development of a new island industry.

In an era when large farm irrigation relied on rainfall and paddock dams, David designed, and his son built, a 780 megalitre dam that gave the farm 1,000ML of water storage, which was used by the four irrigation circles that were installed.

Before his dairy closed, there were 1,100 milkers, which enabled his dairy to produce a third of the total island milk supply and half of the milk for the Christmas and Easter rush. David was the Warden of King Island for a number of years before the role of mayor was incorporated.

During that time, he was able to secure funding and support the substantial expansion of the hospital focussing on care+help and wider community wellbeing.

One of the larger projects attributed to David is that he was the driving force behind the building of the Currie breakwater, providing a safer harbour for all King Islanders.

David continues to be community-minded and is currently working on a sustainable solution to the island’s waste management. His current passion is research and evaluating new incineration technology.

He has brought experts to the island, and he genuinely believes that this technology will solve King Island’s waste management problems and meet its needs.

A teacher, husband, father, farmer, Warden, entrepreneur with a community focus, and a serving councillor, who on his 80th birthday continues to try to improve King Island’s future.

Tasmania fared well in Beef Australia’s 2024 national beef carcass competition in Rockhampton, Queensland.

King Island’s Robert ‘Skippy’ Skipworth took out third place, while Smithton’s William Payne and Joe Elphinstone from Lileah were second and fourth respectively.

The winner was Roger Wilkinson of Bathurst in NSW. Beef Australia is the nation’s premier cattle exhibition, attracting more than 100,000 visitors throughout its multi-day program.

The AMPC National Beef Carcass Competition, is supported by MLA Meat Standards Australia. More than 700 cattle were judged in the competition, in groups of three.

The cattle are killed on specific days in abattoirs all over Australia and assessed for eating quality, using the Meat Standards Australia Indexing system.

Mr Skipworth’s Angus property is southeast of the island in the City of Melbourne Bay.

“Passionate about grading and improving eating quality, Robert works closely on genetics to achieve a higher grading carcass, especially around marbling,” Beef Central said.

“Robert has adapted many sustainable on-farm practices, including fencing off and sheltering all creeks to protect the habitat for environmental reasons. Mr Skipworth was proud to represent the island.

“Being a producer on King Island means a lot, especially with the traceability project in place,” he said.

“It gives you a goal to work towards because people and consumers can now see the product that you create.

“At the end of the day, we want the best eating quality in the beef we produce.”

Eastern Line Shipping owner Warren Dick says he was motivated to help King Islanders by the despair he witnessed on farmers’ faces during the first State Growth convened roundtable discussion.

His decision to transport hay and fodder to King Island, highlights the company’s deep ties to the island and its commitment to supporting the farmers and community in times of need.

Eastern Line Shipping is undertaking this effort well below cost. Mr Dick said that his priority is to provide practical support to those in need.

“I won’t go into the particulars of the actual costing. But I can assure you, Eastern Line Shipping is doing this well below cost,” he said.

“It’s our commitment to the farmers and the people on King Island… I’m more than happy to put my money where my mouth is.”

Mr Dick also expressed disappointment that no government representative had reached out to discuss assistance with transporting the hay and fodder.

“To date, I have not received one single phone call from the government in any way, shape or form on how we could assist with getting this fodder and pellets from Port Welshpool or the mainland,” Mr Dick told King Island Radio.

“Gippsland Ports in Victoria rang me last week and said they will waive all channel fees and wharfage charges at the Welshpool side of things. “It’s their donation to get this fodder over to the island for the farmers and to the people of King Island,”

Mr Cockerell said the organisation began as a response to the millennium drought and fires in East Gippsland.

Mr Cockerell’s initial involvement was donating a truckload of hay from his hobby farm, which led to organising fundraisers and gaining more hay donations.

The national Need for Feed charity was adopted three years ago as a Lions Australia project and has grown significantly since 2006, providing around $45 million worth of fodder and transport assistance Australia-wide to disaster-hit communities.

Requests for assistance are received through their website, where farmers can apply for help. When a disaster occurs, they approach the affected municipality and use social media to inform locals about available support.

The organisation aims to deliver a mix of donated fodder to ensure recipients receive a variety of feed. King Island previously helped Need for Feed during the 2020 mainland bushfires. King Island Shipping Group president Greg Morris, King Island Lions and local farmers coordinated the effort and donated 700 rolls of hay and silage and $10,000 to assist farmers in the East Gippsland and Cobargo fire areas and Eastern Line Shipping took on the freight run.

Need for Feed reacts to a disaster and maintains stockpiles, so they are ready to go when a disaster or in some cases a personal tragedy occurs.

Due to Bass Strait’s high transport costs, only about 50 per cent of what Need for Feed would allocate to a community will be sent. The batches have been through Tasmanian Biosecurity testing.

“We tried to gather donations and purchase in Tassie with limited success. We came up with six or eight loads.

“A couple of loads were donated and the rest of it purchased and at fairly high prices, which is what’s to be expected with Tasmania being dry as well,”

Mr Cockerell said. Tasmanian Lions Clubs have been active and contributed financially to the hay drive.

“I think this round of assistance is going to cost Need for Feed around about $350,000,” Mr Cockerell said.

The organisation is hoping that governments will be able to financially assist with their bills, particularly the road and sea freight costs. Sunday will be one of the biggest and busiest days seen on King Island in many years.

The King Island Lions community care team and the Lions Tasmanian Disaster team, who are coming to the island, will be ensuring that all volunteers are fed, and the wider community can purchase from their barbecue.

The Lions have called for community donations – cakes, slices, sweet or savoury and finger food to assist with feeding the many volunteers involved in the unloading and transport of the feed at the port.

Donations can be left at the Post Office on Friday or taken to Grassy Port on Sunday morning. The community should expect that the port roads will be busy with truck movements and are asked to follow traffic flow instructions.

Yambacoona House will feature in Restoration Australia Season Six on ABC. The new season starts on May 23.

Host and Architecture Professor, Anthony Burke follows the progress and pitfalls of singleminded restoration enthusiasts who stop at almost nothing to revitalise their beloved buildings.

Yambacoona House is a significant historical homestead in the Federation style and dates back to the early settlement days of King Island.

It underwent significant renovations to restore this grand house to its former self and it is now available for bookings as visitor accommodation for those wishing to experience a bygone era.

Yambacoona is approximately 30 kilometres north of Currie. It was built in 1902 and sits on 17 acres of picturesque countryside.

Francis Stephenson was the original cattle baron of the north and he commissioned Yambacoona House. He was in partnership with Gunn of Launceston.

The property was partitioned by the government to settle returned soldiers after World War I. The settlement Yambacoona is most likely taken from a ship, the Yambacoona, which was owned by the firm of Stephenson and Gunn. The owner and the restoration driver is Gordon McKenzie and his family.

“I’m born and bred on King Island. We lived just up the road at Egg Lagoon. My family first came to King Island around 1910, making me 4th Generation. I dreamt that one day I could do something with the property. And then it was available.”

“For a small island we are not afraid to take on the big things. Like many King Islanders, wherever I go there is a family story, a relative, or the ghosts of the past speak of our ancestors and their struggles, successes over the past century. Yambacoona House represented an opportunity to return to country in a way that could cement our family back in the place we grew.

“Being part of Restoration Australia was also my way of giving something back to our island home, in publicity and a story that I hope has authenticity. It was a mad time of living in tents, showering in a shed, and being under a lot of financial and work pressure – I loved it,” Mr McKenzie said.

The program will be a surprise for Mr McKenzie, as he has not seen it yet.

“I hope the story shows what happens when we as King Islanders support each other to succeed, our unique culture, our history and our value in the world. We are more than just farms, kelp, crayfish and a mine. The way we do things – the way we communicate with each other is different.

“I hope this episode portrays a recognisable story for King Islanders, and that I don’t make a turkey of myself on National television. If nothing else, I hope my fellow Islanders get a good laugh out of it – although most of the dramas, disasters and damn foolery that goes with such a project is probably not going to make it onto the screen. Again – I want to say thank you to the wide array of King Islanders he said.”

The restoration took more than two years and the film crews from ‘Restoration Australia’ followed and filmed the restoration progress and the big reveal. There are future plans around the gardens and more.

“I’ve bought the Yambacoona church with partners and this will be the next restoration project. We hope to establish a small accommodation village on the church site while ensuring we keep the authenticity of the church…I’m also hoping to one day buy the hall and have that as a reception venue/ bar/cafe.

“I think the three buildings working together would make a great place for visitors and King Islanders alike,” Mr McKenzie said.

Need for Feed’s big rig trucks are rumbling across Victoria and “we got a convoy” is an understatement.

The volunteer-driven National Lions Club project has sourced and purchased feed and is providing transport, drivers and support volunteers to get the critically needed hay and pellets to King Island farmers.

“The estimated cost of the assistance to King Island is around $350,000,” Graham Cockerell from Need for Feed told King Island Radio.

Eastern Shipping Line owner Warren Dick is supporting the operation and King Island farmers by providing the King Islander at below cost including travelling empty to Port Welshpool to facilitate the Bass Strait crossing on Saturday.

It is estimated that the loaded trucks will arrive at Port Welshpool on Saturday and will take about seven hours to unload and load onto the empty King Islander and will arrive in Grassy about 7 am on Sunday, weather permitting.

King Island trucks, carters and volunteers will then take over moving the fodder from the port to properties or storage areas. The on-island coordination is a partnership between the King Island Lions Club and the TasFarmers on-island drought coordinators led by Deb Delaney with support from other island volunteers.

Independent MLC for Murchison Ruth Forrest expressed disappointment in the State Government’s attempt to claim credit in a media release for organising the freight, stating that while they provided financial support for farmers, it did not arrange the feed or freight.

Ms Forrest called for credit to be given to Need for Feed, Lions Australia and Eastern Line Shipping for their efforts. She noted in an interview with King Island Radio the lack of assistance provided before the election despite the serious drought on King Island.

Ms Forrest criticised the government for suggesting that support should be spread across all areas experiencing drought in Tasmania, arguing that support should be provided where it is needed most.

“That’s the role of government, that’s what government does in an emergency.”

Ms Forrest questioned where the government business TasPorts and their ship John Duigan has been during this time.

“My understanding of that is that the John Duigan won’t get across to Victoria and back safely and that’s why it doesn’t do the triangulated service.

“I’m not aware of any suggestion that they [TasPorts- Bass Island Line] would undertake this freight task.

“TasPorts have been helpful in increasing the number of sailings and vessel entry and exit during the heavy period of destocking on King Island… but there were other things they could have done.

“While they’ve been helpful in that, they were still making it quite difficult for other providers to access the port and to operate at full capacity

“Bass Island Line has not even been anywhere near the picture,” Ms Forrest said.

Another load of feed is available from Need for Feed and Ms Forrest called on the Tasmanian Government to step in and provide support for the emergency relief efforts, comparing the situation to a fire or flood emergency on the mainland where Government assistance would be expected.

“You would potentially call on the armed services to assist with that task.” TasPorts CEO Anthony Donald said in response to questions that Bass Island Line (BIL) and TasPorts acknowledged the challenging dry conditions on King Island and have been working with industry stakeholders and customers to support the livestock industry.

“This includes a doubling of BIL shipping services between April and June to assist in moving livestock and feed on and off the island,” Mr Donald said.

“TasPorts and BIL are continuing to engage with Tas Farmers and its King Island drought coordinators and the Tasmanian Government through State Growth to identify the best way we can support the King Island community.

“Through May BIL will be focussed on maintaining two sailings per week.

“Regarding the special Eastern Line sailing on Sunday, BIL rearranged its schedule to allow Eastern Line to take its scheduled berth and TasPorts will be waiving wharfage and port fees, and also absorbing stevedoring costs.”

Eastern Line Shipping has stepped in and offered Need for Feed Australia the charter of their vessel, the King Islander – at cost – to shift all 700 tonnes of hay and cattle pellets from the mainland to King Island in one sailing.

“Warren Dick very generously and at great expense, is bringing the boat empty to Port Welshpool so that we have the best chance of getting all of our precious cargo to King Island in a timely manner,” NFFA said.

“Not only that, we have a loading and sailing date for Saturday, May 18 locked in with both Gippsland Ports at Port Welshpool and TasPorts at Grassy on King Island.

They will be arriving at King Island on Sunday just before dawn and then it will be up to our local team to go into full swing to get it all u n l o a d e d and off to our recipients.

“After all of the hurdles we’ve had to jump through, we are all so excited that this is finally happening.”

Due to lost time in sourcing another port following the Colac Otway Shire pulling the pin on the use of the port of Apollo Bay last week, NFFA needed to secure a ship capable of handling Bass Strait with access to Port Welshpool and find suitable sailing dates.

The result was that the shipping of the urgently needed feed for King Island livestock was postponed. The 500 tonnes or 770 bales of oaten hay sourced from across the country, and 200 tonnes of cattle pellets in 1-tonne bulka bags are now, according to NFFA, all going on one boat in one trip and not multiple sailings.

This is not the first time Eastern Shipping Line owner Warren Dick has stepped in to help with King Island shipping matters. ESL has been working seven days a week to emergency de-stock cattle from King and Flinders Island.

In 2020 Eastern Shipping Lines shipped 700 rolls of hay and silage from King Island to assist farmers in the East Gippsland and Cobargo fire areas.

NFFA organisers are frustrated and angered by “politicising and credit grabbing” of the volunteer organisation’s endeavours.

NFFA expressed their displeasure at the difficulties they have faced trying to get the urgently volunteer sourced, donated and trucked feed to King Island.

They were also critical of the Tasmanian Government claiming credit for securing the feed.

“It would be nice to think that supporting what we are trying to do for the farmers on King Island would amount to dollars of support, not just words,” the organisation said.

“After all if some of our bills were taken care of we could help more people.”

Colac Otway Shire said they empathised and said they supported the drought-stricken King Island farmers.

“That support amounted to referring us to the Tasmanian Government,” NFFA said.

“Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Primary Industries and Water Minister Jane Howlett released a media statement on Sunday headlined ‘Feed secured for King Island’ announcing that the feed would be coming from Port Welshpool, congratulating all the hardworking people involved in the solution ‘which will bring the fodder to King Island’.

“We acknowledge that the Tasmanian Government has gone into bat for us and thank them but from their statement on Sunday you could be excused from reading that headline that they might be paying our freight bill.

“Not sure that’s happening but let’s hope they are,” the organisation said.

This week NFFA requested talks with Federal, Victorian and Tasmanian Governments to see how they can help with the extra costs from not being able to use the port at Apollo Bay.

“We need a bit more than waiving wharfage fees. Our freight costs could now be as high as $220,000 for the extra distance by road and by sea [and shipping freight or charter costs].

“That’s money that we don’t have unless someone comes to the rescue,” they said.

Need for Feed started as an initiative by Graham Cockerell and the Pakenham Lions Club in Victoria. It is managed by volunteers and two years ago was adopted as a national Project of Lions Australia.

Since December 2006, Graham and his team have been raising funds for fire, drought and flood relief and providing emergency fodder and transport to Australian farmers.

All donations go to assist those affected. King Island rallied in 2020 and sent about 700 rolls of hay and silage plus a $10,000 donation to assist East Gippsland and Cobargo fire areas.

It has been estimated that volunteer drivers and their rigs will move 35 truckloads of the donated hay from Swan Hill in Victoria to the port.

The volunteers, mainland farmers, drivers and their rigs travelling from South Australia, NSW and Victoria to depots have been working around the clock, including weekends and the Anzac Day public holiday to assist King Island.

Getting hay to King Island to assist the island’s farmers has involved volunteer contributions of many types, hay donations, labour, trucking, logistics and NRE support to organise the BioSecurity Tas permits required.

An eerie stillness enveloped the Currie Oval last Saturday, just moments before 2.30pm.

The turf, lush from the morning showers cleared. The oval was bathed in the soft light of the Autumn sun which peeked through a thin veil of clouds. Spectators, clad in team colours, gathered in anticipation and a buzz of excitement was in the air.

The opening game of the 2024 KIFA season and the new Senior start time proved successful, drawing a larger-than-usual crowd, eager to witness the season’s first clash under ideal playing conditions.

The game was a highly anticipated Grand Final rematch between the Grassy Hawks and the Currie Robins, who both fielded a mix of familiar faces and new talent, adding to the intrigue of the match.

The game started with a rucking contest between Ryan Frosi and Jack Worrall, setting the tone for a fiercely competitive match. Grassy immediately pushed forward, with Dale Reed (Reedy) marking just forward of the wing.

Despite their initial push, Grassy struggled to convert their early opportunities, with neither Bryce Haneveer nor Arnold Stellmaker able to capitalise on Reedy’s kick to the top of the square.

Tristan Forrest made his presence felt early in the game, receiving a pass from Ciaran Boyce, and kicking the first minor score of the season. Currie’s coach, Joel Williams, opted for the corridor via Tyler Smith for the kick-in, but Grassy’s defence intercepted the ball before Currie could advance.

Grassy rushed through another behind, with Andrew Johnson (Grinner) showcasing his experience and skill in the early stages of the match. Despite Currie’s efforts to gain possession and control the game, they struggled with their disposal and were only able to register behinds.

Currie managed to break the deadlock when Michael Laskey scored the league’s first goal of the season, much to the delight of the Currie faithful. The first quarter saw most of the play in Grassy’s forward half, with Reedy and Haneveer forming a strong marking set.

Haneveer’s goal at the end of the quarter gave Grassy a boost, but Currie maintained a narrow one-point lead at quarter time. Currie started the second quarter with renewed determination, with Worrall kicking a goal to extend their lead.

They continued to dominate the position game, with Grassy struggling to capitalise on their limited opportunities. Despite their efforts, Currie led by just 6 points at halftime, keeping the game finely poised.

Grassy came out strong in the third quarter, showing a renewed hunger and intensity. Currie’s defence, particularly Stellmaker, proved to be a formidable barrier.

Currie took advantage of the corridor, resulting in goals to Bell and Morris, extending their lead to 40 points by the final break. Grassy opened the final quarter with a quick goal, setting the tone for a thrilling finish.

J Taylor’s defensive efforts in the middle of the ground were crucial for Grassy, as they managed to reduce the deficit to just 4 points midway through the final term.

Currie responded strongly, with Graham and Bellchambers sealing the victory with late goals. The final minutes of the game were intense, with both teams fighting hard for every possession.

When the final siren sounded, Currie emerged victorious, winning by 14 points in what was a thrilling and hard-fought contest.

One could be quite floral of wording and pen the old fashioned opening line of “Gentle Reader …” to introduce an art exhibition…

The phrase evokes quiet gallery halls, soft music and a passing parade of solitary figures moving from one artwork to another, enjoying and appraising each piece as they pass.

Our local Town Hall doesn’t have hallways, but it was a lovely open space, with walls of artwork, taking full advantage of the room with a traditional gallery item display.

ABC Classic Radio provided soft background music and chairs were stationed in the body of the Hall so that one could sit and quietly contemplate the variety on view.

The Lions Exhibition and Silent Auction of Pre-Loved Art was the brainchild of Lions Ricci Bishop and Saverina Stella and came about from an idea to have a social and pleasant way to fundraise for King Island’s drought-affected people.

The Lions Need For Feed program was taking care of the animals, and the King Island project was aimed at people. The fruit of four weeks of organising, the exhibition was held in the last week of April, with many attending.

The exhibition’s last day – Sunday, April 28 – saw brisk competition for prime pieces. Among those were an early survey map of King Island’s coastline by Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet, circa 1811, which was purchased by the King Island Museum, and a hand-painted copper engraving, circa 1789, depicting Aboriginal people in Farm Cove NSW going to a private buyer.

One never knows what discoveries may be made. King Island Leos did their bit to assist the Lion Club and served Devonshire Tea during the hour between the final bid and collection of purchases.

Wild Harvest offered a Degustation For Two (won by Sonia Louis) as a lucky Devonshire Ticket.

In total, over $4,000 was raised, an impressive amount considering the figure was a sliding percentage of sales. The Lions Club would like to thank the following who contributed their services free of charge.

King Island Council, The Uniting Church, Phoenix Community House, Wild Harvest, King Island Leos, Wade Roskam and Max Butcher.

We would also like to recognise and thank the magnificent efforts of Ricci and Saverina, who coordinated the project, as well as other members of the Lions Club who assisted them.

While a ceasefire has been called in the increasingly bitter war of words between King Island Mayor Marcus Blackie and Rex, some tourism operators and councillors have backed the airline.

After Mr Blackie accused the airline of price-gouging Rex threatened to drop island services and to ban Mr Blackie from their planes. They came out swinging, claiming Mr Blackie was grandstanding. They also attacked the mayor personally and revealed that he had taken 25 Rex flights in two years, paying an average of $151 per ticket.

Rex said the high weekend fare quoted involved two flight legs travelling via Melbourne as the airline does not have a direct King Island Burnie or vice versa on the weekend and was not the scheduled weekday Rex commuter airfare.

Meanwhile, some councillors, King Island Tourism, the Chamber of Commerce and other organisations and businesses have expressed concerns over the mayor’s comments.

They are unhappy that there was no consultation with operators around Rex’s airfares before the Mayor made media comments.

Many residents and visitors find the airfares cost prohibitive, however, not all agree with the Mr Blackie’s statements and support Rex; others have memories of the effort needed to ensure Rex continued flying to King Island after past conflicts.

King Island Tourism president Adam Hely backed Rex in a letter thanking them for their 20 years’ service to King Island and said that the comments made by other parties attacking the airline’s pricing “were made without research, understanding or consultation”.

Mr Hely also said that the island’s tourism businesses “would cease without the support of Rex and other smaller airlines”.

“Interstate and international golfers often choose to come in through Melbourne Airport and prefer the larger SAAB plane,” he said.

Mr Blackie now feels a “cooling-off” period between the parties is needed.

In a statement, which astounded not only the mayor but the mainland media, Rex called on the council to censure the mayor for his remarks, which they deemed flippant and damaging to the local economy.

They threatened to no longer welcome Mr Blackie on their services if official action was not taken and a further threat was the cessation of Rex air services to King Island.

The airline stated that they were reviewing their services to King Island, noting that flights were only 62 per cent full.

They criticised what they described as “unsophisticated travellers” for being shocked by high fares on days when the airline didn’t have direct flights to the island.

Rex defended its pricing, stating that the average flight between King Island and Burnie, Tasmania, was a modest $185. They also attacked the mayor personally and revealed that Mr Blackie had taken 25 Rex flights in two years, paying an average of $151 per ticket. This situation is not the first time Rex has clashed with King Island.

In 2018, a modest increase in fees at the King Island Council-owned airport led Rex to announce that they would no longer continue services to the island. This recent dispute with Mr Blackie has reignited tensions between the airline and the council.

The mayor’s remarks were in response to a resident’s social media posts around the exorbitant cost of Rex airfares between King Island and Burnie which were over $1,000 one way. An online search showed the $1,000-plus one-way airfare was on a weekend when a direct flight is not offered.

However $750 -$850 return airfares are displayed by the online booking engine on other weekdays. These are also flights via Melbourne.

A passenger can see this when the King Island Burnie and visa versa flight time is anywhere between four and seven hours not around 45 minutes. Despite the heated exchange, Mr Blackie said he hopes to work constructively with Rex to resolve the issue and ensure continued services to the island.

“I have adopted a cooling off period to deescalate current tensions,” Mr Blackie said.

“I want to reassure you, that I will then work constructively to restore and reset the relationship with Rex moving forward.

“My door is always open, we genuinely seek good reciprocal working relations with Rex and all industries servicing King Island.

“As your elected mayor it is my foremost sacred duty to represent our community and advocate on your behalf.

“I therefore will not shy away from this, along with the necessary resolve and moral courage required.”

While a ceasefire has been called in the increasingly bitter war of words between King Island Mayor Marcus Blackie and Rex, some tourism operators and councillors have backed the airline.

After Mr Blackie accused the airline of price-gouging Rex threatened to drop island services and to ban Mr Blackie from their planes. They came out swinging, claiming Mr Blackie was grandstanding. They also attacked the mayor personally and revealed that he had taken 25 Rex flights in two years, paying an average of $151 per ticket.

Rex said the high weekend fare quoted involved two flight legs travelling via Melbourne as the airline does not have a direct King Island Burnie or vice versa on the weekend and was not the scheduled weekday Rex commuter airfare.

Meanwhile, some councillors, King Island Tourism, the Chamber of Commerce and other organisations and businesses have expressed concerns over the mayor’s comments.

They are unhappy that there was no consultation with operators around Rex’s airfares before the Mayor made media comments.

Many residents and visitors find the airfares cost prohibitive, however, not all agree with the Mr Blackie’s statements and support Rex; others have memories of the effort needed to ensure Rex continued flying to King Island after past conflicts.

King Island Tourism president Adam Hely backed Rex in a letter thanking them for their 20 years’ service to King Island and said that the comments made by other parties attacking the airline’s pricing “were made without research, understanding or consultation”.

Mr Hely also said that the island’s tourism businesses “would cease without the support of Rex and other smaller airlines”.

“Interstate and international golfers often choose to come in through Melbourne Airport and prefer the larger SAAB plane,” he said.

Mr Blackie now feels a “cooling-off” period between the parties is needed.

In a statement, which astounded not only the mayor but the mainland media, Rex called on the council to censure the mayor for his remarks, which they deemed flippant and damaging to the local economy.

They threatened to no longer welcome Mr Blackie on their services if official action was not taken and a further threat was the cessation of Rex air services to King Island.

The airline stated that they were reviewing their services to King Island, noting that flights were only 62 per cent full.

They criticised what they described as “unsophisticated travellers” for being shocked by high fares on days when the airline didn’t have direct flights to the island.

Rex defended its pricing, stating that the average flight between King Island and Burnie, Tasmania, was a modest $185. They also attacked the mayor personally and revealed that Mr Blackie had taken 25 Rex flights in two years, paying an average of $151 per ticket. This situation is not the first time Rex has clashed with King Island.

In 2018, a modest increase in fees at the King Island Council-owned airport led Rex to announce that they would no longer continue services to the island. This recent dispute with Mr Blackie has reignited tensions between the airline and the council.

The mayor’s remarks were in response to a resident’s social media posts around the exorbitant cost of Rex airfares between King Island and Burnie which were over $1,000 one way. An online search showed the $1,000-plus one-way airfare was on a weekend when a direct flight is not offered.

However $750 -$850 return airfares are displayed by the online booking engine on other weekdays. These are also flights via Melbourne.

A passenger can see this when the King Island Burnie and visa versa flight time is anywhere between four and seven hours not around 45 minutes. Despite the heated exchange, Mr Blackie said he hopes to work constructively with Rex to resolve the issue and ensure continued services to the island.

“I have adopted a cooling off period to deescalate current tensions,” Mr Blackie said.

“I want to reassure you, that I will then work constructively to restore and reset the relationship with Rex moving forward.

“My door is always open, we genuinely seek good reciprocal working relations with Rex and all industries servicing King Island.

“As your elected mayor it is my foremost sacred duty to represent our community and advocate on your behalf.

“I therefore will not shy away from this, along with the necessary resolve and moral courage required.”