Two new directors appointed to the Greater Whitsunday Alliance board

Red Cat Adventures Director Asher Telford and Bowen Gumlu Growers Association General Manager Ry Collins have been appointed as directors to the Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) Board.

Mr Telford and Mr Collins joins GW3 Chair Mr Tony Caruso and six other directors on the board to guide the strategic outcomes for the Greater Whitsunday economic development organisation. GW3 Chair Mr Tony Caruso said Mr Telford and Mr Collins, were strong candidates to fill the positions on the board.

Asher Telford from Red Cat Adventures has been appointed on the GW3 board.

Mr Caruso said it was important that GW3 board remains fresh and dynamic and offers a broad range of industry experience and skills expertise. “Asher, a professional Mariner by trade, found a passion in building and delivering quality marine tourism experiences and for the past eleven years has been building Red Cat Adventures to become a nationally award winning company.

“Asher is one of our region’s change champions, who uses the latest technology to build one-of-a-kind boats that provide equally as impressive tourism experiences.

“Ry is the General Manager of Bowen Gumlu Growers Association and is a well-known and strategic industry leader who champions the valuable horticulture sector across our region.

Ry Collins is the General Manager of Bowen Gumlu Growers.

“Ry has had a diverse career across a number of different industries in the private and public sectors including agriculture and construction and we are excited to have those skills on the GW3 board,” Mr Caruso said. Mr Caruso said in the past 12 months the GW3 board has undertaken a comprehensive rewrite of its strategy and developed a clear and concise plan well understood and supported by our key stakeholders.

“Key elements of our strategy will focus on making agriculture and aquaculture cornerstone sectors of our regional economy and rebuilding our tourism sector following several tough years.

“Ry and Asher will help guide GW3 to achieve this with their industry knowledge and passion,” Mr Caruso said. Mr Collins said the Greater Whitsunday region needs to continue to advance and support traditional industries such as mining and METS, agriculture, and tourism, but also invest in opportunities presented by emerging and future industries.

“I hope to bring a change mindset and fresh thinking to support the shared goals of the greater region but also to offer some increased perspective toward the opportunities presented by the regions’ Agriculture industry.”

In 2021, Red Cat Adventures achieve a historic first with Hall of Fame wins in both major Tourism and Transport Operator as well as Adventure Tourism categories at the Queensland Tourism Awards.

Mr Telford said six years ago they commissioned their first custom vessel which features state- of- the- art technology and design, followed by a second three months later to meet the tourist demand. Fast forward today and they continue to grow their fleet of vessels including ‘Wildcat’ which carries more than 200 passengers a day around the waters of Mackay.

“I have a strong belief that we live in an area that is without equal, in terms of future development and opportunity. We have rainforest, agriculture, mining, islands, the reef, and a strong tourism sector.” Greater Whitsunday Alliance is the region’s peak, independent economic development body committed to making the Mackay, Isaac, Whitsunday region strong for generations.