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Restaurant Opens At Sports Centre July 29, 2008 - The Blackbutt Gallery Restaurant opened recently at the Blackbutt Sports Centre complex in Janice Court, Blackbutt. The fully licensed restaurant offers a range of cakes, cafe snacks and light a-la-carte meals and is open Mondays to Sundays from 10:30am to 2:00pm. The venue is also available for function bookings. Phone Sharon Day on (07) 4163-0872 for more information. The Blackbutt Chinese Takeaway is still operating from the same venue with Chinese dine-in or takeaway food, Wednesdays to Sundays from 5:00pm-8:00pm.

Beauty Parlours Go Head 2 Toe July 28, 2008 - Another new beauty business has opened in Kingaroy ... Head 2 Toe is located in the old Unique Cutz premises at 135 Kingaroy Street (opposite the RSL). Amanda Seabrook offers make-up and facials, manicures and pedicures, waxing for men and women, eyebrow and eyelash tinting and beauty packages as well as Swedish relaxation massage. Head 2 Toe is open Tuesday to Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm and Wednesday nights to 7:00pm. Amanda can be contacted on 0407-490-092.

Can You Help St Vinnies? July 25, 2008 - The local conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society has an unusual request for South Burnett residents ... do you have any pre-loved reading glasses or sunglasses that you could donate to the charity? The St Vinnies group in Kingaroy is helping gather together these items for a charitable group that sends much-needed medical supplies to the Asia-Pacific region. If you can help, contact the St Vincent de Paul Society on (07) 4162-5099.

WBBACC To Host Regional Development Meeting July 24, 2008 - The Wide Bay Burnett Area Consultative Committee (WBBACC) will be holding a public meeting in Kingaroy next week to consult with the local community about regional development issues. The Federal Government is examining a number of new regional initiatives to ensure that investments in regional Australia promote sustainable economic growth. The Kingaroy meeting will be held at 5:30pm on Wednesday July 30 at the South Burnett Enterprise Centre, 6 Cornish Street. Everyone is invited to attend but if you cannot make it, the WBBACC has a questionnaire which can be downloaded and emailed back to them by July 31. For more information, contact WBBACC Executive Officer Cameron Bisley on (07) 4121-7099.

Open Day At Old Distillery July 23, 2008 - The Old Distillery, tipped to become the South Burnett's latest tourist attraction, will be holding an opening celebration this Saturday from 11:00am to 3:00pm. The fudgery is located adjacent to the Belltower Restaurant on the Booie Range and features views across local farmland. Owner Bronwyn Bisley will have fudge available for tasting and there'll be a wide range of gifts and homewares for browsers. For more information, contact Bronwyn on 0417-136-930. UPDATE: Because of the rain, the open day has now been delayed until SUNDAY August 3

Valerie Can Help Pilot Your Business July 22, 2008 - Valerie Sapin, (right), is the local face of Flying Start, a support service for local small businesses launched recently by the Burnett Inland Economic Development Organisation (BIEDO). BIEDO CEO Linda Silburn said the one-on-one support would assist people to get a clear picture of where their business was currently, where they wanted to be, and how to get there. The program is being delivered by “business pilots” based in the North and South Burnett. Valerie is the South Burnett Business Pilot and is based at the South Burnett Enterprise Centre in Kingaroy. Cost is $250 for a 10-hour personalised Business Health Check. For more information phone BIEDO on (07) 4169-7851

Forum Seeks Feedback From Local Volunteers July 21, 2008 - The Wide Bay Burnett Ministerial Regional Community Forum - an advisory body to the State Government - is inviting comments from South Burnett volunteers on their experiences and challenges. Volunteer participation rates across Australia are dropping possibly due to challenges including the rising cost of fuel and transport and the cost of regulatory police checks. The Community Forum would like to hear about personal experiences of volunteering and has provided a short survey (22kb PDF) which should be returned to Helen Hughes by email, mailed to PO Box 1939, Bundaberg, 4670 or faxed to (07) 4151-9750 by August 5, 2008.

NAB Forced To Delay Nanango Closure July 18, 2008 - ABC Radio is reporting that the National Australia Bank has been forced to postpone the planned closure of its Nanango branch. The Finance Sector Union says the bank has been forced to delay the closing date from August to January next year. State secretary Michael Clifford said Australian Bankers Association protocols require banks to give 24 weeks notice of closures and the NAB had failed to do that. "The bank acknowledged the process had been poor and they have committed to go back and review how these sorts of branch closures or proposed branch closures would happen in the future, both in terms of how they deal with staff involved and how they deal with the local community," he told ABC Radio.

Beauty Parlour Opens In King Street July 17, 2008 - Kelly Taffe has moved her Kelee's Makeup Artistry, Waxing & Beauty to new premises ... at Shop 2, 32 King Street, Kingaroy (near AP Computers). The business specialises in beauty services including waxing, make-up artistry, manicures, pedicures and eyelash grafting. Kelly also does make-up for formals and special occasions and has bridal packages, beauty products, mum and bub gift packs and gift vouchers available. Kelly can be contacted on (07) 4162-3433 or by email. The new shop will officially open on July 29.

One-Stop Spot For 4WDs July 16, 2008 - Greg and Annette Sprenger have opened a TJM 4WD accessories dealership at 10 Kingaroy Street, Kingaroy. Kingaroy TJM & Speedliner offers a range of off-road accessories including well-known brands such as Rhino Rack roof racks, Lightforce spotlights and Bushranger gear. All TJM accessories are available including bull bars, winches and recovery gear. The business is also an outlet for Speedliner spray on ute liners. Kingaroy TJM & Speedliner can be contacted on (07) 4162-3111 or by email

Depression Forum On Tomorrow Night July 15, 2008 - The Kingaroy Rotary Club, supported by Incitec Pivot and BGA AgriServices, are hosting a Depression Awareness Forum dubbed "The Road To Recovery" in Kingaroy tomorrow night to provide more information about this growing problem. The forum will be held in the Tobruk Room at the Kingaroy RSL Club from 7:00pm. The forum will provide information about depression, dispel common myths and help people recognise symptoms of depression in their friends, family and workmates. Guest speakers will include Josie Champney, Bev McDonald, Bill Jackson and Noel Trevaskis. Everyone is welcome and entry is free.

Cherry Blossom On The Move July 14, 2008 - Kingaroy businesswoman Lyndal Maree Saul is relocating her Cherry Blossom Make Up Artistry & Beauty business to 122 Haly Street at the Kingaroy Healthy Living Centre. Lyndal offers formal and wedding make up, manicures and pedicures, massage, facials and waxing and spray tanning. Bookings can be made on (07) 4162-2295. The Kingaroy Healthy Living Centre sells organic food including fresh fruit and vegetables, gluten-free products, organic meat and chemical-free personal care items.

Opportunity To Meet New CEO July 11, 2008 - New South Burnett Regional Council CEO Tony Hayward will be starting work on Monday ... and the Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry are providing an opportunity for local business people to meet him! Tony will be the guest speaker at the next KCCI Meet'n'Greet which will be held on July 21 at Dean Wilson Aviation's premises at Kingaroy Airport. The Meet'n'Greet will begin at 5:30pm at 28 Geoff Raph Drive. There will also be a presentation by Steve Wilson from Dean Wilson Aviation. Cost is $10 for KCCI members and $12 for non-members. Drinks and nibbles will be served. To RSVP, contact Polly Birchall at the KCCI on (07) 4162-8466 or by email

PCA Shells Out For Power July 10, 2008 - The Peanut Company of Australia is investigating using one of its most ubiquitous by-products, peanut shell, as a future source of power. Speaking recently at the company's annual dinner to recognise long-serving employees, Managing Director Bob Hansen foreshadowed one of its local projects over the next two to three years would be to extract energy from waste peanut shell. Mr Hansen said PCA hoped gradually to replace gas usage and some electricity usage at its Kingaroy plant by burning shell. Read more on the PCA website

Missouri Team To Mount Challenge In Kingaroy July 9, 2008 - The UAV Challenge which will be held in Kingaroy in September is attracting interest from all around the world ... including the United States. The Missouri University of Science & Technology's Aerospace and Electronics Systems Society is already hard at work building planes and testing systems. The goal for the challenge is to build a Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) which will autonomously fly to a search grid, find a missing person ("Outback Joe"), deliver a bottle of water to him and then return to the ground station. The Missouri team has an interesting blog site which includes details about their test flights and includes a series of You Tube videos. They're going to put up some tough competition for the local teams!

Get-Togethers Planned For Local Businesses July 8, 2008 - The Wide Bay Burnett Area Consultative Committee (WBBACC) and the Burnett Inland Economic Development Organisation (BIEDO) will be holding a series of business breakfasts and dinners throughout the region to provide business owners and primary producers with an opportunity to learn more about business services in their region. Up to six speakers will present a broad range of important information on available support services to businesses in the Burnett region. The WBBACC will also provide information about the transition of ACCs to Regional Development Australia (RDA) on January 1, 2009 and BIEDO will be seeking feedback on regional challenges, priorities and needs. Events will be held at: Wondai: 6:30pm, Thursday July 10 at Wondai Colonial Motel Blackbutt: 7:00am, Friday July 11, at Blackbutt Sports Centre Murgon: July 16 (TBA) Proston: July 17 (TBA) Kilkivan: July 31 (TBA) Goomeri: August 1 (TBA), and Kingaroy: August 15 (TBA). For more information - and to register - phone Christine at BIEDO on (07) 4169-7851.

Nanango Getting Set For The 'Quilty' July 7, 2008 - Nanango is gearing up to host the prestigious Tom Quilty Gold Cup endurance horse ride which starts on September 19. The annual "Quilty" was the brainchild of the legendary RM Williams and has been held yearly since 1966. It now attracts up to 250 champion endurance riders from Australia and overseas. The 2008 base will be at Nanango Showgrounds but during the three-day event the riders will cover steep forestry tracks, private property and back roads in the region. The event is named after Tom Quilty, a cattleman and friend of RM Williams, who donated the perpetual trophy, (above right), which is now on permanent display in the Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach.

ABC's Restaurant Beat Covers The Burning Issues July 4, 2008 - Kingaroy restaurant Burning Beats was featured in a recent feature on ABC Radio Southern Queensland. The interview, which has been posted on the ABC website includes Paul Stoddart, (right) and Kerry Cotter discussing their love for Asian food and their overseas travel which leads to new recipes being brought back to Kingaroy. Paul also shared with listeners his recipe for Vietnamese Chicken Claypot.

Karen Takes Over Reins At Bell Tower July 3, 2008 - Former employee Karen Bradwell has taken over the reins at the Bell Tower Restaurant on the Booie Range. Brad Clark, who has managed the restaurant for the past few years with his wife Megan, is remaining as Executive Head Chef while Megan is taking the opportunity to spend more time with the couple's young children. Karen has spent more than 20 years in the food industry, including a 10-year stint with Collins Food International where she acted as a relief manager in the company's KFC stores throughout Queensland. The Bell Tower's opening hours will remain the same at present however Karen has long-term plans to also open on Mondays.

New Edition Of Popular Touring Guide July 2, 2008 - Another new tourism publication has hit the streets this week ... the latest edition of the popular Touring The South Burnett touring guide (right). Published by the South Burnett Times, the 2008 edition includes street maps of each South Burnett town, the latest wine and food trail map and a handy centrespread road map of the entire South Burnett region. Attractions are listed in each town as well as short histories. Copies are available at local Visitor Information Centres as well as the South Burnett Times office.