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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.

Bottle-O Opens Beside SupaIGA July 1, 2008 - The Kingaroy Hotel-Motel has opened a bottleshop beside the new SupaIGA supermarket in Avoca Street, Kingaroy. The bottleshop, part of The Bottle-O chain, is open Monday-Friday from 10:00am-7:00pm and Saturday-Sunday from 10:00am-5:00pm. Both SupaIGA and the Kingaroy Hotel-Motel are involved in this year's PCA Peanut Festival, which will be held at the Showgrounds on August 2. SupaIGA are sponsoring the Queensland Strong Man Games in the main arena which will include bag stack and drag, farmers walk, rock lift and peanut toss competitions. Kingaroy Hotel-Motel has organised a special Gunslingers & Saloon Girls Party which will be held after the Festival from 7:30pm. Download the full Peanut Festival program here

Kingaroy Machinery Centre Moves June 30, 2008 - Kingaroy Machinery Centre has opened its doors in a new location: Unit 1, 12 Kingaroy Street (the former SB Foods building in the Kingaroy Industrial Estate). The move makes way for the development of their old block on the corner of Markwell and Youngman streets for an Aldi supermarket. All contact details for Kingaroy Machinery Centre remain the same. Gympie Cooloola Foods have also opened a depot in the old SB Foods building. Located at Unit 3, 12 Kingaroy Street, the wholesale food service specialises in catering supplies for pubs, clubs, service stations and food outlets. Contact is Kerry Randall, son of former SB Foods founder Barry Randall. GCF is part of the Countrywide national food distribution network. There are no plans for a retail shop to be opened at this stage.

Video Tribute To Kingaroy Shop June 27, 2008 - There's a lot of work behind opening a small business ... something that sometimes only a family member can appreciate. This video tribute to the opening of Shellytop Beads, which is located in the Linard Centre Arcade in Haly Street, Kingaroy, was posted on YouTube earlier this year:

Fun and Games At Shoppingworld June 26, 2008 - Computer game retailer Game has opened its doors at Shop 37 inside the new-look Kingaroy Shoppingworld. Located at the top of the "travelator" moving stairs, Game offers games for PCs, Wii, Nintendo, Xbox, Playstation and PSP. Doors are open Monday-Friday from 8:30am-5:30pm; Thursdays 8:30am-8:00pm and Saturdays 8:30am-4:00pm. Game can be contacted on (07) 4163-6431 or by email PS. Laubman and Pank are also on the move at Shoppingworld, relocating next door to Game at Shop 38.

New Tourism Guides To Woo Visitors June 25, 2008 - The latest edition of the South East Queensland Country Guide, (right), has been released with information and photographs designed to entice tourists to visit the South Burnett. The guide, which is mailed to subscribers and also available at Visitor Information Centres, features a tear-out South-East Queensland Wine Country map, highlighting the various wine regions (including the South Burnett). The June-August 2008 edition of the South East Queensland Country Club newsletter was also released in conjunction with the Country Guide. This newsletter has a major feature on the South Burnett, highlighting our wineries and cuisine trail.