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We're Back! June 3, 2008 - It takes a fair bit to keep SBBiz off the air for three days ... how about an explosion that knocked down three walls and a fire? The data centre which is home to SBBiz (and many other South Burnett websites) suffered this catastrophic failure late on Saturday night when a power transformer exploded. Fortunately no one was hurt but thousands of websites around the world instantly blinked out. Emails routed via the centre were also badly affected. To their credit, the team at the Texas centre - the largest privately owned data centre in the world - worked non-stop with electricians and technicians to get the 9000 servers back online. There may be a couple of hiccups over the next few days as emergency power is switched off and local power restored but if we disappear again it will only be for an hour or two at most. Many thanks for your patience ... it's great to be back!

PCA Records $1.97m Profit May 30, 2008 - The Peanut Company of Australia increased revenues over the past 12 months by more than 6 per cent to $62.9 million despite the volume of domestic sales actually dropping by about 21 per cent. Adverse climatic conditions in Australia necessitated a higher than normal level of imports which affected profits. But despite this, net profit after tax increased by 7.5 per cent to $1.97 million. The figures are contained in PCA's 2008 Annual Report which was released yesterday on the company's website along with a Prospectus inviting shareholders to subscribe to a two-for-three shares Rights Issue. PCA intends to pay a full-franked dividend of 30 cents per share on June 27 on all shares (including those acquired under the Rights Issue).

Latest WBBACC Newsletter Available May 29, 2008 - The latest edition of the Wide Bay Burnett Area Consultative Committee's electronic Regional Update is now available online. This edition includes information about a Marketing Seminar to be held in Kingaroy next month, a Social Policy Forum to be held in Kingaroy in July, and the scrapping of the Regional Partnerships Program. The electronic newsletter is designed to provide all the latest information on events, activities and grant opportunities distributed by the Federal Government. To join the email mailing list, contact Cameron Bisley at the WBBACC on (07) 4121-7099 or email him

Women's Network Plans Bundaberg Conference May 28, 2008 - The Queensland Rural Women's Network's Barambah Branch will be hosting a Change and Challenge Conference in Bundaberg later this year. Workshops will cover a diverse range of subjects from MYOB and spreadsheets to scrapbooking, using Photoshop, succession planning and sustainable farming. The program for the conference, which will be held on August 27-28, can be downloaded from the QRWN website. For more information, contact Sue Kratzmann on 0400-723-070

South Burnett May Join Toowoomba, Darling Downs In Pilot Tourism Body May 27, 2008 - The South Burnett could soon be part of a new tourism body - an amalgamation of the South Burnett portion of the Fraser Coast South Burnett Regional Tourism Organisation with Southern Downs and Toowoomba and the Golden West. The new body would be known as the South East Queensland Country Regional Tourism Organisation (SEQC RTO). This is one of the options put forward in the Queensland Tourism Network Review report released this week. The report, commissioned by the State Government, also recommended the SEQC RTO be used as a pilot to test a new tourism organisational model, a Destination Management Organisation jointly funded by RTO members and Tourism Queensland. Feedback on the report should be forwarded to the Department of Tourism and Regional Development by June 13. Key stakeholders will discuss the feedback and formulate a position to be forwarded to the Minister for consideration. Download the Network Review report here (882kb PDF)

Qld Govt Sells Tarong Wind Farms May 26, 2008 - The sale of Tarong Energy Corporation's two South Australian windfarms late last year passed with little notice locally, drowned out by the news of the approval of the $500 million Kunioon coal mine project. Transfield Services Infrastructure Fund paid the Queenland Government $460.4 million in December for its windfarm assets which included Tarong Energy's Starfish Hill and Mt Millar farms. Late last week it was reported that Transfield had increased its borrowings to $800 million to help refinance the bridging loan for these purchases. The Starfish Hill wind farm has 23 turbines producing 34.5 megawatts of power and cost Tarong Energy more than $65 million to build. The Mt Millar farm has 35 turbines generating up to 70 megawatts, enough energy to meet the needs of about 36,000 households.

Nanango Seat Spared In Review May 23, 2008 - The State seat of Nanango, currently held by Independent MP Dorothy Pratt, will not be axed. The announcement today follows weeks of rumours that Nanango would be absorbed into adjacent seats as part of an Electoral Commission of Queensland review of boundaries. Instead, the ECQ has recommended abolishing seats in the State's north and west and creating three new seats in the south-east. Nanango has actually been enlarged, taking in Crows Nest, Goombungee and Meringanden West from the former seat of Darling Downs. The State seat of Callide has also grown, absorbing rural areas south of Rolleston. Download Nanango boundary map (727kb PDF) Download Callide boundary map (314kb PDF) Queensland voters have 30 days to object to the proposed changes.

Pumpkins Hit The Streets On Sunday May 23, 2008 - The annual Goomeri Pumpkin Festival is really on a roll ... this Sunday marks the 12th annual festival! As well as the Great Australian Pumpkin Roll, there'll be a street parade, live entertainment, a reptile show, market stalls and lots and lots of pumpkins. A new event this year is the Great Pumpkin Pull which will be held at noon at the BGA carpark. Entry to the festival is free.

Women's Employment Grants Close June 2 May 22, 2008 - Applications for funding under two State Government Office for Women grant programs are closing on June 2. The programs are designed to assist Queensland businesses to increase the participation of women in non-traditional employment. There are 10 grants of up to $10,000 available in the Women in Trades scheme and two grants of up to $50,000 in the Indigenous Working Women's Fund. For more information visit the Office For Women website or call 1800-177-577.

Put On Your Thinking Caps! May 21, 2008 - Trivia buffs start practising now! Durong State School P&C is promising a night of laughs and great prizes at their fund-raising Trivia Night which will be held in September. The P&C is looking for teams of eight to register as soon as possible (or individuals can be formed into a team on the night). Cost is $10 per person. There'll also be a bar and a gourmet supper. The Trivia Night will be held at Durong Community Hall on Saturday, September 6 from 6:30pm. For more information, phone (07) 4168-0273. Facebook members can check out the event listing which includes a handy map.

BIEDO On The Move May 20, 2008 - The Burnett Inland Economic Development Organisation, formerly located alongside the council at Kilkivan, has moved to Goomeri. BIEDO is now located at 10 Moore Street. The new phone number is (07) 4169-7851 and fax (07) 4169-7852. Mail should be sent to PO Box 94, Goomeri, 4601. The email and website details remain the same. BIEDO assists businesses in the North Burnett, South Burnett and Gympie Regional Council areas.

Tourism Vision For 2020 May 19, 2008 - A workshop will be held in Kingaroy next week as part of the development of a Regional Tourism Investment and Infrastructure Plan (RTIIP) for the South-East Queensland Country Region. The RTIIP aims to encourage tourism agencies and investors to consider specific regional investment opportunities to allow South-East Queensland Country "to reach its full potential in terms of sustainable tourism by 2020". The joint Tourism Queensland / Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism workshop, which will be run by specialist destination management company EC3, will be held on Wednesday May 28 at a venue to be advised.

Target: Find Outback Joe! May 16, 2008 - The UAV Outback Challenge will be held again this year at Kingaroy Airport ... and this time there will be more than $70,000 in prize money on offer. Planning for the competition, which will be held from September 21-23, has already begun with the South Burnett Regional Council meeting with the organisers: the Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation, the Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry and Boeing Australia. Last year's target proved elusive with "Outback Joe" failing to be found. This year Joe will be hunted by even more teams with the event already attracting registrations from 16 school teams and 34 open teams, including Australian university teams and international teams.

New Look For SBTA Executive May 15, 2008 - The Executive of the South Burnett Tourism Association has a new-look following the AGM held late last month at Moffatdale: President - John Bjelke-Petersen (Bethany Cottages) Vice-President - Cathy Davis (Hillview Cottages) Treasurer - Wayne Kratzmann (Tingoora Hotel) Executive members - Bruce Hurley (The Left Bank), Frank Deshon (Deshons Retreat), Jason Kinsella (Moffatdale Ridge Winery) and a tourism representative from the South Burnett Regional Council. The position of Secretary is still vacant. Financial members of the SBTA who may be interested in filling this position (a small stipend will be paid) are invited to contact any of the above Executive members. Retiring executive members were President Carolyn Stone (Passchendaele Farm Holidays), Vice-President John Boland (formerly Shadylane Vineyard Cottages) and Treasurer Max Lehmann (Rock-al-Roy B&B).

Booklet To Help Beat Transport Woes May 14, 2008 - Getting around the South Burnett if you don't have a car can be a problem but there's a surprising number of transport options available ... if you know where to look. There are "shopper buses" running to Goomeri, Murgon and Kingaroy as well as a number of school runs which will take paid passengers. Graham House at Murgon also operates three different transport options with different eligibility criteria. To help South Burnett residents navigate their way through these options, Queensland Transport - with assistance from South Burnett Community Integrated Transport Services (SBCITS) - has released a booklet, (above), which lists local services and contact phone numbers. For more information, contact Graham House on (07) 4168-2828.

Our Place, Our Future Deadline May 13, 2008 - Funding applications under the latest round of the Our Place, Our Future — Resourcing Rural Capacity "Blueprint for the Bush" program close at 4:00pm on Monday June 2. The State Government scheme aims to assist members of rural and remote communities to increase their capacity to build more socially, culturally and economically sustainable communities. There are two categories of funding available: Planning and engagement: To assist local communities to work together to identify, develop, co-ordinate and prioritise local strategies and plans that may lead to longer-term initiatives Project implementation: To action existing community plans and priorities that improve the sustainability of communities through social, cultural, environmental and/or economic development initiatives. For more information contact Adrian Tantari, Manager of the Wide Bay Burnett Regional Office of Rural and Regional Communities on (07) 4151-9749 or download the attached Fact Sheet (56kb PDF) and Guidelines (230kb PDF)

Creative Seminar For Small Businesses May 12, 2008 - Melissa Davis and Gary Brown from Sunshine Coast-based marketing and web design business Big Ideas will be holding a seminar for small and home-based businesses in Kingaroy next month. Melissa will talk about "Creative Marketing in a Competitive World" , while Gary will explain how to "Boost your Business Online". The seminar - on a date to be fixed - has been organised by the Wide Bay Burnett Area Consultative Committee and Small Business Field Officer Peter Gregory with the support of the KCCI. More information will be published when it becomes available. NB. Sadly, this may well be one of the last seminars organised by Peter in Kingaroy. It was announced on April 28 that as part of a "pre-election commitment" by the Federal Government, the Small Business Field Officer program would "expire" on June 30.

Miners Seek Riches In South Burnett May 9, 2008 - Queensland-based coal and mineral exploration company Bowen Energy Ltd (BEL) has been granted an exploration licence to search for coal in a 530sq km area stretching from north of Crows Nest to west of Nanango, including the townships of Yarraman and Maidenwell. EPC 1083 "Cooyar" was granted on March 26. In its Quarterly Report to the Australian Securities Exchange last week, BEL said explorations in this region would be directed at both domestic and possible export quality thermal coal although no work had been performed in the area as yet. Other local permits, still awaiting approval, include: Tarong Energy Corporation has applied for an exploration permit covering 247sq km west of Yarraman. This permit, EPM 16811, is to explore for minerals including kaolin, Eastern Uranium Pty Ltd has applied for a mineral permit to explore three areas near Proston. EMP 16442 covers a total of 222 sq km.

Fly Ash May Help Soils May 8, 2008 - Sydney scientists may have found a new use for the 14 million tonnes of waste flyash created every year by Australia's coal-fired power stations. The May-June edition of Groundcover, the journal of the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC), reports that a team from the University of Technology used flyash to correct soil acidity in a range of different soil types. Importantly, there was no evidence of heavy metals getting into the food chain and the yields of their canola test crops also increased! Who knows? One day we may see the flyash trucks heading west from Tarong rather than down the Blackbutt Range!

There's No Need To Rough It May 7, 2008 - A recent business added to SBBiz is Johnno's Camper Trailers, located at 375 West Wooroolin Road, Wooroolin. Barney and Anita Horne launched their business in March and had a large display at the recent Kingaroy Show. They have a range of on-road and off-road camping trailers for hire or purchase as well as camper tops to fit trailers and camping accessories. They can be contacted on (07) 4164-2300 or by email.