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Worried About Health Services? Do Something! March 11, 2008 - If you are passionate about improving the quality and safety of health services in the South Burnett, here's your opportunity to actually do something about it! The South Burnett Health Community Council is calling for expressions of interest from people who are willing to spend some of their time to "participate in the governance" of public health services. The council is an advisory body which monitors the quality and safety of health services and fosters community engagement. There are eight members who are appointed for up to four years, including one GP. Members receive some remuneration. For more information, phone the Health Quality and Complaints Commission on (07) 3120-5990. The deadline for applications is April 11, 2008.

And The Top Chefs Are ... March 10, 2008 - Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 PCA South Burnett Regional Culinary Competition which was held as part of last Saturday's Wine and Food in the Park festival in Kingaroy. Overall Best Dish - Graham Waddell, (right), (Baguette Restaurant, Brisbane), Szechuan Pork Fillet with Crayfish Nam Jim and Peanut Crumble Best Matching of Dish with South Burnett Wine - Sheree Strauss (Whipbird Function Centre, Coolabunia), Pan-Fried Organic Chicken served with Sweet Potato Mash and Peanut and Lime dressing served with Barambah Chardonnay Most Innovative Use of Peanuts in the Cooking Process or Presentation - Brent Shorter (Kingaroy Hotel-Motel), Paupiette of Peanut Dukkah Crusted Pork Fillet and a Cherry Tomato and Sage Compote, served with Dressed Wild Rocket and Sweet Potato and Peanut Gnocchi in a Sage Beurre Noisette All recipes from the competition will be published on the PCA website by the end of this week!

2008 Kingaroy Wine & Food in the Park Festival On Tomorrow! March 7th, 2008: The 10th annual Wine & Food In The Park Festival will be held at Memorial Park in Kingaroy tomorrow. The 2008 Festival will feature: A giant wine tent The 2008 PCA South Burnett Regional Cuisine Cooking Competition 10 hours of live main stage entertainment headed by the multi-award-winning Pete Cornelius & The DeVilles Street performers, acrobats and clowns An on-site VIP Festival Restaurant Food court, carnival rides and special entertainment for children. Admission to the 2008 Festival is $10 per head and a crowd in excess of 6000 is expected.

Bligh Hands Over $400,000 Cheque March 6, 2008 - More than $1.1m will be given to the South Burnett region by the State Government to fund various projects designed to mark the Sesquicentenary of Queensland. Premier Anna Bligh handed over a cheque for $400,000 today to Nanango Shire Mayor Reg McCallum and Deputy Mayor Ros Gregor, (above right), for the Nanango Shire Energy Precinct. A museum will be located in the old Tarong Coal Building while the original motors from the Nanango butter factory will be housed in Henry Street. Premier Bligh was at Coolabunia to speak to female Agforce members and to announce the first Rural Women's Symposium which will be held in Roma in August. She was quizzed on funding for hospitals, infrastructure, rural racing and post-council amalgamation financial shortfalls. The Q150 Legacy Infrastructure Program also includes: $70,000 to Kilkivan Shire Council for a statue commemorating the Kilkivan Great Horse Ride $40,000 to Kingaroy Shire Council towards the Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen Memorial Cultural Centre project $75,000 to Rosalie Shire Council for the Muntapa Tunnel Historical Recognition Project

Hylan Seeds now HSR March 5, 2008 - Well-known local rural company Hylan Seeds recently blossomed into HSR Seeds. HSR Seeds are located at 29 Mackenzie Street, Wondai, and can be contacted on (07) 4169-0011 or by email. HSR Seeds breed and market hybrid grain sorghum and forage sorghum, maize, sunflowers and sweet corn.

KCCI Mayoral Forum On Tonight! March 4, 2008 - The Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be hosting a forum tonight to allow the public to meet and hear from the five candidates standing for the position of mayor at the South Burnett Regional Council. The forum will be held in the Kingaroy Town Hall Reception Room from 7pm. Entry is free, tea / coffee will be available and everyone is invited! The chairman for the evening will be KCCI Executive member Bill Jackson. Each of the five candidates will be given two minutes to answer each of the following questions: What is your vision of where the South Burnett will be in five years time? What do you envisage being the main problems standing in the way of achieving this? What are you strengths – and what are your weaknesses? How do you plan to break down the barriers of parochialism? The current shires have different rating systems. How do you propose to spread the financial costs of the new South Burnett Regional Council fairly? Council candidates for Divisions 3, 4 & 6 will also be given the option to speak.

Opportunity to Sell Tourism Message In Brisbane February 28, 2008 - The South Burnett Tourism Association will be taking a stall at the upcoming Sunday Mail Brisbane Escape Holiday and Snow Expo on March 29-30. Narelle Colquhoun, from the SBTA, said more than 10,000 visitors were expected to visit the show over the two days and this would be a great opportunity for South Burnett tourism operators to meet face-to-face with potential customers. Brochure placement costs $50; to attend the show and sell directly will cost $150. For more information, contact Narelle on 0417-566-460.

Voting is Compulsory, Booths are Confusing February 27, 2008 - Voting is compulsory at the March 15 local government elections so it is important that you turn up at the correct polling booth for your Division! There will be polling booths in each Division of the new South Burnett Regional Council however not all Division electors will be able to vote at all booths. For example, at the Kingaroy Town Hall booth, only residents from Division 1, Division 3, Division 4 and Division 6 will be able to cast a vote. Download the official list of Polling Booths (92kb PDF) from the Queensland Electoral Commission so you will know where to go.

Where Will We Be in 2020? February 26, 2008 - Feel like no one listens to your ideas? This may be your chance to have your say on the issues that affect the future of Australia. The Australia 2020 Summit will be held at Parliament House on 19-20 April to help shape a long term strategy for the nation's future. To do this, 1000 leading Australians will debate and develop long-term options for the nation across 10 critical areas: Future directions for the Australian economy – including education, skills, training, science and innovation as part of the nation's productivity agenda Economic infrastructure, the digital economy and the future of our cities Population, sustainability, climate change and water Future directions for rural industries and rural communities A long-term national health strategy – including the challenges of preventative health, workforce planning and the ageing population Strengthening communities, supporting families and social inclusion Options for the future of indigenous Australia Towards a creative Australia: the future of the arts, film and design The future of Australian governance: renewed democracy, a more open government (including the role of the media), the structure of the Federation and the rights and responsibilities of citizens Australia's future security and prosperity in a rapidly changing region and world. Individuals, schools, groups, and organisations have been invited to make submissions to the summit. These will be published on the Australia 2020 website. For more information on how to make a submission, click here or download a submission form (66kb PDF)

Rain Improves Chances of Meatworks Re-Opening February 25, 2008 - Negotiations for the sale of the Murgon meatworks are "progressing" with hopes of a sale within two months, ABC radio reported today. John Gregg from receivers Deloitte Australia said negotiations were being undertaken with "multiple companies" and the likelihood of a sale had been improved with the recent inflows into Bjelke-Petersen Dam. The ABC reported that South Burnett Beef was in almost $17 million debt when it went into receivership in May last year.

Collapse of Local Paulownia Industry? February 22, 2008 - A cloud lies over the future of several plantations of paulownia in the South Burnett following the collapse of forest management company Queensland Paulownia Pty Ltd. The company, linked to plantations at Kumbia and Wooroolin, has had a receiver appointed and the associated Queensland Paulownia Forest Projects Nos 2-8 have been wound up. A meeting of creditors was held on February 12. Paulownia is an Asian tree which was lauded with big claims when first planted at Wooroolin in 1996. However experience elsewhere in Australia indicated that achieving logs of millable size was problematic and local markets were difficult to establish. Queensland Paulownia Pty Ltd dubbed the timber "The Money Tree, Growing Money ... Greening Australia" and published projected returns of $44,026 every year for investors in its December 2000 newsletter.

Wondai History Records End of An Era February 21, 2008 - Author and historian Tony Matthews, who wrote the respected history of the South Burnett, Landscapes of Change, will be launching his two-volume History of the Wondai Shire next month, just days before the Shire is absorbed into the new South Burnett Regional Council area. The new history is the result of months of research. It will be unveiled at a cocktail party at Wondai Town Hall on Thursday March 13 from 5:30pm. The author will be present to sign copies. South Burnett residents interested in attending the launch should contact Wondai Shire Council on (07) 4169-2555 as soon as possible for catering reasons.

Gloves Off For March 15 Election Poll SCOOP! February 19, 2008: The deadline for nominations for the new South Burnett Regional Council election on March 15 closed today. The following 26 candidates have tossed their hats into the ring to contest the seven spots on offer: Candidates for Mayor: Carter, Ian David - manager Coleman, Robert Charles - retired teacher Hilliard, George Robert - retired Horton, James Robert - farmer Kratzmann, Darryl Wayne - publican Division 1: (Nanango North) Green, Barry - transport operator Kerr, Lionel - farmer Tucker, Edward (Ted) - councillor Webb, Bruce - grazier Yeates, Glen - farmer Division 2: (Nanango South / Blackbutt / Maidenwell) Gregor, Ros - grazier Palmer, Debra - business Tillyer, Brian - retired Division 3: (Kingaroy South) Fleischfresser, Terry - self-employed painting contractor Lehmann, Maxwell - retired Tessman, Damien - labourer Division 4: (Kingaroy North) Campbell, Keith - consultant (as there were no other candidates in this Division, Keith Campbell will be elected unopposed) Division 5: (Murgon) Angel, Peter - farmer Coombes, Peter - farmer Duff, Kathryn - grazier Guse, Col - retired farmer Division 6: (Wondai / Proston) Dalton, Cheryl - councillor Mitchell, Robert (Bob) - mail contractor Bradley, Arthur Polzin, Kevin - primary producer Bird, Maureen Patricia (Trish)

Relate Opens in Kingaroy February 19, 2008 - Relate Human Services is in the process of setting up a new office in Kingaroy, at 72 Youngman Street. The private support care group offers services for youth aged 0-18 as well as adult care for people who require in-home support. Child safety support is also offered as well as counselling and occupational therapy. Relate Human Services can be contacted on (07) 4163-6946 or by email

Bumper Year For Local Tourism Website February 18, 2008 - The South Burnett Tourism website has enjoyed another bumper year of traffic. From February 2007 through to January 2008 the site received 53,820 visitors and the website's database processed 85,930 queries for anything from accommodation to tourist attractions. South Burnett Online CEO Dafyd Martindale said he was pleased with these figures even though they were down slightly on the preceding 12 months. "Considering the drought and the closure of several regional wineries, interest in the South Burnett as a tourism region still seems strong," he said.

Push for South Burnett PCYC February 15, 2008 - A Community Information Night will be held in Murgon next week to gauge local and regional support for the establishment of the first PCYC in the South Burnett. The proposal is for the Murgon Pulse Sports Complex to be managed by the Queensland Police-Citizens Youth Welfare Association. PCYCs are self-funded through their activities and government grants. The South Burnett PCYC would offer sports and recreation activities for the whole family, including seniors. The public meeting, organised by Murgon Shire Council and the Queensland Police Service, will be held at The Pulse, Macalister Street, on Tuesday, February 19 from 7:00pm. Download the survey form (154kb PDF) and bring it along! For more information, phone Clint on (07) 4168-1889.

March Deadline For Cultural Grants February 14, 2008 - $20,000 funding has been made available under the State Government's Strengthening Rural Communities Strategy for arts and cultural activities in rural areas, but you'll have to act quickly as the next round closes on March 3. Suggested projects for funding include: Cultural planning Community cultural development projects such as skills development workshops or artists-in-residence programs Creative streetscaping Public art Festival and event management For more information contact the Office of Rural & Regional Communities by email

Sorry Day February 13, 2008: Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history. We reflect on their past mistreatment. We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations – this blemished chapter in our nation's history. The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future. We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country. For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry. - Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister

Rodeo Action in Kingaroy February 12, 2008 - A new listing on SBBiz this week is Frames Rodeo Australia, from Kingaroy. Campbell Frame can organise rodeo entertainment for sporting clubs or businesses all over Queensland and says this can also be a great way for groups to do fund-raising He can be contacted on (07) 4162-5558 or by email. Campbell also has a great video up on You Tube (press play button):

Stellar Effort From Narelle February 11, 2008 - Former South Burnett Tourism Project Manager Narelle Colquhoun, (right), has set up her own business, Stellar Event Management. Narelle's contract to assist the South Burnett tourism industry finished earlier this year but she has decided to stay on in the region. Her new business specialises in the co-ordination and management of community events, corporate functions and weddings. Narelle can be contacted on (07) 4162-5250 or by email