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Scholarship Solution To Fill Skills Gaps March 14, 2006 - Do you have experience working in a business environment (paid or volunteer) that would be equivalent to a Certificate III, IV or Diploma level in Business Services? If you are, you may be eligible for a scholarship worth $950 offered by Skilling Solutions Queensland to allow you to complete skills gap training to get a qualification from TAFE. Sharon Lofthouse, from Southern Qld Institute of TAFE (Kingaroy), has the full details ... but don't delay as Skilling Solutions will be in Kingaroy on March 29 to conduct interviews. Phone Sharon on (07) 4160-4415.

Burning Beats Duo Too Hot For The Competition March 13, 2006 - The 2006 PCA South Burnett Culinary Competition turned out to be a family affair with Paul Stoddart (owner of Kingaroy's Burning Beats cafe) taking out the overall prize and his daughter Aimee (right) winning an encouragement prize. Other winners were: Matthew McMurdy (Kingaroy State High School hospitality student) - Encouragement award Judy Andrews (Bunnies Bar and Brasserie) - Best matching of dish and local wine Jana Van Boxtel (Explorers Restaurant) - Most innovative use of peanuts.

Come Along For Some Wine and Food In The Park! March 10, 2006 - One of the South Burnett region's premier events, the annual Tarong Mine Wine and Food in the Park festival will be held in Kingaroy's Memorial Park tomorrow from 10am (with music on-stage from 11am). Nine local cooking wizards will be competing in the 2006 PCA South Burnett Culinary Competition which will be held in a large marquee in the Festival grounds. All recipes prepared during the competition will be published on the PCA website next week. Nine local cellar doors will be represented in the Wine Tent and there'll also be exotic food, market stalls, amusement rides, street entertainment and some great music which will continue late into the night! For more information, visit the Festival's website

How To Master Networking March 9, 2006 - Robyn Henderson, a global networking specialist, will be presenting a confidence-building workshop for all women in business in Kingaroy on Wednesay, March 21. The "How To Master Networking" workshop, presented by the Department of State Development, Trade and Innovation, will be held at the Kingaroy RSL CLub from 7:00am to 9:30am. Cost is $33 which includes breakfast. Bookings must be made ny March 17 to (07) 4121-1780. For more information and a registration form download the attached brochure (117kb PDF).

Dogged with Pain? March 8, 2006 - One of the more unusual listings added to SBBiz recently belongs to Sue Vacher, an animal physiotherapist. Sue, who is based at Wilkesdale in Wondai Shire, offers physiotherapy services for horses and dogs, including assessment and treatment and the development of exercise programs. She can be contacted on (07) 4164-1141 or by email

Grants, Grants, Grants! March 7, 2006 - Need help finding the grant that's right for your business? The Department of State Development has scheduled a Grants For Business seminar in Kingaroy on April 3 with guest speakers including Steve Wilson from the new-to-Kingaroy company Dean Wilson Aviation. The seminar will be held at the Kingaroy RSL Club, corner Markwell and Short streets, from 5:15pm. The seminar is totally FREE but bookings are necessary as refreshments will be served. Download the attached information brochure (1.2MB PDF) and fax the registration form to (07) 4123-1874.

Two New Businesses Listed March 6, 2006 - Two new businesses recently listed on SBBiz reflect the continuing interest in the building industry locally. Dan Large has opened Blueprint Drafting Service in Kingaroy. Blueprint offers building design and general drafting services for new homes, extensions and renovations and commercial and industrial projects. Dan can be contacted on (07) 4162-5425 or by email. Wooden Hut Plumbing, at 12 Wooden Hut Road, Kingaroy, does general plumbing maintenance including plumbing and drainage, roofing and gutters, toilets and tap repairs. They can be contacted on (07) 4164-3272.

You're Not Seeing Things ... March 3, 2006 - Kingaroy optometrist Malcolm Lee See has temporarily moved up the road to 194 Haly Street (which is a good thing as his old premises are now just a paddock!). All contact details remain the same. The Kingaroy Seafoods premises next door also disappeared almost overnight which left a few former customers scratching their heads today while looking around for fish and chips on a Lenten Friday. The South Burnett Times reports that a $1.5 million retail building will be built on the site.

New Owners At Kingaroy Caravan Park March 2, 2006 - Geoff Clayton took over yesterday as the new owner of Kingaroy Caravan Park and Cabins at 48 Walter Road, Kingaroy. The park has powered sites and a camping area as well as air-conditioned cabins and villas. Contact details remain the same and plans at the moment are to continue the popular bush poetry readings for visitors during the winter months. Bookings can be made on (07) 4162-1808 or by email

Local Businesses Change Hands March 1, 2006 - There's new faces at a couple of well-known local businesses. Glen Torry, from Auto Tint and Stripes at 3 Ivins Street, Kingaroy, recently handed over the reins of his business to Wayne and Kim Laurenceson. Auto Tint offers all kinds of window tinting (for homes, cars or commercial premises) as well as computer cut signs, magnetic signs, pin stripes and graphics. Amanda Feakins, (right) has taken over the Country Video stores at 40 Fitzroy Street, Nanango and 15 Margaret Street, Yarraman. Both stores are open seven days. Amanda is an old supporter of SBBiz and assisted us in many ways when we first established the Tarong Business Program during the Tarong North construction project. Good luck Mandy!

New Spot To Eat in Yarraman February 28, 2006 - The Timber Town Cafe has opened in the old Rick's Place building at 24 Toomey Street, Yarraman. The cafe, run by Karen Langford, serves light meals six days a week as well as offering hand-made craft items and pottery as gift ideas. The cafe is open 8:30am to 4:00pm on weekdays and 7:30am-1:00pm on Saturdays.

SBBiz on Kingaroy Council Website February 28, 2006 - Southburnett.biz is now also available on Kingaroy Shire Council's website with the unveiling of council's new-look website last night. This is the third South Burnett council website to broadcast this database (Kilkivan and Nanango shires went live last year) which means even more people than ever will be viewing the listings! So it is very important that all listings are as up-to-date as possible ... please contact us by email or phone (07) 4163-6854 if you spot any errors!

Yallakool Anglers Get Hooked on Art February 27, 2006 - The Barambah Valley Store, located at Yallakool Tourist Park on the banks of the Bjelke-Petersen Dam, is the latest new business promoting works by local artists. The mini art gallery features artworks by local indigenous artists (including the talented Steven Bond, Venus Rabbitt and Robyn Langton) as well as craftworks and produce from throughout the South Burnett region. Tours to visit local Moffatdale wineries can also be arranged and booked. Contact Felicity Evans on (07) 4168-4718 or by email

Short and Sharp Training Ideas February 25, 2005 - The Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry plans to hold some "short and sharp" training seminars in Kingaroy on Thursday March 23. You can choose to attend either one, two or all three of the sessions which will be held in the IT Centre at the South Burnett Enterprise Centre, 6 Cornish Street, Kingaroy. The training will cover Workplace Health and Safety Awareness; Communication - Body Language; and HR - Recruitment and Selection Essentials. Bookings must be made by March 4 to (07) 4162-8466. For more information, visit the KCCI website

Latest WBBACC Newsletter Available February 23 - The second edition of the Wide Bay Burnett Area Consultative Committee's electronic Regional Update is now available online. The electronic newsleter 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

New Face At Blackbutt Surgery February 22, 2006 - Dr Daphene Robertson has purchased the general practice in Blackbutt. The Timbertown Medical Centre, located at 75 Coulson Street, can be contacted on (07) 4163-0023. Dr Robertson took over the practice in January from Dr Ping Partridge who had been Blackbutt's GP for a number of years.

Surveying the Web February 21, 2006 - Kingaroy surveyors O'Reilly, Nunn and Favier now have their own website. The firm, located at 194 Kingaroy Street, undertakes projects throughout south-east Queensland and also maintains an office at Kilcoy. Merv O'Reilly, Roger Nunn and Jason Favier can be contacted on (07) 4162-2647 or by email.

Smart Ideas For Horse Lovers February 20, 2006 - Smarty Rugs, at Marshlands (near Mondure), sells custom-made horse rugs and equestrian accessories including hay bags and saddle covers. Owner Jolene King also manufactures dog coats and even offers a repair service for horse accessories. She can be contacted on 0438-432-745 or by email. For more information, visit the Smarty Rugs website

South Burnett Stars In RACQ Magazine February 17, 2006 - This month's edition of the RACQ magazine Road Ahead features an interesting two-page spread on the South Burnett. Among the businesses featured are Cheeseworld, The Grape and The Olive, Boonara Homestead, L'il Ol' Church, The Artist's Village and the Maidenwell Observatory. Our local cellar doors and accommodation venues also get a plug, including Ziebarth Wines, Whistle Stop, Shadylane and Deshons Retreat.

February Tourism Talk February 16, 2006 - South Burnett Local Government Association Tourism Project Officer Narelle Duggan has released the February edition of South Burnett Tourism Talk, a regular newsletter on tourism happenings around the region. This edition includes a round-up of regional events and market dates as well as more information about the new South Burnett Tourism Map and a workshop on insurance for tourism operators. Click here to download Tourism Talk (186kb PDF)