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Growers Invited To Peanut Update March 26, 2010 - South Burnett peanut growers are invited to attend the annual two-day Peanut Update which will be held on Monday and Tuesday (March 29-30) in Bundaberg. The program on Day 1 will include presentations by speakers from the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (formerly the QDPI&F), PCA and consulting agronomist Peter Hatfield at the Old Bundy Tavern (20 Quay Street). Peanut growers and their partners and peanut industry personnel are also invited to attend dinner at the Old Bundy Tavern. Guest speaker will be PCA Managing Director Craig Mills. Day 2 will include inspections of trials at the Kalkie Research Station and in the Farnsfield region. For more information, visit the PCA website

PCA To Sell Katherine Farms March 25, 2010 - The Peanut Company of Australia has announced it will sell its peanut farms near Katherine in the Northern Territory as part of a strategy to refocus on its core business of processing and marketing peanuts. "During the past nine months, PCA has been reviewing its strategy with a view to strengthening its future financial performance and increasing its financial security through reduction of debt," PCA Managing Director Craig Mills said in a statement. "PCA believes the decision to sell the NT properties is in the best interests of the company, its shareholders and growers." As part of the sale, PCA is hoping to maintain peanut production on the properties and will offer a peanut contract to the new owner. The properties, which total 12,206ha, will be auctioned on May 7. PCA's first NT peanut crop was harvested in 2003. In 2007, PCA added to its NT holdings by buying the 11,700ha Taylors Park property. The first crop from this property was harvested in April 2008.

Pharmacy Warehouse Opens In Kingaroy March 24, 2010 - Kingaroy will have a new chemist shop with the opening tomorrow of the Good Price Pharmacy Warehouse next door to Harvey Norman in Rogers Drive. The shop is open seven days Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6:00pm, Saturdays 8:30am to 4:00pm and Sundays 9:00am to 4:00pm. As well as prescriptions, there is a large ranges of vitamins, beauty products, baby products and perfumes for sale. A naturopath will also be available four days a week. * * * SBBiz would like to congratulate our sister website South Burnett Online on its 10th birthday today. SBBiz, in comparison, is just a baby ... we will celebrate our 9th birthday in May!

Commercial Property Values Rise 75% March 23, 2010 - Property owners across the South Burnett should receive their new land valuations in the mail following the release yesterday of almost one million new valuations across Queensland. Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Mr Stephen Robertson said the valuations provided a snapshot of unimproved land values as at October 1, 2009, and were based on changes in the local property market. The last valuations for the South Burnett were issued in 2005. The new valuations show residential property values have increased 44 per cent and commercial property values have risen 75 per cent. Landowners who believe their valuation is wrong must provide information to support their claim. Objections must be lodged with the Department of Environment and Resource Management within 45 days of the valuation being issued. This is the last time that valuations will be calculated using an "unimproved value" of the land. From next, year, all non-rural properties will be assessed on "site valuation" which will bring Queensland into line with other States. Site value represents the land's current market value and reflects what could actually be "seen from the street", Mr Robertson said. NB. Properties in the Gympie region have not been revalued as they were last valued in October 2007.

Truss Officially Opens New Crematorium March 22, 2010 - Federal National Party Leader, Member for Wide Bay - and former Kingaroy Mayor - Warren Truss officially opened the new South Burnett Crematorium at Virgo Funerals' complex adjacent to the Taabinga Cemetery today. Mr Truss said it was a long overdue facility for the region and he congratulated owner Coman Reynolds, (pictured above with Mr Truss), on his vision. Also in attendance was Member for Nanango Dorothy Pratt.

White Night First For South Burnett!! March 19, 2010 - The South Burnett's first ever White Party will be held in Nanango tomorrow night (Saturday). What's a White Party? The idea is that partygoers turn up wearing their best and sexiest white (or fluoro-coloured) clothes. Ultraviolet lighting will then make the dance party - which is being billed as the South Burnett's biggest ever music event - truly spectacular. White Parties have been popular around the world for years, so it's about time they came to the South Burnett! Tickets are $25 and will be available at the door. Music will be provided by the Brizvegas Allstars (DJDannyB and DJMatty-O) as well as the South Burnett's own DJdirex (MichaelM). This city-style event, which will be held at the Nanango Showgrounds Pavilion, even has its own Facebook page! NB. It's an 18+ only event.

Test Your Hearing By Telephone March 18, 2010 - A new version of a telephone hearing test developed by Australian Hearing and its research arm, the National Acoustic Laboratories, is now available in 11 languages, including English. Michael Luttrell, from Australian Hearing (which is a Commonwealth Government Statutory Authority) said the Telscreen free test is a great first step for someone to do something about their hearing health. To determine whether you may have a hearing loss, simply call 1800-826-500 (toll-free) and respond to the sounds played over the telephone. The test should provide a good indication of whether you need to get your hearing checked by a clinician. Telscreen is the most advanced telephone hearing test in the world. It was developed by Australian researchers at the National Acoustic Laboratories. Australian Hearing's clinicians regularly visit Kingaroy from Toowoomba.

Conservation Group Queries UCG Benefits March 17, 2010 - Underground coal gasification projects "have minimal environmental benefits" and "pose a serious threat to water supplies and air quality in the local area". This is the view of Mr Toby Hutcheon from the Queensland Conservation Council who will be a guest speaker at the Kingaroy Concerned Residents group meeting tomorrow (see story March 15 below). "These projects may have small short-term financial benefits but will leave an everlasting legacy of subsiding land and a likelihood of toxic water supplies," Mr Hutcheon was quoted in a Kingaroy Concerned Residents media release. The action group is calling on the State Government to demonstrate safe environmental procedures and halt the Cougar project at Coolabunia immediately. The group has demanded a full environmental impact study and hydro-geological survey be completed.

Cougar Energy Ignites Kunioon Coal Seam March 16, 2010 - Underground Coal Gasification company Cougar Energy Limited today announced that it had successfully produced the first syngas on site from the Kunioon coal seam, igniting the main flare at 11.37pm last night. In a statement to the ASX, Cougar reported "the successful ignition of the Kunioon coal seam" near Coolabunia. "Having achieved successful ignition using air injection, Cougar Energy staff and the Company's technology partners ... will ramp the gasification process up over the coming weeks, prior to the undertaking of a series of trials to test both underground and surface operations under a range of conditions," the statement said. "Extensive data will be collected over a minimum period of six months for inclusion in the pre-feasibility study currently being prepared by Cougar staff, and for the bank feasibility study which will follow. "The Company is investigating the economics of utilising small scale plant to take gas from the project in this pre-production phase to generate power to run the site. In addition, an assessment is being made of the economic returns of various power production scenarios for the 200 MW Stage 1, with the advantage of generating cash flows earlier than previously planned."

Cougar Group To Meet This Thursday March 15, 2010 - The Kingaroy Concerned Residents group which has been formed in response to Cougar Energy's proposed underground coal gasification (UCG) project near Kingaroy, will be holding their next meeting this Thursday (March 18) at 7:00pm in the Tobruk room, Kingaroy RSL. Chairman Gary Tessmann said the group was not convinced that underground water would not be affected in the short or long-term from the project. They were also not convinced that there would be no pollution from the flare plant. Mr Tessmann said the power line to the site was complete and Cougar aimed to start the test burn in the first week of March. "There will be no electricity generated from the trial plant contrary to what the South Burnett times has said," he said. NB. This group is separate to the Cougar Consultative Committee which is chaired by South Burnett mayor David Carter and includes representation from Cougar Energy.

Don't Forget Wine and Food in the Park! March 12, 2010 - South Burnett residents are thumbing their noses at the recent wet weather and will press ahead regardless to celebrate the annual Wine and Food in the Park Festival tomorrow. Member of the Festival organising committee Dafyd Martindale said the festival would be going ahead in Kingaroy's Memorial Park come rain or shine. "But, fingers crossed, 'shine' seems a lot more likely looking at the weather forecast," he said. This is the 12th year that the South Burnett Wine and Food in the Park Festival has been held. There will be stands from all the major local wineries hosted in a massive 54m marquee. Award-winning wines will be available for tasting as well as purchase. Gates open at 10am and the festival will run until 9pm. The annual PCA Regional Cuisine Cook-Off will feature top Brisbane chef David Pugh from Restaurant Two preparing dishes on stage. Courier-Mail writer David Costello, well-known for his Fossicking column about unique foodstuffs, will also be on hand to provide expert commentary. This year's festival will also have a strong focus on local produce with a new Food Producers display and gourmet platters for sale. Live entertainment will include well-known country rocker 8 Ball Aitken, red hot fiddler Pete Denahy, Blue Room Blues plus much, much more.

Gympie Council Qualifies For Disaster Relief March 11, 2010 - Queensland Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts has activated Natural Disaster Relief for Gympie Regional Council. Mr Roberts said the joint State/ Federal Government funding arrangements would enable the council to access funding to cover the cost of restoring essential public assets damaged in the recent heavy rain and flooding. "Restoration of Essential Public Assets, Counter Disaster Operations, and Disaster Relief Assistance provisions have been progressively activated in recent weeks, with 60 local government areas now eligible for assistance," Mr Roberts said.

KCCI Meet'n'Greet At LJ Hooker March 10, 2010 - The Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce & Industry's next Meet'n'Greet will be held next Monday (March 15) from 5:30pm in the LJ Hooker office at 196 Haly Street, Kingaroy. Guest speakers will be Clem Smith, from LJ Hooker; South Burnett Regional Council Mayor David Carter, who will update members on footpath and parking arrangements; and KCCI President Leanne Stallwood who will provide information on the CBD beautification project. Cost is $10 and RSVPs must be received at the KCCI Office by email by Friday.

A Whopper Protest on Facebook March 9, 2010 - Kingaroy already has a Red Rooster, Maccas, KFC, Subway and Dominos ... so why not a Hungry Jacks? Well, the 1010 members of the Facebook group Kingaroy Needs A Hungry Jacks obviously think so: "We don't want to travel +100k just to buy a Whopper with cheese, or onion rings. We're sick of having the Toowoomba & Brisbane targeted ads tease us about the new "Angry Angus" burger, which many Kingaroyans still haven't had the pleasure of trying. There's been rumors flying around for long enough, now let's see some action. C'mon Hungry Jacks... please open a store in Kingaroy" And proving that big companies are monitoring social media, a spokesperson for Hungry Jacks has responded: "I have passed on your above idea and link to your group directly to the Boss - I promise I will keep you updated on any developments in Kingaroy :) Great to hear from fans like yourselves and I hope we can deliver a store which means you can easily get your HJ's fix!" Who knows if Kingaroy will ever get a Hungry Jacks ... but when was the last time any protest group in Kingaroy had 1010 members???

New Chocolate Peanut Range To Be Unveiled at Wine & Food in the Park March 5, 2010 - The Peanut Van will be unveiling some special new varieties of chocolate-coated peanuts at this year's South Burnett Wine and Food in The Park festival on March 13. The Peanut Van owner Rob Patch said the new range had been tentatively dubbed "Chocolate Delights" but he was hoping someone in the local community might be able to come up with a better name. The new flavours are "chilli hot chocolate", "ginger chocolate", "cinnamon chocolate" and "caramel chocolate". They will be available for tasting in the new Food Producers' tent which will be located at the end of the giant wine marquee. Anyone who has any name ideas are invited to contact Rob by email. Kingaroy Caterers Sheree Strauss, well-known local chef Mike Giles and Bronwyn Bisley from Taste South Burnett are organising the Food Producers display and will be preparing tasty platters for sale. Sheree told SBBiz she was very impressed with the new chocolate peanut range, and suggested they would go well with a nice South Burnett red!

Crane Wines Opens B&B March 4, 2010 - Crane Wines owners Bernie and Judy Cooper have unveiled their new B&B located at their winery and cellardoor on the Booie Range. The B&B accommodation is located in a private wing of the old homestead and guests have use of their own section of the verandah overlooking the valley. The bedrooms also have their own bathroom, self-catering kitchenette and lounge. For more information, contact Bernie and Judy on (07) 4162-7647. Read more on the South Burnett Wine website

Nanango Country Cars In Kingaroy March 3, 2010 - So you'd be excused for thinking Nanango Country Cars could be found in Nanango, right? But no, Nanango Country Cars is now located at 104 Kingaroy Street, Kingaroy. The former Nanango used car business has relocated to Doug Irving's former premises. Owner Jim Simmonds explained to SBBiz that the hassle of changing the official name of the business was just not worth it. So "Nanango Country Cars" it is (and they're in good company, after all ... Clifton Motors is not in Clifton, Qantas services more than Queensland and the Northern Territory and the "C" in BBC Hardware actually stands for Chatswood!) Jim can be contacted on (07) 4162-3566 or by email

White Night At Nanango March 2, 2010 - The South Burnett's first ever White Party will be held in Nanango on March 20. What's a White Party? The idea is that partygoers turn up wearing their best and sexiest white (or fluoro-coloured) clothes. Ultraviolet lighting will then make the dance party - which is being billed as the South Burnett's biggest ever music event - truly spectacular. White Parties have been popular around the world for years, so it's about time they came to the South Burnett! Tickets are $25 pre-paid and are available at Coppards and Sasswear in Kingaroy and at the Commercial Hotel in Nanango. Music will be provided by the Brizvegas Allstars (DJDannyB and DJMatty-O) as well as the South Burnett's own DJdirex (MichaelM). This city-style event, which will be held at the Nanango Showgrounds Pavilion, even has its own Facebook page! NB. It's an 18+ only event.

Professional Nails For Ozzie Girls March 1, 2010 - Ozzie Professional Nails have opened in the old Chaps Menswear store location at Shop 20, Kingaroy Shoppingworld. The beauty salon specialises in manicures and pedicures as well as acrylic, colour and glitter nails and nail art. There is also a spa pedicure and massage chair. Bookings can be made of (07) 4162-8162 although "walk in" customers are also welcome.

Women To Celebrate At Belltower February 26, 2010 - South Burnett women have been invited to celebrate International Women's Day (March 8) in style at the Belltower Restaurant on the Booie Range. The South Burnett Women's Breakfast, organised by Centacare South Burnett, will feature local women and their "Leading the Way" stories. It has been sponsored by the Department of Communities and the State Government. The breakfast will start at 6:45am. Entry is by gold coin donation but bookings are essential. For more information, and to book, contact Louise Judge at Centacare South Burnett on (07) 4162-5439.