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Are You A Platypus or a Python? February 3, 2009 - The latest range of gifts available at the South Burnett Visitor Information Centre in Haly Street, Kingaroy, will have traditional astrologers scratching their heads ... but if Aussies can have an Easter Bilby, why not? The Australian Birth Sign bookmarks, (right), are made in Goondiwindi and feature Aboriginal designs. They're just $3 and would make a quirky birthday present. So whether you're a wombat or an eagle, there's one just for you!

UAVs Will Be Back In September February 2, 2009 - It's on again! The 3rd annual Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Outback Challenge will be held over three days at Kingaroy Airport from September 28 this year. The competition, organised by the State Government and the Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation, will again have excellent prize money on offer for any UAV that can rescue "Outback Joe". Past competitors have entered from the United States and Europe as well as from all over Australia so the standard will be high. Prize money in theSearch And Rescue Open category totals $50,000; high school students in the Airborne Delivery Challenge will be competing for $10,000 and the Documentary Category has prizes of $8000 and $2000.

Blood Gives Life, Give Blood! January 30, 2009 - C'mon Kingaroy!! Only 36 people have so far registered in the Kingaroy Apex Club's Challenge To The Community To Give Blood. In comparison, the Murgon Apex Club has filled its books with reserves on hand! The Australian Red Cross Blood Service Donormobile will be visiting Kingaroy on February 6 and Murgon on February 7. Since early 2008, the Murgon Apex Club has managed to recruit and retain enough blood donors for the Donormobile to make regular three-monthly visits to Murgon. The Kingaroy Apex Club would like to kick off 2009 by recruiting sufficient donors so that regular Donormobile visits to Kingaroy will also be possible. This however, cannot be achieved without the support of the Kingaroy community. Donating blood takes less than an hour. If possible, it is recommended that anyone interested in donating call to book an appointment. The Donormobile will be parked in the Kingaroy RSL car park. To check your eligibility to donate, visit www.donateblood.com.au. To make an appointment, call Kendall Siddans in Kingaroy on 0418-981-526 or Cheralea Ardrey in Murgon on (07) 4168-2631.

Reprieve For Kingaroy Garbos January 29, 2009 - The South Burnett Regional Council has voted to continue using council employees to collect waste in Kingaroy, the only major town in the area still serviced by council garbos rather than private contractors. At its meeting last week, councillors voted unanimously to continue with the current practice "until the current contract collection arrangements for the Nanango, Murgon and Wondai areas of the South Burnett Regional Council come up for review/renewal and that a further review of all waste collection operations be undertaken prior to entering into any new arrangements for the provision of waste collection services". NB. Council employees' jobs have been protected by the State Government until March 15, 2011 under the Local Government Reform Staff Support Package. This provides certainty to council staff about jobs, job changes and employment security.

Memories Worth Keeping January 28, 2009 - Nanango resident Jennifer Swan has cast aside any cares of the global financial crisis by establishing a unique business which will help local residents preserve their precious memories. Everlasting Casting, at 39 Lanes Road, Nanango, offers 3D body, hand and feet life casting for babies, children and adults (including pregnant women). Jennifer said family group hand castings were very popular and could be mounted in a shadow box for display. Dog and cat paw prints could also be cast. An associated business, Everlasting Framing, frames photographs, certificates and sports memorabilia. Jennifer can be contacted on (07) 4163-2553 or by email

Former Kingaroy Woman On Jobs Squad January 27, 2009 - Kingaroy-born Jill Lang has been appointed to the State Government's elite "Jobs Squad" of 16 outside experts tasked to protect jobs in Queensland. Jill has been Director of the Queensland Council of Social Services since May 2005 and has worked in the Department of Communities. She is a trained town planner whose career has focused mainly on social policy and human services planning. Premier Anna Bligh says she has placed Queensland on a "war footing" . She says the "Jobs Squad" will: Provide "insider" information on the economy Provide expert advice on how to protect jobs Think "outside the square" to inform Government policy over the next six months

Congratulations Doug Farmer OAM! January 26, 2009 - Well-known Kingaroy resident Doug Farmer, (above), has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal in today's Australia Day Honours for his service to war veterans and their families, and to the community of Kingaroy. The retired Q-Rail employee served in the RAAF during World War II and has been an RSL member since 1944. He is the only Life Member of the Kingaroy-Memerambi Sub-Branch. For more than 20 years Doug regularly set up a street stall to sell Anzac Day badges, Remembrance Day poppies and Legacy badges. He only retired from this task last year when he set up his stall for the last time in Kingaroy Street on November 10. Doug was also the South Burnett's skinniest Santa Claus for many years handing out lollies at the Kingaroy Christmas Carnival! "Doug has made an incredible contribution to Kingaroy," said Sub-Branch Secretary Barry Krosch last last year. "Most people probably do not realise how much he does for this community and I can assure you the selling of the poppies is but one area where he has worked tirelessly for the needy."

Former Mayor Reg Named Regional Citizen of the Year January 23, 2009 - Congratulations to the inaugural winners of the South Burnett Australia Day Awards announced last night in a ceremony at Kingaroy Town Hall. For the first time awards for all South Burnett towns were announced in the one ceremony, replacing the individual town ceremonies held prior to the amalgamation of Kingaroy, Murgon, Nanango and Wondai shires. South Burnett Citizen of the Year - former Nanango Shire Council mayor Reg McCallum, (right) South Burnett Young Citizen of the Year - David Birch Kingaroy Citizen of the Year - Peter Mortimer Nanango Citizen of the Year - Denny Smith Murgon Citizen of the Year - Cynthia Hatchett Wondai Citizen of the Year - Carol Francis Kingaroy Young Citizen of the Year - Tara Ballin Nanango Young Citizen of the Year - Sofia Cabrera Murgon Young Citizen of the Year - Emma Patton Wondai Young Citizen of the Year - No nominations South Burnett Cultural Award - Joanne Kennedy South Burnett Junior Sports Award - Matthew Hume South Burnett Senior Sports Award - Damian Nicholson South Burnett Sports Administrator Award - Darren Geiger [Information courtesy South Burnett Times]

Chopper To Track Down Cause Of Blackouts January 22, 2009 - Ergon Energy will send up a helicopter tomorrow morning to look for a fault that caused blackouts in northern parts of the South Burnett this afternoon. Almost 1000 people in the Murgon, Boondooma, Durong, Hivesville, Mondure, Proston and Speedwell areas lost power at 2.17pm for about 30 minutes when a circuit breaker tripped in the Murgon substation. Manager Regional Services Craig Harris said today's outage followed a similar incident last Saturday which also occurred after rainfall. "We sent a fixed-wing aircraft to inspect the incoming line to Murgon on Sunday but were unable to identify a fault," Mr Harris said. "We will send up a chopper tomorrow morning to carry out a more detailed inspection. It may be something simple like a cracked insulator or a tree branch that is rubbing on the lines during wet weather but is not easy to find."

Busy Day Ahead For Councillors January 21, 2009 - Public interest in today's meeting of the South Burnett Regional Council should be high with several important issues under consideration: A vote on suggested payrises for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors. The proposed new rates are Mayor $104,412pa; Deputy Mayor $66,444pa and Councillors $56,952pa (plus an amalgamation loading); A decision on how Council plans to spend its $1.2 million windfall from the Federal Government under the Regional & Local Community Infrastructure Program (proposals include $100,000 for the Nanango Energy Centre and $341,000 for the construction of footpaths and bikeways); Consideration of a confidential report on the future of Kingaroy's oldest building, the historic Carroll Cottage, (above right), in Edward Street; A confidential review of future garbage collection options in Kingaroy (contractors rather than council staff currently fulfil this task in Nanango, Murgon and Wondai) Download the full Council Agenda here (1.4MB PDF)

Country Flavour To Hand-Made Biscuits January 20, 2009 - A Nanango woman has cooked up a tasty business idea using uniquely Australian ingredients. Donna Ryan's Butterfly Country Kitchen range of wholesale and retail biscuits is made using native seeds and spices including wattle seed and lemon myrtle. She also has gluten-free products and can make cakes to order. The hand-made biscuits include everything from Roast Wattleseed Kisses to Lemon Myrtle and Macadamia Shortbreads and are available at local markets, the Kingaroy Visitor Information Centre and can be ordered on her website. She can be contacted on 0458-645-769 or by email

Barb Named As Finalist January 19, 2009 - Barb Madden, co-owner of the Smithfield Feedlot near Proston, is one of four Queensland finalists vying for the prestigious 2009 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation's Rural Women's Award. Other finalists are sheep and cattle producer Wendy Agar from Charleville, cattle producer and photographer Carly Burnham from Monto and Isis Canegrowers' rural water-use efficiency extension officer Sandra Webb. The winner, who will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Stamford Plaza in Brisbane on March 3, will receive a $10,000 bursary designed to assist them in developing their skills and leadership potential in primary industries. She will then compete with other State and territory winners for the honour of being named Australian Rural Woman of the Year.

Free Training For Childcare Students January 16, 2009 - Kingaroy TAFE is participating in a state-wide initiative to offer free training for Diploma and Advanced Diploma students in childcare. The initiative is the result of an agreement between the State Government and the Federal Government to remove TAFE tuition fees for the Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Children's Services courses. In a media release, recently appointed Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE Director Paul Murphy said the fee removal would go a long way to helping train the 14,000 extra workers needed in the Queensland childcare industry by 2010. "This is a wonderful opportunity for childcare workers in the South Burnett to upgrade qualifications and prospective new workers to enter the industry," he said."

Silver Lining Bid To Use Ficks Crossing January 15, 2009 - The Silver Lining Foundation, operators of the Bahun Jal Mono project for indigenous youth and the Iron Bark Ridge Conference and Catering Centre near Wondai, has its eyes on the former Ficks Crossing Outdoor Recreation Centre. The centre was closed by the Department of Sport and Recreation in March last year and was later handed over to the South Burnett Regional Council which has been considering its future uses. The ABC has reported the Silver Lining Foundation hopes to receive the rights to set up an educational tourism business which could employ up to 20 people.

January 30 Deadline For Habitat Grants January 14, 2009 - South Burnett landowners who have a Nature Refuge or Land for Wildlife area on their property - or are think about registering for one - may be eligible for grants of up to $5000, but you'd better be quick! Round 1 applications for funding under the Healthy Habitats scheme close on January 30. Grants of up to $10,000 are also be available for projects involved with protecting semi-evergreen vine thicket or brigalow-belah ecosystems. For more information, visit the Better Burnett website or download the Expression of Interest Word document.

AGL Snaps Up String Of Renewable Energy Projects January 13, 2009 - AGL Energy Limited's acquisition in December of the proposed wind farm development project at Coopers Gap, near Kingaroy, is part of a larger strategy by the energy giant to develop a string of renewable energy projects to meet its obligations under the Federal Government's Renewable Energy Target (53kb PDF) (RET) Scheme. "This transaction is consistent with our strategy of acquiring a pipeline of projects that will be at the bottom end of the cost curve and benefit from future uplifts in pricing," AGL Managing Director Michael Fraser said. As well as the 300MW Coopers Gap project, AGL has purchased a 150MW windfarm project at Crows Nest, near Toowoomba, and seven other projects in NSW, Victoria and South Australia. At the same time it has sold its interest in the Hallett 2 wind farm in South Australia to an investment trust managed by ANZ Infrastructure Services but is keeping control of the project's Renewable Energy Certificates and electricity output.

Primo Bid Excludes Swickers January 12, 2009 - Two companies, George Weston Foods (which owns the Don, KR Castlemaine and Watsonia brands) and Primo Smallgoods, have sought approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to purchase Hans Smallgoods, owners of Swickers Kingaroy Bacon. However while the George Weston Foods bid is for all Hans' assets, the Primo bid specifically excludes Swickers and Hans' Blacktown facility. Ironically, Primo was recently lured to Queensland by the State Government (see story December 4, 2008). The ACCC is seeking comments from interested parties on the two proposals until January 23. For more information, visit the ACCC website: George Weston Foods Limited P & M Quality Smallgoods Pty Ltd (Primo) FOOTNOTE: Despite all the economic gloom being touted by "experts", SBBiz is looking forward to a bigger and brighter 2009! During 2008, SBBiz had a total of 100,096 unique visitors to the website ... and this EXCLUDES the database queries. We'd like to thank everyone who assisted us during the past 12 months with information about new listings and updates. We couldn't do it without the support of the South Burnett community and we look forward to working with you during 2009.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! December 12, 2008 - Southburnett.biz would like to wish all our readers a very happy and safe Christmas and a prosperous 2009! The website will be running as usual over the holiday break so please continue to send in any updates or changes to business listings, however our news briefs will be taking a short break until January 12. A huge thank you to everyone who has assisted us over the past 12 months! Jon Stevens, right, along with James Reyne rocked Kingaroy at last night's CROW-FM Kingaroy Christmas Carnival. Don't forget, the Murgon Christmas Fair is on tonight from 5pm in the main street!

Life-Saving Gift From Tarong Energy December 11, 2008 - A grant of $18,800 from Tarong Energy has enabled the Kingaroy Local Ambulance Committee to purchase a life-saving defibrillator for one of its first response ambulance vehicles LAC President John Box said the Lifepak 12 unit would be used in one of the four first response ambulance vehicles based in Kingaroy. He said the LAC was committed to providing front line paramedics with state-of-the-art pre-hospital care equipment. Earlier this year Tarong Energy provided funds for a Lifepak 12 for the Nanango Ambulance. Earlier this year the Kingaroy LAC received a grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund to supply another Lifepak 12. The Queensland Ambulance Service matched the efforts of the Kingaroy LAC so now there will be defibrillators in all four first response ambulances in Kingaroy.

WBBACC Chairman Resigns December 10, 2008 - Wide Bay Burnett Area Consultative Committee (WBBACC) Chairman Bill Trevor has announced he will step down from the voluntary role early in the New Year. The former Isis Shire Mayor announced his decision to resign at a General Meeting held in Nanango last weekend. He had been WBBACC chairman for 12 years. Executive Officer Cameron Bisley said the WBBACC was now awaiting the Federal Government's announcement of plans for the regional body's future and a possible transition to Regional Development Australia. Read more on the WBBACC website.