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Art Gallery Opens At Goomeri June 23, 2006 - Well-known local artist Patricia Falkenhagen has opened a gallery at Goomeri. Ye Olde Blacksmith Art Gallery is located in the old blacksmith's shop at 14 Moore Street and is open at weekends and on public holidays from 10am (or by appointment). Patricia can be contacted on (07) 4168-4208.

Print and Beyond the South Burnett June 22, 2006 - South Burnett-based printing and graphic design business Print and Beyond has opened an agency in Adelaide ... joining its established agencies in Brisbane, Toowoomba and Sydney as well as on the Central Coast of NSW. Owner Martin Stern said the latest agency was headed up by budding designer Sonya Dahmes who was "looking forward to the challenge of building up the business down there".

Learn How To Create Advertising That Works June 21, 2006 - Have you ever wondered why some advertisements work and others just leave you cold? Well, this is the seminar for you! The State Development Centre Maryborough/Hervey Bay, in conjunction with APN Newspapers (the publishers of the South Burnett Times), are holding a free seminar in Kingaroy next week entitled "What Makes A Good Ad". The seminar will be held on Tuesday 27th June at the Kingaroy RSL Club from 5:30pm to 7:30pm and refreshments will be provided. Topics to be covered include effective layout, how to target customers and identifying the differnce between marketing and advertising. To book, phone 13-26-50.

Silver Trophy For Kingaroy Cheese June 20, 2006 - Congratulations to Chris Ganzer, from Kingaroy Cheese, who walked away with a silver trophy for "Best Dairy Product" at the recent Brisbane International Cheese Awards for his Kingaroy Red Washed Rind. This is the company's first trophy win although they have won several gold medals for various products over the past four years. Kingaroy Cheese also won another gold medal for its Stuart River Triple Cream Brie, its biggest selling product.

Regional Forum To Meet Today June 19, 2006 - The Wide Bay Burnett Ministerial Regional Community Forum will be held in Kingaroy this afternoon. The forum, which follows community consultations earlier this year (see story April 19), will discuss how the region can best meet its employment needs. It will be held at the Kingaroy State High School Sports Complex in Markwell Street from noon to 4pm. Employment Minister Tom Barton and Emergency Services Minister Pat Purcell are scheduled to attend. There is no formal opportunity at the Forum for public input however the public can raise relevant points with Forum members during breaks. NB. We'd like to thank our readers for their patience over the past week during the important upgrade to the SBBiz server.

$495,000 Grant For Abattoir June 16, 2006 - Barlil Organic Processors has received a $495,000 grant from the Federal Government's Sustainable Regions Program to modify the Cherbourg abattoir to process chickens. The abattoir has already run a successful trial kill of 3700 birds, according to a report on ABC Radio. The Cherbourg Abattoir was originally constructed to process emus and was later converted to slaughtering goats.

Training Seminar For Tourism Operators June 15, 2006 - The Queensland Tourism Industry Council will be holding an all-day training seminar for local tourism operators on how to "Source and Package Tourism Products" in Kingaroy on June 23. The training, by Gill Parssey of Facilitate Marketing, will cover topics such as meeting customers' requirements, identifying new business for off-peak times and developing product initiatives. For more information, download the attached flyer (148kb PDF)

More Talk About SB Tourism June 14, 2006 - South Burnett Local Government Association Tourism Project Officer Narelle Duggan has released the latest edition of South Burnett Tourism Talk, her regular newsletter on tourism happenings around the region. This edition includes information about the Wine Tourism Toolkit (a CD for winery tourism operators) and a new program to measure local tourism activity which is under consideration. Click here to download Tourism Talk (206kb PDF).

Free Seminar Tonight About WorkChoices June 13, 2006 - A free seminar will be held in Kingaroy tonight to help business owners learn more about the Federal Government's new WorkChoices industrial relations legislation. The Commerce Queensland seminar, which is being held in conjunction with the Federal Government's Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, will be held at the South Burnett Enterprise Centre from 6pm-9pm. The seminar is free but registrations are necessary. Phone 1300-138-470. For more information download brochure (164kb PDF)

SBBiz On The Move June 12, 2006 - Southburnett.biz is being relocated to a more powerful server over this long weekend. This may cause some problems when searching for entries. Some outages have already occurred and may reoccur over the next few days. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and assure you everything will be back to normal ASAP!

Public Input Sought On Draft Regional Plan June 9, 2006 - The draft Wide Bay Burnett Regional Plan - covering 22 shires including all South Burnett shires except Rosalie - has been released by the State Government for public comment. Planning Minister Desley Boyle said the plan would set guidelines to help local councils cater for the region's expected population growth of 100,000 people over the next 20 years. A community meeting to discuss the draft will be held in Kingaroy next Tuesday, June 13, at the Town Common Hall, Oliver Bond Street, from 7pm-8:30pm. The draft regional plan can be downloaded from the department's website. Feedback should be provided in writing to the Department of Local Government, Planning, Sport and Recreation, PO Box 979, Bundaberg, 4670 (or by email) by Friday July 7, 2006.

Great Bunya Drive Map On SBBiz June 8, 2006 - The map of the Great Bunya Drive, which winds its way from Toowoomba to Gympie via the South Burnett, is now available on Southburnett.biz to help readers locate the numerous towns and districts in the region. The map also provides quick and easy "clickable" links to each town's business directory (from the South Burnett Towns link in the column at left). The Great Bunya Drive map has been reproduced with the permission of the Great Bunya Drive Steering Committee, a joint project of Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism and Toowoomba & Golden West Tourism

Regional Forum To Meet In Kingaroy June 7, 2006 - The next Wide Bay Burnett Ministerial Regional Community Forum will be held in Kingaroy on June 19 ... and everyone is invited to attend! The forum, which follows community consultations earlier this year (see story April 19), will discuss how the region can best meet its employment needs. It will be held at the Kingaroy State High School Sports Complex in Markwell Street from noon to 4pm. Employment Minister Tom Barton and Emergency Services Minister Pat Purcell are scheduled to attend. There is no formal opportunity at the Forum for public input however the public can raise relevant points with Forum members during breaks. To RSVP phone (07) 4151-9751.

B&B Cottages Offer Panoramic Views June 6, 2006 - A new luxury B&B will be opening soon on Deep Creek Road at Inverlaw (just 18km south of Kingaroy). Mulanah Gardens is set on a 170 acre cattle property and features two self-contained B&B cottages with wood heaters, reverse-cycle air conditioning, spas and panoramic views to the Bunya Mountains. As a special bonus, Swedish massages are also available from a fully qualified masseuse. Owners Lindsay and Rhonda Kath can be contacted on (07) 4164-3142 or by by email.

Free Seminar To Explain Retirement Loans June 5, 2006 - Jaime Warner's Mortgage Maestro mortgage broking business is holding a free seminar in Kingaroy on June 15 to explain the pros and cons of home equity loans to fund retirement. The seminar, entitled "Under Funded, Over 60 - A New Solution", will be held in the Anzac Room at Kingaroy RSL Club from 10am to noon. The guest speaker will be from Bluestone Equity Release. Contact Jaime on 0421-546-223 to book a seat.

Place For The Leaders Of Tomorrow June 2, 2006 - The National Indigenous Centre for Enterprise Development, at the Silver Lining Foundation's Bahun Jal Mono ("Place For People Of Tomorrow") property at Ficks Crossing, was officially opened by High Court Justice Ian Callinan and lawyer Noel Pearson on Wednesday. The centre, which will assist Aboriginal people to reach career goals, is directed by Eric Law, well-known in the South Burnett through his work at Nurunderi TAFE College. For more information about the new centre, download the Silver Lining Foundation's June newsletter Stepping Stones (731kb PDF)

Coalition Vows To Seal Bunya Mountains Road June 1, 2006 - While the national media was in a spin about merger talk, Nanango Shire residents will probably be more interested in another result from the gathering of National and Liberal Party politicians in Kingaroy yesterday. If elected at the next State poll, they've promised to seal the "missing link", the gravel gap in the Maidenwell-Bunya Mountains Road which has been discouraging tourists from visiting the Bunya Mountains from the Nanango side. National Party candidate John Bjelke-Petersen has been pushing for some time for the Coalition to look at including this in their election package. Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg (pictured above with John Bjelke-Petersen and Shadow Treasurer and Deputy Opposition Leader Bob Quinn), confirmed last night that this was now the case ...

Food Forum At Taabinga Homestead May 31, 2006 - An all-day forum aimed at food manufacturing businesses will be held from 9:45am on Tuesday June 13 at Taabinga Homestead, just south of Kingaroy on Stuart Valley Drive (off the Bunya Highway). The free forum - organised by the State Development Centre Maryborough / Hervey Bay - will include an update on the Food Act 2006, a talk by Mr Bryant Ham (president of the Food Industry Machinery Manufacturers Australia) and an overview of "Latitude 25", a food and beverage network. Morning tea and lunch will be provided. For more information or to book, phone Bridget Evans on (07) 4125-9270 or download the attached registration form (218kb PDF)

Bunya Mountains Guide To Be Launched May 30, 2006 - A new tourism publication, A Guide To The Bunya Mountains, will be officially unveiled this Saturday (June 3) at the Bunya Mountains. The 60-page guide has been written by Wayne Ellis, author of "Silent Sentinels: A Guide to the Glasshouse Mountains", and is designed to help tourists discover the natural beauty and secrets of the Bunya Mountains. Copies will be available at the Bunya Forest Gallery.

Warm Welcome To Lis! May 29, 2006 - A big hello to the Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry's new project officer Lis Buzzo, right, who officially took up her new role today! Lis will be organising all the Chamber's functions from now on, including Meet'n'Greets and Women In Business lunches, and will have a major role in the Peanut Festival, Christmas Carnival and 2006 Business Awards. She was formerly with Centacare South Burnett. Welcome aboard Lis!