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Council Encourages Business Float(ies) November 23, 2010 - The South Burnett Regional Council has invited local businesspeople to take part in a "mercantile" swimming relay this Thursday evening at Kingaroy Swimming Pool. Council's Business & Economic Development Manager Phil Harding said the event was aimed at encouraging business and community networking along with promoting a healthy lifestyle. The only pre-requisite is that participants can swim ACROSS the pool (about 10-12m). "Qualified lifeguards will be at every metre along the way... and the event will be in the early evening (bit dark) so vanity is not an excuse to not participate," Mr Harding said. Teams will compete for a perpetual shield donated by the Burnett Business Centre. Mr Harding said Council had more business events on the drawing board including a beach volley ball competition early next year and functions with keynote speakers. For more information about this week's mercantile swimming relay, download a flyer (80kb PDF)

South Burnett's Tourism Future Passed To Toowoomba November 22, 2010 - The transfer of the South Burnett region from the Fraser Coast regional tourism organisation to the Toowoomba and Golden West group is now official following a vote at the Toowoomba group's AGM last week. The vote was a mere formality following the announcement by Queensland Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor in July that TGW would receive $42,800 from the State Government to take over administration of South Burnett tourism. Ironically, at the Fraser Coast's AGM, also held last week, Kilkivan's Bruce Hurley - owner of The Left Bank B&B and a long-term force in South Burnett tourism - was re-elected to the Board of the Fraser Coast body. The new tourism body will be known as the Toowoomba, Golden West and South Burnett Tourism Association. * * * The fate of the controversial Kingaroy Underground Coal Gasification trial could be known on January 17. Cougar Energy advised the ASX today that the Department of Environment and Resource Management had told the company it would decide whether to accept Cougar's environmental evaluations on this date. This assumes that Cougar delivers "all requested materials" by December 10 and that DERM does not make any new requests for information. Meanwhile, Member for Nanango Dorothy Pratt has defended her 'Prattles' newsletter from an attack by Cougar Energy who claimed she had exaggerated the problems the trial experienced earlier this year. Read more on the ABC website.

Can YOU Help Make It A Great Kingaroy Christmas Carnival? November 19, 2010 - The 2010 Kingaroy Christmas Carnival is coming together quickly after a lot of effort from volunteers ... but they need help with sponsorship to make it a really great night! The Carnival will be held in the Kingaroy CBD on Thursday December 16. This year a citizen's committee has taken over the organisation from the "FLM & Friends" group which put on last year's event. The event is coming together well, but they need financial support to cover the public liability insurance and to subsidise the cost of rides and entertainment. Any leftover monies after the Carnival will be donated to a local charity. The 2009 FLM & Friends committee was able to donate $1000 to both Centacare and Lifeline in Kingaroy. Help is also needed with setting up and packing away (people power!), loans of equipment, and products and services which can be used as prizes. To find out how you can help the 2010 Kingaroy Christmas Carnival contact Gary Wakely on 0419-727-050 or download the sponsorship letter (92kb PDF). For more information about the night, visit the Carnival website

Big Money For Small Businesses With Ideas November 18, 2010 - Are you a small business with a BIG idea? Then this could be the State Government grant program for you - but you'd better hurry! Small businesses who employ less than 200 people have the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to $50,000 to make their big ideas a reality. There are conditions, of course, which are spelled out on the funding program website. Grants must be able to turn an idea into reality within 12 months and can be used for product/process development, new business model development etc. Best of all, applications can be made online ... but the deadline is December 10! The Big Idea Queensland Grant Program is a partnership between the Australian Industry Group and the Queensland Government.

Friday Deadline For Regional Summit November 17, 2010 - Regional Development Australia Wide Bay Burnett will be hosting its inaugural regional summit in Bundaberg on November 30. South Burnett residents have been invited to attend the event which will include expert speakers and provide opportunities for attendees to share their views on the future of the region. The regional summit follows a series of forums to draft a "roadmap" for future development (see story, October 28). RDA Wide Bay Burnett hopes the summit will further strengthen this roadmap which will be used by Local, State and Federal governments for future planning. The summit will be held at the University of Central Queensland Bundaberg Campus on Tuesday November 30 from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Cost is $40 and numbers are limited. The deadline for registrations is this Friday (November 19). For more information phone (07) 4125-9272 or contact RDA Wide Bay Burnett by email,

Volunteers Invited To Help At Plant Nursery November 16, 2010 - The not-for-profit Iron Bark Ridge plant nursery at Ficks Crossing, near Murgon, is looking for volunteers who may be able to lend a hand around the nursery. Nursery manager Han van Beek said the project specialises in the growing of plants native to South East Queensland which are used in revegetation and habitat regeneration projects as well as sold to the general public. The Iron Bark Ridge Nursery is a not-for-profit sustainable business set up by the Silver Lining Foundation on the 235ha Bahun jal Mono property to help indigenous youths learn new skills which could lead to eventual employment in the wider nursery industry and related environmental services. However to make the nursery a truly integrated and successful part of the local community, Han is also looking for people from the wider community interested in native trees and plants to volunteer their time as a nursery assistant or handyperson. For more information, phone Han on 0450-830-977 during office hours.

Feedback Sought On Healthy Community Plan November 15, 2010 - South Burnett residents have until next week to have their say on Council's Draft Healthy Communities Plan. The draft plan sets the direction for the South Burnett Regional Council for the next five to ten years to support local residents to lead healthier, more active lives. It has been developed by Brisbane-based consultants The Strategic Leisure Group. Senior Consultant Verda Zammataro said the document provides "a vision and a set of key objectives and strategies" that will ensure South Burnett people can access a range of physical activity and healthy eating opportunities. Copies of the Draft Plan are available from the South Burnett Regional Council and residents have until next Friday (November 26) to provide feedback.

'Exciting Period Ahead' For Bauxite Projects November 12, 2010 - Sydney-based gold explorer Australian Gold Investments has agreed to purchase an 80 per cent interest in Volcan Holding's South Queensland projects. These include proposed bauxite projects at Childers, Kingaroy and Pittsworth. "The company will now have an extensive portfolio of bauxite prospective tenements that are ideally placed close to infrastructure and available deep water port facilities," AGV chairperson Ms Pnina Feldman said. "With a ramp up in activity expected to commence shortly we look forward to an exciting period." The combined area of the prospective bauxite terrain is more than 5000sq km. (Ms Feldman is also on the executive management team of Volcan Holdings.)

Rod Steele Elected KCCI President November 11, 2010 - Kingaroy Joinery owner Rod Steele was elected President of the Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry at last night's AGM held in Kingaroy. Other Executive Committee Members elected were: Deborah Frecklington (Kelly & Frecklington Solicitors), Steve Van Den Bergh (Pomfrets Plumbing), Mark Reinbott (Subway), Lynnelle Richardson (5 Small Stones), Nina Temperton (South Burnett CTC), John Carey (Tarong Energy), Merv O'Reilly (O'Reilly, Nunn and Favier) and Troy Schultz (Ray White - Kingaroy). Retiring members Leanne Stallwood (PRD Nationwide), Polly Birchall (K&P Homes), Cathy Goodhew (Struddys Sports) and Tim Rees (BGA Agriservices) were thanked for their service. The positions of Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer remained vacant at the close of the AGM but are expected to be resolved at the first Executive Committee meeting.

RSL To Hold Double Ceremony in Memorial Park November 11, 2010 - The Kingaroy-Memerambi RSL Sub-Branch will be marking Remembrance Day today with the official opening of the refurbished Rotunda in Kingaroy's Memorial Park. At 9:45am, the new memorial walls and flag poles installed by the South Burnett Regional Council will be unveiled. After a short march through the park, the traditional Remembrance Day service will then begin at 10:30am and conclude at 11:10am. The original foundation stone in the Memorial Park Rotunda was laid on Anzac Day 1922 by Sgt Norman Booth who at the time was both a serving member of the Australian Army and the RSL sub-branch president. The silver trowel used to lay the original stone in 1922 has remained in Sgt Booth's family and will be presented to the Kingaroy RSL Sub-Branch today by local resident Allan Swendson during the ceremony.

Kingaroy Views Heard By Ambulance Top Brass November 10, 2010 - The Kingaroy community has had its voice heard at the top level of the Queensland Ambulance Service following a meeting in Caloundra last month. Kingaroy Local Ambulance Committee president John Box met with Acting Commissioner Russell Bowles and North Coast Region Assistant Commissioner Chris Broomfield at the 2010 North Coast LAC Conference. Mr Box described the opportunity as "invaluable". "Part of the LAC charter is to have open and frank discussion with QAS senior officials on a regular basis. The conference allowed us to do that," he said. QAS North Coast Regional Director of Operations Craig Emery said the North Coast communications centre, which employs 50 staff, co-ordinated 120,000 responses every year to the more than 30 communities in the region. The Kingaroy LAC will host the next Regional Conference in 2012. For more information about joining the LAC, visit the QAS website ABOVE RIGHT: Recently appointed Kingaroy Officer-in-Charge Nolan Jones, seated, checks the Conference Agenda with Kingaroy LAC President John Box * * * The Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry is holding its Annual General Meeting from 5:30pm tonight at the KCCI Office in O'Neill Square. All financial members of the Chamber are urged to attend.

Fresh From Cherbourg November 9, 2010 - Local Government Minister Desley Boyle recently took a fresh look at Cherbourg ... and she came away smiling. Ms Boyle met members of the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council, elders, residents and inspected Cherbourg Fresh, a new enterprise that is supplying fresh produce to markets as far away as Sydney. The Cherbourg Enterprises market gardens initiative, which is operated by Council's Economic Development Unit, is creating much-needed jobs and supplying fresh produce to markets near and far. "It comprises wholesale and retail outlets selling locally-grown vegetables, hay, nursery plants, mulch and seedlings," Ms Boyle said. "It recently signed up contracted orders for 17,000 bunches each week of Italian and continental parsley, shallots and silver beet for Brisbane and Sydney markets." Cherbourg Fresh employs 11 full-time staff and also offers a home delivery service and supplies regional clubs, wineries, restaurants and food outlets. The retail arm also runs cooking demonstrations, diabetes awareness and healthy eating programs. ABOVE RIGHT: Elders Aunty Sandra Morgan and Aunty Ada Simpson with Minister Desley Boyle. ABOVE LEFT: Minister Boyle "gets fresh" with Cherbourg local Ashley Fisher. * * * Some news for local critics of the Coal Seam Gas and Underground Coal Gasification industries ... American writer / director (and 2010 John Lennon Peace Prize winner) Josh Fox, (right), will be attending special screenings of his controversial film Gasland at the Palace Barracks Cinemas in Fortitude Valley this evening. The screenings start at 6:30pm and will be hosted by movie guru Des Partridge and feature a Q&A session with Josh Fox and Queensland environmental campaigner Drew Hutton. SBBiz has been told there are copies of Gasland circulating "underground" in Kingaroy so this would be an opportunity for locals to quiz the maker of the movie - and see it legally!

Bookmark the All-New South Burnett Health! November 8, 2010 - An all-new South Burnett Health - the South Burnett's online medical and health services directory - was launched yesterday, a sister website to SBBiz. South Burnett Health began life in 2007 as a joint project between the Southern Queensland Rural Division of General Practice and the South Burnett Online network but ceased to operate in early 2009. We believed the website was too useful to remain dormant so have relaunched it with some major improvements ... including the fact that all listings are now drawn from SBBiz. This means that medical and health service providers only have to add (or update) their details once on either website to make their information instantly available on both. And, of course, all listings are free. From now on, regular news stories about health issues will appear on the South Burnett Health website.

Cougar Energy Receives $1m Capital Injection November 5, 2010 - Cougar Energy, the developer of the controversial UCG trial near Kingaroy, has received $1m equity capital from Limitless International Holdings, a subsidiary of Shanghai Limitless Investment Group (SLI). Fully paid ordinary shares will be issued shortly at 3.5 cents per share. Cougar Managing Director Dr Len Walker recently visited XinJiang Province in China to inspect several operating coal mine sites and discuss with Chinese government officials the prospect for power generation and/or chemical plants using gas produced by applying UCG technology to local coal deposits. A further $1m payment to Cougar will follow the completion of a proposed Definitive Cooperation Agreement with SLI early in the New Year. UPDATE November 8, 2010: ABC News report says Cougar Energy is "still committed" to Kingaroy but red tape may force the company to switch its focus overseas.

Link Up With The Big Surat Basin Projects November 4, 2010 - Some South Burnett businesses could be missing out on the opportunities opened by the development of major projects in Queensland simply because they are not registered with the Industry Capability Network. The ICN introduces Australian and New Zealand companies to supply chains and works with procurement and project managers to help them identify competitive local suppliers. To do this they maintain a database of suppliers and projects and employ technical consultants to bring the two together. The Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation is hosting a visit from ICN representatives to Maryborough and Bundaberg on November 17 and interested local businesses have been invited to attend one of the two sessions scheduled. There will also be a presentation from the Gladstone Engineering Alliance on their "Tender Readiness" program which outlines what the new coal and LNG projects in the Surat Basin and Central Queensland are looking for from possible local suppliers. Bundaberg - 7:00am, November 17, DEEDI Conference Room, 205 Bourbong Street. Contact Ross Anderson on (07) 4121-1703. Maryborough - 4:00pm, November 17, DEEDI Conference Room, 319-325 Kent Street. Contact Bridget Edwards on (07) 4121-1780.

Old Faces In New Band November 3, 2010 - A new band has formed in the South Burnett with some very familiar faces. Saturday night was the first outing for the new group, who performed at a private function. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist is Scott Rowan who has performed at the Tamworth Country Music Festival and is also a member of popular local group Jus Mugs. Back up vocalist and lead/rhythm guitarist Greg Murphy previously performed with local group Fat Cow. Bass guitarist Glenn Hatchett was a member of several popular South Burnett groups in the 1980s and 1990s including Borrowed Time, Tall Order and Poorhouse. And drummer Alan Rogers has played with various groups in Northern Queensland including Innovation and Shure Thing. Inquiries about booking the group should be directed to Glenn on 0407-646-972. ABOVE: Greg Murphy, Alan Rogers, Scott Rowan and Glenn Hatchett. NB: SBBiz will list the guys as soon as they figure out a name for their new band!

Racing Legends Visit School November 2, 2010 - Most Kingaroy kids probably couldn't care less than Tarong Energy has recently bought five huge new Komatsu haul trucks for the Meandu Mine. But who cares? They had the chance to meet racing car legends Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup, (right), and inspect a Vodafone 888 race car yesterday at Taabinga State School to help Tarong Energy celebrate their new purchase. The drivers, who recently enjoyed an historic one-two victory at the Bathurst 1000, are sponsored by Komatsu so the link-up was a natural excuse to celebrate. The students had a chance to talk to the drivers and collect autographs. Tarong Energy CEO Helen Gluer said she was thrilled that Komatsu had arranged for Craig and Jamie to come to visit the school and Meandu Mine. "This was a great opportunity for Tarong Energy and Komatsu, one of our major suppliers, to work together to bring a truly unique experience to the region," she said. "We used a local business for the body builds of the trucks, which cost $4.6 million each, and through our excellent relationships with suppliers and contractors we have been able to have Craig and Jamie here today." Taabinga State School Deputy Principal Jenny Bisley said she was pleased that student leaders from other local primary schools had been able to attend and thanked Tarong Energy and Komatsu for bringing Craig and Jamie to Kingaroy. As part of their visit to the South Burnett, the Team Vodafone drivers also enjoyed a tour of the Meandu mine, a drive in the new trucks and visited the dragline.

Business Breakfast To Identify Growth Opportunities November 1, 2010 - All South Burnett businesspeople have been invited to attend a Business Breakfast which will be held in Kingaroy on November 23. Guest speakers will be from AusIndustry, Enterprise Connect, the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority, Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE and the South Burnett Regional Council. Topics to be covered include tax concessions, funding opportunities, innovation grants, training and other business supports. The cost is free but bookings are essential. To RSVP, contact Deborah Mead on (07) 4151-0660 or email her * * * Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser has announced a series of appointments to the Boards of Government-Owned Corporations. Locally, Graham Carpenter and Karen Smith-Pomeroy will continue in their roles as chairman and director on the Tarong Energy Board. Former Tarong Energy Corporation director Elizabeth Jameson has departed. John Bird, Helen Stanton, Tony Mooney and Susan Forrester have been re-appointed directors of Ergon Energy. Alan Millhouse has been appointed as a director of SunWater Limited with John Gibson, Gregory Moynihan and Dr Thomas Connor AO re-appointed to the State-owned bulk water supplier.

Hornets Celebrate 30th Anniversary of Historic Victory October 29, 2010 - Former Cherbourg Hornets rugby league players will be gathering in Murgon tomorrow night to mark the 30th anniversary of the team's first A Grade victory in 1980. Club president - and Cherbourg Council CEO - Warren Collins will be the master of ceremonies for the dinner which will be held at the Murgon Town Hall. The Hornets had enjoyed success in lower grades in the South Burnett competition but their breakthrough victory in the top grade against the Wondai Wolves in 1980 marked a turning point for the players - and the town of Cherbourg. The Hornets have produced many top-grade NRL players over the years including Willie and Esi Tonga, Chris Sandow (who wears orange boots with his Rabbitohs strip to honour the Hornets) and Leo Dynevor. As well, Hornets players have starred in rep teams for the South Burnett, Wide Bay and many indigenous touring teams. Listen to an ABC Radio National interview this morning with former Hornets player Selwyn Button Ironically, the Hornets were victorious in the South Burnett competition again this year ... and their grand final opponents? The Wondai Wolves! The 1980 Hornets team: Back Row - A Watcho, A Murray, R Miller, F Malone, A Gyemore, B Davidson Middle Row: B Costello, M Fisher, B Harrison, M Bligh, H Fisher, L Bligh Front Row: D Cray, C Georgetown, R Watson, E Harrison (Capt), C Gyemore, D Harrison

Forum Discusses 'Roadmap' For Wide Bay Burnett Region October 28, 2010 - Regional Development Australia - Wide Bay Burnett (the new joint State-Federal body established after the old Area Consultative Committee network was dissolved) held a forum in Kingaroy last night to gauge local opinions on a number of key issues. RDA Wide Bay Burnett is a strategic advisory body to government rather than a funding body. It was established in late 2009 as one of 12 RDAs in Queensland. Since then the committee has held meetings to develop a draft "roadmap" for the region which was submitted to the State Government in August. Last night's meeting in Kingaroy was the last in the a second round of community engagements to fine tune the roadmap before the first ever Wide Bay Burnett Regional Summit which will be held in Bundaberg on November 30. So far RDA Wide Bay Burnett has identified five regional priorities and actions which formed the basis for last night's discussions. These are: Strengthening our regional profile Driving economic prosperity and job creation Fostering natural resource management and sustainability Advancing education and training Supporting our community and social well-being The Draft Wide Bay Burnett Regional Roadmap can be downloaded here - (but beware, it is a LARGE file - 20MB PDF) ABOVE: Paul Francis (RDA Wide Bay Burnett), South Burnett Regional Council Mayor David Carter and RDA Wide Bay Burnett Chairman Grant Maclean at the Kingaroy forum