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Outback Joe Found But Team Just Misses Out On $50,000 Prize October 1, 2010 - Great news!!! After four years lost in the bush near Kingaroy, "Outback Joe" has finally been found! An international UAV team - a team of students from the University of North Dakota - located the elusive dummy but failed to drop the bottle of water to him so missed out on the $50,000 first prize in the annual UAV Outback Challenge However, they took home $15,000 as consolation. News of their success was big news in Grand Fork, North Dakota. Read more here Team member Danny Hajicek said the team was happy with the result. "We're disappointed about the small technical difficulty over the drop but a thousand and one other things could have gone wrong and didn't," he said. Another US team, Robota, also come close to where Outback Joe was located before a communications failure forced their UAV to abort its mission. They won a $5000 consolation prize. Eight high school teams competed to drop a chocolate bar to Outback Joe, this time sitting within the bounds of the airport. The pilots couldn't see the aircraft, and had to rely on signals, including video, beamed back to them. The winner of the Airborne Delivery Challenge was the Calamvale Hornets which dropped a chocolate bar right between Outback Joe's legs. This produced an alarmed response from Joe on Twitter: "Steady on teams!" The winning documentary was made by Team Latitude 38 UAV (watch a YouTube clip from this team, below:). UPDATE November 18, 2010: Full summary of this year's UAV Challenge

Cricket Heroes Challenge South Burnett All-Stars September 30, 2010 - Some of Australia's best-known cricketers will be in Kingaroy tomorrow to take part in a 20/20 match against a South Burnett Invitational XI. Former Test stars including Greg Chappell, Jeff Thompson, Carl Rackemann, Martin Love - and a host of other well-known names - will be playing against local cricketers at Kingaroy's Lyle Vidler Oval from 6:00pm. The members of the Queensland Bulls Masters team will also be attending a Relay For Life fund-raising dinner at Wondai and taking part in Nanango's Funfest Festival on Saturday as well as running coaching clinics in Blackbutt, Nanango, Kingaroy, Murgon and Cherbourg. The visit to the South Burnett has been sponsored by the South Burnett Regional Council. Tickets will be available at the gate. * * * Cougar Energy announced today it is negotiating with an investor group to form a potential strategic alliance for the development of Underground Coal Gasification projects. Cougar's trial UCG plant at Kingaroy is still on hold while geological and hydrogeological reports are being prepared for the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management. UPDATES October 1: Cougar has entered into a strategic arrangement with Chinese-owned Limitedless International Holdings Pty Ltd. LIH will take up $1m worth of Cougar Energy shares by the end his month with a further $1m placement after the companies negotiate a "Definitive Cooperation Agreement" by January 31, 2011 to work on UCG projects in China. LIH is also expected to provide seed capital of $3m and access to its Chinese coal leases. Queensland Country Life newspaper has reported that Kingaroy cattle tested after the UCG water contamination scare have been cleared by the State Government. Biopsies carried out by government vets on 25 suspect cattle in July have found no traces of the chemicals benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene.

Catch Up With Outback Joe in Kingaroy Today September 29, 2010 - Today is the public day of the fourth annual UAV Outback Challenge competition at Kingaroy Airport. International, local and school teams have built Unmanned Airborne Vehicles (UAVs) and are competing for great prizes. The main event is the $50,000 Search and Rescue Challenge to find "Outback Joe", (right), a missing bushwalker who is busily tweeting on Twitter (@OUTBACK_JOE) begging to be found. Today's public day features the High School Airborne Delivery and Robot Delivery challenges. If you've ever been puzzled what all the fuss is about with UAVs, get out to Kingaroy Airport today and take a look.

Landcare To Celebrate 21st Birthday at Kingaroy Town Hall September 28, 2010 - Queensland Governor Penelope Wensley AO will visit Kingaroy next month as part of the 21st anniversary celebrations for the Landcare movement in Australia. Landcare began in 1989 after the National Farmers Federation and the Australian Conservation Foundation signed an historic agreement that signified their commitment to the Landcare ethic. The Kingaroy event, which will be held at Kingaroy Town Hall on October 15, is the last in a series of celebrations which have occurred around the State. Guest speakers will include Landcare Queensland Chairman Geoff Penton, Erin Lawless (South East Burnett Landcare) and Glen Baker (North Burnett Landcare). The public is invited to attend this free event but places are limited and bookings are essential. To RSVP, send an email to Landcare by October 8. Places will be confirmed by email. * * * Cougar Energy yesterday sent a six-page letter to all State MPs arguing the case for a re-start of the Underground Coal Gasification trial near Kingaroy. The company said a letter to MPs from the Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group earlier this month - which posed nine reasons for opposing UCG - was "based on fallacies or misrepresentations of fact". In its letter, Cougar presented "10 facts about underground coal gasification in Kingaroy" including that the project had presented no danger to human health, no danger to drinking water, no danger to livestock, no danger to other farming activities and had not contaminated the community ground water supplies. Download the full-text of the Cougar Energy letter here (156kb PDF)

Free Sausage Sizzle at Kingaroy Centrelink September 27, 2010 - Centrelink Kingaroy will be holding a "self-service promotion" on Thursday to help clients learn more about accessing Centrelink services online. There'll be a sausage sizzle from 10:30am to 2:30pm, lucky-dip giveaways and Centrelink staff will be on hand to assist customers to register for online self-service, upgrade their access or make a trial transaction. "It's a great opportunity for customers to have a helping hand as they navigate their online self-service options for the first time," Centrelink Kingaroy manager Ann Rigbye said. PS. Did you know clients of Kingaroy Centrelink can buy low-cost computers thanks to a partnership with not-for-profit organisation WorkVentures? There are a range of computers available including Internet-ready Pentium 4s loaded with Windows XP Pro and Microsoft Office 2003. More information will be available at the Self-Service day.

Storm Damage Blamed For Wondai Blackouts September 24, 2010 - Storm damage has been blamed for a power failure that left 1300 homes in the Wondai region without electricity last night. Ergon Energy crews worked through the night to locate and then repair a blown lightning arrestor that interrupted the power supply to homes in Wondai, Cushnie, Tingoora and Greenview. Crews patrolled the line but as the damage was not visible from ground level, additional crews were called in to assist in trying to locate the cause of the outage by progressively restoring power to sections of the line. As a result, most customers would have had their power supply interrupted on three or four occasions during the night. The blown lightning arrestor was identified early this morning at the Tingoora-Chelmsford crossroads near Cushnie. An Ergon spokesman said the arrestor would have been damaged during the last storm in the area but had remained operable until last night. It was replaced and power was fully restored by 9:00am. * * * Meanwhile, Ergon Energy will resume its helicopter patrols of high voltage powerlines following an incident last month which caused the aircraft to make a forced landing near Maryborough. Although inquiries are ongoing, an Ergon spokesman said the company was satisfied it was safe for the flights to resume. The patrols are part of Ergon's routine inspection process to check on the condition of main high-voltage feeder lines and vegetation management requirements, especially in the lead-up to the storm season. Flights in the South Burnett will begin on September 27 and will be in the air between 7:30am and 5:00pm on week days.

New Delay For Cougar At Kingaroy September 23, 2010 - Any re-start of Cougar Energy's trial Underground Coal Gasification plant near Kingaroy will now probably not occur until December. Cougar Energy announced yesterday it will hire third party specialists to assist in preparing the submissions for the geological and hydrogeological investigations which have been demanded by the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM). DERM has set a December 10, 2010, deadline for these investigations to be completed. A Cougar spokesman said yesterday further preliminary work would need to be undertaken to determine the extent of the scope of work, the ability to complete this work within the timeframe set by DERM as well as the costs of preparation. Meanwhile, Energy has appointed Melbourne lawyer Sarah Christensen, (right), to fill a Board vacancy caused by the sudden death of Dr Michael Dalling earlier this month. Ms Christensen, currently Cougar Energy's Company Secretary, will also continue in this position. Chairman Malcolm McAully said Sarah's experience would be important as the company worked towards recommencing operations at its Kingaroy project.

Tarong Energy's $17 million Boost To Local Economy September 22, 2010 - Did you know Tarong Energy contributes about $17 million every year to the local economy directly through contracts with South Burnett businesses? The power generator held an information session last night at the South Burnett Enterprise Centre in Kingaroy to encourage local businesses to learn more about how they can do business with Tarong Energy. Procurement team members Vince Aisthorpe, Mike Donovan and Norm Collingwood spoke to local businesspeople including representatives from clothing and safety gear providers, quarries, employment agencies and CBD traders. ABOVE RIGHT: Michael Magnussen (Access Innovations Engineering Solutions), Neil McIntyre (Men@Work) and Tim Loth (Tarong Energy) RIGHT: Danny Hoogstraten (Iron Bark Ridge), Carissa Beddows (Bunya Wakka Wakka Cultural and Heritage Aboriginal Corporation) and Barb O'Hanlon (CTC Employment Services)

Valley Rail Trail Provides Business Opportunities September 21, 2010 - Local businesspeople, tourism operators and Visitor Information Centre volunteers have been invited to attend a State Government Information Day at Moore next week to discuss the tourism and business opportunities which will be provided by the Brisbane Rail Trail. When completed, the 148km trail will stretch from Wulkuraka railway station near Ipswich, to Fernvale, Lowood, Coominya, Esk, Toogoolawah, Harlin, Moore, Linville and Blackbutt. It will also intersect the popular Bicentennial National Trail at Commissioner's View near Benarkin. Many sections are already open, including the Moore to Linville (7km) and Linville to Blackbutt (22.6km) stretches. The Department of Infrastructure and Planning / Tourism Queensland information day will be held on Tuesday, September 28 from 9:00am to 4:00pm at the Moore Memorial Hall. Guest speaker will be Dr Sue Beeton, Associate Professor from the Tourism School of Management, La Trobe University. Registration is free and lunch will be provided, but to reserve a place, please contact Kaushik Singh by email by this Friday.

Managing Climate Risk Workshop September 20, 2010 - A workshop to help local graingrowers manage climate risk will be held in Kingaroy next week. The Grains Best Management Practice (BMP) Workshop will be facilitated by Jeff Clewett (Principal Scientist, Agroclim Australia) and DEEDI Grains BMP Extension Officer Hayley Eames. The workshop will be held on September 29 from 8:30am to 3:30pm and morning, afternoon tea and lunch will be provided. To find out venue details and to RSVP, contact Paddy Roe on (07) 3238-6048 or email him

Cougar Receives Two More Notices From Government September 17, 2010 - Cougar Energy has received two more environmental evaluation notices from the State Government over its trial UCG plant near Kingaroy. Cougar has been ordered to provide data and analysis of wells P1 and P4 by October 15 and have the additional monitoring bores installed, with provision of groundwater data, by November 17. A statement from Cougar released today says "the Company is currently reviewing the requirements from DERM for further works and will provide information to the market shortly". DERM issued the new environmental evaluation notices yesterday to Cougar after the close of ASX trading. This followed Environment Minister Kate Jones telling State Parliament yesterday that Cougar's operations would be suspended until the department was satisfied that the company could meet all regulatory requirements. "If it cannot then it will never recommence operations," she said. However she said five rounds of sampling had shown "no grounds for concern". * * * Cougar advised the ASX this afternoon that it has raised further funds in a series of "special advances" as well as under its previously announced fund-raising facility. Since September 2, it has raised about $1.03 million which will be used as working capital as well as further development work at the company's Western Australia and China projects.

Super Nanango Team Pedals For 23 Hours! September 16, 2010 - Congratulations to Nanango State High School's "Supermen", (above), who were runners-up in the 2010 Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Championship, the signature event at the RACQ Technology Challenge in Maryborough last weekend. The "Supermen" pedalled an amazing 445 laps in a time of 23:33:26.567 (that's right ... 23 hours!) Also competing in the challenge were local teams "High Voltage" (Kilkivan State High School - 371 laps, 2nd in Junior Mixed category), "Chix on Dynamite" (Nanango State High School - 353 laps) and the "Yarraman Team" (Yarraman P-10 - 309 laps). The "Goomeri Greyhounds" (Goomeri State School) came first and the "Kilkivan 10zzy Indians" (Kilkivan State School) third in the Smilie Pushcarts design prizes. After a series of races, "Kilkivan 10zzy Indians" came 2nd in the overall Pushcart category. Nanango State High School Year 9 students also built a model "Eco-Habitech" housing display, (below). The annual Technology Challenge is also sponsored by Ergon Energy, and once again local South Burnett Ergon employees worked hard to help make the day a big success. Thanks guys! Photos: Courtesy John Box

South Burnett Under The Lens September 15, 2010 - As part of this year's Heritage Nanango Funfest, a fun "Foto Competition" is being run with cash prizes in Advanced, Amateur and Student sections. There are five different categories in each section, each with prizes: Everyday Heroes (people / portraits / weddings) Nature (animal / fauna / flowers) Animals & Pets Things & Digital Art Land/Seascape A Grand Champion Photo will also awarded in each section. Entries must be delivered to Ringsfield House in Nanango, or the Nanango Visitor Information Centre, by Monday September 27. For more information contact Clive Lowe on (07) 4171-0201 or by email * * * The South Burnett Regional Council has announced the winners of its 2010 Discover South Burnett Photographic Competition. Competition judge Graham Burstow said he was very impressed with the overall quality of the entries received. The winners were: My Holiday Snapshot Category – Glenda Banks for the "The Drought Swimming Pool" People and Places Category – Annette Schumacher for "Wondai Dingos" Through the Seasons Category – Glenda Banks for "Cutting the Lucerne" Events, Festivals and Recreation Category – Wendy Matthews for "Magic Sunset" Primary Students – Jenai Mackenzie Alberts for "Injury Time" Secondary Students - Maddison McLean for "Good Night South Burnett". Council also awarded a highly commended award to Aaron Mooney (Primary Student) for "Liam" and Angus Oliver (Secondary Student) for "Peanut Still Life". The "Discover South Burnett" photographic exhibition will be on display at the Kingaroy Regional Art Gallery until the end of the month when a "People's Choice" award will be determined.

Workshop Links Technology and Sport September 14, 2010 - South Burnett sportspeople will be able to find out more about technology in the sport industry at a free Technology Made Simple workshop being held in Kingaroy tomorrow. "The workshop will provide some great tips on how to communicate with club members through modern means such as social networking sites by teaching easy website development and by discovering online tools," Queensland Sport Minister Phil Reeves said. The workshop will be held from 6:00pm-9:00pm at the Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE, corner of Geritz Road and the Bunya Highway, Kingaroy. To register for the workshop, contact the Department of Communities, Sport and Recreation Services on (07) 4121-1710.

Saving Doesn't Have To Be A Secret September 13, 2010 - Have you joined the South Burnett's Secret Savers Club yet? The club is an initiative of Wondai businesspeople Michael and Mandy Monk and promises to offer members instant updates on local sales, limited offers and great deals in the South Burnett. It is featured in the couple's second Clip Save 'N' Win flyer which was distributed to mail boxes throughout the region last week. People who join the club will also go into a draw to win accommodation at the Coral Beach resort at Noosa. The flyer also includes discount coupons from a number of local businesses (which can also be downloaded from Facebook). * * * Washington Developments' withdrawal of a development application for a new shopping centre at Blackbutt - and the subsequent decision by the Planning and Development Court to approve an appeal against the application - does not mean that the town will miss out completely on a new retail development. "Council believes that there is room for commercial development in Blackbutt," according to a statement released by the South Burnett Regional Council. "Mayor David Carter says that many residents have spoken with him and Cr Deb Palmer about their concerns that Blackbutt has no shopping centre options left." Council reminded Blackbutt residents that its initial approval to use part of the land for commercial purposes was still current, however it would require an approved development permit for a development to proceed.

It's Bloomin' Beautiful In Blackbutt September 10, 2010 - Blackbutt's spring festival Bloomin' Beautiful kicks off this evening with a gala opening night from 7pm at the Blackbutt Memorial Hall with a touring exhibition profiling the works of Anneke Silver and Inez Fritschy with entertainment by Lloyd Back (formerly of Fat Cow). Tomorrow, the Festival Country Markets will be running all day at Les Muller Park and there'll be street performances from Monster Blonde. High Tea will be served on the verandah (bookings essential). Tomorrow evening, the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra will be playing Classics at the Conservatory at Blackbutt Memorial Hall from 7pm. Cost is $25. On Sunday, there'll be a free brekky at the Blackbutt railhead to help visitors discover the Blackbutt trails network.

Country Music Fans Rolling Up for a Big Weekend at Nanango September 9, 2010 - The hard-working Nanango Show Society's premier music event, the Country Music Muster is on again from today ... and by the look of the caravans rolling in, it's going to be a huge success again! This evening there'll be a BBQ and walk-up performers plus the bar will be open from 5pm. Guest artists for the rest of the weekend include Norma O'Hara Murphy, Tracy Coster, Dean Perrett and Glenn Jones. For more information, see the Nanango Show Society website Listen to Dean Perrett talking about this weekend's Nanango Country Music Muster and his latest album on ABC Radio * * * Cougar Energy announced this morning the sudden death of Director Dr Michael Dalling, AM, (right). Dr Dalling's previous roles included Group General Manager of Nufarm Ltd and Managing Director of the Strategic Industry Research Foundation, a joint initiative of the Victorian Government and the CSIRO. He became a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006 for his service to the biotechnology industry through contributions to research and development organisations and commercialisation efforts to benefit Australian companies, producers and consumers. Cougar is now preparing a Supplementary Prospectus in accordance with its obligations under the Corporations Act 2001.

Spring Festival Weekend at The Artists Cottage September 8, 2010 - This weekend is going to be a huge one in the South Burnett ... and one of the highlights will be in Kingaroy. Garry and Karla Eyre are holding their annual Spring Arts Festival at the Artists Cottage, opposite the Kingaroy Airport, in conjunction with a Colour Me Blue exhibition. The weekend kicks off at 8:00am on Saturday with the popular Makers, Bakers and Growers Market accompanied by art demonstrations, live music and kids activities. On Saturday evening, the Colour Me Blue Art Exhibition and competition will be held at the Mayo Vale Gallery from 6pm. Entry is free and there'll be wine available from Captains Paddock. A silent auction will run for the month with all proceeds going to "Beyond Blue" On Sunday, artists will be demonstrating their skills and art forms. Brunch will be available from Cafe Nouveau from 9:00am until 11:00 followed by the cafe's regular menu for lunch.

Ellee Says No To Bullies! September 7, 2010 - Kingaroy mother Amanda Choy is one very proud woman ... her 15-year-old daughter Ellee is making waves to help stamp out bullying in Australian schools. In fact, Ellee's campaign has reached the ears of the metropolitan media, with a Channel 7 camera crew flying in by helicopter on Saturday just to interview her. Amanda and Ellee relocated to Kingaroy in early July after Ellee suffered repeated bullying at a high school on Brisbane's northside. Apparently Ellee's creativity and art skills pleased her teachers but annoyed some of her fellow students who intimidated and alienated her, Amanda told SBBiz. Ellee is now fighting back. She has started a "No2Bullies" campaign which includes a website and You Tube videos. She has developed the artwork and logos, (below), and along with her mother is planning sample bags which will be given away to school students. "The idea is to encourage others to find a positive way to handle bullies," Amanda said. The sample bags will include lollipops (as "Bullies Suck") plus posters and inspirational messages. The pair are now looking for sponsors for their campaign, which they hope will go national. Amanda said Harvey Norman Kingaroy and Brisbane company Voc Ed Learning Group have already come on board.

Book Now For Bush Business Online! September 6, 2010 - The Bush Business Online program is coming to Kingaroy tomorrow! All local small businesses have been invited to attend a series of workshops which will be held at the Kingaroy RSL Club from tomorrow to Friday to polish their online marketing skills. The workshops, part of a 12-month skills development program, are being run by Lisa Wain and Jakki Goodall from the Sunshine Coast-based cre8you. Cost is $27.50 per session or $120 if you enrol for the full 12-month program. Topics to be covered include: Viral loop marketing, e-Directories, social media and e-tools. All participants will also be given their own secure online learning space where they can access further self-paced tutorials as well as regular updates to the latest social media tools and tips. For more information, about the Bush Business Online courses visit the Cre8you website