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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

Cougar To Install Four New Wells At UCG Site September 6, 2010 - Cougar Energy will install four new monitoring wells at its Kingaroy UCG trial site to assess groundwater levels and water quality as a result of its meeting with State Government officials last Friday. The monitoring wells will be installed by early to mid-October. The meeting followed the rejection by the State Government of Cougar's environmental assessment report into the recent water contamination scare and its demand that the company provide more information. Cougar said today it would also provide further technical data to the government about the failure of the casing at well P4 (which is believed to be responsible for the water contamination) and the measures taken as a result at the new wells P5 and P6. "Cougar Energy and DERM have agreed to meet regularly to assess progress of the supplementary work. Further consideration of the shutdown order at the Kingaroy project will be made when the agreed work has been completed to DERM's satisfaction," a Cougar statement said today. Queensland Country Life speaks to affected Kingaroy businesses: Kingaroy's tangled mining web "State Government wants me to lie" says South Burnett beef producer Cougar fund-raising progresses (105kb PDF) UPDATE 1: According to News Limited, the top-traded stock by volume on the ASX this morning was Cougar Energy, with 75.4 million shares worth about $2.83 million changing hands by noon. UPDATE 2: Listen to Cougar Energy Managing Director Dr Len Walker on Boardroom Radio

Kingaroy Misses Out On UAV Research Centre September 3, 2010 - Despite Kingaroy playing a major role in the development of Queensland's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle industry, the Queensland University of Technology and CSIRO have sited their Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation research centre at Brisbane Airport. The group has been testing their collision avoidance, emergency landing and separation management technologies near Kingaroy for several years and at one time UAV development had been discussed locally as a possible commercial future for the Sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson Airport precinct. Kingaroy has also hosted the group's annual Outback Challenge competition for many years which has been testing various search and rescue technologies. Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser opened the new ARCAA centre in Brisbane today. The centre will house more than 35 aviation research scientists and support staff. * * * Cougar Energy's Company Secretary and Chief Financial Officer Rodney Watson has resigned from the company. The Board of Directors announced today that it had appointed Sarah Christensen as Company Secretary and current financial controller Rajeev Chandra as CFO. Cougar Energy shares, which only resumed trading yesterday, slumped to a three-year low of 3.1 cents after the announcement.

End of An Era In Kilkivan September 2, 2010 - The rail era officially ended in Kilkivan this week with the removal of the historic Bridge Street rail bridge. The small wooden bridge was built in 1888 and allowed traffic to cross above the now closed (and rapidly disappearing) Theebine to Kingaroy rail link. The former Kilkivan Shire Council negotiated with the Queensland Government to remove the bridge as part of a compensation deal struck after the closure of the Theebine railway line. The rail embankment will now be filled and a new roadway will be built in place of the bridge.

Qld Government Holds Key To Cougar's Future September 1, 2010 - The ability of Cougar Energy to continue as a going concern is dependent upon it raising new capital and on the State Government lifting the Environmental Protection Order on its Kingaroy UCG project. Cougar Energy's Preliminary Annual Report released today reveals the company incurred a loss of $4.09 million (more than $1m more than the previous 12 months) and had cash outflows of $4.65 million (more than double from the previous year) during the year ended June 30. Assets totalled $37.6 million but the report states that in the event Cougar Energy is not permitted to proceed with its Kingaroy project, the value of its Kingaroy assets would be impaired. It has been estimated this writedown could be as much as $26 million. The company's forecast working capital requirements for the next 12 months exceeds the company's current cash position. "This indicates a material uncertainty that may cast doubt over the Company's ability to continue as a going concern, unless additional capital can be raised," the report states. However Directors believe there is "a reasonable expectation" that they can raise additional funding. Download Cougar Energy's Preliminary Annual Financial Report Shareholders could have "class action" against State Government * * * The Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group has released three protest signs which it is urging South Burnett residents who oppose Underground Coal Gasification to post prominently around town. The signs, (right), read "Ban UCG Now", "UCG is Toxic" and "UCG Planned Here". They are available as a set of three for $10. For more information, contact Gary Tessman on 0428-621-991. * * * UPDATE: Late this afternoon Cougar Energy announced that trading in its shares would recommence on the ASX tomorrow (September 2). The company also released its new share prospectus, details of its ongoing equity financing and the text of a letter to shareholders where it has vigorously defended its environmental record and the safety of its Kingaroy UCG Project.

Cougar Requests Another Suspension To Share Trading August 31, 2010 - Cougar Energy has again requested an extension to its voluntary suspension of share trading, this time to September 2. Cougar told the ASX yesterday that is "finalising the terms of a financing facility" and is also finalising the preparation of its annual accounts. "These accounts will be lodged at the same time as a prospectus ... to permit the Company to issue new fully paid ordinary shares that may be traded without restriction," Cougar said. Meanwhile, a Cougar spokesman said yesterday company representatives would meet with Queensland Government officials this week to clarify their request for additional information about the Kingaroy Environmental Evaluation Report. The report by Cougar was submitted to the Department of Environment and Resource Management on August 16 however DERM later notified that it had not accepted the report and would advise of "any further regulatory requirements in due course". The Cougar spokesman said the company intends to respond as quickly as possible to any requests for further information and remains committed to re-commencing operations at its Kingaroy UCG project.

Government Will 'Do Everything It Can' To Help Pork Industry August 30, 2010 - The State Government wants to do "everything it can" to grow the Queensland pork industry, Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin said last week after visiting Swickers Bacon Factory in Kingaroy. Mr Mulherin said the visit was part of his state-wide strategy to conduct face-to-face meetings with companies that are adding value to primary industries. "It's important to meet the people behind these operations, see what they are doing and find out if we can help them to expand and employ more Queenslanders," he said. Mr Mulherin said the pork industry was expected to contribute $240 million to Queensland's economy this financial year. "We want to do everything we can to grow the industry to be sustainable and profitable into the future," he said.

Council To Investigate Alleged Illegal Clearing August 27, 2010 - South Burnett Regional Council will investigate what they claim is illegal clearing of vegetation at a rural residential development on Kingaroy-Burrandowan and Boonenne-Ellesmere roads, Kingaroy. The development, by Crystal Property Investment Pty Ltd, is for 40 rural residential allotments and was approved by Kingaroy Shire Council in 2007. It is understood the site is currently subject to a mortgagee sale. In December 2008, Crystal submitted a request to delete a condition that prevented it from burning felled timber on the site. In March, 2009, councillors recommended that the Mayor, CEO and relevant officers discuss with the developers alternative solutions to disposing of the timber. At this month's meeting, councillors voted to refuse the application to remove the condition, stating that burning the felled timber was not feasible due to protected vegetation on the site, the bushfire hazard and the significant number of firefighters and equipment which would be involved. Councillors then voted unanimously to investigate the options available as it believed illegal clearing had occurred on part of the development.

Government Refuses To Lift UCG Ban August 26, 2010 - Queensland Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Kate Jones told last night's public meeting in Kingaroy that the State Government has rejected Cougar Energy's environmental assessment report into the recent water contamination scare and has demanded the company provide more information. Cougar lodged an Environmental Evaluation report with the government earlier this month in response to questions about the groundwater conditions at its Kingaroy UCG site. The Courier-Mail newspaper reported today that the State Government would now conduct its own investigation and would not lift the environmental protection order which is preventing Cougar from re-igniting its project. Read more on the Courier-Mail website Minister Kate Jones' media statement Cougar Energy seeks urgent clarification about "contradicting statements" from State Government. Download Cougar release Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Committee's letter to Queensland MPs

Draft Maps Released Of 'Protected' Land August 25, 2010 - The State Government has released "Draft Trigger Maps" of food producing land that it has identified should be protected for future generations. The areas, which are subject to on-site assessment, stretch from the NSW border west to Alpha and north to Cairns, (right). Strategic cropping land is defined as land on which soil quality, topography and seasonal rainfall combined enable more than one quality crop to be grown on a commercial agricultural basis. Mineral resources in these areas will not be developed "where they permanently alienate the land". "Where a development is proposed in an area that is mapped as Strategic Cropping Land, it will not be permitted to proceed if it permanently prevents the land being used for cropping in the future, " Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson said. "There will be a provision for a 'demonstrated exceptional circumstance' where there was a unique resource found nowhere else in Queensland - but these will be few and far between. "Based on current technology at least, it would be difficult to see how an open cut coal mine could proceed on Strategic Cropping Land, whereas well-designed coal seam gas operations may be able to be accommodated under this policy without alienating the land.'' More detailed maps can be downloaded online from the DERM website

ANZ Seeds of Renewal Grants Close Next Week August 24, 2010 - The deadline is looming for the ANZ Bank's Seeds of Renewal program. Individual grants of up to $15,000 are available to fund projects that create education and employment opportunities, build financial capability, help to bridge urban and rural social and economic gaps or support disaster recovery or preparedness. The program is funded by ANZ and independently administered through a partnership with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal. Grants are open to not-for-profit organisations in communities with a population of 15,000 people or less. For more information or to apply for an ANZ Seeds of Renewal grant, visit www.frrr.org.au Applications close at 5:00pm on September 3, 2010. Successful applicants will be notified in late October.

UCG Expert Panel To Visit Kingaroy August 23, 2010 - The State Government's Underground Coal Gasification Expert Panel will visit Kingaroy this week and residents will have an opportunity to raise their concerns about the local Cougar Energy project, (right), with them. South Burnett Regional Mayor David Carter said the panel members would attend a meeting in the Kingaroy Town Hall Reception Room on Wednesday (August 25) from 7.00-9.00pm. Invitations have been extended to the members of the Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group and the Kingaroy Cougar Consultative Committee to attend. Cr Carter said other concerned citizens of the region were also welcome to attend. The panel consists of three independent specialists who will provide an assessment of the environmental, technical and economic viability of UCG technology and report back to the State Government. Prof Chris Moran is a founding director for the Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry at UQ, and worked in CSIRO for 16 years in natural resources science and agriculture. He has 20 years experience in landscape and water research. Prof Joe da Costa is based at the Centre for Coal Energy Technology, School of Chemical Engineering at UQ. He is a researcher on the application of nanotechnology for clean energy delivery and carbon capture technologies. Dr Christopher Cuff is the Director of C&R Consulting and a chemical mineralogist with an international reputation for his expertise on the interaction of water and soil. He is also a former Dean of Science at James Cook University.

The 16 Hopefuls Looking For Your Vote! August 20, 2010 - The South Burnett region is sliced into three Federal electorates which means there are 16 hopefuls who are vying to represent the area at tomorrow's election: FLYNN In Ballot Paper order: 1. Di Hancock-Mills (Family First) - real estate agent 2. Ken O'Dowd (Liberal National Party) - business owner 3. John McMahon (Democratic Labor Party) - pensioner 4. Chris Trevor (Australian Labor Party) - sitting Member of Parliament 5. Scott Duncan (Independent) - dairy farmer 6. Anne Goddard (The Greens) - farmer MARANOA In Ballot Paper order: 1. Bruce Scott (Liberal National Party) - sitting Member of Parliament 2. Grant Newson (The Greens) - self-employed 3. Greg McKay (Family First) - miner 4. Geoff Keating (Australian Labor Party) - teacher 5. Charles Nason (Independent) - primary producer WIDE BAY In Ballot Paper order: 1. Warren Truss (Liberal National Party) - sitting Member of Parliament 2. Santo Ferraro (One Nation) - property manager 3. Ken Herschell (Family First) - retired missionary teacher / pilot 4. Jim McDonald (The Greens) - retired academic 5. Nikolee Ansell (Australian Labor Party) - landscape architect How To Make Your Vote Count For the House of Representatives, put a "1" in the box on the green ballot paper beside the candidate who is your first choice, "2" against your second choice etc. You must number EVERY box for your vote to count. There are two ways to vote for your Senate selections (white ballot paper): Above the line - put a "1" in ONE box only above the black line. The rest of the ballot paper must be left blank. OR Below the line - fill in EVERY box below the line in your order of preference, ie 1, 2, 3 etc. You must number EVERY box for your vote to count. The top part of the ballot paper must be left blank. Click here to find the closest polling booth Remember voting is compulsory. UPDATE August 22: Successful candidates were: Ken O'Dowd (Flynn - took seat from Labor), Warren Truss (Wide Bay - re-relected); and Bruce Scott (Maranoa - re-elected)

Classical Music is Bloomin' In Blackbutt August 19, 2010 - The Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing in Blackbutt next month as the major fundraiser for the Bloomin' Beautiful Blackbutt Festival. The BPO is the only Queensland community orchestra to have been recognised at the National Orchestral Awards. The program will consist of a special performance of the Bach Double Violin Concerto performed by Yvette McKinnon and Robyn Weir along with a mix of classical and popular favourites. The Classics At The Conservatory concert will be held at the Blackbutt Community Hall on Saturday, September 11 from 7:00pm. Tickets are strictly limited. Cost is $25 for adults ($20 concession). For more information and to book your seat, phone (07) 4163-0135. ABOVE RIGHT: From left, BPO members Robyn Weir, Neridah Oostenbroek, David Miller and Melanie Doheny

John Unveils His 2009 Shiraz August 18, 2010 - The South Burnett's smallest vineyard, Kingaroy Ridge (home to Cahills Wines) released its 2009 Shiraz this week, filling a big gap in the label's range. Owner John Cahill, (right), said the last vintage had sold out faster than he had anticipated. This, combined with difficult weather, meant the last shiraz he released was in 2006. John has also put together a matching recipe for the 2009 Shiraz, Slow-Cooked Chinese Beef (available for download on the Cahills Wine web page). The 2009 Shiraz is available at the Carrollee Bottleshop in Kingaroy along with John's Unwooded Chardonnay and Tawny Port. * * * A magnitude 2.6 earthquake rattled windows but caused no damage in Yarraman and nearby areas at 6:56pm on Sunday. The epicentre of the tremor was east of Nanango, in the State Forestry area. To see a seismogram of the quake, visit the Geoscience Australia website * * * Cougar Energy has requested another extension to the suspension of trading in its shares. It has asked the ASX to continue the halt until August 30 to allow it to prepare a new prospectus. Cougar has also advised that it has lodged an Environmental Evaluation report with the State Government in response to questions about the groundwater conditions at its Kingaroy UCG site and the impact of the casing failure which led to the UCG trial being prematurely shut down.

Register Now For Relay For Life! August 17, 2010 - This year's South Burnett Relay For Life will be held at Kingaroy Showgrounds on October 9-10 ... so it's time to get your team together and start fundraising! At the moment the Proston RFL team is leading the tally but there's plenty of time left. The 2009 event, which was held in Murgon, raised an amazing $78,833.31 for the Cancer Council. To register a team, click the "create" button on the Relay For Life website You'll need a credit card to pay the registration fee ($11 per child and $15 per adult). You can either register your entire team at once or just register a team captain then and then invite your friends to log on and join, too. For more information about this year's event, contact Jane on (07) 4163-6457. * * * Kingaroy businesses may get a call today from the Missing Persons Unit in a bid to solve a two-year-old mystery ... the identity of a man, (right), found dead at Poona Dam, near Nambour, almost two years ago. The man, believed to be aged between 45 and 60, was carrying a Kingaroy video shop card but extensive inquiries have failed to identify him. However new information provided to police recently suggested the man may have frequented other businesses in Kingaroy. The man was wearing a red Bauhaus baseball cap, a long sleeved Duchamp black shirt, Aus sport grey tracksuit pants, white, orange and grey Fila ankle socks and a pair of Cougar white, navy, silver and orange sandshoes. He was approximately 178cm tall, with short straight grey hair and a heavy build. He had four tattoos on his shoulders including a Native American woman, a warrior, a shark and a buzzard.

PCA Turnaround 'Tracking Well' August 16, 2010 - The Chairman of the Peanut Company of Australia, Ian Langdon, has told shareholders the company has achieved a "sound performance" during the first quarter of the 2010-11 financial year. "The business turnaround plan is also tracking well and yielding clear benefits in delivering cost efficiencies and productivity improvements which will positively impact the business into the future," he said. In July, PCA announced it had recorded a loss of $20.01 million for the year to the end of March, due mainly to the write-down of PCA's Katherine properties which have been place on the market. "Although the losses from the Northern Territory operations have been significantly curtailed, PCA is still pursuing its exit strategy from corporate farming and will continue with its intention to sell the properties," Mr Langdon said. "Discussions continue with several interested parties in order to achieve a successful and viable exit plan." PCA's Annual General Meeting will be held in Brisbane on Thursday (August 19).

Cougar Energy 'Alarmed' By Claims August 13, 2010 - Cougar Energy directors have expressed alarm at "misleading information" they say has been distributed during the recent water contamination scare in Kingaroy. "The Company and its Directors are alarmed at the misleading information being distributed by several parties in an apparent attempt to satisfy their own agendas, including the introduction and use of the expressions 'poisonous' and 'cancer-causing' in their efforts to seek attention and question the integrity of the (Cougar Energy) project," a media release from the company states. "Further it is important to note that two readings analysed by the independent testing laboratory proved to be false and provided incorrect results. "These were readings of 84ppb of benzene attributed to one of the Company's monitoring bores in the pilot plant area (200m from the gasification process) and 3ppb (trigger standard 800ppb) attributed to a distant saline water production bore. "The independent testing laboratory engaged by Cougar Energy has confirmed these mistakes in writing to the Company and copies of these reports have been passed on to DERM." Read the full Cougar Energy media release Cougar Energy feels "vindicated"