Hervey Bay Gossip

Hervey Bay wasn’t the only place to have our evening disturbed by thunder and lightning.

All of south east Queensland was affected throughout the afternoon and evening and late in the evening the Weather Bureau issued a storm warning for towns along the coast around Gladstone.

Hervey Bay residents have been among those across Australia who have been receiving emails allegedly from the National Australia Bank. The emails were timed to appear over the holiday period when it may have been difficult for people to check the bona fides of the email.

There are several variations of the email but every one of them asks the recipient to follow a link in the email to a website where they are asked to enter their personal banking details.

Anyone who does receive one of these emails should immediately delete the email and not follow the link at all. Don’t even be a little curious to see where the link takes you, just delete it without even opening it.

What would you consider to be the wold’s top five gadgets of the last 50 years?

PC World suggests that the top five gadgets are:

1. Sony Walkman from 1979 (because it was the precursor of the iPod

2. Apple iPod from 2001

3. ReplayTV RTV2001 and TiVo HDR110 from 1999

4. Palm Pilot 1000 from 1996

5. Sony CDP-101 - the first commercial CD Player - from 1982

Hmmm I had a Sony Walkman but I’ve never bothered with an iPod - perhaps the trauma of dropping the Walkman into a bucket of water scarred me for life.

I’m sure that I read or heard somewhere that our Premier was going to make sure that the petrol companies didn’t rort the system by charging more for petrol on weekends.

And I’m sure I’ve seen politicians and petrol company executives claim that the practice of increasing fuel prices for weekends just doesn’t occur.

If that’s so then I wonder how they explain ULP prices in Brisbane on Thursday of around 98 - 99 cents a litre but yesterday we saw prices down there ranging from $1.03 up to $1.08 a litre. Of course, the fact that yesterday was a Friday and just two sleeps from Christmas had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Yeah Right!

Traditionally New Year’s Eve is party time for many people across Australia but for one small group of scientists a quiet beach near Bundaberg will be the centre of attention this year.

Mon Repos beach is a traditional egg laying site for Loggerhead turtles and this summer’s first hatchings are due to start happening on New Year’s Eve.

For some years the Loggerhead turtle population has been in decline as more and more turtles were caught up and drowned in prawn trawls but, with the co-operation of the fishing industry, that decline seems to have been reversed.

A flying visit to Brisbane and return yesterday (thanks to Rick down at Fraser Coast Computers who swapped cars with us after the driver’s side electric window winder broke on our Hyundai Granduer - the front passenger side window winder broke two weeks ago) showed us that there are still lots of idiots out there on the road so take care.

Old men in hats and younger women with an attitude problem seemed to be causing the most annoyance to other drivers but then there was the older woman who decided that while other traffic was moving along briskly at 100 kph she would overtake into the face of oncoming traffic at 105.

The police are out in force but they can’t be everywhere at once so take care and make allowances for the idiots out there who simply have no clue about driving safely.

Yesterday also seemed to be a day for breaking down. On the return trip we must have passed 10 cars pulled over on the side of the road waiting for assistance.

The hot weather is brutal on any car that is not in top condition so make sure your car is ready for the trip before you leave home.

With just one more sleep till Christmas it’s time for the Hervey Bay Gossip crew to wish you all a very merry Christmas.

We hope you can spend a peaceful and fun day with your loved ones and we won’t even be turning our computers on

Police, Ambulance and the Fire Brigade were called to a nasty four car accident on the roundabout at the intersection of Boat Harbour Drive and Elizabeth Street Urangan around 5.30 last night.

That’s a timely reminder that, while you should always be exercising care when you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, at this time of year you should be extra careful and be aware of the other vehicles that are around you.

Drive defensively and arrive safely.

Christmas really is a time when we all need to be especially vigilant around our neighbourhoods. At this time of year many families head off for holidays in other parts of Australia and their vacant homes provide rich pickings for thieves.

So be a good neighbour and be vigilant. If you hear or see anything suspicious at any time of the day or night call the police. Our crew here in Hervey Bay are always ready to investigate anything out of the ordinary.

It seems that plans by the Burnett Shire Council to establish the state’s first clothing-optional beach have now been abandoned.

While the team here at the Hervey Bay Gossip are unlikely to ever be seen clothed or naked at a nudist beach we feel that the fact that one cannot be established in the region is a sad reflection on the level of maturity of the people in our state.

While other states have successful nudist beaches with none of the problems that were forecast we still seem to be unable to cope with people who enjoy a lifestyle different to our own.