Hervey Bay Gossip

The ABC is reporting that the Hervey Bay City Council has finally listened to the residents of Hervey Bay about those stinking bats that have polluted Tooan Tooan Creek.

The Hervey Bay City Council is calling on the Queensland Government to move the colony to another location - and hopefully, this time, our local member might listen and support the application.

Bats are very interesting creatures and in small numbers are bearable but the colony around Tooan Tooan Creek now has a population in the thousands and they’re camped in the middle of the town. You can smell them in the shopping centre and the residents of Hervey Bay should not have to put up with them.

The first traces of Sugarcane Smut have now been found outside of the Childers district as another three properties go into quarantine. These affected properties are all in the Bundaberg area.

The quarantine not only affects the movement of sugarcane but all other crops on the quarantined properties as well.

The Beattie Government is offering free seminar for small businesses in Hervey Bay this month, Small Business Minister Chris Cummins and the Member for Hervey Bay Andrew McNamara announced today.

Mr Cummins said the What Makes a Good Advertisement seminar would provide advice on how businesses could use advertising to attract customers and increase sales.

The seminar will be will be held between 5:30and 7 pm on Wednesday 28th June at Hervey Bay RSL.

Mr Cummins encouraged local small business operators to attend the seminars to find out:

* the difference between marketing and advertising;
* how to target prospective customers;
* how to identify the six elements of an effective advertisement;
* how to create an effective layout;
* the secrets of good print advertising;
* the methodology in designing advertisements; and,
* how to get a better return on their advertising dollar.

To book for the workshops or for more information, telephone the Maryborough State Development Centre on 4121-1780 or visit www.sd.qld.gov.au/maryborough.

Mr McNamara said small business was driving growth in the local region and the Beattie Government would continue to offer as much support as possible to help local businesses maximise their returns.

“Small businesses in Hervey Bay should also take advantage of workshops on offer during Small Business Week, which commences on Sunday the 30th July and runs until Saturday the 5th August,” he said.

“For more information on the local program for Small Business Week, go to www.smartsmallbusiness.qld.gov.au

More sugarcane properties are now under quarantine.

The Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries announced today that Swift smut quarantine measures have been enacted on a further four additional Isis canegrower properties, including one north of the Elliott River, taking the total number of known-infected properties in Queensland to 12.

Approximately 50 properties have now been inspected by departmental inspectors.

“Our surveillance efforts have been very thorough to date, and the fact that we have found more infected properties is not a surprise,” the Minister said.

“Fortunately, our scientific tracings have shown that infected properties are connected in some way, whether it is through planting machinery or plant movement, which indicates this is still a controlled incursion.

“It’s very important that growers understand that more positive samples does not mean the smut is spreading.

“More identified infected properties means surveillance teams are uncovering samples that may have been in existence for some time.

“Forty people are currently on the ground carrying out inspections and a further 60 will be on-line by the end of the week.'’

Mr Mulherin said that growers were receiving daily e-updates about sugarcane smut response efforts, ongoing surveillance, and information such as machinery decontamination processes.

Queenslanders are being reminded that new laws prohibiting smoking in all licensed premises come into force in just 10 days time.

The Queensland Government today launched a state-wide community awareness campaign to educate Queenslanders about the new laws that take effect from 1 July 2006.

The campaign was launched by Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health Jo-Ann Miller and Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and to the Minister for Health Andrew Fraser on behalf of Health Minister Stephen Robertson.

Mrs Miller said the awareness campaign would run until September.

“The theme of the campaign is “Smoke-free for Good” and has been developed in consultation with the hospitality industry,” she said.

“The campaign aims to inform all Queenslanders about the specifics of the new laws and the health benefits to the community.

“From 1 July 2006, a number of public places will be smoke-free, including all indoor areas of liquor licensed premises and all commercial outdoor eating or drinking areas.

“These laws are good for patrons and staff, good for smokers trying to quit and good for everyone’s health and environment.”

Yes, they are coming closer as the first Sunshine Coast cab fitted with security cameras hit the road yesterday.

The State Government will spend $250,000 installing security cameras in the Sunshine Coast’s taxi fleet of 101, as part of a state-wide $8 million safety initiative.

The cameras will be fitted in 2700 taxis in centres where the population is greater than 40,000: Brisbane, Redcliffe, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns.

Today I had the pleasure of speaking at a meeting of the Hervey Bay Writer’s Group. I’m not sure that they learned all that much from what I had to say but I certainly learned a lot from meeting with them.

So if you have a desire to express yourself through words then you will find some contact details here

I mean, how else could you explain a headline like this on a press release:

Stonehenge gets State funds for library

Of course, the headline doesn’t refer to Stonehenge in England - there also happens to be a small town by the same name out in the Barcoo Shire and Local Government Minister Desley Boyle today announced $49,300 in funding for Barcoo Shire Council to build the new library, on the corner of Salisbury and Stratford streets.

Seriously though that headline is very creative because it really does catch the eye and, as a copywriter, I can tell you that eye catching headlines are vital if you want people to read what you have written.

And another library somewhat closer to Hervey Bay also got some funding today. Local Government Minister Desley Boyle today announced State funding of $84,900, towards a new library at Tiaro.

Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin said today that an additional four Childers-based properties had been placed under quarantine for sugarcane smut.

“The total number of quarantined properties has now increased from four to eight and follows diagnostic testing which has confirmed the positive sugarcane smut results,'’ Mr Mulherin said .

“Surveillance teams have continued combing connected and nearby cane properties throughout the weekend to collect samples for testing.

“We now have eight confirmed properties affected by sugarcane smut - and realistically, this number is likely to increase as surveillance continues to comb the area.

“Our teams are continuing tracings for confirmed and suspected sugarcane smut samples, and these trace-backs have shown that all eight properties are connected through plant or planting machinery movement,” Mr Mulherin said said.

“What this means is that at the moment the sugarcane smut is very much a controlled incursion, and that to date, we are not dealing with any widespread dissemination across the district.

“Our long-term focus continues to be on containment leading to eradication.'’

Although samples are continuing to be collected and sent for diagnostic testing, Mr Mulherin said it was important the results are not pre-empted.

“Inspecting each plant on all priority properties takes time, and it’s not an easy task dealing with fully-grown sugarcane.”

“The response has been a co-ordinated and collaborative effort between DPI&F, BSES and Canegrowers.'’

It’s a well known fact that many people rarely look up and yet some of the most beautiful scenes are happening in the sky above us.

The cloud formations here in Hervey Bay can be spectacular - sun rise and sun set can produce some of the most incredible colours you will ever see. Eventhe dark night sky can be a vista that words simply cannot describe.

One of my most treasured moments was the time my young son and I lay on our backs on a trampoline in our backyard and looked up at the into the clear night sky. That was over 20 years ago and yet his wonder and awe at the sight that he saw on that crisp winter night will never ever leave me.

So, even at night, look up and see the magic that is happening right above your heads.