Hervey Bay Gossip

Tickets for the Fraser Coast Show go on sale tomorrow, May 1. In Hervey Bay you can buy tickets for the Fraser Coast Show from Eli Waters Newsagency, Pialba Newsagency and Fraser Gateway News in the Centro Hervey Bay shopping centre.

The Fraser Coast Show will be on at the Showgrounds on the Bruce Highway, Maryborough on May 24 and 25.

Wow, it’s not even May and already humpback whales have been spotted off the NSW north coast and could even be on the eastern side of Fraser Island.

Perhaps the whale season will begin a little earlier than July here in Hervey Bay.

You can read the full story here

Earlier this month the Gossip published a piece entitled Giving Women in Hervey Bay More Power. We reported on an upcoming seminar for women that was to be presented by the Workplace Training Advisory of Australia and the Australian Women and Leadership Forums.

It now seems that anyone who contacted them and asked for further information about the forums is being called to remind them to pay the money … even though they may not have done anymore than just ask for information.

One person that we know of who only expressed an interest in attending and asked for information has been called and emailed on a number of occasions recently asking for the fee to be paid even though she has told them that she won’t be attending.

That lady’s next stop is the Office of Fair Trading.

It’s one of those things that just make you go ‘Hmmmm’

Update: It seems that, without actually registering for the forum this particular lady was shown as having registered. The Australian Women and Leadership Forums have now cancelled the registration and - very graciously - won’t be charging her a cancellation fee.

I guess we can put that one down to a clerical error.

Google has already reshaped cyberspace and now they’re setting about reshaping the political map … at least in South America.

You would have thought that Google might have added a little enjoyment for the occupants of one small Chilean village when Google moved the earth to the point where the village was shifted  across the border into Argentina.

You can read the full story here

Perhaps they can do that for New Zealand and move it across the Tasman till it’s joined to Australia. Just think of how much that would save in hot air when the two countries begin to debate the inevitable

The Minister for State Development announced today that the barramundi industry in Queensland is now worth around $20 million to the state’s economy. It also seems that our international reputation for producing this fine fish is growing.

If we have such a vibrant barramundi industry then why is the barramundi that you can buy in fish shops here in Hervey Bay all produced in Asia?

Even our favourite fish shop down at Shelly Beach sells imported barramundi.

Who cares if it turns out to be a false alarm - if you have the symptoms call the ambulance

Health Minister Stephen Robertson today urged Queenslanders not to let pride fool them into ignoring signs they may be suffering a heart attack.

“Approximately 25,000 Australians die from coronary heart disease each year; including more than 4,500 Queenslanders,” he said.

“More than half of all heart attack deaths occur before the patient reaches hospital and a quarter die within an hour of their first symptoms.

“If people suffer symptoms like chest pain, upper body discomfort or have difficulty breathing they should immediately telephone Triple 0 for an ambulance.

“Every minute counts so don’t ignore the warning signs.

“No one is going to think you’re silly if you go to hospital only to find out you didn’t suffer a heart attack after all.

“Surviving a heart attack is much more important than preserving your pride.”

Mr Robertson said heart disease remains one of the leading causes of avoidable hospitalisation in Queensland.

“Approximately 33,000 Queenslanders are hospitalised each year for heart-related disease.

“Many of these hospitalisations are avoidable if people make simple lifestyle choices to minimise their risk of developing heart disease.

“Risk factors that contribute to heart disease include medical conditions such as high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes, and lifestyle factors such as smoking, physical inactivity and obesity.

“By changing your lifestyle and behaviours you can help reduce your risk of experiencing a cardiac event.”

Mr Robertson said to ensure good health, people should aim to:

    * Avoid smoking

    * Eat healthy foods to help lower blood cholesterol

    * Be physically active

    * Control their blood pressure

    * Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

Heart problems are not confined to adults. Many young children suffer from heart problems too. More information about Heart Kids Queensland can be found at the website http://www.health.qld.gov.au/qldheartkids

I’m hearing of more and more people here in Hervey Bay who are being called up for jury service. I have absolutely no problem with people being called up to perform such a valuable service that really is one of the cornerstones of our legal system. In fact I think that a citizen’s responsibility to make themselves available for jury service is something that should be taught in schools.
However, I do have a problem with the way the jurors are treated and what is required of them when they are summonsed. From my personal experience I would suggest that jurors in other states are treated with much more respect and concern for their private lives than seems to be the case here in Queensland.

It seems that Queensland’s Chief Justice also has concerns about the way the jury system works in Queensland and he is asking the Attorney General to overhaul the jury system in this state.

You can read the full story here.

A usually reliable source told me today that someone up at the Fraser Coast Chronicle regularly reads the Hervey Bay Gossip.

For some reason I find that rather flattering and I’d like to welcome you to the Gossip’s readership. I’m sure that there’s nothing you could learn here about journalistic excellence and I hope you guys don’t come looking for local Hervey Bay news to publish because I’m usually the last person to hear anything.

But your advertsing copywriters might be interested in one of our other little online ventures where we’ve been discussing the good, the bad and the downright ugly of local newspaper advertising for small business.

If you’re interested in instant gratification then this site is not for you. But if you like to live your life at a slower pace and just sit back and enjoy the finer things in life then this site is for you.

By clicking on the link you will be joining over a million people from around the world who are logging on to watching a very large cheddar cheese mature.

I kid you not and if you want to know more about it then this story comes straight from the ABC. It will even explain why there are two crocodiles guarding the cheese.

The ABC reports that Hervey Bay continues to grow and the population in June last year had reached 54,000 as more and more people decide that Hervey Bay is the place to be.

With mornings like this who can blame them for wanting to come to paradise.

It seems that the most popular places to live in Hervey Bay are Urraween, Urangan and Kawungan.

You can read more of the story here