Hervey Bay Gossip

Here’s an extra special reason to enjoy yourself on Sunday 21 August … you’ll be helping kids with special needs!

Yes that’s right come along to the Boat Club for a concert featuring some of our best local bands and your support will benefit the Hervey Bay Special School.

The concert will be held upstairs from 2pm with performances from Frank Benn, Dogwood Crossing, 3 On The Tree and Red Betty along with heaps of raffles and slave auctions.

There’s a $10 cover charge (includes nibblies and a ticket in the Lucky Door prize) and all money raised will help to fund much needed equipment for the students.

HBSS P&C secretary and concert organiser Karen O’Connor said iPads and touch screen computers were high on the fundraising wishlist.

“This kind of technology opens up new education doorways, particularly for students with communication challenges.

“And as all parents of special-needs kids know, getting access to the right resources isn’t always easy but it can be life-changing.

“Like any parent we do whatever we can to improve our children’s chances in life and that’s why supporting this event is so worthwhile.

“Everybody who comes to the concert can be sure their support will make a direct, positive difference to the life of a child and that child’s family.”

Ms O’Connor said the group had decided to swap pie drives for partying this year in an attempt to upscale its fundraising activities.

“So far it seems to be working and we hope the concert will become our main annual event.

“There’s lots of interest on Facebook via our social networking front Special Things For Special Kids.

“And Wide Bay Meet and Greet have gotten on board and helped spread the word.

“Not to mention the great response we’ve had from businesses who’ve donated raffle prizes.

“We know it’s not the easiest economic time so it makes their support all the more valuable and we really, really appreciate it.”

The XXXX Variety Bash departs Hervey Bay tomorrow at 7.30am from the Pialba Place shopping centre but they’re leaving something behind for the kids of Hervey Bay.

Today at 2pm down at the Seafront All Abilities Playground a special Liberty Swing will be presented to the kids of Hervey Bay. This is a swing that caters for kids with physical impairments and those who are confined to wheelchairs so it’s going to be something that will really benefit the kids here.

Funding for the Liberty Swing was supported through the Fraser Coast Regional Council and also via the efforts of all three of Hervey Bay’s generous Rotary Clubs: the Rotary Club of Hervey Bay City, Rotary Club of Hervey Bay and the Rotary Club of Hervey Bay Sunrise and by Variety Queensland.
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If you’re into cars or bikes or rock and roll … or you just want to help a special school provide more for their kids then you’ll be heading for Maryborough this coming Saturday (the 13th).

The Children’s Charity Riders are holding a show and shine event next Saturday at the Maryborough School oval at 164 Woodstock Street Maryborough with all proceeds going towards the cost of heating the swimming pool so that kids with special needs can use it all year round.

Gates open at 9am and the show will run through until 3pm. There will be plenty of great cars and motorbikes on display as well as entertainment for the whole family so it’s definitely the place to be this Saturday!

Last Sunday was one of those perfect winter days that you grow to expect in places like Hervey Bay. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the fish were out there in the Bay and you just had to get out there and enjoy it.

We took our camera’s on a stroll down from Shelly Beach to the Urangan Pier and joined all the others who were out and about on such a great day.

Hopefully these photos will show you why we think that Hervey Bay is THE place to live.

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Yesterday we had an interesting chat with one of the owners of a rather successful small business here in Hervey Bay.

He and his wife came to Hervey Bay and started their business from scratch and after a lot of hard work it has grown to the point where they are looking for new premises so that they can grow even more.

To their horror they have found that the cheapest industrial premises they can rent in Hervey Bay that will suit their business will cost them $1200 a week … and that’s just for the empty building.

So they’ve been looking outside of the region and they’ve found another suitable building on the Gold Coast for $400.00 a week … and that includes most of the fittings they will need for their business.

It seems that they won’t be in Hervey Bay much longer and it makes you wonder just how many other small businesses Hervey Bay is missing out on because of the high rents that landlords and agents seem to think that businesses can afford to pay here in town.

For some years now quite a few people in Hervey Bay have been concerned about the quality of the water in Tooan Tooan Creek. With huge bat colonies settled along the creek banks you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the creek has been so polluted that you wouldn’t want to swim or even fish there.

Despite the presence of the bats there’s been a reluctance on the part of Council to erect any sort of warning signs but it seems that the latest outbreak of the Hendra virus has changed all that and these signs now adorn the bridge railings where the Esplanade crosses the creek.

While some may think that putting up these signs after those bat colonies have moved on is a bit like closing the gate after the horse has bolted the fact the colonies were located along the creek banks for years means that it’s going to be a very long time before the residue of the bat droppings stops leeching into the creek.

Let’s hope people heed the signs and don’t think that the dangers have passed simply because the bats have gone.