Hervey Bay Gossip

Sometimes you can get so focused on the minute detail of every-day life that you forget there’s a bigger picture just waiting to be seen off the beach here in Hervey Bay.

Some people pay millions to for a view like this … thanks to the open foreshores of Hervey Bay we can enjoy it for free.

Sunset over Hervey Bay last Monday evening

What about the $20 million Mr Mayor?

That’s a question that Jim MacKellar would like answered and after reading what he has to say on the subject you might like an answer too.

Because of increased costs and reduced State Government funding the rates on the Fraser Coast must increase by at least 6%. So saith our Mayor.

But what about the $20million that Council has from the last budget and the more than $30million from the year before, Mr. Mayor?

Why should the ratepayers of the Fraser Coast be slugged for an extra $2million when Council was unable to use the amount of money it collected last year?

With the financial year almost complete it is clear that the Fraser Coast Regional Council will under spend its 09/10 budget by more than $20million. Most of this amount will be from uncompleted capital works projects. It was the same last financial year except that it was then in excess of $30million.

So how do they justify once again increasing our rates when it is obvious that they are only going to take the money and invest it. Are they suddenly going to come up with the magical answer that will allow them to complete their Capital Works Program for the first time in living memory?

Instead of considering how much they can get away with increasing the rates would it not be better for them to make a realistic estimate of how much work they will actually complete in the next 12 months and only raise that reduced amount?

Council has made much of their dedication to the economic development of our region. So it must be asked – would money be of greater benefit to the region invested by the Council in its reserves or would it do more good left with the people so that they can use it to purchase goods and services from local businesses? Which of these solutions is the more likely to bring greater prosperity and more jobs to our region?

So it must be asked again – Councillors, where are your priorities? In raising great amounts of money for ‘pie in the sky’ works programs or in achieving the greatest good for the people of the Fraser Coast.

Does the Fraser Coast Regional Council have its priorities right? When it comes to spending $3.25 million on a new regional art gallery Jim MacKellar doesn’t think so.

$3.25 million for a new Regional Art Gallery is in extravagance the people of the Fraser Coast can ill afford.

Especially in light of the fact that we have just spent over $1 million on stage 2 of the Art Space project in Maryborough. Would it not be more reasonable to therefore move the Regional Gallery to this location, where it will be central to the entire region?

There are two major drivers which should influence Council’s decision making at this time. We live in one of the most economically challenged regions in Australia and we are many years behind in the construction of suitable infrastructure for our ever growing population.

How does the decision to spend over $3million on an art gallery help to alleviate either of these two urgent problems?

Would $3million spent on economic development not yield a better result for the citizens of the Fraser Coast? How much additional, urgently needed, infrastructure could we obtain with this money?

The mayor says that rates will have to increase. But $3million represents approx 5% of the rates income. It may be fairly said that if the $3million is not spent on the regional Art Gallery then there will be no need for a rate increase this year.

Will the ratepayers of the Fraser Coast Region benefit more from a new art gallery or benefit more from not having to pay an increase in their rates yet again.

Its all a matter of priorities and it must be asked, do our Councillors have theirs in the right place?

Now I know we elected them but seriously, you have to wonder whether the councillors on  the Fraser Coast Regional Council are proving to be a little past it.

Here we are still facing tough times with tourist numbers down … a mountain of coal that could end up at the bottom of Hervey Bay threatening the whale season for years to come, the lack of employment opportunities etc. etc. etc.  and what do our councillors discuss?

A kiosk at the seaward end of Urangan Pier. Yes, I’m sure that’s just what we need … I mean it’s obviously what we need right now and we sure don’t have enough fast-food outlets at the other end of the pier do we? And then there’s all that wasted space out their on the pier isn’t there? What better way to fill it up than put a kiosk out there … right at the very end … just like a pimple on the end of your nose.

But wait, the kiosk could do more than just sell food … it could act as passive surveillance to keep all those rowdy people who want to wet a line under control … at least that’s what one councillor thinks. Really?

What is the kiosk person going to do if someone gets a bit rowdy … rush out of their kiosk and bring the offender under control by hitting them over the head with a cucumber sandwich?

Fair dinkum! Is it too much to hope that our highly paid councillors might come to council meetings with their brains actually switched on and working and ready to wrestle with the real problems that Hervey Bay faces?

Girl Clock! opens in Hervey Bay tonight at the Hervey Bay Big Screen Cinemas with a special Girls Night Out.

Girl Clock! is a totally independently financed, produced and distributed film made by women, for women and about women; wholly made by Queenslanders, in Queensland. It has had a fabulous run in Brisbane – still screening after 9 weeks (a rarity for ANY film, never mind an indie!) – with excellent box office and fabulous reviews.

Girl Clock! is now spreading out to regional Queensland thanks to the support of many  independent cinemas  including the  Big Screen Cinemas.

There’s even some local colour to Girl Clock! for two of the main cast members come from Maryborough!

Girl Clock! will screen here in Hervey Bay for the next week and you can catch a trailer here

It looks as though we’re about to get a rather unwanted tourist attraction in the waters of Hervey Bay for the next few months.

The Shen Neng 1 … the coal carrier that ran aground on the Barrier Reef north of Gladstone … is to be towed south to Hervey Bay and anchored between Fraser Island and the mainland while it’s cargo of coal is unloaded.

Once its cargo has been unloaded it will be towed to an overseas destination … at least that’s the plan. I wonder if anyone really knows how to remove a huge cargo of coal from a vessel that’s anchored out to sea rather than moored to a wharf.

Tiger Airways has recently announced they are establishing a new base at Avalon Airport and have an online poll running for people to nominate where they’d like to fly to from there.

Hervey Bay and the Fraser Coast are on the list of location choices and the Fraser Coast Regional Council would like to encourage everyone possible to register your interest in direct flights and help our chances of success.

Please log onto www.tigerairways.com, where you’ll find a panel on the right hand side that encourages you to “VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE DESTINATION DEPARTING FROM AVALON”

Please vote as soon as you can.

When most people think about business here in Hervey Bay they think of tourism, building and real estate and perhaps all the small businesses out there working in a variety of areas that service those industries but there’s more to business in Hervey Bay than just those few areas.

Tucked away in some of the back streets of this town there’s some very interesting small businesses doing big things in industries that we don’t normally associate with Hervey Bay. The Australian Paramedical College is one of those small businesses that is taking it’s product to the world.

The Australian Paramedical College provides paramedic training for people looking for employment in factories, mines, construction sites and ambulance services throughout Australia. And they’re even taking their training to the Middle East … and it’s all being done from their training facility down in Urangan.

If you should see this strange looking vehicle driving around Hervey Bay today don’t panic … it’s one of Google’s camera cars that take photos to include in the street view option that you can access in Google Maps.

We spotted it coming into town on the Maryborough-Hervey Bay Road late yesterday afternoon.

Everybody has seen one side of Fraser Island. Even if they’ve never been to Fraser Island they’re almost certain to have seen images taken on Fraser and the side of Fraser Island that everyone sees is the east coast.

Oddly, the side that faces Hervey Bay … the west coast … is the side that very few people see and yet it’s just as picturesque as the east coast. Here’s a video I came across on YouTube that shows some of the scenic beauty that can be found on the west coast of Fraser Island.