January 20, 2010 - Can you crack a whip, whistle or cooee??

Then we need you to participate in some fun at Kingaroy's Australia Day Fun in Memorial Park.

There’s prizes to be won and you don’t have to be a professional. We just want a fun event!

Could you beat the best when it comes to the person who can eat four warm pies in the fastest time?

And kids, you can participate, too! We want to find the child who can eat two lamingtons in the fastest time.

Ladies (or men) can you make a pavlova?

A prize will be offered for the best pavlova presented on the day. A refrigerator will be available on site ahead of judging at 10:30am.

There’s a Poet’s Breakfast from 7:00am (gold coin donation) and free scones, damper, chilled watermelon, tea and coffee.

Just come along on the day or register you name with Christian Bjelke-Petersen (mobile 0429-058-768) or Keith Campbell (mobile 0439-708-553).

And there's absolutely no reason why anyone in the South Burnett should complain there's nothing to do this Australia Day!

There are events on all over the region!

Just take a look at this fantastic program put together by so many dedicated volunteers:
 

NB. The formal Australia Day Awards ceremony will be held on Monday January 25 (eve of Australia Day) at Wondai Memorial Hall with Australia Day ambassador Professor David Tudehope in attendance.

August 21, 2009 - A small committee has begun the task of compiling a history of the Benair district.

We're keen to harvest the stories, myths and legends that have grown out of the region.

Interest in the project has grown out of the Benair School Reunion which was held in 2004. Earlier this year a plaque was laid to mark where the school used to stand.

A souvenir booklet was produced in 2004 but there are still many stories to be told. Anyone with a yarn about Benair should contact Darren Schmidt or Geoff Missingham, (right), to ensure it is recorded for posterity.

As well as stories about school days, the committee is also chasing stories about local politics, inventions, incidents, eccentric characters, farming tales etc etc.

Now is not the time to be modest!

The plan is to publish the history book in in 2011 in time for the centenary of the opening of the Benair School.

Contributions should be sent to: Benair History Project, c/- 116 Moore Street, Kingaroy, 4610, or you can email me

August 21, 2009 - As councillors, we're here to listen to ratepayers. A recent incident reported in the South Burnett Times is a good example:

A farmer rang to complain about the surface of his road. It had been damaged by rain and was causing him and his neighbours some concerns.

After he rang me, I immediately contacted Council's Engineering Department and found out that there was a road crew working not far from the farmer's property. I asked that an inspection of the surface be done and work be completed if necessary.

A fortnight later the farmer phoned me back. He was full of praise for the quality of the work done. In fact, he told me he was going to take his swag and sleep on the road because the surface was so smooth!

Council provides a great service but ratepayers have to communicate with us when they have concerns.

To help facilitate this communication, Cr Damien Tessmann, (above right), and myself are now going to man a stall at Kingaroy Shoppingworld on the first Thursday of every month from 10:00am to 2:00pm.

Of course, we will also still be available to meet with ratepayers in a more private setting as Council’s Kingaroy headquarters in Glendon Street.

We can't promise to fix everything at the drop of a hat but we need to know about issues before anything can be done.

August 21, 2009 - People can feel attachment to land for all sorts of reasons ... cultural, historic, fond memories, family ties. It is also natural that quite often people want to "spend eternity" on the land which meant so much to them.

This was the difficult scenario that South Burnett Regional Councillors had to wrestle with recently over an application for Eva Tigell to be buried on her 38 acre Goodger block.

The issue gained widespread media coverage after her family's request was initially denied.

There can't be too many things more emotional than the decision where to inter a loved one. After a lot of discussion, councillors agreed that Eva's request should be approved as her name was synonymous with the Goodger region. Mrs Tigell and her husband George owned the Goodger Store for decades. She died believing she would be buried on this property and we had to respect that.

At the same time I also expressed the view that we should tighten the laws to prevent a large number of people in the future wanting to do the same thing on the vast number of similar-sized blocks within the region.

It's an emotional issue but there are many factors to be considered including access, future use of the land and possible problems that could arise if the land is resold. I believe new bylaws are needed to resolve this problem.

August 3, 2009 - If you're interested in happenings at Council and around our community and have an email address, I can help you with a regular e-News update, (right), emailed directly to your inbox.

Just let me know and I'll be happy to pass your details on to the correct department within Council and you will automatically receive each update as it’s issued. There's no cost to subscribe.

If there are topics that you would like covered in e-News I will feed those comments into the communications section of Council for their attention.

This is an easy way to be kept informed of Council's latest happenings and all it takes is to register by logging into the Council's website or just send me an email and I’ll look after the rest.

July 28, 2009 - On Saturday July 24, the Kingaroy Quota Club held their annual Student of the Year awards dat.

From a line up of six very talented and capable young Year 12 Students, Tascheena O’Mara was selected to represent the Club at the Regional Finals to be held at Nambour on August 15. Tascheena and her five fellow competitors are all students from Kingaroy State High School.

I represented Council at the event and was proud of the efforts of each of the students. During the earlier part of the day, the entrants were assessed on matters of personality, community involvement, academic ability and general knowledge. Then, for the formal evening program, each student gave a four minute prepared speech followed by a two minute impromptu speech. The impromptu speech is always a challenge and the topic selected by the Judging Panel was "pop".

Tascheena grasped the topic and spoke confidently and with authority on Pop Culture. Mr Bernie Pegrem was the chairman of the Judging Panel. On behalf of the judges, he offered supportive comments to the students in his adjudications of the day's proceedings. He was supported by fellow judges Mrs Ilma O’Farrell and Mrs Lyn Lehmann.

Tascheena has been a student at KSHS for only three months, having moved with her family from interstate. She not only brought credit to her family and herself, but she demonstrated how well she has adapted and adjusted to studies at her new school.

I wish her well in the next level of the competition.

July 20, 2009 - A great weekend of celebration was hosted recently by the South Burnett Musical Comedy Society to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

A grand Masquerade Ball, (guess who, left), was held in the Kingaroy Town Hall on Saturday 17th July which proved not only to be a great night of music performed by the fabulous Jus’ Mugs, but a wonderful reunion for Society Members and performers.

Since the Society began 20 years ago more than 380 people have performed in the numerous shows that have been staged for the pleasure of patrons.

A number of performers who have moved to other areas returned to help celebrate the night.

The next day, the Society officially opened their new home, a storage and rehearsal facility know as “The Shed” in the grounds of the South Burnett Enterprise Centre, 6 Cornish Street, Kingaroy. Funds for its construction came by way of a grant from Jupiters Casino as well as support from the South Burnett Regional Council.

Mrs Cherie Carr, (right), patron of the South Burnett Musical Comedy Society, was invited to perform the official opening and cut the ribbon to mark the occasion.

"The Shed" is a generous sized building with sufficient space for meetings; for performers to assemble to learn scripts for upcoming shows; room for a workshop to construct new props as well as a small kitchen. The building also contains a separate rodent and insect-proof wardrobe to safely store costumes. It is a long awaited dream for society members.

The performance that is being prepared at the moment is entitled "All Shook Up" and will be staged in the Kingaroy Town Hall on Friday 23rd October, Saturday 24th October, Friday 30th October and Saturday 31st October 2009 (and there'll be a special preview of some of the numbers at the Kingaroy Peanut Festival on September 12).

The Show comprises Elvis Presley songs and ballads, however there’s a separate story that accompanies the music. Sounds like a show not to be missed!

Kingaroy can feel proud to have a group of people who are prepared to share their talents in bringing this level of cultural experience to our town and surrounding region.

I wish them well and congratulate the dedication of the Society membership.

July 20, 2009 - The Federal Government recently announced approval for a range of community infrastructure projects amounting to $1,286,000 for the South Burnett region.

This will allow Council to fast-track projects which may have otherwise been delayed.

The funding will be delivered from the Federal Government’s $800 million Community Infrastructure Program, which aims to invest in local infrastructure, support local jobs and boost local economies.

South Burnett Regional Council applied for funding for a number of projects ranging from sewerage plant treatment upgrades to playground and exercise facilities across the region.

To be considered eligible for the funding, the projects submitted had to fall under the category of community infrastructure, excluding roads, and needed to be commenced and completed as quickly as possible. This funding will allow Council to not only upgrade existing facilities, but also to develop new projects and amenities.

Council will commence work on the projects immediately. Council staff will be busy over the coming months as the deadline for the following projects is September 2009.

Signage will be erected at each location so it will be easy for residents to identify each of these projects:

• Footpath and cycleway construction in Glendon and Fisher Streets, Kingaroy
  
• Town Hall forecourt upgrade at Kingaroy Town Hall
  
• New playground equipment and outdoor exercise equipment at nine locations throughout the region
  
• Catchment stormwater drainage studies within Kingaroy, Nanango, Blackbutt, Wondai and Murgon
  
• Relocation of the Murgon Library into the Murgon administration building
  
• Construction of South Burnett Energy Centre and Visitor Information Centre at Nanango
  
• Installation of street furniture along major walkways and paths in Blackbutt, Nanango, Kingaroy, Murgon, Wondai and Proston
  
• Rejuvenation of Sandy Creek in Nanango
  
• Improvements to Murgon’s water supply infrastructure
  
• Sewerage Treatment Plant upgrades in Nanango and Wondai; and
  
• Upgrade of Mondure Public Hall to allow disabled access and construction of a covered verandah

July 20, 2009 - The role of a Councillor isn't always about strategic planning and corporate governance.

Such was the case at Nanango in April when I was invited to be part of the judging team for the Nanango Show Princess Competition.

Five intelligent young women presented themselves to answer questions primarily built around their involvement in and commitment toward local agricultural shows.

The judging was conducted ahead of their presentation at the Show Ball where they were interviewed in front of the audience and then did a promenade of the dance floor.

Miss Amy Trace was chosen as the winner and then went on to become the regional finalist to represent the Wide Bay Burnett at the Brisbane Exhibition. Amy has had considerable experience and involvement in local shows and will make an exceptional ambassador for the Show Society movement.

Special congratulations to Amy and commendation to each of the other entrants. In the judging I was supported by Cr Kathy Duff and Mrs Lyn Munt, (right).

July 20, 2009 - Activity is beginning to appear on the Aldi supermarket property at Youngman Street (bounded by Markwell and Toomey streets), formerly Kingaroy Machinery Centre. Aldi hopes to have its doors open by Christmas.

It’s pleasing to note that business and economic development in the South Burnett region is showing few signs of being affected by the current global financial crisis. There is considerable activity occurring with housing development, retail activity appears to be healthy and there have been no major losses with jobs in the South Burnett.

With this optimism, it is likely that we will see more growth in the region over the foreseeable future.

Another commercial retailer leader, Harvey Norman, has already opened its doors, offering shoppers a wider range of choices.

All this gives a clear message that the South Burnett is moving ahead.