Sue Brooks May 31st, 2010
Sat night at Seafront Oval saw a large crowd enjoying some excellent live music. We arrived at about 6pm just in time to settle in and listen to Joe Camilleri minus his female backing singers. Joe was great and his music still excellent after over 30 years of entertaining us. Next we listened to Shannon Noll and although I didn’t know a lot of his material he was an energetic and charming performer. Next of course was the ever loud Jimmy Barnes. Jimmy can still belt out his songs and we listened to nearly an hour of newer material followed by his hits of course. I was glad it didn’t rain and also found it very enjoyable to hang out and rock along in a mosh pit with such a mix of people. Many grey beards mixed in with young school children. The concert was an enjoyable family affair. It was well organised, sounded great and I hope we see more acts here in the future.
Fraser Coast 2031. The future of our region is up to you! http://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/web/guest/fcrc2031-have-your-say
Council is asking for your input now to help us decide the future footprint of our region. If you do or don’t want more high rise along the foreshore or you want development to grow in a certain direction or not at all or you want to see certain types of industry encouraged to come here this is the time to have your say. Decisions will be based on community input so I can’t emphasise the importance of taking the time to engage and be involved in the process. There is heaps of information on the Council web site and there will be hard copy forms and brochures available at Libraries etc. If you fill in the questionnaire online there is weekend away at Kingfisher to possibly win!
Also there are some sign boards up and about asking for your input about developments. The Maher development cnr Beach Rd and Esplanade is a multi storey building and submissions are open now. Many of you have received letters from the solicitors acting for the Braith Vidler, Anson’s Rd, Dundowran Beach decision. The developer is appealing the Council rejection of this application so Council will have to defend its decision in Court. Main Roads will also have to defend as they advised Council to say no to the development. I encourage you to all to be involved in what is occurring in relation to development. Your voices matter and it really is too late to complain once a building is starting construction or a telecommunications tower is being erected or a housing estate is going in down the road! If you require more information about how to become more involved don’t hesitate to ring Council, peruse the web site or ask a Councillor.
Jimmy rocks the Seafront Oval
Sue Brooks May 23rd, 2010
Firstly a huge thank you to Kristy Martin from the Chronicle. It was Christy that single handedly organised a group of small business owners and volunteers to build a fence. Craigs’ fencing, Dundowran Demolitions, Byrne Bros concreting, The Howard Sawmill, Dale and Meyers Hardware and Sunrise Rotary all combined their products and services to do a very good deed. They built a back fence for the lovely Marie. Marie lives adjacent our mobility corridor in Hervey Bay and while this corridor makes it easier for many of us to get around it also attracts the odd undesirable member of our community who thinks breaking into an elderly ladies home to steal her belongings while she is asleep in bed, is somehow an OK thing to do! I can’t express my gratitude to Kristy and to the workers who have helped build a new fence for Marie so she can now sleep much more securely and peacefully. Times are tough right now for any small business owner so I’m sure I’m not alone in appreciating the contribution that these business owners have made. We really do live live in a caring and happy community.
I spent 2 hours helping out on the Council stall at the Show yesterday. The sun was shining the weather was superb but the lack of crowds was disappointing. Maybe everyone that wanted to go to the show did so on Friday as there weren’t many people around yesterday. However everyone I spoke to was pleasant and positive and even the odd complaint was made in a cheerful and positive manner. It was such a relief to have happy chats with families and elderly folk who were out and about enjoying themselves. The day was a timely reminder that just because I read a daily paper that reports on a lot of bad news, blogs that are often a forum for complaints and personally receive many complaints about Council activities, that there are many, many other people living a quiet and contented life, They take the ups and downs of daily life in their stride and get on with things with a smile. My hat, if I wore won, is lifted and tilted in your direction.
But.. I would also like to support Maryborough State Member Chris Foley in his grumbles about QBuild and the cost to change a light globe in his office. In a previous life I worked for TAFE. The thought of having to use QBuild to get anything of a building nature done at Wide Bay TAFE used to send shivers of fear into all the staff. Quite simply the prices quoted to fix anything or paint anything etc were astronomical. There is definitely something wrong with this system. Either it is is bureacracy gone mad or some local suppliers are making a killing at the expense of their fellow community members who pay for their windfalls via taxes. I do believe every layer of Government needs to closely examine how they procure services and ensure that costs are competitive and not a rip off!
While the nights and mornings are turning chilly the prolific bird numbers in our neck of the woods are amazing. Lorikeets fill the air with their noisy chattering and feast on the blossom prevalent in our gum trees. My native bees are busy as ever as soon as the sun starts to shine and we have a new friend visiting. Bruce the butcherbird has decided to spend enough time on our pool fence or our BBQ to warrant a treat or two of minced turkey. The cats are already used to him and simply ignore him now but he has visited for the last 4 days perching quite happily near us and letting us hand feed him. I wonder if he will find a mate or if in fact he is a she! While I don’t usually feed the native wildlife he is so persistent that we simply can’t resist.
Sue Brooks May 17th, 2010
It was with great pleasure that I enjoyed the company of several other women on the very first Butchulla Women’s Tour of Fraser Island. Our wonderful hostess Chrissy introduced us to many facets of Butchulla culture and we enjoyed dancing, weaving, eating, wonderful company and visiting new places on our beautiful sandy island. We also learned more about how the very first inhabitants of this country prospered prior to the arrival of white man.
For me it was a trip of several firsts. I had not visited Dilli Village before and this is where we stayed on Saturday night. We visited Lake Boomanjin a beautiful large and very peaceful lake. It is so nice to find that this lake is less frequently visited by tourists and we were the only ones getting our tootsies wet. A beautiful and peaceful place. Then yesterday it was off to Indian Head to pay our respects to the Butchulla women of the past who are no longer with us. We then travelled to the Kgari camp (which I have now learned to pronounce as Gari), to enjoy a fresh and scrumptious lunch.
Over the two days I saw three dingoes. One female we saw twice at Dilli Village outside the dingo fence and this female showed absolutely no interest in us. Then we spied a glimpse of the dingo who frequents Kgari and this dingo also didn’t want to have anything to do with us. The last dingo was spotted on the beach from the bus and looked a bit worse for wear. He had been fighting and had a closed eye and scars and was the thinnest of the three. All dingo’s did not appear to be starving however and it made my trip all the better to know that these beautiful creatures are still surviving despite the trials of living in a now predominantly human impacted habitat!
Anyhow it was nice to get away and to try and forget about Council agenda’s and reports and other work related problems and activities. Lastly a big thank you to our intrepid driver Sarah. Sarah works for ‘Fraser Experience’ and is one of only two female bus driving tour guides on the island apparently. Sarah was informative and a highly experienced driver and I do recommend her tours.
So here are some pics to show you how wonderful our neighbourly island and our local Butchulla community are. Chrissy I wish you and everyone else that helped make our tour a great one every success for the future. Thank you, Sue
Learning to weave
Our digs at Dilli Village
Lake Boomanjin
Beach outside Dilli Village
Sue Brooks May 8th, 2010
This week Council has decided to try a committee based structure instead of the portfolio system which has operated for the last two years. The Council will trial a three-committee structure for 12 months.
The Committees include –
•Development and Community Services Standing Committee chaired by Councillor Barbara Hovard;
•Infrastructure and Environment Services Standing Committee chaired by Councillor Linda Harris;
•Strategic and Organisational Services Standing Committee chaired by Gerard O’Connell.
All Councillors will be members of each of the Standing Committees.
•The Infrastructure and Environment Services Standing Committee will meet on the first Wednesday of each month in Hervey Bay;
•The Strategic and Organisational Services Standing Committee will meet on the third Wednesday of each month in Maryborough;
•The Development and Community Services Standing Committee will meet directly after the Council’s Ordinary Meetings on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month.
I was nominated to Chair the Infrastructure and Environment Committee but Cr Harris received more votes so is Chair and Cr Hawes was nominated for the Strategic and Organisational Services Committee but was beaten by Cr O’Connell. The interesting situation is that the three Committee chairs and the Deputy Mayor all hail from either Maryborough or Tiaro. Maybe this new structure will help bring us together as a region and reduce the negativity against Hervey Bay, evident within some corners of our community. I support this new structure as it makes the Council decision making processes much more open and accountable and ensures that Councillors have the opportunity to vote on issues of importance to them and to the community.
I was also pleased to move the motion that was unanimously supported to expand the Hervey Bay Library by building a straightforward simply designed Gallery across the road. The new 700 square metre building for the gallery will be built on Old Maryborough Road. The Council has allocated $200,000 in its 2009/2010 budget and is proposing to allocate a further $3,250,000 in its 2010/2011 budget to finance internal refurbishment works in the Hervey Bay Library and to design and build the new Regional Gallery. These funds have been carried over from the old Hervey Bay City Council which had planned to extend the Library prior to amalgamation. The Council has also applied for $1.6 million from the Federal Government’s RLCIP funding program for the gallery. USQ will continue to share the library facilities. I attended the quilt and wallpaper exhibition openings last night at our current gallery and highly recommend that you pop in and view these marvellous creations.
Pier kiosk investigation
I finally decided to put a motion to Council this week to investigate this kiosk idea and was pleased that the concept was supported by almost everyone and investigations will go ahead. I believe a small kiosk designed to complement the heritage qualities of the pier could increase pier use and reduce bad behaviour on the pier. It could also provide an income stream for Council to assist with pier maintenance. Your ideas on this proposal will be important also to see if it progresses into a reality. Current and potential operators would be able to express interest and to eventually tender for rights to construct and operate the kiosk.
Lastly about the blow in. There has been much fuss about the Shen Neng1 coming to our waters. I am not fussing. This big boat has to be put somewhere. North of us is the GBR and South of us Moreton Bay. The Government has a problem and is doing its very best to solve the problem. I am very confident that the Government agencies are aware of the ocean bottom structure, (sand not coral or seagrass) and sea currents (they go North not South) and have chosen the location here as the least likely to cause environmental problems for the unloading of coal. The whales aren’t here in numbers yet and they know how to avoid moving ships let alone stationary ones. Yes there is a risk to the environment but that risk is great no matter where the boat is put. I’m not going to join in the clamour to relocate the ship elsewhere. The sooner the ship is unloaded and lightened and on its way away from us the better I believe.
Lastly I wish all mum’s a great mothers day. Enjoy your day and I wish you good health and happiness, Sue
Sue Brooks May 3rd, 2010
Thank goodness for a long weekend practically free of Council related events etc. I think I’m nearly caught up with all things work related and even spent all day yesterday without turning on this PC or looking at my Blackberry more than once! Well twice really for the Bberry but even that little clever electronic bag of tricks was having a rest it seems.
It has been refreshing to get out into the garden and mow, weed and clean. Believe it or not I pressure washed the entire drive way over the last two days. I usually just do the outside sliding doors and windows but as Graham decided to clean the gutters (badly needed as they were merrily growing mini trees and things), I pressure washed them to clean the yuck off and one thing led to another so we actually now have an exposed aggregate driveway again rather than a black and slippery ugly looking thing. I do like pressure washers as they don’t use much water and really clean things quickly. I have give up the noisy blower thingy to preserve power and improve my fitness ( I sweep the old fashioned way) but I think the pressure washer is here to stay.
But today was back to the grind stone also as I had to read the board papers for our BMRG Board Meeting in Bundy tomorrow and the Council agenda for Wednesday.
So to the news. Lots ado about Henry and tax and about Council doing wrong by the SES some time back. I will ask questions about the SES issue so won’t comment further till I have some more facts but as I mowed and pressure washed I started thinking about tax and laws and government etc.
It seems that everywhere I go I hear people wanting their Governments to do more and more but they want to pay less and less. How do we resolve this issue? Locally people want more roads fixed and sealed, more footpaths and bikeways built, more drains fixed, more grass mowed, more money spent on economic activities and touristy stuff. We need a medical centre in Tiaro a conference / entertainment venue in the Bay and security cameras everywhere and … need I go on. At the same time I get asked to please not raise rates, to not levy infrastructure charges on developments and to keep fees and charges down as no one has enough money and the little that they do have they don’t want to give to Government.
So the real question for me, and I’m asking for comment please, is how do we decide what each layer of government should actually do and how do we fund it? I believe we have so much waste via duplication through the different layers of Government that one layer should go. Another thing I believe is that we need to really examine our health services and decide what we should spend money on. . But I will debate this entire topic more fully over the coming weeks as I want to write more about it than will fit here.
I would like to end this post however with this idea. Greed is the problem that needs addressing most of all in our society. The BER and insulation schemes designed to be of benefit to us, failed primarily due to greed. People decided to ‘rort’ the system and make a quick profit. Opportunistic GREEDY people dived in and exposed glaring loopholes in the process for insulation installation and building buildings in some schools.
We complain about our consumer driven materialistic society as if it is a bad thing. Is it really a bad thing to want the latest invention which might be a new plasma TV? I don’t believe so. There is nothing wrong with consuming goods and services in fact our economy depends on us doing just that. What is wrong is when companies and organisations use our need to consume to make insane profits by exploiting overseas workers etc. I detest greed and I want my Government to tax greed. Expand the new mining ‘big profit’ tax and make it much harder for greedy people and greedy companies to be greedy! Everyone should be able to make a profit but that profit should be a reasonable one. How good would that be?
