Archive for the 'General News' Category

Enough should be enough….

March 14th, 2009

This week I happened to be watching ACA as they launched their Kickstart campaign. The evening I was watching they interviewed a truly inspirational man. He is the CEO for Rossi Boots. What he said made my heart soar.

In these times of economic uncertainty he explained how his business made Aussie Boots using Aussie staff. He is not going to go offshore to make a bigger profit. His focus was on having a profitable company but he explained that he wanted a business that was ‘profitable enough’. My quotes. While he could possibly make much more money by going offshore where labour costs would be very much reduced, he simply wasn’t interested.

He explained that he did not require an ever increasing profit. What he wanted was a strong business that looked after and cared for its workers and that enabled both workers and owners to live a comfortable lifestyle. Here is a business man who totally rejects the ‘greed is good mentality’ that I see reflected in most large corporations and businesesses. Rossi Boots has employess that are happy. They feel cared for and appreciated so they work hard and produce excellent products. Rossi Boots doesn’t seem to have any interest in doing anything that would jeopardise the happiness and livelihood of its employees. In fact it seems the owners have been making sacrifices to ensure that their workers come first. Maybe this principle is something that has eroded too much these days in both Government agencies and ‘big business’?

Our own shop that Graham and I own at Centro, is run similarly. Graham and I have attended many ‘business focussed workshops’ etc where the theme is ‘if you aren’t growing your business you are failing’. This used to make me feel bad. Were we failures? But then we spoke together and decided that our shop is a small shop with a focus on providing good customer service. All we want from our business is a regular income that repays Graham for the long hours that he spends working and pays the bills. We don’t want to grow and get bigger. We don’t need to. Most of us are content to earn a decent income where we can provide ourselves with shelter, food, clothing and access good education and health services.

Why is it then, that banks and other large institutions keep telling us that they need to make bigger and bigger profits ‘for the shareholders’? When is enough profit enough? Are all shareholders greedy? I don’t want to be a shareholder and I resent the fact that my pension funds have been ‘gambled away’ by stockmarket trading. I should have paid closer attention and taken more control to ensure my funds are used to support local businesses that care for people first and foremost and are not focussed entirely on profit.

I would also like to mention that when I visited China and some neighbouring Pacific Islands for holidays, it upset me that the workers who provided me with services similar to the ones I receive here at home, were paid such a pittance and have a lower standard of living. (I also think a lot of them are happier living that way than we are…they are richer both in community and family life). My ideal world is where there is one world currency and equal pay for equal labour!

How many small businesses in our region are quietly going about their business like Rossi Boots is? How many businesses work hard to provide jobs to local residents and simply want to keep doing so. Yes when times are good it is wonderful to make that extra dollar but that extra dollar needs saving for the ‘rainy days’. Our society cannot continue to just consume ever increasingly. I believe we need to find a balance where businesses supply our needs and discover innovative ways to make things or to do things. I will never begrudge any business a profit as it goes without saying that business does make our world go round but let us please take greed out of the equation.

I don’t want a bigger house. I don’t want the latest model anything. I want a decent standard of living and many of my neighbours seem to want similar. I would like to be able to travel a bit and eat out once in a while but my kids are grown and I enjoy doing things now that I could not do when I was a younger mum. We all want our family and friends to remain healthy and to afford to enjoy their lives. Why can’t we develop a sustainable model of business that won’t be subject to the revolving cycle of boom and bust?

So I urge you all to search for the small businessses that reflect the Rossi Boots philosophy. Big is not always better!

This is a link to what I think is an uplifting wonderful story … Simply click on the video and be patient while you listen to the advertising first… the story follows.

 http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=769866

I would like to develop a list of similar locally owned and locally focussed Fraser Coast businesess. Businesses that put people before profit. Feel free to start adding them via comments below. Cheers, Sue

Dundowran Beach 366 – A Visual Essay

January 6th, 2009

I was honoured to receive a CD from Geoff Piper and Robyn Minchinbury recently containing their photographs of Dundowran Beach. Robyn and Geoff, both Dundowran residents, describe themselves as amateur photographers but on viewing their work I believe they would compete easily with professional photographers. Robyn and Geoff decided to take photographs at Dundowran Beach each and every day for an entire year. They have selected the best shots for each day and the compilation is a masterpiece. The photographs depict our beautiful local beach in all shades, colours and weather. Some photographs focus on the native vegetation and wildlife adjacent to the beach while others capture the many interactions that the human species has with this coastal strip. There are 366 photographs (November 2007 – November 2008) accounting for the leap year, and these photographs collectively paint an amazing portrait of our wonderful local natural habitat.

Thank you Robyn and Geoff for undertaking the project as the results will give pleasure to many and be an excellent historical record of our local area for years to come. If you would like a CD of the photographs in high res and suitable for many uses, they are available from Geoff and Robyn for $10. You can view the photographs via picasa at http://picasaweb.google.com/piperwg/DUNDOWRANBEACH#

Robyn Minchinton and Geoff Piper can be contacted to order copies of the CD via their email addresses as follows.

Robyn Minchinton via  r.minchinton@bigpond.com      07 4128 8333  and Geoff Piper via piperwg@bigpond.com

RIP Colleen

August 22nd, 2008

I am disgusted and very deeply saddened by the events that have unfolded over the last few days in Sydney Harbour. Would we all just sit back and watch ‘nature take its course’ if the animal in question was a human baby? We had the power and the will to try to feed this baby. The Aussie spirit is to have a go and never give up. If trying to feed Colleen didn’t work, then euthanasing her many days ago would have been the humane thing to do! I have lost total faith in our ability to make any sensible decision quickly and efficiently in this overly burdened bureacracy in which I find myself living!

I found this which is a very moving story of the successful rescue and feeding and raising and eventual release of another baby whale called JJ in San Diego. If they could succeed so many years ago why couldn’t we at least have tried.

http://www.whalerescueteam.org/jj_rescue.html

Healthy debate about health, or not?

August 2nd, 2008

Hats off to Kerry Winsor. Your presentation at the Chamber of Commerce (COC) breakfast last week was an eye opener. Kerry has taken our health service by the scruff of the neck and given it a huge shaking. How far our health service has come in 3 short years is quite amazing. We have many more qualified medical professionals working across our hospitals and we have a system of checks and double checks that makes me confident that I will receive excellent care if I have to visit our hospital. Let’s not forget that Kerry arrived at a time when the Fraser Coast hospitals were at crisis point.  

At the COC breakfast Kerry calmly and professionally outlined the advances made since her arrival and reminded us that her first priority was actually fixing our health service rather than sitting in an office and writing a grand plan! I am thankful that she took that approach. Plans are all but useless if you don’t have the resources and will to implement them. I expect that the main points a Fraser Coast health plan needs to mention are ‘To help make sick people well and to decide what specific areas of health care expertise we can support in the Fraser Coast hospitals. Kerry is delivering on both those issues.

I am proud to have Kerry living and working in our community and I wish that the members of the Health Focus Group (HFG), together with our community, would support her and her staff. I was quite saddened by the critical nature of the speech by Dr Paul Cotton of the HFG at the breakfast. I expect my COC to offer support and give thanks to hard working professional members of our community rather than do the opposite. Resourcing our health service is the responsibility of our politicians and maybe any criticism needs to be directed to them. Our health service is in immensely better health than it was just 3 short years ago. Yes we still have problem areas and aged care needs a shake up also, but Kerry I believe you are doing a great job in trying circumstances and I thank you.

Latest news

May 19th, 2008

The opening of Lenthalls Dam Crest gates, scheduled for Wed 21st May, was arranged by State Govt departments not by WBW, to my knowledge, and most definitely not by Council.

Council does have many community buildings and I defend its right to do so. May I remind the community that if Council owns something that means you own it. Council is a public entity so when we ‘own’ things it is on behalf of everyone in the community and the community buildings are for the community benefit. Most Hervey Bay ‘public buildings’ are leased and managed by community groups who manage to run the buildings at a profit to themselves rather than a cost and with little outlay from the Council budget. While this system has some flaws I think the model is generally a ‘win win’ one and of benefit to everyone. There is no doubt in my mind that we need more community buildings not less here in the Bay. If you are a member of a community group and wish to hold a meeting or function it is practically impossible to find cheap space when and where you need it. Try booking a place into the Urangan Community centre for instance. So yes we need halls and buildings and we need them to be cheaply accessible to our community for the many fun and important functions that these groups provide for all of us.

Now just a personal comment on our Planning and Development Meeting from last Wednesday. Yes I was the only lonely ‘NO’ vote against a recommendation to build 250 units on a block of land at Urangan. The complex comprises 3 building up to 6 storeys high and will require a double basement carpark to accommodate nearly 400 spaces. The whole block including adjacent blocks, has a Natural Area overlay covering it. I personally felt that the application was over development for that site and we now have set a precedent which will threaten adjoining blocks that also have a Natural Area overlay on them. Specifically the large block on the corner of Boat Harbour Drive and the Esplanade at the marina. This block is covered with beautiful old trees!

I fail to understand how a Natural Area overlay can be ignored to the extent that I feel it has been. Maybe I’m missing something and can’t interpret our Planning Scheme properly but I had a bad night on Wednesday night worrying about what the future holds for Hervey Bay in terms of development, now we have our new Council.

So finally a plea from me. I am thinking of starting up a branch of the ‘Save our Suburbs’ group locally. http://www.sos.org.au/new_home.html

We could possibly call it ‘SAVE OUR BAY’ but anything will do really. Maybe Maryborough residents and residents that live rurally would also be keen to join so we would need a generic name.

The aim would be to lobby Government in terms of development issues and to ask that community consultation is increased and that ‘urban consolidation’ policies be reviewed to ensure that they meet the outcomes they are designed to meet, without destroying or negatively impacting on the lifestyle of existing residents within our community. The primary purpose of the group would be to promote sustainable development.

I anticipate lobbying etc would be done primarily electronically but if we could get many members we could have a very strong voice. Meetings and the associated needed time commitments would be rare as we could communicate via email. I am happy to start to organise this if there is enough interest so please email me and let me know if you are interested as soon as you can please. Email to ssuuee@bigpond.net.au

I would also ask that if you don’t want to join a group an email to all the Councillors outlining your thoughts about development and Letters to the Editor may be a good idea also.

Cheers and thanks for reading this, Sue

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May 5th News

May 19th, 2008

Hello again everyone. Time I put fingers to the keyboard and sent out a bit of news I think. Before I start can I welcome new comers and explain that yes I do collect email addresses when people take the time to write to me and I then try to send out an email at least monthly with some news about council related matters. So if this is your first email from me welcome to the group but please remember if you don’t want to be included simply reply and insert the word ‘remove’ in the subject line. No I won’t take offence as I realise that not every one wants to hear from me regularly.

So what has been happening in Council? It seems we are as busy as ever but that meetings agenda’s don’t seem very full or are not yet full of new and interesting policy related items or controversial developments etc. I think that we are all working to finalise our Council structure and get everyone comfortable in their seats. By this I mean both staff and Councillors. It has been a huge exercise bringing 4 Councils together and I must give thanks to Andrew Brien who quietly and with little fuss seems to have managed to keep things ticking along very well.

I personally want to see the CEO position finalised and some more tweaking and adjusting done to our Councillor portfolios asap. Yes Council decided to advertise for a CEO so that process will have to be completed before I feel ‘properly’ settled. Council did decide on the final structure of Council which means some certainty in terms of reporting structures and who does what but until the CEO position is finalised I still personally feel slightly unsettled.

Now everyone has been busy as ever ringing and writing about issues for Councillors to deal with. I haven’t received much correspondence from residents from afar but plenty from Bay residents. If anyone knows of a woman down Doolong South way who rang me about litter from a building site in Doolong Sth road please ask her to call me again. I accidentally deleted her message and feel terrible as I cannot track her number and she must think I’m very, very rude! So please realise I do make mistakes and if you don’t hear from me please try again….

This is the link to familiarise yourselves with what Councillor does what at this point in time. http://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/council/councillors.shtml

I have been busy trying to highlight, what in my mind, is an uninformed decision to erect fences around Happy Valley and Eurong to exclude Dingo’s. I have recently spoken with Kingfisher Resort staff who happily tell me of the Dingo’s that frequent that Resort. The Dingo’s have nicknames and have learned many tricks to broach the fence surrounding Kingfisher. A fence that does not do what it was designed to do. I believe the destruction to the environment around both townships and the lack of community consultation and reliance on rumour and innuendo has resulted in a hastily made and very badly implemented plan. I feel so sorry for the townspeople who have tried to argue their case against the fence but so far have failed. Council has formally asked for a meeting with our Local Member Hon Minister Andrew McNamara to discuss the fences and I hope some positives may come out of our meeting.

Of course Traveston is still also an issue and the Greater Mary Assoc have worked tirelessly to keep the media focus on this travesty also.

The issue about Councillor cars is a complex one. I was quite determined to retain my own car as I don’t owe money on it etc but was advised that over 4 years the cost to Council is less not more if I do use a Council car. It is very complicated trying to decipher the information relating to how it is all costed out but as my car is now 7 years old and will be 11 years old in 4 years time I decided to opt for a Prius. It will be interesting to see if this car does live up to the hype of being a ‘green’ car but I look forward to driving around for a thousand k’s or so between fill ups! I will let you know what I think of the car once I get it. I have to keep a log book for 3 months which I am rapidly getting used to and pay back Council for the private travel I do. This was why I didn’t want a Council car but at the end of the day I am travelling many more kilometres than I used to so hopefully my decision is a sensible one for both myself personally and the community.

R.E.S.T. is another complicated issue that was a Maryborough City Council decision prior to amalgamation. As a new Councillor to the FCRC I could find no reason to try and reverse a decision made by the previous Council. While I personally applaud the very hard work and dedication that members of charity organisations provide to our community I also am aware that financial rigour must be applied fairly to such organisations. As a Councillor I must be sure that public monies are expended in a very responsible manner and I support decisions that uphold this principle.

A Tourism Levy has not been raised in Council but the media reported information incorrectly by quoting some comments from some individuals. I hope that our local press can remember to differentiate between a Councillor’s personal comments and opinions and those made by a Councillor speaking as representing Council. There is a big difference and I will ask Council to release prompt press releases to ‘set the record straight’ when needed.

On Saturday Graham and I took a day off and flew over to Lady Elliot Island for the day. This island is right up there as my top holiday spot. We had magnificent calm sunny weather and after hiring ‘shorty’ wetsuits both of us enjoyed 3 snorkels and still had time for a lazy lunch and a quiet afternoon drink and read before flying home. I didn’t spot the elusive Manta Rays but did see two reef sharks and a huge turtle. Every time I visit the island I see something different. The coral and fish life defy description and I highly recommend you take the trip one day soon. I think we take our local attractions too much for granted sometimes. We honestly live in a truly magnificent natural wonderland.

Enough from me. Hope I haven’t bored you and take care.

Too Gossip or Not to Gossip

May 19th, 2008

Well these last few weeks have been interesting as more and more people log onto Strewth http://strewth.wordpress.com/ for their daily update on mainly Council focussed issues. What do I think of Strewth I am frequently asked. Firstly I absolutely love the net. Being a Librarian and a person with what other people have kindly described as ‘an enquiring mind’ (although the term ‘nosey’ has also been used,) I enjoy the ability to find out stuff from anywhere and everywhere at the click of a mouse. I love being able to chat in real time to my kids when they are overseas. I love the ability to communicate with friends and strangers. Yes I even like email.

I have always understood that information found on the net may not be true. This is also very true of books and newspapers. A book contains information written by someone and the information contained within the pages of a book is only a record of what a particular author believes or wants to tell us! I can remember being quite young at school and suddenly realising that what was written between the covers of my school text may not necessarily be true. Newspapers are a business venture and depend on advertising to make a profit. The information found in a newspaper is influenced by the forces of the mighty dollar and is also always a journalists or reporters interpretation of an interview or an event. There is much excellent reporting and wonderful articles reproduced in newspapers but there is also inaccuracy and misquoting and manipulation of the truth. I have personally experienced that. Even words in ‘quotation marks’ having been reportedly spoken by myself at a Council meeting have been wrong. I know this because I checked the Council minutes which come directly from the audio tape of our meetings. Television simply uses the tricks of the editing process to alter comments and this can produce an inaccurate version of events.

So where do we find the truth these days? Here on my site I write my own stuff! Warts and all and typos included. I tell anyone who wants to listen to my version of events and my opinions etc. If anyone wants to contact me directly they can and I will be more direct when corresponding one on one. The rules of defamation and Council confidentiality stay at the front of my mind and I attempt to always stay within the bounds of decency. I tell the truth but it is you, the reader, who has to decide if what I say is true!

Strewth is different because the people that write and comment are anonymous. Many people say this is a gutless way to communicate. I agree to a point. When I worked for the State Govt a condition of my employment was that I could not speak to the media. When one is employed it is very difficult to be critical of that employer and retain ones job! At the end of the day a mortgage and a family to feed lays heavily on ones mind! So what do you do when you see injustice around you? Society is quick to condemn and whistle blower protection is not for all!

So maybe the fact that on Strewth anyone can say whatever they like and hide behind anonymity is an outlet for expression that has value. I personally worry that if I comment on strewth I am either encouraging ‘gossip’ or will be criticised for participating in a ‘disgusting hurtful gossip’ column. But it disturbs me when I can see people writing stuff that I know to be incorrect and I want to ‘give my opinion’ on certain matters. So I leave it to you. Feel free to let me know what you think.

For now I will take a line of least resistance and post my own thoughts here. Yes a blog is a free for all but I don’t like publicly made accusations remaining unanswered so from time to time you will see me comment directly on strewth.

I nominated for Council because I feared that the future of my city was in the hands of people who were very pro development. I also decided I had skills that were useful and that I could possibly ‘make a difference’. I detest lies and untruths but I love a chat and always try to find out the ‘truth of the matter’. If someone talks to me my first instinct is always to believe them. If however I find they have misled me I will never ever trust them again! I will maintain a professional working respectful relationship with such people but trust will be lacking ever after. Time and life experience means that I trust my judgments and feel confident that I get it right more often than I get it wrong!

If you care to read a bit more there is information further below this letter that will give you an insight to my thoughts about WBW, the Planning Scheme and our CEO! If you want my opinion on other issues and concerns or you wish me to raise issues within Council please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. I will respond to anonymous contact also!

Cheers, Sue

And lastly I think this may make you smile…

Engineers Patrick and Seamus ( Dublin mechanical engineers) were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking up. A woman walked by and asked what they were doing. We’re supposed to find the height of the flagpole,” said Patrick “but we don’t have a ladder.” The woman took a wrench from her purse, loosened a few bolts, and laid the pole down. Then she took a tape measure from her pocket, took a measurement, announced, “5 metres,” and walked away. Seamus shook his head and laughed. “Ain’t that just like a blonde! We ask for the height and she gives us the length!”

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Hello world!

May 8th, 2008

Welcome to the blog of Sue Brooks!

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