Diamantina Shire Council

Desert Yarns

April, 2014 Distributed free to all residents. Volume 5 Issue 2 This month’s events Message from the Mayor ∗ 5th-6th April: Betoota Gymkhana

∗ 7th April: Birdsville Health Forum Over the past month or so the shire has sadly lost two very good friends. First, Joe Harris passed away in Mt Isa. Born in Birdsville, he was delivered by ∗ 8th April: Bedourie Health Forum my mother, who was then the local nursing sister. I have had the privilege of ∗ 8th April: Durrie RFDS Field Day knowing Joe all my life. He also worked alongside me and later for me for a total of about seven years. He was an excellent workmate who was always ∗ 18th April: Good Friday happy, quick to laugh and even quicker to tease. Joe was a brilliant stockman ∗ 20th April: Easter Sunday who knew exactly what to do with minimum instruction, which, in this day and age, is a long lost skill. He was a good old mate whom I’ll miss. ∗ 25th April: ANZAC Day

∗ 10th-11th May: Birdsville Campdraft, Rodeo and Bronco Branding We have also lost Jean Smith of Bedourie, a long time resident of the shire. Jean grew up on the Birdsville Track in South Australia and was the daughter

of legendary whip maker Alec Scobie. My father often spoke in admiration of her horsemanship, especially in regards to her rough ridding ability. Her hus- Message from the Mayor 1 band was the manager of Cliffton Hills before buying Ethabuka Station and eventually the Royal Hotel in Bedourie. Jean always said exactly what she From the CEO 2 thought and stuck up for what and whom she believed in. These are two at- From Tourism and Community desk 3 tributes I admire in people. Jean always did things her way and was a very

Works Report 4 colourful person. The region will certainly be poorer for her passing.

International Women’s Day 5 I would like to extend my sympathy to both families. I have lost two good SES News 7 friends who have gone out of their way to help me, and my family, many Mrs Jean Smith Obituary 8 times. From the Birdsville Cop 12 Birdsville Community Garden 13 At the March council meeting the new five-year Diamantina Shire Council Betoota Gymkhana Press Release 14 Corporate Plan was adopted. I thank everyone who attended the community meetings for their interest. I think we have all done well. After the council Leather workshops 16 meeting there was a day of councillor training, updating us with changes in The Diamantina in photos 18 local government. Councillors from Boulia Shire attended with us and it was

In the media 19 a good opportunity to catch up with them. Mayor Cr Geoff Morton Notices 20

Students’ contributions 22 Events 23 If you have any news or photos that you wish to see in Desert Yarns,

Diamantina reading 24 contact Kelly Theobald at [email protected].

For Sale 25 Submission guidelines available at back.

Diamantina Shire Council  07 4746 1202 17 Herbert Street  07 4746 1272

BEDOURIE QLD 4829
[email protected]
www.diamantina.qld.gov.au

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From the CEO

L-R Ray Heffernan, Federal Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull, Diamantina Shire Council CEO Leon Love and Member for Maranoa Bruce Scott

I write this desert yarns communication from the parliamentary office of Bruce Scott MP in Canberra during a break between meetings raising the awareness of the Barcoo and Diamantina Shires’ joint fibre optic project.

Mr Bruce Scott (ex Barcoo Shire Mayor) and Mr Ray Heffernan have joined me in undertaking deputations with various members and senators of the federal government and opposition. Over three days we will attend a total of 22 meetings. On Monday 24th March we were fortunate to meet with Mr. Malcolm Turnbull, the federal Minister for Communications, and sought his support. See the above photo of our delegation members with the communi- cations minister. Our deputations so far have been well received, particularly the level of support for the project from both councils and the Queensland state government. It is yet to be seen if our visit results in funding secured for the project. However, we remain hopeful.

I want to take the opportunity to welcome the following new staff to council: Amanda Schnitzerling - Executive Assistant Neville Burrows - Administration officer (creditors) David Roberts - Facilities Maintenance Officer

I am confident that they will make a positive contribution to both the council and the community and I ask you to welcome them warmly.

In response to his resignation, I would like to acknowledge the contribution that Mr Terry Morris has made to council while employed as the DSC’s corporate services manager for the past twelve months. Terry recently re- signed from this position due to health and family reasons and I wish him well for the future.

Mr Leon Love, Diamantina Shire Council CEO

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From the Tourism and Community Desk

There was a meeting of the Far-West Alliance group of councils on 18th March. Barcoo, Boulia and Diamantina shires are exploring opportunities for joint tourism projects. Chief Executive Officers and Mayors discussed a num- ber of exciting ideas for 2014/2015.

The desert is now open and visitor numbers are starting to increase. Road conditions do change quickly so please check the latest road condition report on either the Diamantina Shire Council web site or facebook page before travelling.

Both the Wirrarri Visitor Centre in Birdsville and the Bedourie Outback Visitor Centre were audited by the QLD Tourism Industry Council in March. Both centres passed the audit and have been approved to continue to display the blue and yellow accredited ‘I’ symbol.

The new Outback QLD Traveller’s Guide for 2014/2015 has arrived and contains information on what to see and do throughout our region. Council will be attending the 4WD show in Brisbane and the Caravan & Camping Su- pershow in Sydney with a stand promoting the Diamantina and encouraging people to visit. If you would like more information please contact Maggie Den Ronden at the Bedourie Outback Visitor Centre.

We welcome Joanne Jackson in Bedourie and Cindy Hodson in Birdsville as our new early childhood coordinators. Please talk to the coordinators about what you want from playgroup as both centres will be providing a new and exciting program for our youngest residents and their parents or carers.

At their meeting last Monday, council approved the extension of the wet area for the Birdsville Races, which has been expanded to include the area between Frew and Vaughan streets. This will mean that people can legally con- sume alcohol in this area. Council has also agreed to increase the number of portable toilets that are placed around town and in the camping area during the event. Council has confirmed that the tent city this year will be located in the area adjacent to the pontoon, off Burt Street, and this should have a capacity of over 200 tents. Bookings will open in early April.

New consultation dates for the health service plans have been announced by Central West Hospital and Health. They will be held from 12-1pm on 7th April in Birdsville and 12-1pm on 8th April in Bedourie.

This extension of Birdsville State School pool opening hours and the employment of a lifeguard was extremely well received in the community. The number of patrons exceeded council’s expectations. Privately run swim lessons also proved popular. Thanks to lifeguard Jenna Brook for her hard work and also to the Birdsville State School and the Royal Life Saving Society for their assistance. The last public opening day for the pool in Birdsville will be Mon- day 7th April 2014.

The Diamantina Youth Council next meets on 9th April 2014 in Birdsville. We have an active council this year and the group recently developed a Facebook page that will be used throughout the year to provide an update on youth council activities

Steven Baldwin, Tourism and Community Manager

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Works Report

The construction crew has completed work on the Birdsville - Windorah road by re-sheeting a section that’s approximately 12km long. They have now started stabiliza- tion of the industrial levee in Bedourie. This will be bitumen sealed on 6th and 7th May.

The gravel crew has almost completed their work on the Stony Crossing road re- sheeting. Part of the crew has now started re-sheeting work in the northern end of the shire, in the Springvale - Diamantina Lakes area. Following this, the crew will then work on the Palparrara road in the Barcoo Shire. Vaughan Johnson lookout

The multi-skilled crew is working on in- stalling new tourism signage, shire entry signage and general signage improvement throughout the shire and our road net- work. The crew will then work on improv- ing the shire’s grids and work on the Bedourie subdivision.

Both parks and gardens teams are continu- ing their beautification of the towns’ en- trances to both Birdsville and Bedourie.

Harin Karra Trevor Stuart and Cr Rayment on Big Red Road Assistant Works Manager

Track loader in action

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International Women’s Day

On 8th March, the women of Birdsville gathered at the Birdsville Hotel to celebrate International Women’s Day. The day has been celebrated around the world since 1911 and was initiated to acknowledge the political, social and economic achieve- ments of women in that tumultuous period of history when women’s suffrage was at the forefront of politics. Outback women are renowned for their strength, ingenuity and perseverance and it was a pleasure to see so many of the Diamantina’s local women come together to acknowledge International women’s day. The afternoon also provided a wonderful opportunity for the women to meet and welcome new and returned community members. The Birdsville Hotel provided a wonderful ’high tea’ luncheon, which was enjoyed by all attendees. They also surprised registered guests with a lovely feminine gift. This year’s International Women’s Day theme was “inspiring change” and there are many activities and organisations within the Diamantina Shire and regional area that continue to promote this theme for women throughout the year. The third annual Channel County Ladies’ Day will be held at Betoota on October 17-19 and an estimated 200 women are anticipated to attend, some of whom come L-R Noela Fleming, Joan Baumer and Jenny Baldwin from as far afield as Charleville, Longreach and even Roma.

The Birdsville and Bedourie clinics are actively encouraging female participation in their bi-monthly pamper days, which are a fabulous opportunity for local women to celebrate their femininity and treat themselves to a bit of pampering.

Finally, the Queensland, Regional, Rural and Remote Women’s Network is a won- derful source of information and inspiration for isolated women. Contact Kelly Theobald for more information or to join the far-west branch.

Olivia O’Neill, Michelle O’Toole, Terri Davis, Tiffany Rigby and Stephanie Selmes

Emily McCullagh, Bev Morton, Lorraine Kath, Kylie Bailey-Hill, Makayla Gilby and Prue Hannan. Kelly Theobald and Jessica Gilby

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News from the Diamantina’s SES

On Thursday 20th March the Diamantina State Emergency Service held a meeting and introduction night at the Bedourie emergency services shed. The meeting was well attended with four members from Birdsville taking part, in addition to six Bedourie SES members. Paul, the new Bedourie policeman, also called in during the meeting.

Gordon Jones, the council’s new work health and safety officer, has been appointed as the SES deputy controller. Gordon brings many years of experience with the ambulance service and SES to the position and will be a valuable asset in helping administer the units. Gary Mills and Dave Beardmore have been appointed group leaders for Bedourie. Dave and Gary are both enthusiastic members and their years of practical experience will be put to good use in fulfilling their respective roles. Birdsville’s group leaders will be selected at the next training session.

We will hold regular training sessions in both Bedourie and Birdsville. Members are encouraged to attend these trainings in whichever town is convenient. SES TRAINING SCHEDULE 2014 3rd April: Birdsville 17th April: Bedourie 2nd May: Birdsville 16th May: Bedourie 29th May: Birdsville 12th June: Bedourie 26th June: Birdsville

Training will run from 3pm to 7pm and will include a BBQ afterwards. Members can come along any time between 3pm and 7pm and if you are interested in joining please see Gordon Jones in Bedourie or Kylie Scott in Birdsville. If you have travelled for training, you are more than welcome to bring a swag and camp in either of the EMQ sheds overnight.

Finally, you may have all noticed that some creeks and rivers are rising. Take care around floodwaters and remember that if the water is flowing to fast to stand in, don’t drive through it. Call 000 in an emergency.

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Tribute to a legendary outback woman

Mrs Jean Smith (bottom left) with friends. Photo: The North Queensland Register

The wider communities of Bedourie and Birdsville are in mourning after losing Mrs Jean Smith, a truly unique, re- sourceful and determined woman. Mrs Smith lived her whole life in the Diamantina Shire after leaving her home on the Birdsville Track at the age of 17. She married at the age of 22 and her family soon expanded to include five sons. After working on various properties, the Smith family purchased Bedourie’s Royal Hotel in 1971 and have owned and operated the business ever since. Mrs Smith was one of Australia’s most loved female publicans and her son Jim now runs the hotel. Mrs Smith loved her life in the Diamantina Shire and she will be greatly missed by her family, friends and the Bedourie community.

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Important community information

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From the Birdsville cop

The tourist season is almost upon us once again. There are some really good events planned so there will be large numbers of travellers visiting the Diamantina Shire.

Just a reminder to residents, especially those with young children, that there will be an increase in vehicles in town so remember to look both ways before crossing the road. Teach your kids to do this and also tell them to ride their bikes carefully and also be careful when play- ing near a road.

It was pleasing to see Daniel Morcombe’s killer awarded a lengthy prison sentence. Hopefully he will not see the light of day and remain behind bars where he belongs. For us, the message to take from this is to report any suspicious person(s) or behaviour to police as soon as possible. We don’t know who could be travelling through the Diamantina Shire.

Lauren McShane, ex Birdsville Police QGAP Officer and resident, is getting married to Damien Wrench in Cairns on Saturday the 12th of April 2014. Obviously Sandra and I are going up for the wedding, so we will be away until just before Easter.

Senior Constable Neale McShane

Diamantina Shire JPs

Bedourie Birdsville

Gordon Jones JP (Qual) Nell Brook JP (Qual) Shire Office Brook Proprietors 4746 1202 Ext: 115 4656 3252 Home: 47461070 Don Rowlands JP (Qual) Leon Love JP (Qual) National Park Office Shire Office 4656 3272 4746 1202 Ext:125 Home: 4656 3298

Leanne Hohnke-Jansen JP (Qual) Geoff Morton JP (Qual) Bedourie State School Roseberth Station 4746 1224 4656 3250

Garth Tully JP (Qual) David Brook JP (C.Dec) Cluny Station Brook Proprietors 4746 1219 4656 3252

Kate McDonald JP (C.Dec) Birdsville Hotel 4656 3244

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Community Garden

On Sunday 23rd March, a small group of volunteers gathered in a vacant block in Birdsville for the first community garden working bee. The aim is to transform this block of dirt into a small park with a lawn, shade trees, fruit trees, BBQ areas, visual art features, a herb garden, a vibrant bougainvillia hedge, a kids’ play area and a wheel-chair accessible concrete path. It’s no small undertaking, particularly as the whole project is funded by donations from the community.

The project is being coordinated by Jenna Brook, who is rallying the com- munity and inspiring many of us to donate our time and money to the project. She herself is working tirelessly to plan, dig, source materials, plant and donate as much as she can to the garden. Hopefully, the project will be completed in a couple of months, although it will be a few years until it’s the lush, relaxing paradise that the grown trees and established lawn will make it seem like.

Meanwhile, we’ll be taking photos and sharing updates from the project to show just how much a dedicated group of people can achieve in very little time. In a dry and dusty town like Birdsville, a public garden will be en- joyed by locals and travellers alike and we’re very excited about the future of this little patch of dirt.

Thank you to the following people who attended and lent a hand at our first working bee:

David, Nell and Jenna Brook Dywayne and Tiffany Rigby Franzi Pessier Jody Barr Jess Gilby Padraic, Olivia, Patrick and Kathleen O’Neill James Humphries Kelly Theobald

If you would like to be involved with the community garden, please con- tact Jenna Brook on 0439 862 775 or [email protected]

First published at kellytheobald.com.au/blog

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Betoota Gymkhana Press Release

The ghost town of Betoota will soon come alive for the annual horse and motorbike gymkhana, despite financial struggle due to Queensland’s debilitating drought. Betoota is officially Austral- ia’s smallest town and is 174 kilometres east of Birdsville, in the Diamantina Shire in south west Queensland. Its sole resident, publican Simon Remienko, passed away in 2004, leaving Betoota with its population of zero. However, the Betoota gymkhana, run by hardworking volunteers from surrounding stations, still draws competitors and spectators from all over Queensland for the weekend-long event that is integral to the survival of the region and the wellbeing of the region’s residents.

This year, the Betoota Social Club, like many regional organisa- tions and businesses, is struggling to stay afloat as Queensland’s worst drought in a century continues. The event relies heavily

Nick Dillon wins ‘longest jump’ at the 2013 Betoota Gymkhana. Photo: Lorraine Kath on sponsorship from local pastoral entities who cannot afford to support this year’s event. Furthermore, with land in such poor condition, competitors are struggling to afford feed for their horses. A nearby event, the Eromanga Rodeo, Campdraft and Gymkhana, has already been postponed but Betoota Social Club Secretary Lorraine Kath says that the committee will push on and hold the gymkhana for the sake of the regional communities.

“The Betoota gymkhana gives us something to look forward to,” she says. “People in this area are suffering so much stress and anxiety due to the drought that the event is essential to bringing our communities together to meet and celebrate sporting achievements. It helps us take our minds off the harsh reality of drought, just for one weekend.”

For almost 30 years the Betoota gymkhana has been providing isolated station workers and the nearby communities of Birdsville, Bedourie, Innamincka and Windorah with a rare opportunity to gather, socialise and compete in a sport that reflects our nation’s outback pioneering heritage. The event coincides with school holidays to enable stu- dents, most of whom attend boarding schools away from family and friends, to attend and compete.

“There are lots of isolated children who live in the area,” says Mrs Kath. “They look forward to the event every year because it enables them to catch up with friends that they can’t see during the school term. It’s the same for adults; in such remote locations, when you live on a station that covers close to 10,000 square kilometres and you’re almost 200 kilometres away from the closest town, you don’t get very many opportuni- ties to socialise, which is why this gymkhana is so important.”

Opening with traditional outback events that showcase competitors’ horsemanship, the gymkhana also features a motorbike enduro and the region’s only motorbike jumping contest. Skilled station workers and motorbike riders, some of whom also compete in the Finke Desert Race, Australia’s largest and most prestigious motorbike event, com- pete for the honour of the longest jump. This year will be the first year that the length of the jump will be recorded and competitors are anticipating the setting of a record. Patrick O’Neill on Minty. Photo: Lorraine Kath

Birdsville resident David Hannan is looking forward to competing in the event as part of his preparation for the world-renowned Finke De- sert Race. He is also looking forward to watching his two sons compete in their first gymkhana.

“The Betoota Gymkhana is such an important community event,” he says. “For me, it’s not only an opportunity to socialise with friends and people from neighbouring towns, but it’s also a chance to get more hours on my bike in a competitive environment in the lead up to Finke. My boys are looking forward to seeing and racing against kids that have moved on to boarding school that they haven’t seen in a while. They’re very excited.”

So far, major sponsors include Skytrans regional airline, SANTOS and the Diamantina Shire Council. The Betoota Social Club is very appre- ciative of these companies for their generous contributions but hopes to attract more sponsors to make the event possible. The Betoota Gymkhana will be held on the 5th and 6th of April at the Betoota Racecourse.

First published at kellytheobald.com.au/blog and associated media

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Leather Workshop

Red Ridge, CICADAS and RAPAD recently supported a community leather workshop in Birdsville with great attendance. Held over three days, participants could come and go throughout the workshop and worked with Blackall-based artisan Bob Wilson. Participants made key rings, hat bands, mini whips, belts and even reigns using various techniques including circular plaits, square plaits and flat plaits. The workshops were designed to build the capacity of local leather workers so that they can make and sell wares to a professional stand- ard, thereby improving the skills and employment opportunities of the region.

Queensland School Term Dates 2014

Term 1: Tuesday 28 January - Friday 4 April (10 weeks)

Diamantina Shire Council: facebook.com/DiamantinaShireCouncil Term 2: Tuesday 22 April - Friday 27 June (10 weeks) Council and community news for Diamantina Shire residents. Term 3: Monday 14 July - Friday 19 September (10 weeks)

The Diamantina: facebook.com/TheDiamantina News, tourism and Term 4: Tuesday 7 October - Friday 12 December (10 weeks) outback travel inspiration for visitors to the Diamantina.

Birdsville Social Club: facebook.com/BirdsvilleSocialClubInc. Up- Outback Photography: facebook.com/ dates from the Birdsville Social Club about events and activities. channelcountryphotography Beautiful photography from Betoot- based photographer. Betoota Races and Gymkhana: facebook.com/BetootaOutbackQld All the updates about the fabulous events in Australia’s smallest town. Kelly Theobald: facecbook.com/KellyTheobaldWrites Birdsville- based journalist, photographer and author. Birdsville Roadhouse: facebook.com/BirdsvilleRoadhouse Local business supporting the Birdsville community and desert travel. Desert Edge Tours: facebook.com/DesertEdgeTours News, tours and travel inspiration from regional tour operator. Simpson Desert Oasis: facebook.com/simpson.desertoasis Local business and tourism operator in Bedourie. Birdsville Race Club: facebook.com/birdsvilleraces Updates from the Diamantina’s biggest event, the famous Birdsville Races. Birdsville Bakery: facebook.com/birdsvillebakery All the info about Birdsville Fried Chicken nights and more! Send your facebook page URL to the editor for inclusion.

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In pictures

The Diamantina is home to a strong community of talented and prolific photographers. Some of them photograph our beautiful surroundings professionally, while others engage in photography as a hobby. Combined, they showcase a rich and diverse portfolio docu- menting life in and around the Diamantina Shire.

If you have a photo you would like to contribute to Desert Yarns, please send it to the editor at [email protected]

Maggie Den Ronden captured this stunning image of new greenery following the recent rains north of Bedourie (left). You can see some of her other gorgeous shots on the Diamantina Facebook page.

Tourism and Events Queensland recently chose Kelly Theobald’s image (below) as the cover of their Outback Roadtrips blog post, which has been seen by over 20,000 people from around the world. You can see the whole post at http://blog.queensland.com

Professional photographer Rowan Bestmann’s image (below) of cars parked at the Birdsville Race Track during the 2009 Birdsville Races was recently voted National Geographic’s ‘Photo of the Day’ and is still being widely circulated via social media, even four years after it was shot!

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The Diamantina in the media

BROO and roo tail pie will be soon on the menu at an iconic business in Birdsville. The Birdsville Bakery is a popular haunt for visitors and locals alike, with gourmet pies and Australian beer on the menu.

Owners Dusty Miller and Teresa Jackson believe there's nothing better than teaming a beer or wine with a tasty pie and they couldn't see any reason why their business couldn't offer both. “People are very surprised,” Mr Miller said about the bakery's liquor licence. “People often say they have never seen a bakery that has a liquor licence.”

Mr Miller said the bakery's gourmet pies had tanta- lised the tastebuds of many customers, with some of the more high-profile people who have returned Birdsville Bakery owners Teresa Jackson and Dusty Miller. Photo: North West Star after tasting the delicacies including federal member for Kennedy Bob Katter, Harvey Norman boss Gerry Harvey and entrepreneur John Singleton.

It's the curried camel pie that has put the bakery on the map and Mr Miller hopes the new pie - which combines broo beer and kangaroo - will be just as popular.

Mr Miller was a radar technician for the navy and Ms Jackson was a nurse before they decided to open a bakery. They had no experience and Mr Miller admitted: “I thought I was going to go bankrupt in the second year, but we've turned it around.”

Mr Miller said the couple started building the bakery in 2004 and the annual Birdsville Races was by far their busiest time of the year. “A lot of what we do is preparation for the races,” he said.

Mr Miller said he hoped to launch the new broo and roo tail pie in mid April. The bakery is open from 6.30am to 5pm and has a liquor li- cence from midday.

This article was first published in the North West Star on 16th March by Monique Patterson. The story is available from northweststar.com.au

Article about Bedourie in R.M. Williams Outback Magazine , Issue Profile of Birdsville mechanic Peter Barnes in the current 4x4 93, by Kelly Theobald Australia, issue 363, by Kelly Theobald

If you come across anything about the Diamantina, Birdsville, Bedourie or Betoota in the media, we’d love to see it!

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Bedourie Public Sport Did you know…? Tennis: Every Monday, 7pm at the Bedourie tennis Scallops have up to 100 brilliantly blue eyes ar- courts. • ranged around the edges of their shells like a Netball: Every Wednesday, 7pm, at the Bedourie string of beads. Community Hall. • There is actually a fifth, female ninja turtle. She is called ‘Venus de Milo’ and was left behind acci- Sport is free and all equipment is supplied; no experience dentally by Splinter. necessary. All welcome! • Chuck Norris was born one day before Nazi Germany surrendered. • Gambling generates more revenue than movies, Channel Country Ladies’ Day spectator sports, theme parks, cruise ships and recorded music combined. Channel Country Ladies’ Day is an annual not-for- • The best time to buy shoes is in the afternoon or profit event in western Queensland that connects and early evening, as your feet tend to swell through- celebrates outback women. out the day. In Australia’s vast inland, women are often isolated in harsh environments, working hard and raising families • Cape Grim in Tasmania is said to have the clean- away from the conveniences that most Australians est air quality in the world. take for granted. When the closest supermarket is • Scientists concluded that the chicken came first, hundreds of kilometres away, the doctor flies in on a not the egg. The formation of egg shells relies on plane every so often and the temperature hovers in a protein found only in a chicken’s ovaries. the mid-40s for most of summer, it’s easy to forget • A five minute shower in the western world, in- about the gorgeous, feminine women within. cluding Australia, uses more water than the aver- Whether you live on a station or in a town, prefer age person in a developing country slum uses for work boots or stilettos, Channel Country Ladies’ Day an entire day. is a day to celebrate the strong, beautiful, resourceful • IKEA stores are designed like mazes to trick peo- women that you are. ple into buying more things while they’re trying

to find the exit. (It works!) The 2014 Channel Country Ladies Day will be held in Betoota on 17th-19th October, 2014. • In 1967, the first successful heart transplant was For more information, go to performed in Cape Town, South Africa. www.channelcountryladiesday.com.au • Minnie Mouse’s full name is actually Minerva Mouse. Another famous fictional Minerva is Mi- nerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter series. Diamantina blogger is Best • In a lifetime, the average man will shave approxi- Australian Blogs nominee mately 20,000 times. • Human fingernails can grow up to four times fast- Birdsville’s Kelly Theobald is nominated for the Aus- er than human toenails. tralian Writers’ Centre Best Australian Blogs competi- • Underground and under-fund are the only two tion. Winners receive publishing opportunities with words in the English language that begin and end Random House and writing classes. with the letters ‘und’. Kelly’s blog is largely about life in the Diamantina Shire and being nominated for this competition is great publicity for our region. Voting for the ‘people’s choice’ round opens on 4th Birdsville Playgroup April. Visit Kelly’s blog, below, to vote. www.kellytheobald.com.au/blog Daily activities for children. Monday—Friday 9am-12.30pm Visitors welcome Ring Cindy:0447 162 129

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Wedding Bells

Birdsville electrician James Humphries and fiancé Stephanie Selmes will be wed on Daydream Island on 4th April. Good Best wishes to Lauren McShane, ex-Birdsville luck and many happy returns! QGAP officer and daughter of Birdsville Police- man Neale McShane and wife Sandra. Lauren is marrying Damien Wrench in Cairns on Saturday 12th April.

The women of Birdsville celebrated Steph’s impending marriage with a hen’s night at the Birdsville Hotel.

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From the Bedourie and Birdsville State Schools

This year at Birdsville State School it has been SCHOOL THIS WEEK really good with our new Principal, Mrs Rigby. Our new classroom has much more learning At school this week we have been doing space for all of us and when the station stu- assessments in math, English and history. dents come in we all have plenty of space. In English we have been doing persuasive There are only four students at the Birdsville texts - one on bullying and the other on hidden worlds in our imagi- State School, so it is great that the station kids nation. Our assessment in English is to write a persuasive text. We come in because they keeps us company, we have also done spelling. have great discussions and we get to play and be happy. In maths this week we have all done or have started our assessment. We have also been doing our math goals, which are fractions and This semester has gone so quickly because we algebra for Alice and Dakota; number facts for Charlea, Christian and are having fun with our new principal, who is really fun to play and the year fours. Vada and Orin have been practicing adding and sub- talk to during our playtime. Mrs Rigby has been really fun to play tracting and Cassidy has been working on multiplying. handball with and has really made learning fun and interesting. We also have two new subjects that we are learning this year; these are This week in history everyone started on their assessments. Dakota Geography and Drama. I have really enjoyed doing drama. We have has been doing some work on ancient Greece; Alice has been writing not started Geography but I think it will be fun, too. This year has about free settlers; the Grade threes and fours have been writing been the best year I have ever had out of all the years I’ve had at any about convicts and how they lived; and the prep – year twos have school. been writing about a very important moment to them. This year at Birdsville State School has also been great as we have The students have been well-behaved because school is admirable and been doing much more sport. We do swimming lessons every Tues- fun. Everyone has had a wonderful week here and can’t wait ‘till next day and smart moves each morning. The year at Birdsville State week because it’s getting closer to the holidays. School so far has been fun.

Dakota (Year 6) and Alice (Year 5), Bedourie State School. Sam (Year 5), Birdsville State School

I came to Birdsville in 2012 for a two week holiday around Easter time. I just loved it! It had everything I want- ed to do and I was actually allowed to do what I wanted. Towards the end of 2012, my family and I moved to Birdsville. The funny thing about this town is that you know every person and if something ever happened to me, I know that everyone would be looking out for me. There were many changes in my life when moving from Port Augusta to Birdsville. One of these changes was school. In port Augusta I was in a class of about 30 and in the whole school there were almost 250 kids. When I first came to Birdsville at the end of 2012, there were five kids, the next year there were eight and this year there is four. On a rare occasion we will have some of the station kids come in for the day, like Jacob from Mt Leonard. Jessie, Ebonie, Emma and Dean also come in from another station called Durie Station. It is good to interact with other kids and it’s also good for them because sometimes they do get a bit lonely. It’s good for them to come in and tell us what they have been doing.

At Birdsville State School this year there are four kids. Their names are Sam, George, Alicia and I. Since the start of this year at Birdsville State School, I have really enjoyed learning. The new principal, Mrs Rigby, is great and I feel very happy. I can tell the other three students are, too. This semester has gone really quickly! I am always telling locals about how the school has changed and what we are doing at school. At school this year we have been doing a few more subjects than last year. There is one that I do by myself, which is French. The other one that the whole school is doing together is drama. We all enjoy acting and we are having fun during our drama lessons. I am looking forward to doing geography lessons at the start of next term, too. I’m really excited to begin and I hope to learn something new about other countries.

Izayah Gilby (Year 7), Birdsville State School

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Diamantina Reading

This piece of writing was first published on a local blog. Within a few hours of being posted, it had been read over 500 times and ABC Western Queensland called Makayla up for an interview about being the only permanent teenager in Birdsville.

My Name is Makayla Gilby. I am 16 years old and live in Birdsville, outback Queensland. I live here with my mum, dad and brother. We have lived here for almost two years, have loved every minute of it and haven’t looked back since! We moved here in late September 2012 from Port Augusta, South Australia, because dad was working in Birdsville for two months straight and coming home to Port Augusta for only two weeks. As a family living so far away from Makayla (left) and brother Izayah dad, we all found this difficult and missed him greatly and, after a year, we de- cided to give living in Birdsville a go. My younger sister, Quineen (15), didn’t like the remoteness and isolation of living in Birdsville so she currently lives in our house in Port Augusta. I miss not having her live with us but I try and get down to Port Augusta as often as I can to see her and we talk every day, which makes it easier. It wasn’t an easy deci- sion letting her live away from us as we only go to Port Augusta every two months for a week or two; mostly to see family, friends and do a big food shop. I am currently studying year 11 via distance education through Open Access at Marden College in Adelaide. I have four lessons of school, four days a week. The Gilby family. L-R back: Izayah, Each lesson goes for around 50 minutes and I do them in my bedroom inde- Quineen, Makayla. Front: Kylie, Mick. pendently because we don’t have a spare room in our house for schooling. This semester I am studying Numeracy, English, Aboriginal Studies and Modern His- tory, all of which I chose. I do all of my lessons either on my laptop or via teleconference on a mobile phone. It can sometimes be difficult not having the resources I need for school available in Birdsville, but most of the time my teachers will send me up the stuff I need for no extra cost. I plan to go on and complete year 12 through distance education next year. Living in Birdsville is quite diverse and unique: I love the big skies, the sunsets, the uniqueness and the people. People often ask me: “What on earth do you Quineen, Makayla and their Dad do up there?!” and “Why would you want to live there?”. My answer is simple – because I love it! Most of them just look at me like I’m delusional and I know they don’t understand. My spare time and weekends usually consist of fishing, swimming at the local billabong, taking short trips out of town for the day, spending time with family and friends, or sometimes a relaxed weekend at home doing nothing. I have seasonal work at the local bakery for around six months of the year where I clean and also occasionally waitress. I like working at the bakery because the staff are great and I love meeting the tourists that stop by to visit and indulge in one of Dusty, the baker’s, famous camel pies. My hobbies include fishing, swimming, pigging, rodeos, hanging out with friends, motorbike riding and just generally living in Birdsville. I don’t really ever plan, nor desire, to leave Birdsville anytime soon – I guess I’m just used to the occa- sional hot weather and flies and wouldn’t have it any other way! Birdsville sky photographed by Makayla Makayla Gilby, Birdsville First published at www.kellytheobald.com.au/blog

Desert Yarns is searching for both regular and casual volunteer columnists. If you have ever wanted to try your hand at writing for the media, please contact the editor on 4656 3050 or at [email protected]. Some basic training will be provided. This is a great oppor- tunity to try something different, develop new skills, communicate your love of the Diamantina with a wide audience and develop a portfolio of published material. Columns can be about anything relat- ed to the Diamantina and residents from Bedourie are particularly encouraged to apply.

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BEDOURIE, BIRDSVILLE, BETOOTA Name Position Business After Hours Email Contact Hours Contact Contact • Cr Geoff Morton Mayor (07) 4656 3250 (07) 4656 3250 [email protected]

• Cr Garth Tully Deputy Mayor (07) 4746 1219 (07) 4746 1219 [email protected]

• Cr Jody Barr Councillor (07) 4656 3095 (07) 4656 3095 [email protected]

• Cr Don Rayment Councillor (07) 4656 3321 (07) 4656 3321 [email protected]

• Cr Steve Cramer Councillor (07) 4746 1236 (07) 4746 1236 [email protected]

• Leon Love Chief Executive Officer (07) 4746 1202 [email protected]

• Trevor Stewart Works Manager (07) 4746 1202 (07) 4746 1021 [email protected]

• Terry Morris Corporate Services Manager (07) 4746 1202 [email protected]

• Steven Baldwin Tourism and Community (07) 4656 3020 (07) 4656 3331 [email protected] Manager 0408 824 179

• Dave Hannan Birdsville Town Services (07) 4656 3350 0407 146 902 [email protected] Foreman

• Jodie Girdler Bedourie Town Services (07) 4746 1202 (07) 4746 1160 [email protected] Foreman

Shire Profile

The Diamantina Shire is the second largest shire in Queensland, with an area of approximately 95,000 square kilometres and a population of 350 people. The Shire is home to three towns – Birdsville, Bedourie and Betoota. Our main industries are beef production and tourism. The Diamantina Shire is part of the ‘channel country’, which is some of the best contaminant-free natural beef fattening land in Australia.

The Diamantina Shire shares borders with the Northern Territory and South Australia. The Diamantina and Georgina Rivers and the Cooper and Eyre Creeks are the main streams in a network of western Queensland rivers. These three great river systems draw water from an area of 556,000 square kilometres. In the regular dry periods these systems fill numerous semi-permanent waterholes that vary in depth and size.

Points of Interests

Betoota Birdsville Bedourie

• Deon’s Lookout • Big Red Sandhill • Aquatic Centre

• Betoota Hotel • Waddi Trees • Mud Hut

• Browns Creek Camping Area • Simpson Desert National Park • Diamantina National Park

• Dreamtime Serpent Sculpture • The Bilby Way • Cuttaburra Crossing

• Carcoory Ruins • Historic Hotel

• Bourke and Wills’ Campsite • Vaughan Johnson Lookout

• The Meeting Place Sculpture • Dust storm Sculpture

To add your name to the newsletter mailing/email list, or to change your contact details, please advise Kelly Theobald on (07) 4656 3050 or email [email protected]. Alternatively, you may elect to remove your name from the mailing list and access the newslet- ter via the shire website at
www.diamantina.qld.gov.au. Written submissions must be in Mi- crosoft Word format, photographs in JPEG format and flyers in PDF or JPEG format. Please email Kelly Theobald for submission guidelines and style guide.