Proudly produced by the Babinda Taskforce September 2012 Ph: 4067 2900 Fax: 40672911 Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.babinda.info “The Presidents Notes “ Rachel Nicholas Hi everyone, Babinda District 2012 Telephone Book: Thank you to everyone for your support in making the 9th edition of the phone book possible. Copies are available for purchase at $2 per copy at the Taskforce or if you are a member they are free. Please come into the Taskforce to collect your copy. Australia Day 26 January 2013: It is Babinda’s turn to host Australia Day celebrations. Please register at the Taskforce your availability to help. More information to follow in October’s Newsletter. Volunteer Gardener Required: For approximately ½ hour to 1 hour per week for the garden between the Taskforce Office and the Spirit of Babinda Hall. Please contact Rachel for details Tuesday – Friday. Babinda Steering Group Committee: Please read update in Councillor Brains article inside this edition. Babinda Taskforce AGM: Monday 24th September, 9:30am, Spirit of Babinda Hall. I wish to thank all members and the Executive Committee for their support during the 2011/2012 year. All Executive positions become vacant and nominations for these roles will be taken at the AGM. Everyone welcome, all members have nominating and voting rights. Please note: Next General meeting Monday 24th September, Spirit of Babinda Hall, following AGM. We currently have 112 members. Cheers, Rachel RAINFALL FOR AUGUST 2012 Contribution Disclaimer: All articles in this magazine are Babinda Rainfall - 60.0 mm printed in good faith for the community and do not necessarily represent the views of the Year to date – 3737.2 mm Closing Dates Babinda District Community Association Inc Bellenden Ker (aka Babinda The Taskforce accepts no Top Station - 246.0 mm Friday 5 October responsibility for these articles. Year To Date— 6130.0 mm (Distributed 16 October) Errors and Omissions: Bellenden Ker While every care is taken in the publication of Friday 2 November advertisements and articles, Babinda News Bottom Station - 96.6 mm (Distributed 13 November) cannot be held responsible for omissions or Year to date – 3716.6 mm errors or their subsequent effects. 1 I hope everyone is enjoying the last of the fine dry weather before spring and summer set in with some wetter days. We recently held the Babinda Projects Steering Committee with Council Officers from the Economic Development and Planning branches. Babinda Chamber of Commerce was represented as was MSF Sugar. We discussed the Mill Site Master Plan and tender processes for the demolition has commenced with a number of tenders received already. Tenders close 24 Sep 12 and the whole process will move into the next gear with demolition complete expected mid-2013. The Future Babinda Action Plan was raised and can confirm that Dept of Main Roads has approved signage and the new signage for Babinda is currently being prepared. I can also confirm the Parking signs for the Council car park in town, next to the State Hotel has been removed because they were in the wrong place and were hit a couple of times. We will get new signs on the street indicating the parking available there. I recently attended the formal opening of the Rotary Park shower block opening. The combined energy of all business and various government departments was a sight to behold, very uncommon. However, it has produced a great outcome. Council is endeavouring to find a new site for excess landscape material (gravel, mulch and the like) and it will be moved. We will then bollard the edge of the park for ease of parking. After many recommendations, the shower block has a coin operated shower to regulate the hot water. I’ve been dropping into the Menshed on a Friday to catch-up with what Jim and his crew are up to and they will soon be producing traps for India Myna Birds at a small price. Watch this newsletter for more details. I'm trying to get down to Babinda each Friday, so let Rachel in the taskforce know if you want an appointment to see me. Take care Steve Know Your Library. For those of you interested in art or local artists, it is worth your while dropping into the Babinda Library and to look at two landscapes hanging on the walls in the Adult Fiction section. These paintings of local scenes bring to life images of Babinda Creek and Mount Bartle Frère. Painted by Phyllis “Billie” Vardanega, they depict views of the local scenery easily recognizable by any resident of the Babinda area. The paintings have a connection to the Babinda Library as well. Mrs Vardanega was the wife of Mr Vic Vardanega, long time librarian at Babinda library. I am sure many of our more mature residents will remember borrowing books from him when they were younger. So if you have a moment, drop in to the library and have a look at the artwork, and while you are there why not borrow a book/magazine/DVD/CD or two. See you in the library sometime soon. 2 AMBULANCE NEWS Welcome to another month and thanks to the crew down at the Taskforce who do a wonderful job. It's a handy little 'go to' place down there for all sorts of things. I have returned from my Long Service Leave and as I got back Peter Carnsew took his holidays. I have to thank Zac Pitra who did the OIC job in my absence and thanks to my wife down at the shop who put up with me for the past many 40332570 delivery available weeks. Whilst I was on leave I attended a couple of LAC (Local Ambulance Committee) meetings at the station, our new basket stretcher has arrived and it nearly got used yesterday. A tourist injured his shoulder at Josephine Falls but made his way out MIRRIWINNI GENERAL STORE of the water and fortunately was alright. He has a dislocated shoulder and they hurt - with the swim- POST OFFICE & REAL ESTATE ming season approaching be careful around our Trading Hours Mon-Fri: 8.30-5.30pm swimming holes. Zac and I also gave a demonstration on CPR to the volunteers at Meals on Wheels when they held Sat:7.30-1pm there AGM last month. Everyone enjoyed it and it is good to be refreshed on a life saving skill. Sunday-Closed I spoke months ago how the LAC purchased a Phone:0740676000 'snakes alive' pack. It is a learning resource with DVD, pamphlets and other literature that teaches POST OFFICE TRADING people what to do when approached or bitten by a snake. The weather is warming up and the reptiles Mon to Fri:9am-5pm will be active soon. Bartle Frere school is the first SAT: 9am-11am school we will be attending and then the other schools in our area will follow after the break. Let's Phone/Fax:07 40676204 hope no one needs to use their new found knowledge. Of the 15 odd snake bites I have been to in my career about 1/4 are self inflicted by people MIRRIWINNI REAL ESTATE IS LOOKING who own snakes, 1/4 were bushwalking or moving logs and rocks, 1/4 were just unlucky to have a FOR YOUR BUSINESS. WE HANDLE dolls eye or similar in their kitchen in the middle of EVERTHING FROM SELLING, BUYING, the night or in their garden. The last 1/4 were just RENTALS & HOLIDAY RENTALS. SO GIVE scratched by a stick but got checked over just in case. Basic treatment involves applying a pressure ME A CALL & I WILL COME TO YOU. bandage over the site and keeping the patient as Office:4067 6000 still as possible. Hospitals have a snake venom detection kit and anti venom. Tracey Mobile:0418784493 Until next time, Keep safe. EXCITING NEW ACCOMODATION NEWS: Justin Cairns OIC Babinda If you are expecting family or friends to visit & just don’t have the room to accommodate them, well the problem is solved. Babinda is now able to offer the choice of a studio appt, 2brm or even a 3 brm appt for holiday rental. Minimum of 2 night stay. Fully self contained with everything you need & located in the centre of town. Prices start at $120p/night or weekly rates are available. 3 Leader of Opposition Business Shadow Treasurer Shadow Minister for Trade, Curtis Pitt MP Energy and Water Supply, Main Roads, Aboriginal and Torres Member for Mulgrave Strait Islander Partnerships, Sport and Recreation www.curtispitt.com.au www.facebook.com/curtis.pitt Swinging the axe in the dark The Newman Government has turned its back on regional and rural Queensland by axing the highly successful Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW) initiative without waiting to see the report that lauded it as a sound investment that returned taxpayers’ dollars many times over. There is not a region in Queensland that has not been hit by the LNP government’s slashing of this valuable job generating program. Yet it turns out Education and Training Minister, John Paul Langbroek, never bothered to wait for the report by Deloitte Access Economics that provided unquestionable evidence of the value of the SQW scheme. The Minister’s answer to an Opposition question on notice said he was fully aware Deloitte’s assessment of SQW had started in February this year but Mr Langbroek also said: “The [Deloitte Access Economics] report was not finalised at the time the decision to close the program was made on 16 July 2012.” At the time he axed the scheme Mr Langbroek claimed his decision was not made lightly, however we now know it was taken very lightly and without waiting for the assessment Deloitte was about to provide showing the benefits of the scheme far outweigh its cost.