Issue 87 connect Easter in Gladstone So much to see and do in the region! ct A message from our Mayor nne Non-stop action across the region oWITH COUNCIL With 2019 now in full swing, the first few hosted in Miriam Vale. Students from CPO Box 29, Gladstone Qld 4680 months of the year have been non-stop Miriam Vale State School attended the action across the Gladstone Region – and meeting and had one-on-one time with Phone 4970 0700 to there is no sign of it slowing down. myself and my fellow Councillors. lodge an urgent request or report an issue any time, day or night. Starting the year off with a bang, In mid March, we also celebrated celebrations took place as we welcomed Parks Week 2019 and encouraged our Use our online service the region’s newest citizens and recognised community to explore the abundance of for non-urgent requests. those great members of our community at beautiful outdoor spaces we have available Email: [email protected] the Australia Day Awards and Citizenship right across our region. Ceremony. January 26 then saw www.gladstone.qld.gov.au We have also had plenty of hard work Millennium Esplanade transformed into going on behind the scenes to secure a mecca of family fun as we celebrated a much needed funding for various projects. beautiful, beachy Australia Day. Not the We formally opened the Bray Park Skate www.online.gladstone.qld.gov.au only celebration to take place though, Park and Pump Track in Boyne Island, Council-funded events saw the Australia which was jointly funded through the Day spirit alive across many corners of the Queensland Government's Works for @GladstoneRegionalCouncil region. Queensland program and Council, and Continuing the recovery efforts from the we are continuing our commitment to the 2018 CQ Bushfires, January also saw development of the region's bikeways with @GladstoneRegionalCouncil Council welcome the volunteers from additional bike lanes added to Red Rover Team Rubicon Australia to our region. Road in Gladstone. Armed with gloves, dust masks, shovels It was also exciting to learn USA company @GladRegCnl and a can-do attitude, their efforts were Mercurius will be proceeding with their greatly appreciated as they helped dozens biorefinery pilot plant in Gladstone. The of community members in their recovery. pilot plant will be the trial site for jet fuel and diesel production from agricultural Cr Matt Burnett - Mayor and forestry waste. This is just another E: [email protected] step forward for the Gladstone Region in cementing, developing and innovating within the energy sectors, whether it be Cr Chris Trevor - Deputy Mayor hydrogen, LNG, bio-fuels, coal, solar or E: [email protected] other forms for renewables. And I was excited to launch Easter in Gladstone when national breakfast TV Cr Glenn Churchill - Councillor show Sunrise was in Gladstone earlier E: [email protected] in March. This year, Gladstone will offer an abundance of fun, food, festivals and entertainment over the Easter long February saw crowds wowed as Cr Kahn Goodluck - Councillor weekend. Events include the 71st Brisbane community musical Anything Goes E: [email protected] to Gladstone (B2G) Yacht Race and annual hit centre stage at the Gladstone Gladstone Harbour Festival along with new Entertainment Convention Centre events in the Brisbane to Gladstone Village (GECC). Transformed into the S.S which will host a Brisbane to Gladstone Cr Rick Hansen - Councillor American, I congratulate all those who Line Crossing Party, a Yachtsman's Long E: [email protected] were involved in bringing this musical Lunch and Seafood Festival. adventure on the high seas to life. With plenty of exciting As February came to a close, Gladstone things to come, Cr Peter Masters - Councillor Regional Council’s Gladstone E: [email protected] there is nowhere Entertainment Convention Centre better to be than (GECC) also welcomed hundreds the Gladstone of local government delegates from Region. Cr Natalia Muszkat across Queensland for the 2019 Local E: [email protected] Government Association of Queensland’s (LGAQ) Finance and Strategic Leadership Summit. Cr Desley O'Grady - Councillor With March off to a busy start, the General E: [email protected] Council Meeting hit the road and was Cr PJ Sobhanian - Councillor E: [email protected] Mayor Matt Burnett Gladstone Regional Council Gladstone Regional Council Cover photo courtesy of Shoebox Images Helping hands clean up Residents lent a hand to tidy the Gladstone Region during Clean Up Australia Day. Each year Council supports the Clean Up Australia Day campaign and assists with rubbish collection at registered sites. There was strong support for the community event held in March with the kind donation of skip bins from J.J.Richards, Veolia and Burgmann Environmental Management. Cr Rick Hansen, Mayor Matt Burnett and Cr Peter Masters congratulate Gladstone Auto Club representatives Neil Smith and Greg King. There were 39 clean-up sites registered in our region at Miriam Vale, Boyne Valley, the Harbour Islands, Heron Island, Boyne Grant helps Auto Club Island, Tannum Sands, Yarwun and get back on track Gladstone. 12 schools in our region also The Gladstone Region’s speedway a speedway track layout and controlling registered to participate. community is a step closer to having a water and drainage inside the track local competition venue again, after the enclosure. Information gathered on the day Gladstone Auto Club received an $80,000 enables Council to collect data that contributes to future programs, Facility Assistance Grant through Council’s There are more than 40 active vehicles initiatives and strategies for our 2018/19 Sport and Recreation Grants made up of Junior Sedans, Production and region. program. Modified Sedans, Super Sedans, Sprint Cars, Side Cars, Speedway Bikes, Formula Clean-up volunteers collected some The annual funding program offers three 500 and Micro Sprint classes that have had interesting items including shopping different types of grants to help further to travel outside the region to compete, trolleys, building materials and old develop and grow regional sporting clubs. because of the lack of facilities. furniture. Funding up to $100,000 is available When completed, the new track will also Special collection was required through the Strategic Projects section for encourage outside participants to travel for building materials which were new infrastructure or upgrades to existing to Gladstone and compete here, bringing contaminated with asbestos and sport and recreation facilities. money into the local economy. dumped in bushland at Tannum Sands. The Gladstone Auto Club, which has It will benefit other motorsport Clean Up Australia Day participants been in the region for 40 years, had been organisations in the region that use the along a Hanson Road site also working through various processes with Benaraby complex and provide extra reported a lot of cigarette butts Council to establish a new facility at the space for the Driver Education facility. collected from the roadside. Benaraby Motor Sports Complex, after leaving the showgrounds several years The Gladstone Auto Club believes a local While closer to the ocean, volunteers ago. racing track will help increase membership at Lilley’s Beach, Boyne Island and grow the organisation to benefit reported having collected 2844 This funding will be used for the project’s families and provide activities for the individual pieces of litter. next stage involving preparing and forming broader community. Queensland Youth Week is a fantastic opportunity to attend events, learn new skills, showcase talent and have some fun. QUEENSLAND For more information about what’s happening in our region, contact Youth Gladstone Regional Council on 4976 6311 or visit the event calendar at Week3–14 April www.qld.gov.au/youthweek 2019 Unlimited #QYW19 #unlimited Destiny Unlimited, by Scully, 17 Gladstone Regional Council Page 3 Frank McKee, Citizen of the Year, and Mayor Matt Burnett AUSTRALIADay AUSTRALIADay AWARDS 2019 Community champion awarded top title On January 25, well-known Boyne Peaks Fire Brigade for more than 40 years Frank said his community efforts were Valley resident Frank McKee was named and, until recently, maintained the brigade’s rewarded by outcomes. Gladstone Regional Council’s Australia Day vehicle on a purely voluntary basis. “The results speak for themselves – a Awards 2019 Citizen of the Year. An enthusiastic participant in countless community safe from fire; successful social Frank has been strongly involved in his working bees, he has also keenly worked and community events; and projects,” he community since moving to Builyan to maintain community halls in the area. said. in 1970 and has assisted different “If I see a need, I try to address it - “These all come with planning, hard work organisations in many ways in the Boyne sometimes a personal approach, or and team effort.” Valley and beyond. sometimes I assemble a team and go for Whether it’s manual work, planning, or He has continually inspired others it,” Frank said. behind-the-scenes work, Frank is ready and with his display of community spirit “When people see a positive outcome, it willing to be involved and take part - even and his dedication in working towards encourages them to also get involved. to the point of providing entertainment. improvements for his community. “I always try to