Mayor Mike Brunker and Cyril Vains in court over alleged assault

 Whitsunday Regional Council mayor Mike Brunker has denied provoking a fight at the Bowen races last August, which made headlines across the nation.

 “I’m not a fighter,” Mr Brunker told defence barrister Terry Collins yesterday.

 Mr Collins is appearing for Cyril Alfred Vains, who has pleaded not guilty to one count of common assault.

 During the first day yesterday of an anticipated three-day hearing, Mr Brunker was the first in a long line of witnesses due to be called.

 Mr Brunker told Bowen Magistrates Court yesterday he’d gone to the Ben Bolt Cup meeting last August both to have a day out and be seen by racegoers as he was the Labor candidate at last year’s election.

 He’d placed signs at the track’s carpark and the entry gates and was having a beer with council deputy Rogin Taylor and his campaign manager, when Vains told him to remove the signs and leave the track.

 An argument followed during which he called Vains a “dog” and a “low, mongrel dog” but didn’t consider that serious abuse.

 Mr Brunker also said that Vains called him a liar and a thief, terms he was familiar with during his long time in politics and which no longer upset him.

 He said Vains three times challenged him to a fight but he put his hands on his hips and tried to reason with his protagonist.

 Going to the carpark after he’d been banned, Mr Brunker said Vains again challenged him to a fight, and “king hit” (got the first punch in), “making me see stars and popping the blackheads on my nose”.

 However, the blow wasn’t forceful enough to knock the hat off his head, Mr Brunker said.

 Mr Brunker said he’d swung his arms around in an effort at self-protection and couldn’t say whether he connected with Vains’ face and couldn’t comment on how Vains sustained a graze to his nose.

 “I had no intention of fighting. I went to the races to enjoy myself and have a punt,” Mr Brunker said.

 The hearing is continuing.

Premier visits Whitsunday Coast Airport at Proserpine

 Premier Anna Bligh has personally inspected the Whitsunday Coast Airport in Proserpine, to see firsthand how the airport’s upgrade is progressing.

 “This airport is so important because it is the first glimpse of the region and first impressions really count,” Ms Bligh said.

 Ms Bligh said from this week locals would be seeing a big change with the opening of stage one’s new check-in section.

 “The room is modern, filled with light, and spacious. The Whitsundays deserves this upgrade,” she said.

 After the state’s announcement that Abu Dhabi would donate $30 million to flood and cyclone relief, the Premier said discussions were being held this week to determine the best place for a shelter in the Whitsundays.

Action group finds a way forward for Hydeaway Bay

 Members of the newly formed Hydeaway Landslide Action Group have potentially found a way forward for the disaster-stricken residents of Hydeaway Bay.

 A letter containing 70 signatures was presented to council last week, requesting a submission be made to the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA).

 Spokesperson for the group Dan Glasgow said this would allow Hydeaway Bay to qualify for disaster status as per Cyclone Yasi and the Queensland floods.

 “We’re sitting on a time bomb. This could happen again,” Mr Glasgow said.

 Mr Glasgow said the group was calling on the Premier to visit Hydeaway Bay.

 “She has visited every other natural disaster area this year so we’re requesting that she visits us to see the circumstances we’re living in firsthand. We have discovered that the then Premier Wayne Goss visited Hydeaway Bay after landslides in 1991,” Mr Glasgow said.

 Former Mayor Glen Patullo, (1988-94) confirmed this, saying he personally flew over the area with Premier Goss and decided further development should be prohibited at the western end of Hydeaway Bay.

 “The shire council spent about $460,000 on a new town plan to that effect. We almost had it completed and then in 1994 I was voted out. As I understand it the following council saw fit to sack the consulting town planner,” Mr Patullo said.

 “It’s my understanding the state government and department of local government approved further development, and that makes them directly responsible for what has happened now,” he said.

 Current Mayor Mike Brunker confirmed council had now made a submission to QRA as requested, but Cr Brunker stressed the process would take time.

 “This is not going to be fixed overnight,” he said.

 Mr Glasgow said he was very happy to hear council had referred the matter to QRA.

 “However, we suspect that if we can’t move this to a state government level the process will stall,” he said.

 Mr Glasgow also said council needed to release geotechnical reports as previously promised.

 “We need that for the first step and in order to decide what further geotechnical investigations may be necessary,” he said.

 Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt said she believed QRA was the appropriate body to be assessing the situation at Hydeaway Bay under the disaster declaration.

 “I’m fairly confident that the process is proceeding as it should,” Ms Jarratt said. 

State of Origin footy fever begins

 Tonight is the night when the top NRL players will play for their life in the first game of the great State of Origin series - and only the colour of the jersey will unite or divide everyone now.

 Sports fans Jonna Walden and Aaron Derbin will be supporting their teams and have tipped Jonathon Thurston to take Man of the Match tonight.

 Ms Walden said she will be wearing her maroon jersey with pride and will enjoy a typical barbeque before sitting down and watching the match.

 This type of footy fever is taking over Queensland and New South Wales as both sides go head to head.

 Even the Australian Red Cross is doing their bit to show support by running a 'Donate for your State' blood challenge, asking eligible donors to bleed for their state and donate before the series begins.

Whitsundays Fight Night III

If you missed out on Fight Night III – a huge event in Airlie Beach that attracted over 700 people last weekend – Fight Night IV is just around the corner.

 Whitsunday Boxing Club Present Paul Barnett said the next hugely popular event would be held in late October, with some fantastic additions to the arena.

 “First we are thinking about having a cage for the mixed martial arts fights. The ropes on the side of the ring are just too dangerous and they really get in the way of the martial artists,” Mr Barnett said.

 The PCYC was full to the brim last Saturday night as the crowds took advantage of the big screens and compelling comparing which included over five hours of hard core entertainment.

 Two female fighters Tanya Hoey and Kirsten Bell boxed their way through three rounds and into the history books as the first female boxing match ever to take place in the Whitsundays.

 Mr Barnett was so pleased with the boxing prowess and the crowd’s behaviour, especially the support shown for the big night considering money is tight in these times.

Fire at Fish D'Vine

One of the Whitsunday’s premiere dining venues has been extensively damaged by fire, which ripped through the two-storey building early on Monday morning.

 The kitchen at the newly opened Fish D’Vine on the corner of Shute Harbour Road and the Esplanade in Airlie Beach was engulfed in fames when firies arrived at the scene just after 1am.

 Business owner Kevin Collins said he was first on the scene after the security company had called to notify the alarm had been activated.

 “I thought maybe someone was trying to break in but when I got here the kitchen was well and truly on fire,” Mr Collins said.

 “I had the fire hose in one hand and my mobile in the other calling Triple-0. I was scared.

 “The police got here then the firies…but there’s basically nothing left of the kitchen and the entire place is smoke damaged,” Mr Collins said.

 Police and forensic investigators were at the scene on Monday to determine the cause of the two fires, the second one sparking later that morning, the firies said, in a dryer under the building’s stairwell.

 While Fish D’Vine has been a popular venue in the Whitsundays for some seven years, recently moving from the Esplanade into their prominent corner position some 18 months ago, Mr Collins said it would only be a matter of time before they were up and running once again.

 “Well we managed to save the rum!” he said, “So when we re-open, bigger and better, we’ll celebrate with smoked mackerel and rum,” he joked.

Complaints voiced at Villa Botanica

Controversy is deepening at ‘Australia’s most romantic venue’ (Australian Traveller Magazine), with roughly 30 people publicly protesting the activities of boutique Whitsunday wedding business Villa Botanica last weekend.

 In a letter to the editor in last week’s Guardian, Villa Botanica’s manager Janet Hogan said opposition to the current development application (DA) for 80 person weddings, in the rural, residential-zoned suburb of Woodwark, was orchestrated by a “small” group, “based on emotion and fiction rather than fact”, however a significant number of lot owners, their families and supporters have disagreed.

 The Hogan’s immediate neighbour Dagmar Thomsen (who has objected to the DA) said, “This is not about submissions for or against. It’s about one family (the Hogans) against 40 families”.

 “Council needs to realise what they could be opening up (if the DA is approved). Anyone who has a beautiful house or garden could do this. We’ll have no residential land left,” she said.

 Chairman of the recently formed Botanica Lot Owners Group Warren Hancock said Saturday’s gathering was merely a prelude to a potentially larger protest, which would be timed to coincide with a wedding.

 “At this stage we’re looking to organise a peaceful protest around the time of a wedding. We’re not trying to create any disruption; we just don’t want to be overlooked. It’s important that people know what’s happening.”

 “One of the main tasks we set ourselves was in response to the Hogan’s propaganda about having no complaints. The lot owners wanted to make sure council knew more than half of us were objecting to this and wanted to be heard,” Mr Hancock said.

Ms Hogan said the gathering was a publicity stunt and if the protesters were sincere “they would have stood at the gate for three or four hours to count the traffic”.

“I could have people waving placards in the street saying ‘save our business’ but I don’t believe that’s the right way to approach this. This has to be decided by facts not pressure. Hopefully council will have the common sense to see this for what it is.”

“All we are doing is changing our business model from fewer guests, more weddings to more guests, fewer weddings. I’ve listened to anyone with a valid concern and addressed it. We want to operate as a responsible business,” she said.

Villa Botanica will appear on Channel 7’s Better Homes and Gardens on Friday May 20 at 7.30pm.

The Great Cane Robbery

The sugar industry, that has kept the town of Proserpine alive and prosperous for well over a century is on the brink of a $140 million debt, around $10million of which rests in the Proserpine area.

 Due to what local farmers are calling a "sweetheart deal" between the Proserpine Sugar Mill and Queensland Sugar Limited (QSL) over shortfalls in sugar from 2010, approximately two-thirds of this debt could be passed to the growers – a debt they say is not theirs to pay.

 General Manager of the Australian Cane Farmers Association (ACFA) Stephen Ryan said, “The issue is that some people are going to go bankrupt over this”.

 Manager of Canegrowers Proserpine Mike Porter said, “I wouldn’t like paying $10 million either. “Yes the growers are starting to complain and quite rightly so. They need to have answers about what went wrong”.

 “What this comes down to is who owns that debt. The mill is prepared to accept some but not all of it.

 “Who is to blame? Is it the growers because they couldn’t deliver? Or is it the mill because they overstated or didn’t reduce the estimate down? Who is responsible for a weather event?”

 Mr Porter said his organization had been dealing with the mill for around eight weeks to try to resolve the issue of ownership of that debt.

 “We have yet to receive legal confirmation that that the growers are responsible for that debt.

 Local cane farmer Bob Bennett maintains the debt should belong to the mills and QSL.

 “This debt has come about through non-delivery and poor forward estimates by the mills coupled with an aggressive forward selling regime by QSL. We as growers had no access to the Raw Sugar Supply Agreement (RSSA).

 “We’ve basically got a non-disclosed contract overriding our supply contracts that could cost us the shirts off our backs if the mills have their way.”

 Fellow farmer Trevor Biggs asked, “At what point does the responsibility shift to the mill? If you can go back to your supplier at any time to recover your losses you can’t go broke. This is unconscionable conduct at its worst.

“We believe the capital reserves on balance sheets at the mill should be utilized for this bill. There’s too many marginal growers that can’t sustain this sort of a hit,” Mr Biggs said.

 CEO of the Proserpine Co-operative Sugar Milling Association John Power held firm that this was an industry debt and the industry as a whole should be prepared to pay.

 “They (the farmers) get two-thirds of the revenue and they get two-thirds of the risk,”

 “This has been a constant for many years. Unless people want to change the split of revenue sharing why would anyone in the milling industry take on more risk?

 “The risk has always been there, but it took the terrible rainfall of 2010 to bring it out.

 Mr Power said QSL have committed to discussions, starting next month, which will look at how the pools operate both now and in the future.

Relay for Life

More than 350 people converged on the Whitsunday Sports Park last weekend to raise money for Cancer Council Queensland in a symbolic ‘Relay for Life’. A total of 20 teams walked for almost 18 hours, commencing at 3pm on Saturday afternoon and finishing shortly before 9am the next day.

 Master of Ceremonies John Powell described Saturday’s candle lighting ceremony (in remembrance of loved ones lost) as a “very moving event”.

 “There would have been at least two hundred candles around the track. It really brought the meaning of the moment home to everyone,” Mr Powell said.

 Cancer survivor and Relay for Life PR person Corrie Gardner said this was the first year she had actually participated in the event.

 “Walking all night might sound painful, but when you share it with friends it’s actually a really nice experience.

 “I just could not believe the atmosphere. It was all about friendship and warmth and supporting each other – which you don’t see enough of these days,” she said.

 Ms Gardner said through a combination of individual and team efforts almost $20,000 was raised for Cancer Council Queensland under the banner of the Relay for Life event.

 Regional fund raising co-ordinator for Cancer Council Queensland Rebecca Pascoe said this was amazing.

 “To have that many people involved in a regional area is always inspiring – there were so many young people there, and that’s one of the things we need to keep the message going,” Ms Pascoe said.

Tribute to Whitsunday Nurses

Nurses in the Whitsunday region were congratulated on Thursday, which marked International Nurses Day for the work they do within the local community.

 The Proserpine Hospital hosted an afternoon tea and presented special awards to local nurses to acknowledge the positive influence they have not only patients’ lives but also on the lives of their families and friends.

 Acting director of nursing and facility manager Donna Martin said all nurses should be proud of themselves and International Nurses Day is a time to reflect and pay tribute to them.

 “They go above and beyond the call of duty. It is important they know they are respected and acknowledged for what they do,” Ms Martin said.

 Proserpine Hospital clinical nurse Tina Badenhorst was awarded the Mackay Health Service District Nurses’ Nurse award last week as well as the Peta Watson memorial trophy for the positive work she brings to the hospital staff’s team. 

Battle for Villa Botanica

70-Year-old Dagmar Thomsen believes her chance for a peaceful retirement could be shattered if Council approves a controversial development application at Villa Botanica.

 Ms Thomsen owns a block of land outside the Botanica residential estate, which directly abuts the boutique-wedding venue ‘Villa Botanica’. Owners of Villa Botanica and developers of the gated estate Ralph and Janet Hogan currently hold a permit to operate small 15 person weddings, which they have now applied to expand.

 Ms Thomsen and other landowners within the Botanica precinct say the Hogans have been running larger weddings for some time, despite the fact their current permit does not entitle them to do so. Ms Thomsen and the Body Corporate of Botanica estate say they are now prepared to go to the planning court if the application is approved.

 “Before I even signed the papers I told them (the Hogans) my situation. I’ve worked hard in the tourism industry for 27 years. I wanted to make sure I had distance from my neighbours. They said it was a small family business and they had no aspirations to get any bigger,” Ms Thomsen said.

 “Now I have to put up with the noise and traffic. I try to avoid coming down here anymore. I got physically sick. I’m stressed out. This is just the worst thing.”

 Meanwhile the Hogans say it was never their intention to upset anyone; merely that their business model has evolved.

 “We would do anything to get on with our neighbours. We love this property,” Mr Hogan said.

 “The best solution in all of this is for people to come here and see the venue. I don’t see that we’ve compromised anyone’s peace and quiet. Time will prove that. At the end of the day it will all come down to whether we are genuinely causing a problem or not,” Ms Hogan said.

 Chairman of the Botanica Body Corporate Greg Lange says he feels very sorry for Dagmar.

 “The poor lady must be devastated,” he said.

 “How many councillors would like to be in Dagmar’s shoes? This is not what the town plan had set aside for this area. Gated residential estates are about homes and residences, not commerce.”

 Mayor Mike Brunker said Council was planning to make its decision at the end of this month during an ordinary council meeting.

 “It will be assessed under the town planning scheme and the objectors submissions will all be taken into account like in any other development application we assess,” he said.

 Cr Brunker said Council had decided not to waste time and money on prosecuting the Hogans (for their current practices), now that their application was lodged because of prior precedents.

 “In previous cases where we’ve tried to issue an injunction the judge ruled that the application had to be heard first,” Cr Brunker said.

 “In the meantime I would prefer them (the Hogans) to stick to the original licence of 15 person weddings,” he said.

Action group formed at Hydeaway Bay

In the wake of March’s devastating landslides, an action group has now formed at Hydeaway Bay.

 Spokesperson for the group Dan Glascow, said many of the residents felt abandoned by both local and state governments.

 “Everybody who bought here had a right to expect they would be safe.

 “The event was of such gravity they (council) called in a geotechnical engineer and declared it a natural disaster area. They recognised the seriousness and threat to life and property but then they left and now they’re not responding to what we say,” Mr Glascow said.

 Mr Glasgow said residents wanted risk assessments of every property.

 “We need a consultant who’s going to look at what’s safe and what isn’t. If these things can’t be managed in some way then this place is uninhabitable,” he said.

 Mayor Mike Brunker said council could not go onto private property and protect the residents from future slides.

 “We can’t reassure them it won’t happen again. I suggest they get some advice from a geotechnical engineer,” Cr Brunker said.

 Action group members met yesterday with LNP candidate for the seat of Whitsunday Jason Costigan to discuss their options.

 “I have heard the concerns of residents firsthand and while I have no magic wand I will be doing my best to achieve some positive outcomes for them,” Mr Costigan said.

 Mr Glascow said this was just the start.

 “We expect a long haul,” he said.

Whitsunday businesses help backpackers in need

Whitsunday businesses banded together to help a group of backpackers whose pre-booked adventure sailing trip fell through last week.

 Emil Janssen from Holland was one of 14 travellers who did not depart from Abel Point as planned. Mr Janssen was originally booked on the Oz Sail boat Freight Train through Sydney-based booking agency Wicked Travel, but at check-in time he was told the boat could not go. Mr Janssen was upgraded to the boat Spank Me but this too was unable to depart.

 “We waited and waited but nothing happened,” Mr Janssen said.

 Owner/operator of Pro Sail David Malloy said he was working at the marina and found the group on the dock.

 “They’d been waiting for hours,” Mr Malloy said.

Manager of Oz Sail Fraser Yule said the company advised customers that Freight Train was inoperable, relocating them to Spank Me prior to finding unforseen problems with this vessel’s propellor.

“I was advised reinstallation would be a relatively easy task and everything would be ready to go so we could take these people out as planned, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case,” Mr Yule said.

Mr Malloy said he felt compelled to step in, offering all affected parties a place aboard his vessel Condor, departing the next day.

 “We’re having a hard enough time as it is without sending people away from the Whitsundays not having experienced what they could,” he said.

 To make up the shortfall in a night’s accommodation, management at Airlie Waterfront Backpackers provided discounted beds, free wi-fi, free luggage storage and car-parking for the duration of the trip.

 Whitsunday Charter Boat Industry Association (WCBIA) Executive Secretary Deb Lewis commended these actions.

 “I support David Malloy in his amazing efforts to turn this situation around. I am proud to see one of our members take responsibility to give these people the wonderful trip they deserve,” she said.

 “It all turned out perfectly,” Mr Janssen said. “I’m glad I’ve seen the Whitsundays now.” 

Proserpine Golf on course for recovery

After battling one of the worst wet seasons, the Proserpine Golf Course now has something to look forward to this year.

The club has just received a special gift of $60,000 in funding which will go towards a new storm water drainage system and repairing existing infrastructure on the course.

During last year's wet season, the club was forced to close for five months, only opening on the occasional day, and as the only 18-hole course in the Whitsundays, its closure was problematic for golfers as well as the club.

Proserpine Golf Club president Alison Day said the club even faced closure with no one playing for such a long period of time, and the damage from Cyclone Ului last year was also a further step back.

Now however, hopes have been restored and the much-needed funding will go a long away to securing the course's life for hopefully a long time to come.

"It's a lease of life for the club. Members were getting fed up of not being able to play. Local members are the life blood of the course," Ms Day said.

Proserpine Golf Club member of 15 years Ron Jamieson said as a regular player on the course the funding is a great step forward.

"It's fantastic. We really appreciate it and it will go a long way," Mr Jamieson said, adding its not just him, but all members, feel the same way.

Whitsunday MP Jan Jarratt met with Ms Day on Thursday to discuss the plans for the course.

"This money will not only help to address the club's immediate recovery needs, but also make it more wether resistant for the future," Ms Jarratt said.

Commencement of the project will commence soon and take around two months to complete.

Whitsunday FC Women working the ball

Whitsunday FC Premier Women played the JPL under 17’s in a home game on Saturday. The game kicked off at 5pm ending in a final result of Whitsunday FC nil to JPL 7.

 Women’s manager Annette Tween said the team worked very hard, being up against a very well drilled unit (JPL). 

 “The opposition came out firing from the very first moment, scoring their first goal in the second minute.  More goals followed in quick succession with the score at the end of the first half being 4 nil,” she said. 

 “During the second half only three goals were scored by the opposition, and were it not for the incredible effort of keeper Becka Page, the ball would have found the back of the net many more times.”  

 Even more remarkable was the fact this was Becka's first game back since giving birth to her baby daughter only five weeks ago.

 “It was good to see Bec back. She made quite a few good saves and kept the score below double figures,” said team captain Emily Smart, who also commended Nichola Borellini as a stand-out player of the match.

 Georgia Murray, who was playing in the left midfield made a valiant effort to hold the JPL girls at bay but it didn't always go her way.

 “Likewise, Emily Smart tried to hold the team together but the JPL girls were far too quick with the ball and found their way around our girls to pass the ball to their striker,” Ms Tween said.

 “All in all this was a struggle for the Whitsunday FC ladies who worked their hardest minus some of their key players but to no avail.  They did not give up at all against one of the top Mackay teams,” she said.

 This Saturday, May 14, Whitsunday FC Premier Women will play another home game against City Brothers, kicking off at 5pm. Saturday’s club games will be held at the Whitsunday Sports Park, Jubilee Pocket, with spectators welcome to attend.

Inspirational speakers visit the Whitsundays

 2009 Toastmaster’s world champion public speaker Mark Hunter joined forces with 23-year-old Congo-born Ilyasi Siraji and dancer-turned-stockbroker Li Cunxin (of Mao’s last dancer), as guest speakers at the Rotary annual conference last weekend.

 These three inspirational men, from very different backgrounds, took the stage at the PCYC to deliver individual speeches with a common theme - optimism.

 “The difficulties in life are designed to make us better not bitter,” quoted Ilyasi Siraji, who at the tender age of 17 fled the Congo with three siblings in tow.

 “I consider myself the luckiest person in the world. Four years ago I could not have imagined this,” he said.

 Li Cunxin, who escaped a life of abject poverty in Communist China, spoke of the glass half-full metaphor and reiterated the importance of passion.

 “If you don’t truly love what you do then you really can’t be good at it. Without passion you can’t reach your potential,” he said.

 Mark Hunter said speaking at the Rotary conference was an opportunity to “make a difference”.

 “When you multiply the audience by time that’s almost 200 hours of life. My goal is to make a difference to at least one person,” he said.

 Both Li Cunxin and Ilyasi Siraji were, at one time, beneficiaries of Rotary.

 “I was on the receiving end of the great things Rotarians do. Coming from a third-world war-torn country, Rotary helped me integrate. I want to encourage them,” Ilyasi said.

 Li Cunxin said it was the opportunities given to him by Rotary that “helped me to change my views about the western world”.

 “It’s important to remind them what a difference they make.”

Grand Airshow celebrates 50 years of the Whitsunday Airport

 The Whitsunday skies were buzzing last weekend, with sights and sounds for the pleasure of all at the 2011 Grand Airshow.

 Planes on the ground and in the sky ranged from the World War II vintage heavy metal warbird Grumman Avenger to the homebuilt Savannah Ultralight, with a variety of rotary winged aircraft in between. Displays included precision aerobatics from Pitts Special bi-planes and the superb formation flying of the RAAF Roulettes.

 The show, which proved a highly popular community event, was also a celebration of the Whitsunday Airport’s 50^th birthday. The weather was glorious and it seemed as though the entire population of the Whitsundays had turned out to watch.

 Whitsunday Airport owner Jeffrey Ruddell described the event as “brilliant!”

 “It’s fantastic to see so many people – there’s been a huge crowd response. A lot of hard work has come to fruition for the enjoyment of many people – it makes me really happy,” Mr Ruddell said.

 Mr Ruddell was treated to a flight in the crowd-pulling Grumman Avenger, piloted by 2009 Australian unlimited aerobatics champion Paul Bennet, from MaxxG Aerobatics.

 Mr Bennet, who currently ranks second in the country, said he always enjoys flying in the Whitsundays, a feeling reiterated by Roulette Leader Glenn Canfield.

 “It’s absolutely fabulous scenery – we did a warm-up/practice-run over Hamilton Island and Whitehaven Beach prior to the show – it was a great view; beautiful water and terrain,” Mr Canfield said. To see the full feature on the Whitsunday Grand Airshow, pick up a copy of the Whitsunday Coast Guardian, available now at leading news agencies, service stations, Coles (Cannonvale) and the Chapman Street office in Proserpine.

Rotary holds Annual Conference in the Whitsundays

 Throughout the Labour Day long weekend Rotary District 9550 welcomed fellow Rotarians from North Queensland and the Northern Territory to the annual four-day conference held at the PCYC under the banner of  ‘building communities, bridging continents’.

 After a welcome reception held aboard Seaflight on Friday evening, the event was officially opened on Saturday by Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business Jan Jarratt, who said in ten years as Member for Whitsunday she had been “genuinely honored by the commitment of Rotary to this community.”

 Ms Jarratt said Rotary’s philosophy was “the embodiment of the mantra - think global, act local” and it was for this reason the “role of Rotary is still so relevant.”

 Nonetheless Rotary International President representative Stuart Heal stressed the importance to the organisation of adapting to changing trends of communication or risk becoming irrelevant to a younger audience.

   In attendance this weekend were many younger faces, notably 22 international members of the Rotary Youth exchange program, including Proserpine’s Marie Kallenberg (from Germany), who opened the conference with a parade of flags.

 The young ambassadors, emboldened with badges and smiles, carried their nation’s flags representing the Rotary ethos of building communities and bridging continents.

  Chair of the Youth Exchange Program for District 9550, Sandy McEachan, is calling for students interested in exchange or families keen to participate in hosting to apply for 2012.

Local talent at Wintermoon

 17-year-old Jessica Eriksson from Strathdickie turned more than a few heads at the WIntermoon singer/songwriter contest last weekend.

 Jessica’s song “An unwritten story” was written in the Whitsundays and performed at the festival to an appreciative audience.

 “The song is about growing up; about not knowing where I’ll be in life,” Jessica said.

 Jessica described her festival performance as “exhilarating”.

 “It’s good to play in front of people,” she said.

 Jessica made it through to the final heat of the competition, which saw her performing live on the main stage of Wintermoon on Sunday.

 Proud mum Wendy Eriksson was watching her daughter from the front row and videoing the momentous event.

 “It’s hard to hold a camera straight when you’ve got tears streaming down your face,” she said.

 Also flying the Whitsundays flag were Valerie and Leola Adams, whose joint clothing enterprise is part of the ‘Made in the Whitsundays’ campaign.

 “Our clothing is all individually cut and hand dyed by ourselves. It’s sewn locally and we use water-saving methods,” Valerie said.

 The mother and daughter team said this was their first time trading at the festival and they had been fairly well received.

 “Morally people are more aware theses days and do want to support locals and local manufacturing,” Valerie said.

 “We find at festivals like this people are very like-minded.”