Toowoomba Philharmonic Society in conjunction with St Ursula’s College is hosting and performing a Moments of Mozart Concert on Saturday, 4th August at 2pm.
The concert will feature The Coronation Mass and highlights from the Great Mass in C Minor. The soloists will include Deb Rogers, Cherie Vera, Phillip Prendergast and Nicola Hayden. The venue is the Toowoomba Philharmonic Concert Hall at 7 Matthews Street, Harristown. Tickets can be bought online or at the door (EFTPOS available). See the website tps.community for more information.
Submitted by: Greg Ottavaiano Production Manager Toowoomba Philharmonic Society
As this year is extra special to all interested in THE ROSE and Tourism, we the volunteer Friends of the Queensland State Rose Garden in Newtown Park will be conducting informative TOURS following the Pruning and free Morning Tea.
The honour to Toowoomba, the Region and all of Queensland by The World Federation Rose Society of EXCELLENCE AWARD needs and deserves explaining plus showing, and this Saturday 4th August is the ideal first occasion…..
This Open Day (Sunday 5th August) at the Royal Bull’s Head Inn we’ll have a number of
*    Christening gowns on display from both the Inn’s collection and others kindly provided
*    Demonstrations/displays by Toowoomba Lacemakers
*    Antique pram display
*    Wooden toys for sale Everyone is welcome to come along to the Royal Bull’s Head Inn, Sunday 5th August between 10am and 4pm. Entry fee’s apply. Don’t forget the upcoming Benjamin Glennie Day on the 18th August 2018.
                  Free for National Trust Member
To keep up to date on what’s happening at the Royal Bull’s Head Inn, head to our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram. Also, if you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, or would like to make a private booking, contact the Trust on <mailto:toowoomba@nationaltrustqld.org> toowoomba@nationaltrustqld.org or phone Debby on 0490 363 719.
Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) is aiming to be crowned as having the tastiest water in Queensland next month when it enters the state finals of the Ixom Best of the Best Queensland Water Taste Test.
Earlier this month TRC was named as the 2018 South West Queensland winner and will now compete at the Queensland finals on 5 Septemberat the Gold Coast. To determine which water to enter in the competition, the Mayor and Councillors have taken part in a taste-off made up from water samples from across the Toowoomba Region.
TRC’s Water and Waste Committee Chair Cr Nancy Sommerfield said this was the first time Council had taken this approach with choosing the water to be entered in the finals. “Normally we send a sample from the Mt Kynoch Water Treatment Plant but this year we thought we’d do things a little differently,†she said.
“We had 13 samples from the region and gave each councillor a chance to perform a blind test to decide which sample to send. “Each councillor used a scientifically proven water wheel to judge the entries by colour, odour and taste with the sample from Haden voted as the tastiest.”
Toowoomba Regional Council is a previous winner of the Queensland title, having won it in 2016 and was also named as the Australian winner in 2017. Water and Waste portfolio leader Cr Bill Cahill said Council was proud of these achievements and would continue to ensure the delivery standard remained high.
“Winning awards such as these, reinforces the methods we have in place and is acknowledgement of the work our staff do at TRC,†Cr Cahill said. “Our staff work tirelessly to ensure the water that’s pumped throughout our region is of the highest quality and continually look for new and innovative ways of servicing the region. It’s easy to take something as essential as water for granted but it’s important to remember that it’s the foundational pillar for the entire region’s economy.â€Â
As a result of winning the national title last year, the Toowoomba Region will host the 2018 National Taste Test competition on 18th October. For more information on Council’s Water and Waste Services, visit http://www.tr.qld.gov.au/ or call 131 872.
Submitted by: Brendan Steinhardt Principal Media and Strategic Relations Stakeholder Engagement and Communications
Toowoomba Regional Council
Spin yourself until you’re dizzy, compare your reflexes to a Formula 1 driver and see your fingertips under the microscope with the Shell Questacon Science Circus.
The local venues will be overflowing with exciting hands-on science exhibits when the Science Circus and its colourful semi-trailer roll into town for an exhibition of its ‘pop-up’ science centre.
Visitors of all ages can enjoy over 40 interactive science exhibits and watch spectacular science shows as Science Circus presenters hold fire in their hands, lie on a bed of nails and levitate beach balls.
“Our exhibition is a fantastic opportunity for the whole community to get hands-on with science. It’s a great way to discover new things about our world and explore the science and technology all around us,†Science Circus presenter Lauren Sullivan said.
The team is visiting local schools across the region, sharing flying rockets, freezing cold liquid nitrogen and gooey slime with students through a range of interactive science shows. “We hope that many of the students we’ve visited in schools will bring their families along to the exhibition, to explore science together and with the rest of the community,†Lauren said.
The Science Circus comprises 16 postgraduate students studying a Master of Science Communication Outreach at The Australian National University. The students spend three months engaging people with science and technology through visits to communities all over Australia.
Since 1985, the Science Circus has inspired over 2.5 million people with interactive science demonstrations during multiple visits to over 500 towns and communities, including 90 remote Indigenous communities.
The Shell Questacon Science Circus is a proud initiative of Shell, The Australian National University and Questacon †The National Science and Technology Centre.
The company constructing Queensland’s Toowoomba Second Range Crossing (TSRC), Nexus, has announced its third round of sponsorship recipients as part of the Nexus Together community giving program.
Australian charity Essilor Vision Foundation (the Foundation), which is providing vision screening to schools located along the TSRC project corridor, has been granted a second round of funding to screen even more local schools.
Under its first grant, the Foundation worked with fourth and final year students at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) School of Optometry and Vision Science as well as local optometrists to screen school children at Helidon, Harlaxton, Murphys Creek, Highfields, Withcott and Flagstone Creek State Schools. More schools are scheduled under the program’s second round of funding.
To date, 514 students have been screened and 191 (37%) have been referred onto local optometrists for bulk-billed assessment. Prescription spectacles are provided by the Foundation at no cost to the children who require them.
FoundationChief Executive Officer Greg Johnson said Nexus Together has shown leadership that serves as an example to other corporations in Australia.
“What a wonderful legacy for the company to leave after its project is complete with many children seeing better at school and achieving improved academic results,†Mr Johnson said.
“The important message to all family members is to have regular eye examinations.â€Â
Nexus Chief Executive Officer John Hagan said Nexus had attended several school screenings and was impressed with the professionalism of both the QUT optometry students and volunteer optometrists.
“We’re delighted to continue our involvement with Essilor in round three of the Nexus Together community giving program as they work to screen even more school children along the TSRC project corridor,†Mr Hagan said.
As well as revisiting a number of large schools for further screening, this round will also focus on additional schools in the Gatton, Grantham, Gowrie Junction, Wellcamp and Bunkers Hill areas.
Mr Johnson urged principals of other local schools with an interest in the program to contact him on mobile 0498 015 230 or by email at greg.johnson@essilorvisionfoundation.org.au
Donate now for Better Life through Better Sight Level 3, 77 Parramatta Road Silverwater NSW 2128 PO Box 6113 DC Silverwater NSW 1811 Mobile: +61 (0)498 015 230 Fax: +61 2 9748 7318 Website: www.essilorvisionfoundation.org.au
The Toowoomba Camellia Show and Garden Expo will be held in the TAFE Quadrangle with entry via Campbell Street, Toowoomba on Saturday, 21 and Sunday, 22 July between the hours of 9.00am and 4.00pm.
The weekend will be a non-stop celebration of everything that is wonderful about Toowoomba and the region in winter. Camellias and winter flowers will take pride of place but there’s much, much more.
A breathtaking program also features inspirational speakers, entertainment, competitions, plant sale, floral art, jewellery, millinery demonstrations, craft and baked goods stall, Toowoomba Choral Society, BBQ stall and speciality coffee outlet.
You’re also invited to visit Pat and Maryanne Lovett’s Winter Garden at 10 Granada Drive, Highfields. Toowoomba Sightseeing is running bus tours to the garden from the Camellia Show, also visiting Peacehaven Park and Davidson Arboretum (bookings phone 0447 070 635).
The famous Joan Falvey Camellia Hall will become a kaleidoscope of unimaginable colour as thousands of blooms, of what is arguably the world’s favourite flower, come together for this two-day extravaganza.
However, colourful committee member Greg Johnson reckons that’s just the beginning of a stunning garden lover’s weekend.
He said, “There’s so much to see and so much to do I simply don’t think two days is enough”.
Front of program are three internationally-regarded experts who will deliver ten contrasting presentations, back-to-back, throughout the show.
Dr Stephen Utick
Camellia expert Dr Stephen Utick will provide two major presentations on heritage camellias and has asked visitors to bring along specimens from their gardens for identification and catalogueing.
“Show favourite Claire Bickle from “Gardening for the Good Life†and ABC Gardening Australia’s “Garden Guru†Phil Dudman will be at their entertaining best and will leave visitors dreaming about major garden makeovers in their own patch.
Committee President Kevin Cotterell agreed it would be a busy weekend. He said, “Camellias are certainly the focus but visitors can also anticipate a 50-strong exhibitor presence, non-stop entertainment from local acts, local fruit and vegetables, gardening tools and equipment, food court and car club displays †something for everyone!â€Â
Gates open at 9.00am for the show/expo and 10.00am for the winter garden. Entry fee is still a tiny $8 for the show/expo, $5 for the winter garden or $10 for the whole package with proceeds going to Toowoomba Hospice.
The Toowoomba Camellia Show and Garden Expo is the perfect segue to September’s Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. We look forward to welcoming visitors from near and far to this unique event.
That’s this year’s message from the National Australia Day Council (NADC).
Sounds simple and it is. The process gets more user-friendly each year, thanks to technology.
The fact is, there are Australians out there who are making amazing contributions to our country and local communities †we all know one, or know of one. The Australian of the Year Awards are about giving these people national recognition and an opportunity to spread their message – but it all depends on someone nominating them.
There are 4 categories:
Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, and Australia’s Local Hero.ÂÂ
So rack your brain and think hard. Nominations for the 2019 Australian of the Year Awards are now open!
It only takes one nomination for someone to be considered for the Awards, but there must be a formal nomination submitted for them.
From the thousands of nominations submitted by the public each year, 128 are recognised at State and Territory level. The State and Territory Awards recipients then go on to be finalists for the national Awards announced on 25 January 2019 in Canberra.
 Your nomination could find the next four Australians of the Year.
Nominate online now at australianoftheyear.org.au or call 1300 655 193 for assistance in submitting your nomination. Nominations close midnight on Tuesday 31 July 2018.
The venue is the Toowoomba Philharmonic Concert Hall at 7 Matthews Street, Harristown. Tickets can be bought online or at the door (EFTPOS available). See the website tps.community for more information.
