Home Blog Page 113

USQ 2014 Harmony Day Celebrations In Toowoomba

Newshound
-
0

Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home †from the traditional owners of the land to those who have come from countries around the world.

The USQ community marked the occasion on Wednesday, 19th March with dancing, singing, food stalls, sporting activities, cultural games and a fashion show. The campus was a sea of colour with students wearing cultural attire, and exotic fragrances filled the air from an array of international cuisine .

When Yanerle Kimmins and her sister Elizabeth designed her University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Harmony Day outfit, they wanted to represent the diversity of the Milne Bay culture.  The Kimmins sisters were among hundreds of people to visit USQ Toowoomba for the celebrations.

With jewellery and clothing items hailing from different areas across the Papua New Guinea province, Yanerle’s outfit certainly impressed. “You wouldn’t find this outfit in one area of Milne Bay †we wanted to mix it up to show snippets of the region,” Elizabeth said.

Yanerle Kimmins proudly shows her outfit
Yanerle Kimmins proudly shows off her Milne Bay outfit
Sangita Bhandaiu Thapa
Sangita Bhandaiu Thapa performs at USQ Harmony Day

Yanerle, who will soon start a USQ Tertiary Preparation Program, said she chose to get into the spirit of Harmony Day because of her pride in her culture. “It’d be a shame not to share it with other people and I also wanted to educate others about our culture,” she said. “There are many cultures in Australia so it’s good for us all to understand where each other are from.”

USQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas said it was great to see many different ethnicities come together to celebrate Australia’s cultural, social and religious diversity. “Crowds surrounded stalls and demonstrations by people representing places including Saudi Arabia, Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Korea. “The 2014 Harmony Day theme was ‘everyone belongs’ and that was certainly on display today.”

For more information about multiculturalism at USQ visit www.usq.edu.au/multicultural

Submitted by:
Rhianwen Whitney
University of Southern Queensland
Toowoomba

Still Time To Enter St Patrick’s Day Competition

Newshound
-
0

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES EXTENDED!

To enter, simply email your favourite Irish joke or limerick and be in the running for a $50 voucher from Kendo’s Irish Cafe, 490 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba.

And remember to visit Kendo’s on Monday March 17, St Patrick’s Day for traditional Irish food including Irish stew, Irish coffees and desserts and Irish music. You’ll be served by colleens in traditional Irish costume (be careful what you say within the nun’s hearing, though).

Entries in our St Patrick’s Day Competition definitely close on Sunday, March 16th at 3pm.
Hurry and email your Irish joke or limerick to winners@trrcontests.com

First Model Rocket Launch Of The Year

Newshound
-
0
Rocket Launch at TARMAC
Rocket Launch at TARMAC

From 1:30pm Saturday 15th March, those who wish to have an “afternoon with a difference” or who want to take the kids to something ‘different’ couldn’t do better than to come to the Model Rocket Launch at the TARMAC (Toowoomba Amateur Radio-Controlled Model Aircraft Club) field on the New England Highway, 10kms south of Toowoomba on the New England Highway …. just past “the Mill – The Outlook”. (look out for the windsock in the field on the right).

What is also so good is that it is all free! …. just drive in and park….relax in the folding chair you’ve brought with you….avail yourself of the canteen if you wish..but watch and be part of the action. (There are toilet facilities on site too).

As a bonus, senior boys from the Space Pilots’ club will catapult-launch several balsa “gliders” in competition with each other… that should be very interesting!

Thanks to TARMAC for hosting these events every year ….this is the first one for 2014. So do come and enjoy yourself.

Submitted by:
Barry Whisson
Launch Controller

 

Premiere of ‘Tailgate’ Coming Soon To Dalby

Newshound
-
0

Since a small team of filmmakers descended on the Darling Downs there have been whispers in the wind that their feature film †filmed largely in Dalby †will soon be making its way to Dalby’s Civic Theatre. Now, Brisbane production company Socrates Films can confirm that Queensland film ‘Tailgate’ will have an exclusive screening at the Civic Theatre on Saturday, 15th March.
Tailgate carFeaturing the talents of Dalby’s own Zan Gooderham (a three month old, bright eyed baby) and shot on location at Russell and Vonnie Dent’s Westgate Seeds, ‘Tailgate’ showcases Dalby’s unique and picturesque landscape. The Dalby countryside’s natural beauty and desolate sparseness caught director Jai Hogg’s eyes during a road trip. Westgate Seeds proved to be the perfect backdrop for the final act of the film.

“We needed to find a location that had the perfect mixture of open space and liveliness,” says Jai Hogg. “There is something majestic about the Dalby fields in the sense that these locations feel alive and yet barrren. Also, the sky is just beautiful. When you combine those elements with incredibly generous landowners, well then you’ve got the perfect location.”

Dalby will now have the honour of hosting the first public screening of ‘Tailgate’. In addition, Jai Hogg along with the key crew and some cast will be available for a question and answer session directly after the screening.

“To some extent, I feel like the community of Dalby owns a part of our film. It wouldn’t exist without them and it also wouldn’t be of the caliber it is without their support and enthusiasm. It feels like we’re showing the film to our Dalby family and I can’t wait for them to enjoy seeing the local vistas in our film”, says Jai.

‘Tailgate’ is an unnerving film about meticulous manipulation and murderous intent. It follows a young man who awakes trapped in the boot of a car. Neither the driver nor the trapped man seem to know why he is there, but the driver, whose bleak past will send shivers, is not taking any chances. His instructions are simple, “In three days, kill him.”

He’s got three days to find answers… but does he want them?

Tickets are very limited and will sell out. Dalby Civic Centre urges ticket-buyers to get in prior to the screening, by purchasing from the box office.

 Tailgate title

 SATURDAY 15 MARCH – 7.00pm
 Dalby Civic Theatre, 107 Drayton Street
Tickets $15.00 on sale now at the box office

Free Q&A Session Directly After Screening For Ticket Holders With 
Director Jai Hogg, Co-writer Jarrad Brown,
Associate Producers Jacob Livermore and
Benjamin Evans and ‘Driver’ Peter  Marshall.

Submitted by:
Kathleen Hore
Publicist

Highfields Dispersal May Increase Short Term Flying Fox Activity

Newshound
-
0

Toowoomba Regional Council will begin its dispersal program of the flying fox colony at Woolmer Road, Highfields on March 11 and Environmental Health and Parks spokesperson Cr Sue Englart said this may lead to the possibility of increased interaction between residents and flying foxes in the short term.
cr-sue-englart
“There are a range of unknowns in this project,” Cr Englart said. “One of which is we do not know where the relocated bats will go. We’ve got some really good habitat within close proximity. There are known colonies in Redwood Park and the former rifle range site and both of these are within 15kms of the Highfields roost … we are hoping this will be a smooth transition, but you can never be sure.”

Cr Englart said Council is using non-lethal methods to move the flying foxes from near homes. “Flying foxes play an under-valued, but critical role in forest regeneration, pollination and seed dispersal which has been found to promote the resilience of native ecosystems to environmental change,” she said. “We hope they will relocate within the shire to a more suitable location”.

“The non-letahl metods will include loud noise and smoke and will take place in the very early morning (when flying foxes return to the roosts from foraging) and in the evening just before they fly-out.”

Toowoomba Regional Council is urging residents to be cautious if they come into contact with flying foxes. Cr Englart said displaced flying foxes may sleep in back yard trees across Highfields for a limited number of days, but are likely to move on after a short period of time. “If this is the case we urge residents to leave them alone as they need to rest to be able to fly off again in the evening, and please be careful as flying foxes and fruit bats may carry Australian bat lyssavirus which can be fatal to humans.

“Less than one per cent of flying foxes carry the disease and you would have to get up close to be scratched so just avoid them and you won’t have a problem,” she said. “The best protection is to avoid handling any bat or flying fox.” Cr Englart said injured or sick flying foxes should be reported to the RSPCA on 1300 ANIMAL (1300 264 625). Any other enquiries about the program can be referred to Council on 131 TRC (872).

Submitted by:
Chris Leslight
Stakeholder Engagement & Communication
Toowoomba Regional Council

Our Local Government Areas Drought Declared

Newshound
-
0

drought_image.1State Minister for Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, and Member for Toowoomba South, Dr John McVeigh has advised  more than 79% of Queensland is now officially drought declared, the largest area ever recorded. The 15 shires now listed  are Banana, Bundaberg, Cherbourg, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Moreton Bay, Noosa, North Burnett, South Burnett, Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, and Western Downs. Also included in the declaration are partial declarations for further areas of Central Highlands and Woorabinda.

Toowoomba Region Mayor Paul Antonio has welcomed the  announcement that primary producers affected by the drought in the Toowoomba region are now eligible for State Government assistance. “I thank the State Government for taking decisive action in helping those suffering from one of the worst droughts in Queensland history,” Mayor Antonio said. “This region is Australia’s second most productive agricultural region and we know there are many farmers out there struggling to survive, this emergency aid and funding available will help to ease some of the pain.”

The Drought Declaration means that eligible primary producers can now access both State and Federal assistance.  The Toowoomba region is one of 38 Queensland local government areas eligible for assistance from 1 March 2014. To find out more call the Queensland Department of Agriculture on 13 25 23, or visit www.qraa.qld.gov.au, or go to the DAFF website at www.daff.qld.gov.au.

Member For Nanango, Deb Frecklington is also encouraging producers in financial need to contact Centrelink on 13 23 16 to access the Federal Government’s Interim Farm Household Allowance. You can also visit the Federal Department of Agriculture website for details on the Federal Assistance package.Producers wanting to apply for Drought Relief Assistance should contact the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on 13 25 23 or access DRAS claim forms at www.daff.qld.gov.au.

Historic Harrow Homestead Hosts Open Garden Saturday & Sunday March 8th-9th

Newshound
-
0

Harrow Homestead--page2-2Harrow Homestead--page1-2

2014 High Altitude Hot Rod Run Show’n’Shine in Toowoomba

Newshound
-
0

Hot Rod Show'n'ShineToowoomba Hotrodders High Altitude Run 2014 Show ‘n’ Shine

Date: Sunday, March 9, 2014.

Time: 9am – 12noon

Location: Margaret Street, between Victoria and Ruthven Sts.

Event Description: Show ‘n’ Shine in Margaret St, Toowoomba. We are looking forward to another fine Sunday morning with over 100 bright, shiny and colourful hotrods and custom cars on display. There’ll also be great music to listen to and various trade stalls operating. The Show ‘n’ Shine is free to the public.

Hot Rods Margaret Street 1 Hot Rods Margaret Street 2

 

 

 

 

Submitted by:
Claire Moore
toowoombahotrodders@gmail.com
www.toowoombahotrodders.blogspot.com

1...112113114...217Page 113 of 217