The weekly program keeping you up to date with Toowoomba Regional Council’s facilities, activities and services.
Council Connections with Darren Burton
This week Darren talks about flood recovery initiatives, rates notices, the council meeting, reminder to dam users, mobile phone lessons for seniors etc.
Near perfect weather conditions are forecast for the highlight of the annual floral festival, the Grand Central Floral Parade which gets underway at 12 noon today, Saturday September 17th. Tens of thousands of people are making their way into Toowoomba city, taking up vantage points for the parade which will wend its way from the corner of Hume and Herries Streets, along Ruthven Street then via Chalk Drive to the Godsall Street Oval section of Queens Park for the announcement of the winning float.
A car “Show and Shine” will also be taking place in that area, and the sixties rock and roll band “Song Dogs’ will be entertaining. Afterwards, many people will be visiting the floral displays in parks and churches across the city, taking in the exhibition gardens or taking time out in the Ergon Energy Flower, Food and Wine Festival in Upper Queens Park.
PHOTOS FROM 2011 GRAND CENTRAL FLORAL PARADE (click on photos to enlarge)
One of a small fleet of electric vehicles being trialled by Ergon Energy will be taking part in the Grand Central Floral Parade and will be on display at the entry to the Ergon Energy Flower, Food & Wine Festival in Upper Queens Park on the 16th, 17th and 18th of September.
The vehicle is a Mitsubishi i-MiEV, and this may well be the first time an electric vehicle has traversed many of Toowoomba’s Streets.
Submitted by:
Rod Rehbein,
Corporate Communications Manager,
Ergon Energy,
Ph 4153 9813
A special presentation ceremony in Queens Park Botanic Gardens on Monday evening, 12th September was the culmination of six months of planning, fundraising, learning and growing for the fourteen entrants in this year’s Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Young Ambassador Program.
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Roxanne Parker, a 21 year old student administrator at the University of Southern Queensland (sponsored by USQ) was named 2011 Young Ambassador, and was also voted Ambassador’s Choice award winner by her fellow entrants. Amanda Steger (sponsored by the Spotted Cow) was awarded Associate Ambassador, Tennielle Copson (The Chronicle) gained the Encouragement Award and Elesha Hetherington (Southern Cross Ford) received the RACQ Careflight fundraiser award.
Toowoomba Regional Radio Group’s Gordon Patterson spoke with Roxanne at the end of the evening.
Prior to judging, the entrants received professional coaching, personal development training and industry insight through ten tailored workshops on a range of topics including social etiquette, event management, financial planning, goal setting and Toowoomba history.
Each entrant also planned and managed at least one major fundraising event with all proceeds being directed to this year’s charity, RACQ Careflight. The variety of fundraising events reflected their diverse talents and interests ranging from opera, high tea, bush poetry, to ten pin bowling, a movie night and other activities.
As well as the individual fundraisers, the entrants collaborated in putting on the third annual Pig Races at the Mill Tavern in Toowoomba, attracting more than 400 onlookers.
FREE tours of Peacehaven Botanic Park are happening from 17-20 Sep at 2pm daily.
Visitors will see the first newly established Botanic Garden in The Toowoomba Region for many years. The garden’s main focus is on trees native to the Darling Downs. Plantings are now 4-6 years old, and the small trees are showing impressive growth.
Please help us spread the word about these tours of this wonderful asset in our region.
Kerri Seccombe
Co-ordinator
Hampton Visitor Information Centre
Crows Nest Service Centre
07 4697 9066
The weekly program keeping you up to date with Toowoomba Regional Council’s facilities, activities and services.
Council Connections with Darren Burton
This week Darren talks about Walk to Work Day, Weedbusting (on Saturday only), a need for Carnival volunteers, the Street Tree master plan, Loveday Cove reopened, rates notices being distributed, the next council meetings and the Emily Rodda seminar being booked out.
Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Sunday, September 18th, 2011, will see the running of the 32nd Carnival Half Marathon. Sponsored by Marlene’s Studios and conducted by the Toowoomba Road Runners, the run is widely known as the ‘Ridge to Ridge’ for its unique route along the edge of the Great Divide and is sometimes described as ‘the Half Hilly’. For the less serious runner there will also be a 10km/5km Run/Walk, with proceeds from all events to aid the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation.
The history of the Half Marathon stretches back to 1979, the year the Toowoomba Road Runners started. Club members decided that Toowoomba needed a unique event at the time of the Carnival of Flowers so they purposely chose a very demanding hilly course to include the tourist route along the range top.
In those days, the race would begin at Webb Park and go around Prince Henry Heights along the range top, including the big dipper†in Curtis Street and then up to Picnic Point and then continue along the range edge along Rowbotham Street up the Nelson Street hill and all the way down Ramsay Street to finish in East Creek Park opposite Queen’s Park.
Due to changes over the years, a new course was worked out using Middle Ridge Park as the start/finish of the event. The original concept of a hilly, challenging course was retained. The course now winds its way up to Picnic Point and then down and up Tobruk Drive followed by the original Collier Street, Rowbotham Street and up Nelson Street hill to Hume Street. The course then proceeds East on Spring Street to the Toowoomba Golf Course and finally west on Stenner Street, finishing with a lap of Middle Ridge Park.
Defending champions from 2010 are Ben MacCronan and Tressa Lindenberg.
Dennis Fitzgerald has four wins to his credit (1999, 2002, 2004, 2009) while the female race is dominated by Tressa Lindenberg with six wins (2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010). The female race record, however, is held by Welsh Cross Country runner, Samantha Bretherick with a time of 1:22:42. The highest number of competitors was in 1985 when over 300 runners participated. The first winner was the club president, Les Irvine, with a creditable 1:15. Les would later tragically die and a perpetual trophy for this race was named in his honour.
1986 saw the race record shattered by a visiting French Olympian, Alain Lazare, preparing for the 1988 Olympics. He ran an astounding 1:07:12 and when presented with his winner’s trophy, gave it to the youngest competitor in the race. His record has never been challenged and there is a cash incentive of $100 on offer for breaking the race record; however the money appears very safe in the coffers of the Toowoomba Road Runners.
To add to the program of running at Carnival of Flowers time, it was decided to have a 10 km run & a 5 km fun run /walk while the half marathon was being conducted. The Half Marathon gets underway at 7am, with the 10km/5km starting at 8am. One circuit around the block of Stenner/Hume/Spring/MacKenzie and back on to Stenner St for the 5km & two circuits for the 10km.. This concept is to increase the participation to include non serious runners and walkers for a community event to raise money for local charity.
Runners can enter online (www.trr.org.au) or on the day from 6.00am. Adults $25 Under 18 $15 for the half-marathon while Adults $10 Under 18 $5 for the 5km Fun Run/Walk. The Toowoomba Road Runners want as many people as possible to get involved and enjoy Toowoomba’s wonderful Spring Carnival weather, no matter what their level of training. These types of events are aimed at improving community health & fitness as well as developing a health lifestyle and supporting the local hospital.
For further information:
Peter Rookas,
Toowoomba Hospital Foundation
Ph 4616 6166
Heritage Building Society Limited has announced plans to take the next logical step forward in the organisation’s evolution by changing its name to Heritage Bank Limited.
Heritage will put that recommendation to a vote of members and must also gain approval from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA)
If successful, it would make Heritage Australia’s largest member-owned bank.
Chairman Mr Brian Carter said the new name would better reflect the role that Heritage plays in the lives of its members and would be more relevant in the modern world.
While the name would change, Mr Carter said Heritage would remain member-owned and member-focussed. Heritage has absolutely no plans to de-mutualise and list shares on the ASX.