Love Local News

Japanese Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Shigekazu Sato will be the special guest at the Toowoomba Japanese Group’s fundraising dinner at Veraison Restaurant tonight. Acting Consul-General of Japan in Queensland, Ryosaku Tamura, will also be attending the dinner.

Mr Sato will be delivering a speech tonight, as will the Mayor of Toowoomba Regional Council Peter Taylor and Federal MP for Groom Ian MacFarlane.

The Toowoomba Japanese Group will present 1000 cranes each to Mr Sato and also to Mr Tamura, as a token of the city’s friendship and sorrow at the recent tragic events that have embattled Japan.

More than 3000 cranes have been made by individuals, community groups and schools across the region, all of whom will be acknowledged tonight. Hundreds of schoolchildren around Toowoomba and even as far as Dalby, Yarraman and Kingaroy have written heartfelt messages on the cranes they have made.

Tonight’s menu will feature four stunning Japanese-European degustation courses, including duck consommé with Asian mushrooms, bluefin tuna with tofu, Kobe wagyu beef and a green tea sorbet with berries – all specially created for the evening by leading Veraison chef Ben Bergman.

Also on the program will be a Japanese quiz show, demonstrations of Japanese martial arts and calligraphy and a fashion parade.

It is hoped tonight’s dinner will raise over $2000 for the Japanese Red Cross, to go towards those affected by the terrible earthquake and tsunami events that ravaged Japan in March.

Weis Restaurant has kindly donated a $50 gift voucher which will be raffled off tonight.

The Toowoomba Japan Club is an informal group of those wishing to learn or practise Japanese language and discover Japanese culture. For more information visit https://sites.google.com/site/toowoombajapanesegroup

Contact Info: Jeff Brady – 0458 395 924
Simone Mooketsi – 0458 594 535

Everything from healthy school lunches to home safety will be covered in the Pittsworth Health and Wellbeing Expo on April 14 from 9am to 4pm at the Pittsworth Town Hall.

There will be a wide range of displays at the expo including health service providers, sports, craft and beauty services.

Community and Health Promotion Nurse Helen Blanch said the Millmerran Health Service would host the biennial event. We will have a vast range of interactive displays, some entertainment, healthy food and drinks for sale and health and safety experts available to answer questions.”

We have invited a large number of government departments and community organisations to take part and  the response has been outstanding. This will be a great day out for the whole family and there will be lots to do – you can have a short Bowen therapy treatment, have a massage, see an optometrist, as well as enjoying lunch with gourmet teas and coffees.”

We have almost 60 different display stands on a whole range of topics including rural allied health, child health, skin care, cancer prevention and diabetes. This is really a one-stop-shop for anyone who has questions about health and safety,” she said.

Anyone wanting more information should phone Helen on 4695 3123 during business hours.

The Toowoomba Japanese Group are encouraging locals to help make 1,000 cranes and present them to the Japanese Consul General at a four-course Asian-European degustation fundraising dinner to be held on April 7 at Veraison Restaurant. All money raised on the night will be donated to funds to support the disaster relief efforts in earthquake and tsunami-ravaged Japan.

The crane has long been a symbol of honour, loyalty and peace in Japan and to fold 1,000 paper cranes is traditionally thought to grant one wish, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. The Toowoomba Japanese Group is co-ordinating the preparation of the paper cranes as a gesture of friendship and support to Japan.

All members of the public are invited to make a paper crane at the Toowoomba City Library or the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery where materials and folding instructions are available.

The fundraising night on Thursday 7 April 2011 will be held at Veraison Restaurant in Toowoomba and will be a cultural evening with demonstrations of crafts such as origami and calligraphy, various martial arts and a parade of traditional clothing.

Dinner tickets are $80 per person and must be pre-purchased at Veraison by Sunday 3 April 2011. Numbers are strictly limited – bookings and enquiries to Veraison, 205 Margaret St. Ph. (07) 4638 5909.

This will be an opportunity for locals to sample Japanese culture in Toowoomba and give lthe chance to provide assistance to the 500,000+ Japanese men, women and children affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

Donations can also be made to the Red Cross Japan Appeal online at www.redcross.org.au or at any branch of the Commonwealth Bank.

The Toowoomba Japan Club is an informal group of people wishing to learn or practise Japanese language and discover Japanese culture. For more information visit https://sites.google.com/site/toowoombajapanesegroup

Further information from
Jeff Brady – 0458 395 924 or
Simone Mooketsi – 0458 594 535

Are you interested in medical research?

Come and find out about the world-class research at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) – one of Australia’s largest and most successful medical research institutes.

From cancer to malaria, HIV to mental health, QIMR’s research covers a wide range of areas, with researchers working towards new diagnostics, better treatments and prevention strategies.

The session will give you an insight into the fascinating world of lab coats and test tubes and the research currently being completed at QIMR.

Sara-Jane Dean, QIMR’s Community Relations Officer says this is a fantastic opportunity to find out more about what Queensland researchers are doing in the fight against cancer and other diseases.

Before joining QIMR, I worked with families in children’s hospitals and saw all too often the effect of disease on the lives of children and their families. I am delighted to now be working with the scientists whose mission is to prevent and cure disease through research. Every day I am amazed and grateful for their dedication, working to better understand more than 40 of the world’s most debilitating illnesses.”

The information session will be held on Tuesday 5 April at the Clive Berghofer Stadium, 47 Arthur Street (Corner Arthur & Mary Streets), Toowoomba

Hurry, places are limited! To book your seat, freecall 1800 993 000 or email enquiries@qimr.edu.au.

For more information, visit www.qimr.edu.au

Submitted by
Sarah-Jane Matthews | Media Officer
Queensland Institute of Medical Research

Internationally renowned violin/piano duo, Spiros Rantos and Brachi  Tilles will return to Toowoomba this week to open the University of Southern Queensland’s (USQ) 2011 Twilight Series.

Having just returned from a tour of France, Spain and Portugal, their Twilight Violin and Piano Recital will aptly be a journey through musical styles, cultures and ethnic backgrounds.

Israeli-born Brachi and Greek-born Spiros have toured the world performing, recording and sharing their love of music for the past four decades.We feel that music is always a ‘trip’, be it a spiritual one or a visit to different cultures and times. The items we have chosen for the program are all ones which we love to perform – each of them creates a distinct mood or tells a story.”

Brachi and I met back in the 1970s, at a train station in Vienna and not long after, we started a chamber music ensemble,” said Spiros. After two years of successful seasons at the Musicverein and the Vienna Concert Hall, we spent six months in the USA and, in 1976, visited Australia for an Artists-in-Residence program at the (then) Victorian College of the Arts.”

In 1978, they were invited to join the teaching staff in the newly established music program at USQ (then DDIAE). For eight years, they made Toowoomba their home, establishing strong foundations for music at the University and contributing to the cultural life of the city.

We were the first full time music performance lecturers at USQ and in those years there was a rapid build-up of the music school and the local classical music scene.” Although the couple left Toowoomba in 1986, they have not lost touch with the city or its music scene, returning on a regular basis to make guest appearances.

The program will include Beethoven’s much celebrated ‘Champagne’ Sonata, three charming bagatelles by Sibelius, Konstantinides’ Six Greek Dances from the Dodecanese Islands, Manuel de Falla’s Dance Espagnole, Russian’s composer Rodion Schtchendrin’s In the Style of Albeniz, works by Argentina’s Astor Piazzolla, and Aaron Copland’s Hoe Down.

The Twilight Violin and Piano Recital will be presented at 6pm in the USQ Arts Theatre on Wednesday (30th of March). Tickets to the recital are $18 adult, $15 concession, $13 student and $8 child and can be purchased through the USQ Artsworx Box Office on 07 4631 1111.

Submitted by
Michelle Fox,
USQ Artsworx