Love Local News

The bells were ringing this year (for the right reasons) at the Toowoomba Hospice as a special Christmas Lunch for clients, their family and staff was supplied and catered for by locals.Director of Nursing Mrs. Alicia Trimingham-Turl said this Christmas was different from the previous 6, as this year it was catered by Dave Granfield and his staff from Star Café.

For the previous 6 years the hospice have made use of senior staff, a member of the Management Committee and their families to cook Christmas lunch, This year was to be Mark, our promotions and fundraising manager’s turn. However he is still banned from the kitchen as the last time he cooked on Christmas day we were not only singing jingle bells, we had fire bells going off as when he was taking the turkey out of the oven some of the juices spilt onto the bottom and smoke clouded the kitchen. We did the guys from Qld Fire and Rescue some lunch!”

Dave Granfield Manager of Star Café at GardenTown said he was more than happy to offer his services to cook on Christmas day for the Hospice, I enjoy giving back to the community. the Hospice is a very special place and we are a lucky community to have it. I have invited a friend to help me serve and clean up afterwards so the staff can enjoy Christmas day too.”

Toowoomba Hospice is a not-for-profit, community facility, caring for people with a terminal illness and their families at no cost. Each year the Hospice, (located in O’Quinn Street) needs to raise $1.3 million to keep the service running.

There has been a change of venue for the Best of British 60’s” Cabaret at Helidon on Saturday 1st January,2011 . Due to the weather, it will now be held indoors at the Helidon Community Centre, starting at 8 p.m.

The versatile and highly entertaining band Hopney Moffatt will be playing the hit songs of the Beatles, Cliff Richard, Jerry and the Pacemakers, Herman’s Hermits, Dusty Springfield, Lulu and Petula Clark. Guests will still be greeted by Grenadier Guards, London Bobbies and British Belles at the entrance to Buckingham Palace.

A traditional Christmas feast is a consistent theme linking more than 3600 Australian Defence Force personnel deployed on operations throughout the world this festive season.

Deployed soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen have been celebrating Christmas Day in locations as far reaching as Afghanistan, the Middle East, Egypt and Sudan, with others closer to home in East Timor, Solomon Islands and on border protection duties in Australia’s north.

Considerable effort was also made to ensure that soldiers serving in the outlying patrol bases did not miss out and enjoyed a special hot meal with tastes of home and an abundance of assorted treats.

Commander of Australian troops in the Middle East, Major General John Cantwell, made a short visit on Christmas Eve to patrol bases near Mirawais in the Chora Valley to bring a Christmas message and, importantly, mail and resupplies. He spent Christmas morning with troops at Multi-National Base Tarin Kot before returning to the Australian national headquarters location at Al Minhad, UAE.

Near Africa and the Gulf of Aden sailors onboard HMAS Melbourne embraced the Christmas spirit by hosting a slightly unusual carols by cyalume” on the flight deck.

Closer to home, Australian soldiers serving in Solomon Islands also commenced festivities with carols on Christmas Eve, followed by a Midnight Mass. On Christmas Day, the command team handed out care packages sent by the Australian public to the troops, followed by an afternoon of sports.

As part of the International Stabilisation Force, Australian Defence Force personnel in East Timor hosted a group of 40 children from Dili’s St Bakhita Orphanage at lunch.

Commander of Joint Operations Command Lieutenant General Mark Evans said, During this Christmas period, all Australians should spare a thought for and be very proud of our deployed men and women who are serving their country with distinction on operations at home and on distant shores. They consistently demonstrate Australian values, professionalism and compassion and are held in the highest regard amongst their peers and all whom they encounter”.

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service have had fourteen swift water rescues reported to them since midnight Saturday December 18 and tragically, 20 people have died in floodwaters over the past two wet seasons.

It only takes 15 centimetres of fast flowing water to knock a person off their feet and just 60 centimetres of flowing water can sweep a four-wheel-drive off a flooded causeway. The dangers of drains, creeks, rivers and causeways after heavy rain are often hidden beneath the surface and currents are deceptive.

Being a good swimmer is not enough to survive flowing flood waters and people can easily become tangled in submerged debris.

People who still intend to travel are advised to take extreme caution and not to attempt to drive through floodwaters. Parents must also keep a close eye on children around flooded creeks, drains and rivers. Children may think playing in bodies of water is fun, but it is deadly.

With heavy rain expected to continue falling across the state over the festive season, Queenslanders are urged to prepare for the wet weather and stay out of floodwaters.

More information on preparing yourself and your home for floods can be found at www.disaster.qld.gov.au .

For flood and storm assistance contact the SES on 132 500 and in a life-threatening emergency which includes people becoming trapped in floodwaters call triple zero (000) immediately.