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The Rotary Club of Toowoomba East(RCTE)  have been running Tag alongs for the past 15 years…. traditionally we have run OUTBACK GETAWAY bi-annually, which is a fully catered tag along that is accompanied with a 4 piece band and support vehicles, and has auctions of donated goods raising up to $100,000 for various charities.  This year the club is running Happy Trekkers for the first time.

Happy Trekkers is a BYO Tag along that will have Country Singers & Bush Poet entertainment, and vehicle support. We will have a large mobile BBQ & a Wood Chuck Wagon providing fuel for the communal campfire which will be the focal point at night. The adventure will have 3 two night stay’s and 1 one nighter. (And at least 2 locations where an evening meal may be arranged, together with Shearing Quarters type accommodation.) The trek will start at Toowoomba, go West of Tenterfield in the Torrington State Recreation Area & then wind its way East through Washpool National Park, the Yabra National Park, the Richmond Range, the Toonumbar National Park, and the Border ranges taking in some of the best scenery including that on private properties, returning to Toowoomba via Main Range National Park following the head waters of the Murray/Darling waterway in Qld.

We will be staying at a farm stay, a 4wd park, a resort on the Clarence River and a Park and will radiate around those venues sightseeing & enjoying the country-side highlights. Vehicles with low range will be able to traverse all sections, however those without (but with good clearance), will be escorted through alternate routes as appropriate. Off-road campertrailers are welcome but caravans will be unsuitable.  The trip is being supported by members of the Downs 4WD Club who will act as Trek Marshalls” responsible for route matters and safe conduct. The route is planned to be limited to Medium” classification as per Outdoor Sports & Recreation Competency Standards.

The Trek will be leisurely with time to smell the roses” averaging about 300k/day with a lay-day mid week with action contained, on that day  to canoeing, other river activities & Bird watching, or simply relaxing by the Clarence River.

..the HT route takes you through some really fantastic scenery & you will love the Fun & Fellowship!

Monies raised are Tax Deductable & will go to supporting the Toowoomba Hospice.

Further info http://www.toowoombahospice.org.au/index.htm

or on the flyer http://www.campertrailers.org/rotary_tagalong.pdf

Les Webb 07 4630 9818

The Toowoomba Hospice has officially launched the Annual Darling Downs Free Dress Challenge for 2010!

At the Launch, Hospice Chairman Mr Graham Barron OAM encouraged all businesses, clubs, organisations and schools to have a free dress day during the months of May and June to raise funds for the Toowoomba Hospice, “these funds will assist the daily operations of this important community facility providing palliative and respite care for all ages”

The organisers of the Challenge have taken a slightly different angle this year with running the Challenge over a two month period instead of one week  Mr. Barron said This gives the businesses, clubs, organisations and schools a wider time frame to hold their free dress day.  We would like to raise at least $5000 from this fundraiser.”

A Digital Camera, DVD Player and Photographic Portraits are up for grabs for whoever raises the most money. To make it fair for all, especially the ones with a smaller number of participants, the organisers will divide the total money raised to obtain an average per person.

Intending participants can contact Mark Munro, on 07 46598500 OR email admin.toowoombahospice@bigpond.com to register their business, club, organisation or school.

Queensland’s museums and galleries are opening their doors and inviting visitors to join the worldwide celebrations for International Museum Day (18 May) during Museums Alight! which runs from 15 to 23 May 2010.

Now in its sixth year, Museums Alight! is a state-wide annual event presented by Museum and Gallery Services Queensland (M&GSQ) to highlight the great contribution Queensland museums and galleries make to their communities.

This year, Dogwood Crossing @ Miles and Miles Historical Village & Museum are responding to the International Museum Day theme of Museums for Social Harmony by hosting the Through Curious Spaces to Curious Places – Progressive Dinner.

Book now for this great evening to be held on Friday 21 May 2010, starting at Dogwood Crossing @ Miles at 5.30pm. Enjoy drinks while viewing the featured exhibition: Curious Spaces by past and present USQ Spatial Construction Students. Students from the local high school involved in a 3D art workshop with the USQ students will be on hand to show and speak about the installations they created in response to the exhibition.

Next stop is the Miles Historical Village and Museum for main course and dessert.  The evening provides the perfect opportunity to explore the Museum’s original homestead, which is built from timber slabs and was originally the “Hipong” homestead north of Miles. Furnished in period style, the homestead’s dirt floors and open fireplace are grim reminders of pioneering days.  To conclude the evening the radio play “Ghost Bats” by Sally McDonald will be performed by a local cast using the homestead as a backdrop.

Did you know that Dogwood Crossing @ Miles and the Miles Historical Village and Museum are open 7 days a week, 364 days a year, closed only on Christmas Day?

Anne Keam

Cultural Officer at Dogwood Crossing @ Miles Historical Village & Museum

Phone: 07 4628 5566

Email: anne.keam@wdrc.qld.gov.au

Visit the Museum and Gallery Services Queensland website www.magsq.com.au for full details of participating Queensland venues and related special events.

Chloe Sayer, an internationally recognized specialist in Latin American art and culture, will present a lecture for the Toowoomba Group of the Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society (ADFAS) on Tuesday, 18th May. Chloe, who hails from London, will speak on the ground-breaking art of  Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

Kahlo and Rivera have iconic status in Mexico. Responding to the revolutionary fervor that swept Mexico in the early decades of the twentieth century, these two artists helped to shape the cultural identity of contemporary Mexico. Rivera’s vast murals adorn the walls of many public buildings in Mexico and combine social criticism with faith in human progress. Frida Kahlo’s art on the other hand is usually in a small format and often she is the subject of her paintings.

This is a lecture not to be missed by people with an interest in key contributors to the development of international art.

Chloe Sayer’s lecture will be given in the Glennie Room, The Glennie School, Herries Street, Toowoomba on Tuesday 18 May starting at 6.45 pm and will be followed by supper.

Members of the public are welcome to attend. The cost is $20 for persons who are not members of ADFAS. For further information about Chloe Sayer’s lecture and about membership of ADFAS, contact the Secretary of ADFAS, Toowoomba on 07 4636 6164.

Firefighters from across the State will go head-to-head 14^th and 15^th May as the final round of the Road Crash Rescue (RCR) Challenge comes to a thrilling conclusion at the Toowoomba Showgrounds.

With the competitive tradition which started at the inaugural National RCR Competition in Brisbane, Queensland in 1995, the Holmatro RCR Challenge trophy has always been a prized possession for all teams striving to attain the top award.

The RCR Competition format provides all participants with the opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge, better preparing themselves for ‘real life’ incidents in their work environment and provide a better service to the community. Road Crash Rescue Challenges have been held over the last year, with teams from each region competing against each other for their bid to be judged best in the state”.

Eight teams (including an SES team from Far North Queensland) will line up against each other this Friday (14^th May) and Saturday (15^th May) in a display of strength, courage and comradeship across a number of rescue scenarios in which their technique and skill will be assessed.

It really is a great opportunity for our firefighters and SES teams to show the public, and ultimately each other, the skills and techniques required to rescues lives and save property on a daily basis”, State Road Crash Rescue Challenge Coordinator Grant Gaskin said.

Teams will be competing for a range of trophies and the prestigious title of 2010 State RCR winner. The winning team will go on to represent the State later in the year at the 2010 Australasian Rescue Challenge (ARRO) to be held in Melbourne.

Awards and trophies will be presented to the winners at a presentation dinner on Saturday night 15^th May at the City Golf Club.

In conjunction with the State RCR Challenge a Community Safety Expo with the focus and theme Zero harm to our Community” will also be run over the two days.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to test their driving abilities in the Shared Vision simulator, and Queensland Police Service (QPS) and Drive 4 Life along with many other exhibitors will be on hand  – all with the aim to help save lives through safe driver training, improved road practices and awareness.

For more information:

Di Warr, QFRS SWR Community Liaison Officer Mb: 0407 033 788

Cancer Council Queensland’s Dalby Volunteer Branch is stirring up community support for the charity, hosting a ‘mad hatters’ inspired Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea on Sunday May 30.

The afternoon garden tea party will be held in the beautiful surrounds at Dalby’s Winter Gardens. Cancer Council Queensland branch volunteer and event organiser, Lola Stegar, says the Dalby Branch have a tradition of hosting Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea.

The branch is excited to be hosting Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea again, we’ve been involved in the campaign for over 10 years now,” Ms Stegar said. Guests are encouraged to dress for the tea party theme, in their best mad hat.”

Entertainment will include a fashion parade, school band, stalls, a multi-draw raffle, and lots of activities for youngsters. Entry is $10 per person and everyone in the community is welcome to attend the event, which starts at 1:30pm,” she said.

Dalby Winter Gardens is located at 7 Spring Creek Drive, Dalby.

Regional Fundraising Co-ordinator for Cancer Council Queensland, Gael Evans, says Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is the largest, most successful fundraising event of its kind in Australia.

Money raised through Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea funds cancer research, patient support services and education programs on the prevention and early detection of cancer,” Ms Evans said.

Cancer Council Queensland is not government funded and relies solely on the generosity of Queenslanders to continue its vital work. Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is officially held on May 27, but people can hold their morning tea anytime throughout May or June,” she said.

For more information visit www.biggestmorningtea.com.au or call 1300 65 65 85.

Gael Evans, Regional Fundraising Co-ordinator, Cancer Council Queensland Ph: 4690 5804 or 0407 134 057

The countdown to the 2010 Hampton Food and Arts Festival has begun with just days until the annual celebration of local food, arts and culture kicks off on Sunday 16^th May. The quiet village of just 500 residents will swell to more than 4,000 as visitors from all over South East Queensland converge on Hampton’s Chapman Park to enjoy a day out in the high country.

Foodies are well catered for at this year’s Festival. Acclaimed chefs Matt Golinski and Alastair McLeod will showcase the district’s renowned produce in a series of lively cooking demonstrations, while a diverse array of local restaurants, food producers and wineries will offer everything from shiraz to sourdough. The concept of Slow Food will mark a new direction for the Festival.

Our featured chef Matt Golinski has had a long involvement with the Slow Food movement,” said food co-ordinator Rosemary Jones. We’re excited about the possibility of launching a Slow Food convivium on the Darling Downs and encourage Festival goers to get involved.”

Lovers of fine art will find a range of interesting works exhibited in the Art Marquee, all created by artists living within 50km of Hampton. Sculpture, painting, and photography will all be on display, and a series of demonstrations will be held around the theme soft textiles”.

The Hampton Festival is an important launching pad for young and emerging artists,” said art co-ordinator Sue Oliver. We’re proud of our local talent, and want to do everything possible to foster their development.” To this end, the Hampton Art Exhibition is again offering a substantial cash prize, and works will be available for purchase throughout the day.

But what would a festival be without music. Jazz singer Grace Knight is this year’s headline act.

Tickets for the Saturday concert, An Evening with Grace Knight”, have sold out but she will also be performing at Sunday’s main event.  Knight will be supported by a mix of great musicians including Hopney Moffet, the Jimmy Watts Band and locals the Prettiest Girl in the County and Pretty Ugly, and they can all be seen for the general admission price.

The 2010 Hampton Festival promises to be a brilliant day out in a wonderful country setting. Gates open at 9.30am and entry is $10 (under 12’s free). A free bus service will run from Toowoomba and Highfields to Chapman Park courtesy of Bus Queensland Toowoomba.  For times and lots of other information check out the Festival website, www.hamptonfestival.com

Kerri Seccombe

Marketing & Publicity

Hampton Food & Arts Festival

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