Local Briefs

l GREEN FESTIVAL l LEAD WATER ALARM

ABOUT 10,000 people are expected to attend the Ecofiesta in Cairns on Sunday. Now in its ninth year, the region’s premier sustainable living festival will be held at Munro Martin Parklands from 10am to 6pm, featuring live entertainment, educational hands-on workshops, a green tech expo and sustainable living solutions. Award-winning band Formidable Vegetable is one of eight acts performing at Ecofiesta.

ELEVATED levels of lead have been detected at Yarrabah Health Facility and Atherton Hospital.

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital Service (CHHHS) is taking immediate steps to protect the health of staff and patients at both sites after water testing detected elevated levels of lead.

CHHHS chief executive officer Leena Singh said staff and patients at both facilities were being given bottled water, and current and former staff would be offered free and voluntary blood testing, even though the health advice was that there was a low risk of exposure to lead at both sites.

l CHANCELLOR INDUCTED

JAMES Cook University’s first female and Indigenous Chancellor was celebrated in a historic ceremony yesterday afternoon.

sess your insurance and health insurance on a regular basis.

“Get yourself doing a budget and do it properly. So many people have no idea where their money’s gone because they don’t keep a record of it.”

Ms Trimble said although taking measures was difficult, those healthy habits would stay with you for the rest of your life.

“You need to understand that there is no easy fix. You need to reassess your lifestyle,” she said.

“You can get into some good habits. You do what you need to do to get through, but you can get some great practices out of it.

“People need to start looking at needs, not wants and remember that it’s false economy to skimp on medication, skimp on servicing your car or doing repairs.

“Start growing veggies and herbs, it’s incredible how much you can save by doing that, and it gives you something to do without spending money. Get practices in place now that will look after you for the rest of your life.”

The complete CWA survival guide is available on the Cairns Local News website.