Coffs Coast Focus - i30 by Focus

Feature Story

COFFS COAST

March 2013// issue 30

E S P R E S S O

Dennis Martin

editor's note.

focus C O F F S C OA S T

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editor.

from the

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PHOTOGRAPHY: Russell Pell russellpell@gmail.com Comments and opinions of our contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinion or view of the Publishers or Editor. All reasonable efforts have been made to trace copyright holders. Information appearing in Focus is believed to be correct at the time of going to press, however no liability will be held for inaccurate information approved or supplied by advertisers or contributors. While all care is taken it is recommended that readers confirm dates, times, prices and any other material including advice with individual businesses and industry professionals. Coffs Coast Focus is produced and published by Creative House Publications PTY LTD ABN: 621 287 8600 5. Material in Focus is Copyright © Creative House Publications PTY LTD 2011 and may not be reproduced whole or in part, in any form, without permission of the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Melly Dee.

Welcome to the March issue of Coffs Coast FOCUS. ou may have heard of innovative concepts from metro areas like Taco Vans, Pop Up Bars or Sausage Huts. These are mini portable restaurants (think Mr Whippy), where a van pulls up, the owner will then ‘Tweet’ his exact whereabouts and people head to that location and grab an impromptu taco/sausage. Gen Y are often referred to as a lazy bunch who are not prepared to work hard! Then you meet Elise Loprete, 18 and Ben Burton, 21 – a young local couple who have taken their love for each other, added a shared passion for the Volkswagen brand and brought a little bit of ‘city’ to the Coffs Coast community.

These Gen Y members have worked tirelessly to bring us a pop-up coffee shop called Rustic Bean Espresso, where they serve delicious hot coffee from the back of their Kombi van! INSIDE THE ISSUE Welcome to our biggest feature of the year, Women in Business, which celebrates the drive, passion and involvement women have in our local business community! Our brand new columnist, Duncan Marchant, Coffs Coast Health Club, will be bringing us our very first Health and Fitness column monthly. Dennis Martin from the Coffs Harbour Regional Airport updates the happenings of the

yo, airport, we interview Birds of Tokyo, and we support Chris Hines from g UNREAL ESTATE, who is embarking on the Kokoda Trail to raise moneyy for charity. FOCUS NEWS Due to popular demand, we also welcome back with open arms thee wonderful, fun and vivacious Niccii Secombe to the FOCUS family. FEATURE PHOTO This month’s feature photo was taken by photographer David Moore at Sapphire Beach: www.moorephotography.com.au FINAL SAY “Don’t walk behind me. Don’t walk in front of me. Walk beside me and be my friend.” – Albert Camus.

Melly Dee – Editor melly@focusmag.com.au Follow me on Twitter @le_mellydee

coffs coast focus 3

focusinterview.

Coffs Harbour

Regional Airport at all times, but a schedule change by an airline can have an immediate impact which may be difficult to respond to as far as building additional infrastructure is concerned.

Dennis Martin, the Airport Manager of Coffs Harbour Regional Airport, port, is the man responsible for the many changes at the airport – all in an effort to improve services for the people of the Coffs Coast community. There are more flights, a new carrier and refurbishments.

hat is the latest news at the Coffs Harbour Airport? Obviously the most recent news is the commencement of Tiger Airways flights between Sydney and Coffs Harbour. How did the advent of Tiger landing in Coffs Harbour come about? We have been working for some time now on getting additional frequency on all of our current routes i.e. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. In the case of Tiger, we approached them initially in relation to additional flights to Melbourne; however, they indicated that they would be in a position to commence Sydney – Coffs flights in the short term and would consider Melbourne at a later stage.

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How many flights will there be per day? Are there any confirmed plans for more routes in the future? There will be four flights per week initially, with a fifth service commencing on 31 March. From 1 April, Tiger will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There is talk of a 'point to point' carrier – how is this different (not necessarily better) than competing airlines? As a true low cost carrier, Tiger offers single stage or 'point to point' fares. Obviously you can still travel further afield with Tiger; however, each sector is treated as a separate booking. The difference is that other carriers provide through seating to your final destination and the ability to through check your baggage as well.

With technology growing every day, how has the airport responded to this? Most of the changes in technology are driven by the airlines, and we are working closely with Qantas and Virgin Australia as they implement new services such as online check-in and smart phone boarding passes. Our role is to ensure that we have the infrastructure and services in place to support an ever changing aviation environment in that regard. The airport is constantly responding to improving customer experiences. How do you stay abreast of customer needs? We have a strong working relationship with our airline partners and other stakeholders. However, it is challenging to stay ahead of the game when it comes to things such as the peaks and troughs in passenger numbers through the terminal. Obviously we need to be able to maintain the highest possible standard of customer service

We have a robust forward planning policy which is constantly being updated; however, even with the best planning, circumstances can change dramatically in a short period of time. For instance, our current Master Plan predicted a ‘busy hour’ of 760 passengers would occur in 2018, whereas there will be over 900 passengers to handle in the busy hour each day from 1 April this year. There are lots of refurbishments at the airport – not only the bathrooms, but also the tarmac. Can you please explain the refurbishments? Our current projects include: Construction of a new heavy duty access road for freight, emergency vehicles and staff. Extension of the aircraft parking area to accommodate up to five jet aircraft at once (currently only capable of handling two jets). Refurbishment of all the toilets in the terminal. Upgrading of Biggles Flight Lounge. Upgrading check-in counters and departure lounge for Tiger Airways. Major upgrade of the security screening area within the terminal, to improve processing and facilities for customers. Thanks Dennis.

15.

inside this

Tom Mutch After forty years of living and breathing art in various genres, Tom Mutch has returned to Australia to reside in Coffs Harbour. After exhibiting in New York and Melbourne, on 15 March Tom will have an opening preview at O.P81 Café.

Issue 30 - March 2013

usual suspects.

19.

Jenn McLeod The Bellingen Readers and Writers festival will be amazing! There is no town quite like Bellingen, and with a program of workshops, talks and forums, there’s no literary festival quite like this one – March 22 - 24, 2013. Meet author Jenn McLeod at the festival ...

28.

the

9. what’s on for March 20. eat featuring local restaurants 32. social scene with Carole Beros 62. star guide with Terri

Curry Fest Woolgoolga’s premier event, ‘Curryfest’, is big, colourful and spicy, and it is on again in 2013! Curryfest is a signature event which celebrates the cultural diversity of our area. Woolgoolga Curryfest showcases multicultural cuisine, traditional and modern dances, music, comedy, arts and crafts and fun activities for the kids.

71. business voice with the Sawtell Chamber of Commerce 73. tourism with Tourism Coffs Coast

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R NE R O C

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focusinterview.

Kate Lane. Kate Lane is an interior designer at design studio 22. She is also a dedicated collector of chairs, with her collection spanning from Europe to eBay.

ow long have you been design, which was fun, but it is so much better collecting chairs ? to work with a group of like minded creative I purchased my first chair people. I am very fortunate to share this great around the turn of the studio space with such talented people; every century ... sounds like a long day I get to brainstorm with architects, building time ago when I say it like that; it was the year designers, and most importantly, two other 2000. I purchased a Le Corbusier Chaise. Le interior designers. Corbusier was an architect who was born in Over the years, design studio 22 has won 1887 and died in 1965 and was a pioneer of many awards, and I was so excited recently to modern architecture and design. join the chosen few when I too won an award What prompted you to start collecting, and for residential interiors. why chairs? How many chairs are in your collection? Well, I have always loved beautiful It is probably best to separate my ‘collection’ design, shape and texture, and chairs, like into 2 parts: the chairs I have on display in my buildings, can have all of these home and I use on a daily basis, aspects. They have character, and the ones I keep in the history and a story to tell. garage waiting for a second You can get an old chair chance of life. In my home My eclectic collection of chairs of and bring it back to life, I have 10 chairs that array tell a captivating ate from adding more chapters to are worthy of having stories that origincreative its story, or find a new a story to tell. And in d an nt the brillia ier us chair with great lines my garage, probably rb Co Le of d min the and character that is just another dozen waiting in the 1930s, fromI in the beginning its journey. for the opportunity to reign of Louis XV pieces 17th century, retro An interesting chair be a statement piece in from the 1950s ...” adds significance to any the right space, perhaps in room; you can add fabulous one of my client’s homes. fabrics and create exciting new Where do you find the chairs options for any space. I suppose my you collect? love of design and my Le Corbusier chaise A few I have purchased locally ... one started me on this love affair with fabric and I waited five months for it to come from form. Italy, some I got off eBay, and others were Do you have a career in interiors? getting thrown out and I could see they had not Yes, I am an interior designer and work with finished their journey and still have a story to design studio 22. I am so lucky to do what I love tell. and work with a fabulous team. What is the greatest length you’ve taken to How long have you worked at design source a chair? studio 22? Sometimes when my husband’s work has a I have been part of the team for over six truck in Sydney, they have generously picked a years. Prior to working with design studio 22, chair or two up for me. Finding the chairs is not I had my own business in colour and interior such a problem these days with the internet,

“

but getting them to Coffs Harbour can be a challenge. Is your collection still growing? Ask my husband, and he will probably tell you no, but he does share some of my passion with chairs and one day, maybe towards retirement, we may set up a studio housing beautiful chairs combining my love of fabrics and design and his skills with metal, form and function. Yes, a place to grow ... you never know; we can grow old together creating new chapters in the beautiful chairs that embrace the stories of our lives. How poetic! Or he might just go fishing! What makes your collection so unique? I suppose collecting chairs is a little different. Most of us don’t have the room to indulge in collecting things that are too big and chairs take up a bit of room, but when you look around your home and count how many chairs you do have, it adds up to quite a few. So, why not have chairs with character, style and stories to tell! My eclectic collection of chairs tell a captivating array of stories that originate from the brilliant and creative mind of Le Corbusier in the 1930s, from the reign of Louis XVI in the 17th century, retro pieces from the 1950s, club arm chairs that have their history in men’s clubs of the 1850s, vintage outdoor saucer chairs from mid 20th century and contemporary library chairs from the 21st century. Stories steeped in history, wrapped in fabric and ready to continue or begin their fairy tale; once upon a time ... Are you a member of any collecting clubs? No. I don’t know if there are chair collectors clubs! I suppose there might be, but I am happy to indulge my passion for beautiful chairs and fabulous fabrics with anyone who wants to be a character in the life story of a chair. Does your passion for chairs extend to other furniture?

Yes, I love all types of furniture – furniture with great form, simple lines or intricate detail; as a designer you appreciate good design. Design can be simple or complex, functional or frosting. I also have a real love affair with fabrics; they excite me. Beautiful fabrics create so many possibilities: they bring to life chairs, couches, cushions, bedheads, beds, windows, walls and tables – yes, tables. I’m not suggesting we all start to upholster our tables, but dress your tables with table cloths, place mats and napkins. What do you estimate to be the value of your collection? Gee, that’s a tough one, depending on the chair and where I got it from and how much restoration is required and what fabric we use. A chair can be worth anything from $250 to $2,000. On average if I sell a chair covered in a great fabric to a client, it costs around $600. My own chairs that I have in my home collectively would be worth quite a few thousand, but the value is intrinsic and really only measured by the pleasure they give me. That’s what’s important. Do you hope that one day your collection will be worth exhibiting? I don’t think the Powerhouse Museum will be calling any time soon, but I would, in years to come (in my more mature years) love to have a little studio full of beautiful chairs and lots of things fabric; maybe we need to add a west wing on to design studio 22!

are you a collector? We want to know about you! Let us know what you collect, and you might just be our next Collectors Corner guest! e. melly@focusmag.com.au ph. (02) 6650 9343

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A R O U N D

T H E

R E G I O N

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M A R C H

Be Inspired Novotel Pacific Bay Resort and Camp Quality invite you to celebrate International Women's Day whilst raising funds to help create a better life children and their families living with cancer. Guest Speakers: Mayor Cr. Denise Knight and Monica Joseph. When Friday 8 March. Time 11.30am arrival for 12pm start. Tickets: $45 (two-course lunch). Phone 6651 4486 www.mycampquality.org.au.iwd

Wed & Fri Yoga at Curves Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health Club Coffs Coast Freemasons Rottnest Channel Swim Coffs Coast & Clarence Cando Cancer Trust. Annual charity swim supporting local patients/families affected by cancer. The swim is the equivalent distance of the English Channel. Community members can participate in a continuous relay, 394 laps of our Olympic Pool covering a distance of 19.7 km. Where Coffs Harbour War Memorial Swimming Complex. Bookings essential. When Saturday 9 March: 9am - 2pm Contact wedw9236@bigpond.net.au or 0478 404 395.

The ancient Indian practice of yoga has been helping people reap both spiritual and physical benefits for thousands of years. Since society has modernised, yoga has become a much loved form of physical exercise. Where Curves Women's Health Club, 115 West High Street, Coffs Harbour. When One hour classes each Wednesday, 7pm and Friday, 6pm. Cost $5. Requirement: yoga mat.

Smash Mouth Californian five-piece Smash Mouth are finally able to release the rescheduled dates for their Australian Tour. The revised tour takes in a bunch of territories as originally planned, as well as adding a number of new venues where fans can catch Smash Mouthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trademark style. Where Hoey Moey Hotel, 80 Ocean Parade, Coffs Harbour. When Saturday 9 March 2013. Phone 6652 3833.

Goon Show Bluebottle @ Bluebottles' Presented by Oxygen Mask Productions. When Friday 1 and Saturday 2 March. Tickets will be available at Bluebottles. $60 for a 3 course dinner and show. Numbers will be limited, so please book early.

coffs coast focus 9

f o c u s

f e a t u r e

i n t e r v i e w

Ben Burton and Elise Loprete (21 and 18) noticed a gap in the market. If you want a good coffee, you have to go to a coffee shop. But what about if the coffee shop could come to your business, your function or your event? CUE: Rustic Bean Espresso Pop Up Café. In a modern world where we’re constantly being told that Generation Y aren’t prepared to work hard, this young boyfriend and girlfriend duo prove us all wrong!

E S P R E S S O

lease introduce yourselves. yourselves Where It all began over a simple conversation that I was having are you from? What school did you with Elise, my brother Sam, his partner (who doubles both go to, and how did you meet? as our coffee roaster) Kirby – over a beer. We were just My name is Ben Burton, and this discussing casually how cool it would be to sell coffee is my girlfriend, Elise Loprete. We are out of a Kombi Van (laughs). At this point (June 2012), I 21 and 18 years old. As weird as this personally owned a 1960 VW Beetle, and Kirby owned a sounds, I guess we're a young couple who share a passion Kombi. for coffee and Volkswagens, and of course, each other. After driving her bus, we were in love with the idea, We're both local to Coffs Harbour. I moved here with my and within a few weeks we took a road trip to Sydney to family from Tamworth eight years ago, and sell my Beetle, and pick up our brand new 1970 Elise came up from Sydney with her lowlight Kombi (well it wasn't new – it parents too. Elise just finished her was a complete bomb!) But now, with HSC at CHEC, and I went to Coffs a load of hard work, the 'Rustic Harbour Christian Community Bean Espresso' was born. School. I wonder one day will From picking up the Kombi, te to People can rela we get to make coffee for it sort of just snowballed d the old fashione our school Principals? quickly into something great! a t we ge Kombi van, and ng the We met through friends The idea that was once a ni buzz from explai and our a couple of years ago. conversation over a beer has n history of our va t ou ng pi m We were friends at the became a reality. Elise and I pu t ls journey whi ng ni or m e th beginning and then BANG – have been so blessed in the in e epic coffe ” y! sb er now we're in love. fact that we shared a vision of ss pa to the What is Rustic Bean exactly how the van would look, Espresso, and how did this and how we went about it. She business come about? is really stylish and has a keen eye Rustic Bean Espresso is our mobile for the cool vintage theme, and plus, café – or I like to call it a 'pop-up coffee she makes an amazing sandwich! I guess shop'. We operate and run our pop up coffee my strengths are the ability to turn a wrench shop out of the back of our Kombi Van. The whole idea of (thanks Dad!) This meant that we were able to team up it is to mix our passion for coffee with our united passion and get most of the van done without pulling each other’s for the beloved aircooled Volkswagen. hair out! I'm pleasantly surprised that there were no

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fights fi ghts, and we worked really well together to execute the end result. The plan was: lower it – a lot. Keep it 'ratty'; we like the raw look. We wanted to honour the period style sign writing on the side. And if we agreed on one thing; it was to pump out damn good coffee! The general reaction from the public has been overwhelming! It's funny: everyone has a story about a Kombi! I'm always hearing, "My Great Uncle Charles used to own a Kombi van; we would pile all the kids in the back and go to the beach on a Saturday", or, "You kids are so silly ... should have done in it a proper car – something more reliable!" (Laughs.) People can relate to the old fashioned Kombi van, and we get a buzz from explaining the history of our van and our journey whilst pumping out epic coffee in the morning to the passersby! It’s awesome to be able to stand with the customers that we've just served and swap stories, hear their ideas and meet new people. That's the real highlight in a career like this! How would you describe the journey? What are some of the challenges the business has faced? One word? HARD! It's endless challenges every day. Problem number one? Our Kombi hadn't been registered since 1988. It needed more work than we could've ever imagined, just to get it to roadworthy standards. And then we had to work day and night to get it fitted out as a mobile pop up coffee shop! We started with replacing the decrepit suspension. Lowered it – multiple times. We had to replace the motor, the brakes, the interior, the wheels, tyres – it goes on! The only real thing we kept original was the paint job. We

e from We get our coffe ce fa e Kirby Berlin, th Coffee ng hi rt behind Penny Fa ique local ut bo Ro asters. It’s a has created the ro astery. Kirby ends of beans, most beautiful bl such as Papua from countries duras and on New Guinea, H eate the finest Guatemala, to cr ” buy. coffee you can

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E S P R E S S O

figured we would keep the outside the way Mother Nature had obviously wanted it to look. Our parents have been a massive part of the journey as well. We completely 'did up' the Kombi in our parents’ driveway ... my parents’ place, if it was a nice day, or if it was raining we took it over to Elise's parents’ place and worked on it in their garage. We stained the concrete on their driveways (laughs) and we totally decorated both front yards with random engines, engine parts, coffee machines, generators and bins worth of junk. The support they've offered us has been priceless – despite making the front of their houses look like a junk-yard, they still always offered us a lending hand and kept telling us when we would feel overwhelmed, "Don’t give up!"Parents are awesome, aren't they? Then with the agreed idea to keep the van in its natural state, came the task of trying to find a suitable name that would reflect the car’s personality and individuality. It was on another road-trip, this time to Byron Bay to pick

up interior cabinets, when Elise looked across at me and said, "Oh my God! Ben, Rustic Bean!"And so it was born. The next drama was trying to fit out a beaten up old bus to make it become a Espresso van, on a budget ... of course, whilst meeting the health regulations. This meant doing everything ourselves. Countless hours were spent on the inside of the van, turning it from originally being a nine seater micro bus, to the pop up coffee shop you see today. Naturally there are no perfect parts to turn your hippy van into a café. It's not like you call a store and order parts for a Kombi van café fitout. Everything is custom made. Stainless steel benches were made by Kirby's mates in Brisbane. Cabinets are recycled, then modified to fit. Suspension had to be aligned five times, raised, then lowered – this went on, and on each time we'd add a new component to the van. There were times when I was lying under the van, skinned knuckles covered in grease, that I could've given up. The night before we were due to open, all we had to do was install the generator and of course, we had no engine power! We had no petrol and no humour. The first week of opening, the van's distributor broke. But we didn't let that stop us. We still drove it with huge bangs, backfires and cursing! You're both very young to have experience with Council permits. Has this process been easy? Council has been AMAZING! And completely understanding that we are young and just trying to have a go. From day one, they supplied us with a list of things needed for Council approval, and they patiently listened to our phone calls when we didn't understand the red tape. When the van finally passed inspection (after seven months), we now look back and are pumped that so many people in the community have gotten behind us and shown such awesome support! Where do you source your coffee? We get our coffee from Kirby Berlin, the face behind Penny Farthing Coffee Roasters. It's a boutique local roastery. Kirby has created the most beautiful blends of beans, from countries such as Papua New Guinea, Honduras, and Guatemala, to create the finest coffee you can buy. Coffee is very competitive industry. What makes your coffee skills stand out against café baristas? Both Elise and I have worked separately in the industry before joining forces. My experience was gained at Urban Espresso Lounge, and Elise has worked at a handful of different cafés around Coffs Harbour. We have both worked with and under Kirby, who was Australian latte art champion. She is a great talent and has taught us skills from enhancing the flavours, latte art and how to get the best pour. It’s a random thing, to collect Kombi Vans: where does this passion come from? The passion is really more for Volkswagens, for all the aircooled models. Elise had wanted a Kombi since she was young and had a picture of a sky blue camper taped to her pencil tin in Grade Six. Elise's first car is an old blue 1974 Kombi Panel. Our next project is to get that back on the road! For me, I just love cars. Since I got my licence four years ago, I've owned 26 cars. The last 7 of those were Volkswagens. I used to want every car I saw, and scoured eBay for cool looking cars. I bought a 1964 Beetle, and that's where my love for the humble Volkswagen started. Where can we get a cup of your coffee? Do you have a daily schedule of where we can find you? We are only freshly opened and are still building up business, but our first point of call is servicing the businesses down on Duke Street, near Centrelink each morning, so please come down and give us a go! You can't miss it. Or remember, we're mobile, so if you'd like us to visit your business – please give us a holler! What are your plans for the future? Right now the plan for the future is making this business sustainable and successful, then we will probably look into something more permanent (I mean a business with walls) ... a café, maybe? We are looking at expanding into events. We can cater for any outdoor event, work functions, the races, weddings or festivals. Thanks guys. Good luck with everything!

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Artisan cheese-maker Lyndall Dykes has been teaching people how to make cheese from scratch on the Coffs Coast for over four years. If you have ever wondered how to make your own creamy brie, Persian fetta, something as simple as yogurt and ricotta, join in one of the regular workshops held at Emerald Beach. You can contact Lyndall on 6656 2335 or visit www.thecheesemakingworkshop.com.au

with Joel McCulla from Zulu’s

AT ’ S I N

GOAT

With an increase in its popularity, and an increase in the population of Australian goats, local Mid North Coast residents and in particular Coffs Harbour residents, should see an increase in readily available goat meat. This incredibly tasty red meat is freely interchangeable with any of your favourite beef dishes, for something a little different, and healthier, but its true characteristics shine when you start delving into the worlds of cuisine where goat has been a staple meat for longer than Australia has been founded. With most primary cuts being readily available, goat generally lends itself well to long, slow and tender cooking techniques such as stewing or braising. This having been said, as it becomes more readily available and used in Australia, we are finding more butchery work being done on the primary cuts and useful cuts such as tenderloins are becoming available. This allows us to use the goat in a sear or grill cook situation and serve it at a tender medium or medium-rare temperature. Hopefully as goat meat production and use increases ... we also see an increase in the production and use of goats milk! Yum!

Graphic novelist, Bald Archy finalist, music magazine illustrator, cartoonist and puppet-maker Louise Graber is bringing her 'Rock Animal' exhibition to the Bunker Cartoon Gallery on March 8. ouise has made the Bald Archy finals for the past four consecutive years with her painted cartoons. Anyone who enjoys the Bald Archies will be familiar with her portraits of Kylie Minogue, Slim Dusty, Angus Young, Michael Hutchence, Maggie Beer, Martin Sharp, Aunty Jack, Black Caviar and the Dog on the Tuckerbox," said Gallery Curator/Director Dr Leigh Summers. "This exhibition also features many of her original characters, which have evolved from an extensive career in graphic design and cartoon publication." To complement the artist's acrylic paintings on canvas, staff at the Bunker Cartoon Gallery have curated a range of suitably satirical cartoons on urban culture from its own collections. Street Sweep includes the colourful trappings of street life such as tattoos, the 'morning after', the black market

and vagabonds. All are welcome to attend the opening on Friday, March 8, at 6pm. Local duo 'Nitebeat' will entertain the audience, with Julie Mostyn's sultry vocal style and Warwick Gilbert's guitar accompaniment promising to shake the foundations of the old World War II bunker, in a night to remember. Louise Graber's Rock Animal will be on display until May 4. Military Cartoons and Collectables will take pride of place in time for ANZAC Day.

the plug! Where: The Bunker Cartoon Gallery, John Champion Way, Coffs Harbour. 10am - 4pm, Monday to Saturday. $2 for adults; $1 for children.

focusinterview.

meet a

local.

To continue reading g about unique ingredients, including a few useful tips and recipes, visit my blog on the Zulu’s Restaurant & Bar website: www.zuluscoffs.com

nom nom. Looking for a great place to eat on the Coffs Coast? The Focus ea eat. iPhone application featues a great selection of local restauran restaurants and cafés, with mouthwatering professional images, so you ca can eat with your eyes. The app is updated regularly and each restaurant includes maps, detailed descriptions of every est establishment, price guide, style of food and easy to use contacts contacts. And best of all, it’s FREE – just like FOCUS. The app is available for both the iPhone and Android phones. Readers can download the app for free by visiting www.fo www.focusmag.com.au/eat

Scan on your smartphone QR code reader to download.

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Meet locals Craig and Leisa from Craig's Computers How long ha have e you o been on the Coffs Coast? We have both been here for 34 years, as we both moved to Coffs Harbour in ’79 as children with our families. What is Craig's Computers? We are a family company who pride ourselves on giving our clients the best service, and we ensure we keep up with the latest technology so our clients are always offered the best solution for their needs. A computer man who fixes computers – and you speak fluent English! Yes! Most retailers rely solely on impressive sounding specifications (which just serves to confuse a lot of people) instead of focusing on the quality of the individual components and how it is best set up to serve the client.

Wh t’ tthe best thing about your job? What’s When a client phones us a few days after we have installed their new system and they are excited about all of the little things we do, making the experience of their new computer a pleasure. What's the funniest computer problem you've ever fixed? Whenever we get asked where the ‘any’ key is! Any big plans for 2013? 2013’s challenge is to help our clients to remain at the forefront of this ever-changing technological landscape while ensuring ease of use and relevance for real people in the real world. Thanks Craig!

focusinterview.

Regional Jaguar Dealer of the Year. John Patrick Prestige Cars has recently been awarded with h the prestigious title of Regional Jaguar Dealer of the Year. In selecting the Dealer off the h Y Year winners, i Jaguar Land Rover Australia takes into account a diverse set of criteria; these include sales performance, customer satisfaction, facilities presentation and training.

ohn Patrick Prestige Cars opened in 1992; how has the industry changed for new cars over the years? There has been a massive change in our industry over the years. Currently Australia has got 63 manufacturers for a market of about 1 million vehicles per year, whereas America has got 35 manufacturers for a market of 13.5 million. It's a growing industry here in Australia and we have seen huge changes throughout our time in business in Port Macquarie; it's just incredible to imagine so many players in our market. Tell us about the prestige brands at the John Patrick showroom ...We have Suzuki and Honda, both Japanese brands, Isuzu Ute, Peugeot, which is our French brand, and the popular Land Rover and Jaguar.

John Patrick Prestige has recently picked up the Regional Dealer of the Year award for Jaguar, which is a huge achievement. Is this the first time youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve won this award? We have won the Regional Dealer award before with another franchise, but we hadn't won it with Jag, so this is really exciting. A lot

of people think this award is geared towards how many vehicles you sell of that particular brand, but it's actually about overall customer satisfaction and servicing, taking in feedback from customer surveys, getting good results and ensuring brand signage and fit out is all correctly positioned at our dealership. Explain some of the standards you have put into place to be able to meet such high customer service expectations. We strive to achieve a very personal service at John Patrick, where we know everybody by their first name and customers are not just a number in our system. We don't have a huge volume of Jaguar clients, being a small area compared to the metro areas, and there aren't a huge number of Jaguar dealers in Australia either, so we really need to make sure we are meeting all of the standards and performing well for the brand. What can we look forward to from Jaguar over the next two years? The new 'F Type', which is the new Jaguar sports car, is to be released in August this year. Our dealership will only get one for the year; that's how high

the demand has been internationally throughout the US and Europe. The great part about the Jaguars nowadays is the pricing. It has decreased a lot, due to the value of the Australian dollar and the fact that they are now producing and selling more cars. The new XF Jaguar goes for only $74K driveaway, which is a great price for a Jag, making owning one of these prestigious vehicles more of a reality for customers. How will you be celebrating your win of the Regional Jaguar Dealership of the Year? Of course it will be about our customers and

service. We have extended our standard 3 year warranty to 5 years, on all of the Jaguar cars we have available throughout March and April. The team and I are really enjoying the recognition and respect that Dealer of the Year gives, and we are so proud to have this award - which justifies all of the hard work we have been putting in. Thanks John.

Jaguars are created to connect with the driver. At John Patrick Jaguar we connect with the customer. This is why Jaguar Australia has judged us to be 2013 Regional Dealer of the Year. See John Patrick Jaguar about your new Jaguar.

JAGUAR REGIONAL DEALER OF THE YEAR 2012

PORT MACQUARIE JOHN PATRICK JAGUAR 169 Hastings River Drive, Port Macquarie 6584 1800

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e ome ost at hours most

focusinterview.

TREK TO KOKODA

Local Real Estate icon Chris Hines from UNREAL ESTATE is about to embark on the journey with a bunch of realtors from across the country in an effort to experience the Kokoda trail, tick off a bucket list item and raise money for Salvation Army PNG.

ell us about the motivation behind this trip? I suppose its always been one of those ‘bucket list’ items, and when the opportunity came up, I jumped at it. The amount of history surrounding this 96 km stretch of track is amazing and from an Australian point of view, probably the closest we have ever come to war being on our doorstep. Whilst there were attacks on and around Darwin and the East Coast during WWII, there was a real chance of the Japanese establishing a garrison at Port Moresby, after which anything could have happened. What expectations do you have of this trip? Apart from it being a physical challenge, it will also be a mental challenge as well. When you talk to anyone who has completed the trek, they will tell you it is one of the most amazing things they have experienced. It's not easy; you are literally either walking uphill or downhill, and we are talking straight uphill, there are river crossings, mud, mosquitoes, heat and humidity. But we are doing it in an organised experienced group, not crawling through the jungle in 1942 as barely trained militia, being fired upon and hopelessly outnumbered. Who are you trekking with? I am actually trekking with a group of successful young (or young at heart) real estate agents from across the country. All of them are No.1 in their areas and are brilliant marketers. We met through Facebook, strangely enough, and the idea grew from there. It has actually been set up as a developmental opportunity to learn from each other, but we have also incorporated some others on the trip to lend further skills on leadership. We are also lucky enough to have two ex servicemen trekking with us, lending us their knowledge on the battles and strategies along the way. How far do you anticipate walking? Can you estimate how long the trip will take? The track itself stretches about 96 km through the Owen Stanley Ranges, and we will be completing it (hopefully) in 10 days. It may not sound like much walking, but some days the climb is almost at a gradient of 70%, so hours are 14 coffs coast focus.

Chris spent climbing almost straight up. along the track and back to the beaches of Buna, where What training are you doing for the trek? they were routed. Mainly walking and including a lot of interval training, It was a terribly bloody campaign, and very few prisoners incorporating lots of hills and combinations of paces. were taken by either side. In all, some 625 allied troops I've also progressed now to carrying a weighted pack to died, whilst 6,500 Japanese troops lost their lives. increase the resistance. At present, I’m doing around 10 – Of particular interest was that one of the Australian 15 km a day. It’s obviously doing me good though; I've lost Soldiers, Private Bruce Kingsbury of the 2/14th, who was 5 kg since starting training just after Christmas. awarded the Victoria Cross (posthumously) during the Do you have much knowledge of the history behind battle of Isurava, was a real estate agent before joining the Kokoda Trail? the army. The battle of Isurava pitted an attacking force It's one of those pieces of history you’ve always heard of 2,500 Japanese against 400 Australians attempting little bits of information about, but it's not until I made the the defend the area; it has also been called Australia's decision to do the trek that I began to do a bit of study. ‘Thermopylae’. The Kokoda campaign took place in 1942 and was a It really does have an amazing history of sacrifice, and I series of battles between the Australians and believe will be a very emotional trek. Japanese, and later other allied troops. One of the objectives is to raise money. Who It was fought in inhospitable terrain, are you raising money for, and how can we which made the supply of provisions support you? It may not to troops near impossible for both We decided if we were going to participate h uc sound like m sides – something that in fact in the trek it would be nice to make a e m so t walking, bu turned the tide heavily against difference over there. During the battles, the days the climb isient the Japanese at the end of the Australian troops owed a great deal to those almost at a grad are campaign. we now call the ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’, the of 70%, so hours most spent climbing al The campaign began with the Papuan New Guinean people who escorted straight up. ” Japanese Imperial Forces landing and carried wounded Australian troops out of near Buna and then pressing forward the battle zones – often at their own peril. Their across the Kokoda Track to Port deeds are now legendary. Moresby. In the early stages, the Japanese We are raising money for a charity which looks after troops, battle hardened from the Pacific campaign the education and ambulance services for the remote in which they were largely unstoppable, were villages across the track. These villages are the descendants confronted by mainly Australian Militia troops with of the ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’, and we think it’s a nice way little experience. A series of battles continued, with the of giving back a little. Australian troops mainly using fighting withdrawal tactics. Even the group organising our trek, ’Investa Treks’, As a result of the sheer numbers of Japanese troops, supports the villages along the track. They are actually a additional Australian troops were deployed to PNG from Salvation Army group, making a difference in PNG. other campaigns. If you would like to give, anything would be appreciated. In short, the Japanese did manage to advance to the hills Either contact me direct on 0439 667 719 or give online above Port Moresby, before continuing counter attacks by through: https://give.everydayhero.com/au/chris-hines the Australians, and the tyranny of lack of supplies, then Thanks Chris. forced them to begin a fighting withdrawal all the way Interview by Melly Dee.

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Meet the

15% breakfast menu at O.P 81 Café. Youroff Heading Here! O.P 81 Café, born from a passion for great food, coffee and our love for people ...

Tom Mutch

We use local fresh ingredients whenever they are available and write our menu accordingly, to let the produce shine with the addition of a little love and passion from our small team. Our extensive range of cakes and sweets are home made on the premises and include gluten free options like the famous chocolate fudge cake and our scrumptious fig and walnut cake.

After forty years of living and breathing art in various genres, Tom Mutch has returned to Australia to reside in Coffs Harbour. After exhibiting in New York and Melbourne, on 15 March Tom will have an opening preview at O.P81 Café.

here are you originally from, and what brought you to Coffs Harbour? Who is Tom

Mutch? I was born in Sydney. During my teenage years, my mates and I travelled the east coast looking for surf. That's how I first come into contact with Coffs Harbour. We always seemed to get great waves in Sawtell. When I was 20, still chasing surf, I moved to New Zealand, where I met my wife. Over the last four or so years, we would escape the New Zealand winters and come to Coffs. Then one day we decided to move here permanently. So here we are. How did you first develop an interest for art? My interests in the arts started early at school. My maths teacher also took art classes. He really loosened up in art classes. This suited my personality, and I found myself absorbed by the process of making drawings and paintings. I was always drawing or making objects at home. It came naturally to me. Now 50 years later, I'm still making art. What are your disciplines? I'm a bit of a renaissance man, although painting has been my main pursuit. Over the years I've also thrown myself into print making and for a few years I played around with performance installation art, 'til it lost its power over me. I enjoy making sculpture in bronze or steel, and I’ve made many works in wood and stone. I like the physical side of making sculpture. Over the last decade, one of my off-

shoots has been writing. I've just finished What shall we expect? my sixth novel. And like many creative I will be showing about 20 framed oil people, I've always had a deep love of paintings on cotton paper and a couple music. I play guitar and flute. I have on canvas. There will be 3 steel sculptures recorded several CDs. A few songs have that are in series as well. The paintings even managed to get some air play. vary in subject matter from landscape to What are your formal qualifications? abstract and are smallish in size. Or are you a self taught artist? How did you meet Bree and Matt I'm basically a self taught artist, from OP81 Café, and what supthough I did spend about port have they shown you? 7 years working in the Matt and Bree are fabuI enjoy studio of a well known lous. I connect with them making professional artist in and their attitude to life. ulpture in bronze sc New Zealand. I learnt I was having coffee one e I’v d an l, or stee ks many techniques morning, when I said to made many wor e. from this man, but Matt, "Do you know a in wood and ston I like the physical most of all he taught good place to have an side of making me how to approach exhibition of my work?" sculpture. ” the business of being He pinned me with that an artist – how it was Matt look and said, "You can important to catalogue one's have it here." I love their café, work, to keep records and treat it as a so it was a big yay! I think it's a very laid livelihood. back establishment. And the coffee and You've exhibited all over the country food are excellent. and also overseas in New York: What plans do you have for 2013? I've had two showings in New York. My plans for 2013 are to just keep on The first one was an exhibition of paintkeeping on. That means more painting ings. These were about the nuclear and more writing. I’ve a show planned debate in New Zealand. The work had for the Jackman Gallery in St Kilda, Melthe blessings from the then Deputy Prime bourne for later in the year. Minister, Sir Geoffrey Palmer. But life's not only about work. I have More recently in 2005, I won the some great surfing mates I meet with Grand Judy Award for best animation at most mornings, and I hope to spend the New York Independent Film Festival. many more wonderful hours with them. The film was called The Birth of Superbird. That was cool. Yes, I've shown in the plug! London, Sydney. Melbourne, Hobart, Auckland and many more places. Now, O.P 81 Café wow ... yes, Coffs Harbour. 81 Ocean Prd, Coffs Harbour. Your next show is at OP81 Café.

Our flat rate lunch menu every day of our trading week: $15, with ten options to choose from, is fast becoming very popular. Menu includes house parmesan crumbed Whiting fillets served with Kipfler Potato, caper, Spanish onion, gherkin, rocket and sour cream salad, tomato relish and lemon, Salad Nicious, grilled local tuna, bean, lemon, cherry tomato, basil, olive and soft boiled egg finished with lime aioli. Breakfast is also a winner and includes all of your favourites, with O.P little twists, eggs Benedict to homemade muesli with lots in between, again using the highest quality of local ingredients. Tuesday – Sunday, 7am – 2pm. Breakfast 7am – 11.30am; lunch 11.30am – 2pm. 81 Ocean Parade Coffs Harbour (opposite the Hoey Moey). Come in and enjoy the under-cover off the footpath experience.

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coffs coast focus 15

focusinterview. Norm Jordan Function Rooms

VENUE Pat Gibbeson is the Public Recreation Trust Manager at the Coffs Harbour Showground. Although the Showground has faced its challenges over the years, the Norm Jordan Function Rooms have had a recent renovation and now the space has opened as a mecca for trade shows, functions, conferences, exhibitions and events for the people of the Coffs Coast Community.

Coffs Premier Venue This premier venue is one of the most versatile and adaptable spaces on the Coffs Coast. The rooms can be hired together, separately, or in conjunction with the boardroom, for an ideal break off area. The rooms are identical in size – both seating more than 200 people. The north room features a garden lined patio with a western wall perfect for a stage or presentation area. The south room has easy access to the open grass areas of the grounds and parking through the southern doors. At the Coffs Harbour Showground you can choose to self-cater, have us provide morning tea or treat yourself to Sparechef’s onsite catering service – you choose what level you would like to have. Whether you choose the north or south room, the Norm Jordan Function Rooms are the ideal venue for training seminars, workshops, meetings, conferences, parties, weddings or just about any other type of event you could imagine. The possibilities really are endless! With the recent renovations now complete, the rooms are modern, with new carpets, tiled foyer and bar area and a new colour scheme; it can all be enjoyed in air-conditioned comfort. For further information, please visit our website at www.coffsshowground.com.au or call our friendly staff on 6652 8401 to check availability.

16 coffs coast focus.

hat is your role at the Coffs Harbour Showground? My role is the ‘Coffs Harbour Showground and Public Recreation Trust Manager’. Quite a mouthful, so I just stick with ‘Showground Trust Manager’. It involves the day to day running of the Harbour City Holiday Park and the Showground, with all of the function centres thrown in. We have 11 full-time tenants running businesses, galleries, markets, dance groups and several local community groups having a base in the grounds. In today’s era of compliance, leasing buildings isn’t just a case of making a donation to the Trust. Each group is charged an appropriate rental that matches their community input, budget and the income that the Showground requires to carry on daily business. Grass doesn’t mow itself, and toilets don’t automatically clean! The flip side of my role is organising and bringing events to the grounds. Something as simple as a small concert will often require 12 months of planning to obtain Development Applications, and have traffic management plans, insurance and licensing all approved. I have to make sure that all of the statutory requirements are met, to make sure the Showground Trust is compliant and protected from risk. What is the history of the Showground? In 2014, the Showground will host the 100th Agricultural Show put on by Coffs Harbour Show Society. Showground reserves were often built by and maintained by locals involved with the annual show, as it was considered the biggest annual event for towns. During WWII, the grounds were used as a training facility, and some evidence of this still remains in the rear of the grounds. During the mid-1960s, the main timber pavilion burned down and the grounds were virtually a blank canvas, bringing us to when most of the current facilities were built. Now we are seeing a more modern showground. What are some of the latest happenings? Our ‘flagship’ building, the Norm Jordan

Function Rooms, have just undergone a major internal renovation. After 17 years of holding various events and functions, it needed a fresh look. It is now a premier attraction for weddings, parties and training facilities. I still get a buzz when locals who haven’t been in the grounds for a while drop in to say what a wonderful community asset it has become. The Exhibition Hall has a new foyer, gardens and entrances, and we have built a modern workshop for our small team. Machinery and grounds maintenance techniques have been implemented and upgraded to provide a better service to our customers. Over the past 5 years, the smaller buildings have been renovated into small training rooms. They are modern and affordable. The Harbour City Holiday Park, located in the south west corner of the grounds, is the best kept secret in Coffs. It has a reputation built on cleanliness and good service, and our managers go the extra mile to make our guests comfortable. Evidence is the repeat business we receive from our guests. Under the current park hosts our bookings have more than doubled over the past 5 years. The modernisation of the grounds will continue. As any Manager of a not-for profit will tell you, it’s quite a task to keep your head above water, but to be able to improve the facilities is a real achievement. What are some of the challenges the Showground has faced? Like any other Showground in the state, rumour and innuendo have always played a part in public perception. There has been talk of developing the ground, selling parts off and turning it into a car park or a huge vegetable garden! The story is the same in every regional town. The only development plans the Showground has is to continue to upgrade the buildings, create new facilities and outdoor entertainment venues. There has always been confusion over who runs the Showground. The Coffs Harbour Showground and Public Recreation Trust has this task. It is not funded by the State Government or Council, as most people think. There is no bucket of money. The only funding we

receive is by the hiring of the buildings and grounds for events, functions or accommodation. The team who run it are all dedicated locals, and our volunteer workgroups who help out are all local. The simple explanation would be that we don’t run the events; we hire the grounds to groups who run them. About 7 years ago, the Trust was placed in the hands of local businesswoman who turned the finances around, increased usage of the grounds and implemented a truly visionary future for the Showground. I was fortunate enough to inherit her vision and continue to improve the facility and what we can offer event organisers. A lot of people don't actually know that the site is used for a wide variety of community activities, corporate events and even weddings. Recent history has seen our function rooms move from being used only for shows and expos to every day. Nowadays, rarely would a day go by without meetings, training or a private function happening somewhere in the grounds. As a central location between the Hunter region and the Tweed, it has become popular for large scale training and meeting events. With our central location to the CBD, it is often used as a meeting point for local businesses. With the new renovations, weddings are becoming a popular booking. The grounds offer magnificent areas for an outdoor wedding or photo opportunities, and the reception often moves inside for the evening celebration. Our slogan is ‘The Possibilities are Endless’, meaning you really can organise an event that suits you. Hirers and event organisers virtually have a blank canvas to work with and have very limited restrictions placed on them. This allows small and large scale events to have the flexibility needed to run and organise their functions.

the plug! For information on these events and bookings, check out our website at www.coffsshowground.com.au or call the office on 6652 8401.

Social how to media

Where service matters

With social media, simply having a presence isn’t enough; you need to be active and engaging with your followers to ensure constant growth and interaction. By this, we don’t mean just SELL, SELL, SELL with each and every post.

The motto at Craig’s Computers is 'Where Service Matters', and they don’t take these three words lightly. As well as building new computers to each individual client’s requirements, Craig’s Computers also repair and upgrade existing systems and configure home or office networks. They also pride themselves on their after sales service. Craig says his secret weapon is his wife, Leisa. “Leisa has become a valuable asset in our business. Her product knowledge gives our business an edge, as people find their lives are becoming more reliant on technology and their needs are always changing. I also feel it’s great that Leisa understands the needs of our female clients, and they in turn feel comfortable expressing what they are after to Leisa.” Craig’s Computers also sell notebooks, ultrabooks, tablets, monitors, printers, external hard drives, software, including internet security plus network and broadband equipment. They also offer free quotations for repairs if required. Craig's Computers offers free delivery, free installation and free personal Internet configuration and tuition with every new system. Talk to someone you know and trust to get straight answers in plain English and a quality computer, notebook or tablet. You can talk to Craig or Leisa on (02) 6652 8533 or 0419 491 492, visit 102 Combine Street, Coffs Harbour during business hours Monday to Friday, or visit www.craigscomputers.com

1. It’s important to share a range of information relevant to your industry; for example, news and latest trends, articles, ask a question, testimonials, tips and tricks ... the list goes on.

Giant Media Join an ever-expanding list of successful national and international clients. With Giant Media entering into its ninth year, the team has become one of the region's creative forces, boasting over 750 clients and over 300 completed websites worldwide. With clients in the last 12 months coming from Beijing, Japan and America and nationally from Exmouth, Townsville and through to Deniliquin, the Coffs Harbour based studio is taking advantage of the latest technologies to truly reach a global market. Focusing on websites that evolve with your business and setting up solid social media networking that reaches far beyond Google is where Giant Media excel. Giant Media takes the time to listen to your needs and objectives, providing custom solutions that deliver results.

2. Remember, it is also a place for your customers or potential customers to interact with your business by asking questions and leaving feedback; having this direct insight into what the customer is thinking can often be overlooked in a business. 3. Once you have a following, you then want to run a campaign or promotion to turn your social media fans into people in your database, that you can then continue to share great info with to build rapport and inform them about special offers or latest news in your business. 4. For someone just starting off, if I had to recommend one cheap and easy tool to optimise the time you spend on social media, I would suggest http://socialhowtomedia.com.au/hootsuite 5. Create an online marketing plan and have an outcome in mind before you start. We work with real estate and employment agencies, retailers, Councils, online retailers, cafés, clubs, small home based businesses, just to name a few. To get some more direct insight into the best approach for your business, we have a free 30 minute consultation available; bookings from our home page or on 1300 550 169.

coffs coast focus 17

Showcasing the ten best short films in Australia today is Flickerfest’s Best of Australian Shorts section on March 15.

An escape for mums everywhere Little bundles of joy can sometimes make it hard to get out and about, and most new parents think that moviegoing is now out of the question! Not true … with Birch, Carroll & Coyle Coffs Harbour’s new Bring Your Baby sessions, there are three great opportunities each week to catch up on a recent release without babysitter hassles or glares from other patrons. These dedicated sessions happen Monday at 10.30am, Wednesday at 12.30pm and Friday at 10.30am outside of school holidays. Does your New Parent Group fall on one of these days? What a great venue for these groups; enjoy the movie and then relax and chat with a cuppa and cookie in our Cine Café! Bring Your Baby session details can be found at www.evetncinemas.com.au by looking for 'BYB' under the session listing. They are also indicated on the session information flyers available from the information board in the cinema foyer. The Bring Your Baby admission price of $10 includes you and your bub. All other tickets are $10 each, with any additional children under 4 years of age admitted free. These sessions are pram friendly and the house lights remain at a low level to make finding bottles, dummies, blankets, toys, etc that much easier!

FlickerFest at Jetty Theatre

New Mel Brooks Musical

Ride the short film wave at Jetty Memorial Theatre, viewing the most respected short films on the global festival circuit.

If you missed the Mel Brooks musical comedy, Young Frankenstein when it wowed audiences on Broadway, you’re in luck, as it soon opens at the Jetty Memorial Theatre. On Friday, April 12, Coffs Harbour will be the first in Australia to see this hilarious new show.

The Flickerfest award of Best Australian Short Film is now Academy ®Accredited, meaning at this screening, you are only going to see world class, cutting edge films. Also this month, don’t miss the twisted combination of sex and power in David Williamson’s Brilliant Lies. Discover who is telling the truth and who is telling a bunch of brilliant lies in this dramatic CHATS production. Showcasing the ten best short films in Australia today is Flickerfest’s Best of Australian Shorts section on March 15. For a taste of the top talent, watch a few sample trailers on our webpage at www.jettytheatre.com and while you are there, grab tickets for the best seats in the house. David Williamson’s Brilliant Lies is a serious comedy that will direct audiences’ sympathy from one character to the next. In this masterpiece of drama, each character desires something and each uses their dominances to get their own way. Rex Madigan of CHATS says, “David Williamson’s play is a stimulating contribution to debate on our ever changing social values, particularly the way women are regarded in the work force.” Jobs are lost, allegations are made and it all ends in court with the play exploring the nature of truth and lies. Witness the outcome!

FLICKERFEST Friday 15 March 8pm

Ride the short film wave viewing the best 10 films in Australia all one the one evening. For a taste of what’s on offer in this cutting edge film showcase visit our website and watch a few trailers.

BRILLIANT LIES

Fri 22 March - Sun 31 March

David Williamson’s Brilliant Lies is a dramatic serious comedy that will direct audiences’ sympathy from one character to the next. Box office hours Tuesday to Friday 12 noon - 4pm jettytheatre.com | 02 6652 8088 facebook.com/jettymemorialtheatre jetty.theatre@chcc.nsw.gov.au 337 Harbour Drive Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 Proudly supported by

VINCE JONES COMING IN APRIL details in next month’s FOCUS SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A PRIZE PACK!

jetty memorial theatre

SEASON 2013

coffs coast focus.

The Coffs Harbour Musical Comedy Company is proud to bring the Australian premiere of Young Frankenstein to local audiences. The opening night on Friday, April 12 will be celebrated with complimentary drinks and finger food before the show from 7pm, sponsored by La Fleur D’Alyse. The audience will have an opportunity to meet director, Maureen Burgess and musical director, Peter Kaukiainen and will be invited to meet cast members after the show. “This is a first for Coffs Harbour – the premiere night of the Australian premiere. I’m absolutely thrilled and excited that our company is performing this amazing show. The rehearsals have been enormous fun; we just can’t wait to open,” says director Maureen Burgess. If you loved Mel Brooks’ production The Producers, you’ll not want to miss this blissfully funny monster mash which highlights the very best of our local talent as they perform in some very challenging musical numbers and dance routines. Sessions - Wed, Fri, Sat - 8pm; Sat & Sun - 2pm. Jetty Memorial Theatre – Box Office 6652 8088 or www.jettytheatre.com

focusinterview.

McLeod The Bellingen Readers and Writers festival will be amazing! There is no town quite like Bellingen, and with a program of workshops, talks and forums, there’s no literary festival quite like this one – March 22 - 24, 2013.

ntroduce yourself ... when Coffs Harbour did I dig out those old and why did you move to manuscripts, never dreaming I’d one day the Coffs Coast? see a book with my name on it sitting on Not until my early 20s, a bookshop shelf. after having grown up in You have secured a two-book deal leafy suburban Sydney, did I with Simon and Schuster. Can you discover an affinity with the country. For please tell us about your debut novel, three years, I travelled around Australia House for all Seasons, and what in a converted Ford F100 van, working inspired you to write it? wherever I could, doing anything I could House for all Seasons is the first book – an approach that kick-started in my Seasons Collection, with a diverse range of work Book 2 – The Simmering experiences once back Season – due for release in Sydney. in March next year. r he Quite unlike ot Twenty years My inspiration for s, al iv st literary fe en ng lli later, I took the my novels is the Be es and what mak e at tim first tentative changing seasons. in e th unique, is at th t steps towards Where I live in the en nm enviro ders ol th ke tic my tree change, picturesque Bonville es id prov counter’ en e os ‘cl escaping the Valley, every season a ith w d industry all-consuming is unique; the sights, with authors an professionals.” corporate chaos sounds and smells in 2004 to buy stirring my creative side. a small café in the If I was clever enough, I’d seaside town of Sawtell. capture it on canvas. What I found was a warm, As a writer, what I love about the welcoming community with wonderful seasons is the contrast, and contrast is local characters, and I immediately felt what makes great characters and conflict my move to the country was like coming in a story. Creating four female characters home. as different as the seasons seemed like an No longer in the café business interesting premise. (although still drinking way too much Poppy, a tough, ambitious journo coffee), I’ve spent the last few years still craving her father’s approval; Sara, focused on writing stories – life-affirming a breast cancer survivor afraid to fall in novels of small town life and the country love; Amber, a spoilt socialite addicted roots that run deep within them. to painkillers and cosmetic procedures; How did you get started as an Caitlin, a third generation doctor author? frustrated by a controlling family and her Unlike those authors who have written flat-lining life. since they could hold a pen, the desire From that kernel of an idea, House to write a novel didn’t hit me until later for all Seasons grew into a story of in life (although my mum is likely to tell unravelling friendships, tightening of you my story telling was quite prolific family ties, and the unsettling after-effects from a very young age). I dabbled for of choices made. Mostly it’s a story about years, trying to fit writing around a busy coming home to find your place in the corporate career. Not until relocating to world and discovering small towns can

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The Bellingen Readers and Writers festival

Jenn

Be Part of the Story! The 2013 Festival is shaping up to be the best yet, with a new program celebrating Australian women writers, workshops with some of Australia’s best known authors and special events celebrating the magnificent Bellinger River, Dorrigo National Park and the Coffs Coast including the ‘Paddle with a Poet’ canoeing adventure.

keep big secrets. How many genres do you write in? What do you write about? I am influenced by something I heard Jodi Picoult say: “The best books straddle genres and attract a variety of readers.” I write what the business calls popular fiction (a.k.a. commercial or women’s fiction) with its broad themes appealing to a broader audience (making the distinction from what the industry refers to as literary). Despite the label, House for all Seasons would sit just as comfortably on a shelf alongside more literary works or contemporary romances. I’m happy to be labelled ‘popular Australian fiction’ if it means more people read my work. That, after all, is why I write. What is the Bellingen Readers and Writers festival? How long has it been going and what can one expect to experience there? In its third year, the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival is regarded as a must-do on the cultural calendar, and I’m thrilled to be amongst such literary talent; this year’s lineup is amazing and with a focus on women writers, their stories are in the spotlight. Quite unlike other literary festivals, and what makes Bellingen unique, is the intimate environment that provides ticketholders with a ‘close encounter’ with authors and industry professionals. But I love the concept too. With a writer’s life a solitary existence, our days filled with fictional friends rather than real ones, meeting people who share a love of reading and who enjoy talking about Aussie fiction is rewarding and inspiring. I hope to inspire others in return when I join Macksville’s Karly Lane (Saturday program) to discuss Small Town Secrets in Popular Fiction. Thanks Jenn.

The festival will also continue to challenge and encourage debate in the relaxed and casual atmosphere that it is known for, with sessions on a range of crucial topics including a panel discussion on Mining and Nuclear Energy and George Negus in conversation with David Marr exploring Political Leadership. Local writers are also well represented in the program, with panels and workshops with local poets Brian Hawkins and John Bennett, authors Karly Lane and Jenn J McLeod and the launch of On, in, from, over Bellingen, a new book by noted local natural and cultural commentator Ross Macleay, who will host an associated walking tour through the town. There will also be sessions celebrating and exploring the Gumbaynggirr culture and language, including stories and poems from Elder Auntie Bea Ballangarry. For full program details and to purchase tickets, go to: www.bellingenwritersfestival.com.au

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Coffs Coast

Chocolate Mudcake with Berry Compote and Bake Well Tart from Spinifix Restaurant at The Coast Hotel.

eat. Dining Guide is available for iPhone & Android App Store. www.focusmag.com.au/eat 20 coffs coast focus.

eat. Roast Duck Salad.

Bluebottles Brasserie Bluebottles is open 7 days a week for breakfast and lunch and Friday and Saturday nights for dinner. Enjoy dining in our relaxed alfresco atmosphere, with fresh menus and friendly staff. Head Chef Gerard Geerligs and his team have created modern Australian menus to cater for all tastes. Don't miss Oxygen Mask Productions performance of the Goon Show 'Bluebottle @ Bluebottles' on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 March. Tickets will be available at Bluebottles. $60 for a 3 course dinner and show. Numbers will be limited, so please book early.

Finz on The Beach Open for à la carte dining 7 days a week, 'Finz on The Beach' is the perfect location to enjoy a delicious dinner and gorgeous view. Our menu showcases a selection of seasonal produce, including entrees such as master stock pork belly – twice cooked on a bed of green apple puree with crisp pancetta and caramelised pear, or organic Australia beef fillet carpaccio with truffle oil.

Head Chef Gerard Geerligs.

Shops 1 & 2, 53 Beach St, Woolgoolga t 6654 1962 open Breakfast and lunch daily. Open for dinner Friday and Saturday nights from 6pm.

If you have a sweet tooth, why not try our crumbed Coffs Coast banana, served with homemade cinnamon ice cream to finish the night off. Join us for dinner and enjoy a two course dinner and glass of house wine for only $52 per person.

Breakfree Aanuka Beach Resort 11 Firman Drive, Coffs Harbour t 6650 2400 w www.aanuka.com.au open: 6pm - 9pm, 7 days a week.

Café TREEO Sawtell

Horizons Restaurant & Bar

Situated under the grand figs that line Sawtell’s First Avenue, TREEO is a vibrant café brought to you by sea changers Duncan and Leesa. As one of the stand out venues on the Coffs Coast, TREEO is sure to impress with their extensive all day breakfast menu and lunch favourites, such as pan roasted gnocchi, smoked salmon croquettes or their ever popular grilled chicken salad. TREEO pride themselves on the freshness of their ingredients, using creative combinations that will tantalise the taste buds. The drinks menu is also a standout, with ice tea, cranberry smiles, fresh fruit smoothies and homemade lemonades on constant rotation. The mango, honey and roasted coconut smoothie is a must, as is their Vietnamese mint ice tea filled to the brim with fresh fruit. To keep up to date with the latest specials and events from TREEO, be sure to ‘like’ them on Facebook.

Try Our New Autumn Dinner Menu. Modern Australian cuisine menu, with the region’s freshest produce and seafood. Be tempted with Seared scallops on a smoked salmon rosti with a pernod sabayon or Szechuan peppered duck breast in masterstock with duck wontons on a warm soba noodle and Shitake mushroom salad. Dessert: decedent dark chocolate and salted caramel tart. THE OC LUNCH SPECIAL $23.50pp - 11.30am -2.30pm 7 Days - Bookings Preferred Enjoy Al fresco dining. Wine, beer or soft drink, lunch and tea or espresso overlooking pool and coastal views. Horizons Bar has fabulous cocktails and happy hour 5-6pm daily. Open Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner – 7 days a week.

18 First Ave, Sawtell t 6653 1099 fb fb.com/ CafeTreeo open: 7 days from 7am for breakfast and lunch.

Owner/Chef Duncan Elliot.

Executive Chef Tim McClay-Talivai

Clinton Hunter Head Chef.

Opal Cove Resort, Opal Boulevard, Coffs Harbour t 6651 0510 open: Breakfast, lunch and dinner – 7 days a week. Bookings recommended.

coffs coast focus 21

eat. The Pier Hotel It doesn’t matter what food you like, there’s a good chance you will find that perfect meal at Waves Bistro at The Pier. Dave Newick and the staff have spent years working and listening to customers, so they have designed a menu that fits the profile of the customer base at The Pier. If you’re looking for a $10 steak for lunch or a grilled lemon snapper topped with prawns for dinner, it’s on the menu. The theme nights are our most popular nights, especially Thursday nights’ Mexican, where you can get your meal + Corona for just $14.50; or you could come down and try our new 1 kg burrito challenge and walk away with a T-shirt and your name on our honour board. Come down and try our new Tapas menu every

No. 5 Church Street It certainly has been a big year for the good folk down at No.5! Live music, community gatherings, workshops, private functions and events, No.5 has become the heart of the region's cultural and culinary scene – the deliciously diverse seasonal menu, wonderful service and friendly laid back atmosphere has made this address a second home for locals and a hot spot for travellers. Moving on now into its second season, No.5 is dishing up the old milkbar favourites as well as some special new treats – classic burgers and fish and chips, served up alongside smoked Rainbow Trout salad or three little quinoa cakes. Fully licensed, the venue serves up frosty cold Bellingen Brewery beers on tap, a fine selection of Australian wines and shakes a mean cocktail too! Check out what's on @ www.5churchstreet.com or follow us on Facebook.

Friday arvo from 2.30pm - 5.30pm.

Head Chef Dave Newick.

Our friendly kitchen staff.

Cnr Harbour Dr and Camperdown St, Coffs Harbour hotel 6652 2110 bistro 6651 8222

5 Church Street, Bellingen t 6655 0155 open: Wed - Sun, 11am - 10pm.

open: lunch 11.30 - 2.30pm, dinner 5.30 - 8.30pm, 7 days a week.

Outback Jacks

Spinifex Restaurant

Let the team at Outback Jacks take the stress and hassle out of it. Offering alfresco dining on the deck, it is the perfect place to get together. Celebrating a birthday? Book a table for 8 or more adults, and the birthday person eats for free (conditions apply). Plus, they will receive a special birthday treat, compliments of Outback Jacks. And just a reminder: kids 12 and under eat for $3 all day, every day. $29.95 all you can eat ribs and wings. Beef, lamb and pork ribs with a choice of chilli plum or Smoky BBQ sauce with a serving of fried chicken wings with a choice of mild, medium, hot or a**e burner sauce and a serving of chips. All day every day, lunch and dinner.

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food,” said George Bernard Shaw and here at the Spinifex Restaurant, located at the Coast Hotel, we want all our customers to experience the finest food available in Coffs Harbour. Starting with Wooli oysters and freshly grown local produce, meats and seafood, the Coast Hotel has something for every taste and diet. There’s also a brand new burger menu now available. We also make all our desserts in-house, ensuring our customers continue to love and appreciate the fantastic culinary world we have at our fingertips. Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.

8 Bray Street, Coffs Harbour t 6699 2458 w www.outbackjacks.com.au open: 7 days a week from 11.30am ‘til late.

22 coffs coast focus.

New owner Glenn.

Coast Hotel, 2 Moonee St, Coffs Harbour t 6652 3007 w www.coasthotel.com.au open: Lunch: noon - 2.30pm. Dinner: 6pm - 9pm.

Head Chef Sam Allinson.

eat. The Lot.

Wholly Cow Café Do you think it’s possible to have a healthy burger?? At Wholly Cow, it’s possible because they serve them everyday! The burgers are made fresh to order, the old fashioned way using local and organic produce whenever they can. All the patties, delicious mayo, relish and pesto sauces are made on site, so they know what goes into everything! A Wholly Cow burger is a meal, not a fast food, mass produced, sugary snack. They pride themselves on bringing back good old fashioned burgers, where you can taste the freshness of the ingredients. Their motto is simple – ‘burgers how they should be!’

Flooded Gums Restaurant Winner of 1 ‘Chefs Hat’ in the 2013 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide awards and 2 ‘Goblets’ in the 2012 Fine Wine Partners Wine list of the Years Awards, making it a leader in regional NSW dining. Overlooking the picturesque 18th hole with its flood lit fairway, the Flooded Gums is unmatched for setting, food, wine, atmosphere and service on the Coffs Coast. Our team of talented chefs have created modern Australian menus for your enjoyment across breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner 7 days a week.

Owner Ricky Lee

2/39 First Avenue, Sawtell t 6658 2682 open: Mon to Thurs – 7am to 5pm. Fri to Sat – 7am to 8pm. Sun and Public Holidays – 7am to 3pm.

Come and experience Beautiful Bonville and ‘Hat’ dining today.

North Bonville Road, Bonville t 6653 4002 w www.bonvillegolf.com.au open: 7 days. Bookings essential for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Piña Colada Juice Bar

Saltwater Restaurant

Piña Colada Juice Bar has gone out with the old and in with the new and is putting customers' health at the top of the list. We have gone out with the OLD FASHIONED way of juicing fruit and vegetables called 'Centrifugal Juicing' and gone all in with 2 new 'COLD PRESS JUICERS'. 'COLD PRESS JUICING' extracts ALL the juice from the fruit or veggie through a slow speed grinding process. The cold press process keeps all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fibre in their core form – right from the fruit or veggie – and delivers them directly into your system with each glass of juice. Your juice tastes better, fresher, purer and tastes more like the fruit or veggie being juiced.

Take in the awesome view, while our team of award winning chefs and friendly staff look after you. Enjoy breakfast on the terrace, a leisurely lunch, or fine dining in the evening. We have an affordable extensive wine list, and are also BYO. Reviewed and recommended by SMH Good Food Guide. Winner Best Breakfast Award for Excellence for the 2nd year.

REVIEWED BY

Guide

Head Chef Dan Williams. Cherrie and Tamara.

Shop 1 - 4 / 9 Harbour Drive, Coffs Harbour t 6650 0499 open: Monday to Friday 7am - 5pm. Saturday 9am - 2pm.

104 Fiddaman Road, Emerald Beach t 6656 1888 w www.saltwateronthebeach.com open: Breakfast and lunch - Wednesday to Sunday. Dinner - Thursday,Friday & Saturday. Easter opening hours: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Good Friday, Easter Sat and Sun. coffs coast focus 23

eat.

Zulu’s Restaurant & Bar

Macauleys Restaurant

With dancing nuns and international talk-show hosts in mind, Zulu's is hosting another Degustation Dinner! Themed 'Favourite Things', this dinner will be the chef celebrating his birthday ... with you gastronomically! With his twisted spin on his favourite dishes being played out across your plate over 6 courses! For only $60 per person (a celebratory price) or $90 including drinks, the dinner will be hosted on Friday 22 March, with pre-dinner drinks at 6.30pm. Photo Credit @GourmetGetaway

Reviewed and recommended by the SMH Good Food Guide, AND voted as one of the most romantic Valentine’s Day venues on the Mid North Coast, Macauleys Restaurant is fast becoming known for bringing class to coastal dining.

Chef Joel McCulla.

27 Grafton Street, Coffs Harbour (Pacific Highway) t 6652 1588 w www.zuluscoffs.com

Expect to find the freshest local produce and ingredients on our NEW MENU – we LOVE to capitalise on the amazing seasonal fruit and vegetables and the sublime variety of fresh seafood available in our region and build our menu around the seasons. Our Pizza Menu is a casual alternative – combine a Peri Peri Prawn Pizza with a Macauleys Cocktail and alfresco dining = PERFECTION! We are now open Monday night, so there’s no excuse NOT to have a Macauleys Restaurant dining experience.

Head Chef Craig Clarke.

99 Park Beach Road Coffs Harbour t 6652 5970 w www.macauleys.com.au open: Monday to Saturday from 6pm.

open: Breakfast: Monday – Friday, 7am – 9am. Dinner: Monday – Saturday, 6pm – late.

Plantation Hotel

Pan seared local goat fillet, with banana skordalia and blue berry tzatziki.

The Plantation Hotel is centrally located in the heart of the Coffs Harbour CBD. With this convenient location comes a range of fresh and exciting dining options for both lunch and dinner. The Plantation Hotel offers an extensive à la carte menu, daily specials and our newly introduced Tapas menu. As an added bonus, you have the chance to win double passes to Mental as Anything. Purchase any two main meals from our à la carte menu for your chance to win a double pass to Mental as Anything. Conditions apply.*

The Rustic Table

Chef Blake Walton.

88 Grafton Street, Coffs Harbour. t 6652 3855 w www.plantationhotel.com.au open Lunch: 12pm to 2.30. Dinner: 5.30 to 8.30 7 days a week. Tapas Menu Friday & Saturday night and all day Sunday.

24 coffs coast focus.

Are you after a delicious dinner with beautiful food, fantastic service amongst the gorgeous ambience of Woolgoolga? The Rustic Table works tirelessly and pride themselves on bringing you exceptional service that is remembered long after you've walked out of the doors. For dinner, try braised goat ragout with fettuccine, shaved parmesan and truffle oil. Or dessert: indulge in vanilla bean and lemon zest, goats cheese cheese cake. And to keep the goat constancy we also serve holly Goat Coffee from Port Macquarie and if you're game you can have it with goats milk. Designation Nights: Friday 1st March. Lebanese degustation with a belly dancer. $60 / head. 6 courses. BYO. Saturday 2nd March. Italian degustation with live music.$60 / head. BYO.

Beach Street, Woolgoolga, NSW. t 6654 1645 open: 7 days breakfast and lunch. Monday pasta night. Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 6pm with live entertainment – weather permitting!

Chef Joe Fallon.

focusinterview.

Sweets & Treats for any occasion Molly&Me sweets began in October 2012. Molly&Me was established to pay homage to the beautiful French delicacy. It came from an idea that Chris (THE CHEF) noticed that there was a gap in the market on the North Coast for genuine macarons. Chris is a classically trained chef and has been in kitchens for 20 years. Chris has a love of all things sweet and delicious; he can create a number of other handmade sweet treats.

Dan

Through love and perseverance, Chris has achieved making the best macaron on the North Coast. Molly&Me specialise in gluten free products including macarons. We use only free range eggs and locally sourced produce. Molly&Me supplies to several cafés in the Coffs Harbour area. The macarons and sweet treats are ideal for corporate gifts, wedding favours and functions.

Wi l l ia ms

A Noosa man by trade, Dan Williams moved to the Coffs Coast four years ago to head the team at Saltwater and share his experience with your palate!

Macarons can either be supplied loose for catering purposes or packaged in boxes of any number you desire. As all macarons are made to order; we can colour match to suit your corporate colours or event theming. We aim to bring a new and exciting product to make your next event or function very special! They are just beautiful ... the colours, the fillings and the flavours. The possibilities are endless.

ow long have you been on the Coffs Coast? I moved to the Coffs Coast about four years ago now. I am originally from Noosa, QLD; I moved to Coffs Harbour simply for a change.

love of Thai food.

seafood, vegetable, meat or fruit. I say

I've also cooked in Greek restaurants, Michalis At Careys and Corfu Greek Tervera

local, because it is good for the economy

Do you like Masterchef, and what do you think this show brings to the What inspired you to become a industry? The show is really positive for chef? I made the decision to enticing new young chefs to be a chef a very long time give the trade a go. In an ago. I grew up on a industry where we're sustainable farm, any m in ed ok struggling to recruit co I have so that is a part of s great restaurant gion. young people, Noosa re my passion for throughout the the show is great and have cooking, but I also I love Thai food ai for exposing the nce in Th used to spend had great experie Chilli n, industry. sio Fu s. nt ra restau a lot of time sic Thai and Shelly's Clas an Be Tell us about in restaurants eat stead for all held me in gr your style of food.” growing up on my love of Thai cooking. I definitely the Sunshine Coast. have a unique style I have always been that is catergorised as drawn to food. Modern Australian. In a How long have you been country rich with multiculturalism, cooking for? I have been cooking for we have so many different cultures and going on 16 years now. I have cooked in producers here in Australia, that the many great restaurants throughout the possibilities are endless. Noosa region. I love Thai food and have What are your favourite ingredients had great experience in Thai restaurants. to cook with (and why)? I like to Fusion, Chilli Bean and Shelly's Classic cook with local, fresh ingredients, be it Thai all held me in great stead for my

“

and generally tastes better ... and fresh, well, that's obvious. What's unique about your menu at Saltwater? Our menu at Saltwater is unique. I try to use only seasonal produce to represent the time of year and what is available for that time of year. What do people love about Saltwater? The food, the view, the service, the coffee; it's all good. What do you enjoy most about your job? Coming up with new and exciting dishes. What is new at Saltwater? We have our autumn menu starting very soon, which I am looking forward to cooking, and I think really represents autumn. Do you cater for functions or any other special services? We cater for all functions, be it weddings, birthday parties, workplace functions or others and will also be flexible with people who have dietary requirements. Thanks Dan.

coffs coast focus

Monica JOSEPH Journey around the world Camp Quality. Friday 8 March is International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day and Novotel Pacific Bay, Coffs Harbour and Camp Quality are having a luncheon to celebrate! Camp Quality is the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family cancer charity whose purpose is to create a better life for every child living with cancer in Australia. The services provided for children (0 -13 years) living with cancer and their families help them build optimism and resilience. Camp Quality supports families, no matter where they live in Australia, throughout each stage of their cancer journey. Guest speakers on the day include: Cr. Denise Knight: a nurse by profession, Denise has successfully fought her own battle with cancer and last year was elected Mayor of Coffs Harbour. This passionate local embodies the spirit of Camp Quality through her positive attitude and resilience! Monica Joseph: a dynamic and inspiring woman, who after raising her children felt she needed a new challenge so rode a motorbike around the world! Monica is in the process of having her first book published and will be sharing a few of the highlights of this incredible journey. Be inspired and help create a better life for children living with cancer! BOOK TODAY! Phone 6651 4486 or online at http://www. mycampquality.org.au/iwd

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:iWK JXesW speDNers &RĹ&#x2013;s +DrERXr Mayor Cr. Denise Knight and Monica Joseph. Friday 8th March, 11:30am 1RYRWHO 3DFLĹ&#x2014;F %D\ 5HVRUW &RĹ&#x2013;V +DUERXU 16: WZR FRXUVH OXQFK

Book your tickets today! ph: 6651 4486 or mycampquality.org.au/iwd 26 coffs coast focus.

Many of us dream of visiting exotic locations, having memorable experiences and seeing the world, but how many make it happen? Meet Monica Joseph, a Coffs Coast resident who took the opportunity to achieve that and more â&#x20AC;&#x201C; on a motorbike!

re you from Coffs Along the way we had to climb from Harbour? 800 metres to 3,016 m, which was quite Yes, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve lived in Coffs a bit of altitude in one go and involved Harbour since 1983. negotiating 33 switchbacks and riding into In detail, talk about snow capped mountains. It was intensely your journey ... beautiful and did not disappoint. The journey started with five people; I The next highlight was the Pamirs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; was the only female. We started with five often referred to as Roof of the World. weeks in Japan; it was outstanding. We The Pamirs is a complex series of ranges rode 4,500 km before catching the ferry separated by high altitude valleys. We out of Wakkanai, Hokkaido for Sakhalin ascended from 700 m to 4,200 m in about Island, Russia. Then we had 21,000 km to a day. The Pamirs can only be described as St. Petersburg. beautiful, pristine plateau scenery with a Once in Russia, we spent eight hours raw beauty. Days later, we were heading covering at least 200 km of dirt, gravel, for Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan. It took pot holed and rutted road and bridges 11 hours to ride 320 km. Samarkand missing planks. Oncoming is one of the most ancient traffic had to be watched, cities of our planet and as often it was big was founded 2,750 trucks with full years ago. We were a Mongolia is like loads. The scenery bedazzled by the big endless park was magnificent architecture of scape â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a glorious land forests and rivers. towering mosques s and dotted with yurt s of The big and turquoise rd scattered with he o challenge was domes. d tw horses, yaks an riding across Simon (my s.â&#x20AC;? humped camel Mongolia. We first husband) and I went to Lake Baikal eventually parted from in Siberia, the deepest the others and made freshwater lake in the our way through West world, which contains a fifth of Kazakhstan back to Russia. It was the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fresh water. The sunsets on this desert; no trees, but just flat, harsh desert lake were brilliant. We met a few Russians with the occasional strong smelling herd fishing nearby who gave us two-dozen fish of camels to break up the bleak scene. they caught. This Russian generosity and We did 532 km, crossed two borders big heartedness was incredible. and tackled 80 km on corrugated, bone Mongolia is like a big endless park â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a rattling, unsealed road to Beynau, Western glorious landscape dotted with yurts and Kazakhstan. scattered with herds of horses, yaks and On the last day of August, we had two humped camels. Mongolia is unique been on the road for about four months. and challenging no matter what vehicle We were on track for Moscow and you take. St. Petersburg. After a month in St. We made it to Kazakhstan; we had Petersburg, we spent a further three 1,100 km to cover to get to Almaty, the months in Europe riding from Finland capital, in two days. It was flat, featureless through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, country, but the views of the fabulous Holland, Belgium, France and Spain. Tien Shan mountain range were amazing. Despite our attempts to get to South

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

America, we decided to return home through Africa. It was never part of the plan to travel in Africa; it turned out to be a wonderful decision, and Africa became the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;jewel in the crownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Africa is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;in your faceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Our journey there began in Morocco, then to Western Sahara and Mauritania to get to Mali. I was grateful to have had the off road experiences in Mongolia and Central Asia in order to tackle African terrain. We rode 200 km of corrugated road to Timbuktu and put our bikes on a pinasse to sail down the Niger River. With little preparation and 10 year old maps, we spent about three months through the West African countries as well as Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. The best way to experience Africa is to suspend judgment and go with the flow: electricity outages, lengthy waits to get food cooked and served, scarcity of good food or any food, horrendous roads, shops short of things, but Africa was definitely colourful, vibrant and friendly. In four weeks we rode 8,000 km through Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa; it was beautiful. The month was the full stop to what had been exactly a year on the road. What inspired this adventure? Simon was planning a motorcycle journey; the talk about exotic faraway destinations got too much for me. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve a passion for travelling, and as the children had left home, there was nothing holding me back. How many countries did you cross? How long did it take? It was 30 countries, 50,000 km, in exactly one year. What projects are you working on this year? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m editing my book about the trip: Keep Moving: Tokyo to Cape Town by Motorbike. I expect the book will be available by May 2013.

focusinterview.

Birds of Tokyo is a five-piece alternative Rock band from Perth, Western Australia. In 2010 the band released its highest charting album to date, Birds of Tokyo, which reached No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart. They are playing at The Plantation Hotel, Wednesday 20 March.

ow did the band form? Where are you guys from? I’m not entirely sure how the band formed. I’ve only been involved in the band for the past two years. I think Adam Spark (Sparky) and Ian Kenny were friends who hung around the same scene of people. Sparky was studying music and Kenny was (and still is) singing for a progressive Rock band Karnivool. These two West Australian lads started writing music with no intention of forming a band. I think when the songs took shape, they realised it would be awesome to have a drummer and bass player. So incidentally, they ended up as a band. Give me a brief history of the band and what inspired you to make music together? Once the band was formed, they played a few shows in local pubs around Perth and more regional areas, and the more they played, the more people started to come to their shows. They released two EPs in 2005, and then local radio stations started playing the songs. The band followed that up with an album in 2007 called Day One; triple j got involved, and their listeners started growing fond of the band. The band then started touring, and their fan base began to swell. In 2008, the band released their second album, Universes, which reached gold status in sales. In 2010, they released their third record called Birds of Tokyo – Self Titled and toured with Silversun Pickups in September and October 2010. The band received six 2010 ARIA Music Awards nominations. I think the record went platinum – maybe even double platinum. I know the one single, Plans, transformed the band into something much bigger than they expected. This brings you up to the point that I joined the band. I was working as an accountant whilst maintaining my songwriting passion in another band called Sugar Army. Out of the blue, Adam Weston, their drummer, calls and asks me whether I’d like to join Birds of Tokyo for some

upcoming shows. I soon found out their interest Another song, Lanterns, is a journey song. It’s in me was from a creative perspective. We the universal story of man acknowledging the played all over Australia, and then we began to point in his life where he’s outgrown the world work creatively on the latest record, March Fires. he lives in. It’s about forcing oneself to leave You've just released a new album; how the nest, to find new challenges and to grow as does it differ from your older material? individuals. The story reaches an epiphany that I think if you listened to the first record and whilst we may feel alone when we choose to this record, March Fires, you’d be surprised it leave our comfort zones, these greater souls are was the same band. The weight and size of unified in the quest for new beginnings. “On the songs on March Fires carry a much bigger we march ‘til we meet the dawn, we will light sound. It’s become less about our way with our lanterns on.” the masculine side of music Could you briefly describe that hard Rock harbours the music-making and more about the process? tly The tour is ap atmospheric journeys I think all songs have ch ar M called The l al that songs can take g to reach a point where in ay pl Fires. We are y an m d you on. This record is you play them once, an s tie ci the major ur to is Th . no longer about the and you want to hear ns w to regional . We plan ur to individual, but more m it again. That’s no bu al r is ou taste of the a le op about the community easy task (especially if pe ve gi to of our at large. you are picky!) You’re sonic unravelling ” n. The messages are always searching for that latest constructio bigger, and they involve moment as songwriters the listener. We replaced where you feel it’s flawless ‘me’ and ‘I’ for ‘we’ and ‘us’ and ... when it’s got a message, a invite the listener to believe it’s their meaning, a groove and a feeling! song, not the band’s. When past records So when chords and melodies are put would entice angst and show conviction, together, we tend to take risks exploring this record provokes nostalgia and positivity. options for the songs. Sometimes I like to be Who writes your songs? What are the main messy and as a songwriter put the kitchen sink themes or topics for most of your songs? in there and see if we can reverse engineer Do you think these topics will change over a cohesive idea. If you have the talent and time? creativity to write music, it becomes all about Adam Spark, our guitarist, is the driving force your ability to solve problems with logic and of the band. He comes up with chord sequences skill. and sound designs that act as treatments for What are your thoughts about selling bigger ideas. Ian Kenny is our wonderful singer, your music online and about illegal music who can drop beautiful melodies in the most downloads? What are your predictions unexpected and expected moments. Once those about the future of CD and vinyl sales; do two align their talent, a song is born. you think digital music will ever completely On this record, songs were written in a replace these formats? more collaborative effort. This time around the I think the CD and vinyl will never die themes of the music were more socially driven. completely and will become akin to a rare Such as the song, This Fire, where we created species of animal. The world is full of lovers of an idea of walking through a scene of urban convenience. Listening to music on your iPod or destruction and embracing it for its beauty. computer is just much quicker and easier than

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using a CD or vinyl. So, it’s not a great time to invest in the CD world. File sharing and transfers are the way of the future; in fact, they are the present. The new Apple iMac don’t even come with CD-ROM drives anymore. Why? I guess Apple doesn’t see a future in it. Selling music online is great. I use iTunes all the time, and it’s simple and convenient. I guess the downside is that music can be owned and consumed without a trade. We can simply share it with our friends or share it with strangers at monstrous volumes. This can be very detrimental to the career of artists relying on actual sales to support their lifestyle. It’s not a great position for the music industry to be in. Instead of growth and expansion, only the larger and more established artists are sustaining their careers. The diversion of music is at stake here! What are your future plans and upcoming releases or tours? What do we have to look forward to this year? We are heading on an Australian tour in late February and playing shows right throughout March. The tour is aptly called The March Fires. We are playing all the major cities and many regional towns. This tour is our album tour. We plan to give people a taste of the sonic unravelling of our latest construction. The live show is going to be completely new for us. We’ve taken the time to engage professional light and visual programmers to create a show that’s larger than life. It’s not just your usual pub Rock band playing your favourite songs. We want to create an event and visual theme for every song we play. I’m excited! Interview with band member Ian Berney.

the plug! Birds of Tokyo will be playing at The Plantation Hotel, Wednesday 20 March. Phone: (02) 6652 3855 plantationhotel.com.au

coffs coast focus 27

Farewell after 10 years at the helm of the Conservatorium.

Directions Plus Attention Coffs Coast businesses! Are you looking for skilled and enthusiastic staff? School is back for 2013, and Directions Group Training has access to keen and talented young people who wish to combine HSC studies with real employment. Instead of offering casual employment with its high staffing turnover and the cost of training junior staff, why not try hiring a school-based apprentice or trainee (SBAT)? We have dedicated young people from local schools who are keen to work and who bring flexibility with work arrangements that meet your business’ needs. SBATs include an in-built training component that is not an additional cost to the employer. These young people can go on to become part-time or full-time employees, with all future training incentives intact. What a great way to show your commitment to the sustainability of the local community. Give your business the edge over competitors who do not actively invest locally. Be seen as a forward-thinking business by embracing the next generation workforce now! Contact Paddy at Directions Group Training now for an obligation-free consultation on 6653 2900. Attention students! Enhance your employment and career prospects by commencing a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship. Contact Paddy for details on 6653 2900.

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Finale for Carol After ten dedicated years as Director of the Conservatorium, Carol Hellmers has laid down the baton and moved on. Carol made an outstanding contribution to the development and growth of the Conservatorium, creating a top quality music education institution with an outstanding faculty who bring music into the lives of hundreds of families on the Coffs Coast. Because of Carol’s tireless work, the Conservatorium enjoys a permanent home in purpose built facilities at the Bray Street complex in Coffs Harbour. The Board is now searching for a General Manager with the qualifications, experience, leadership and vision to lead the future development of the Conservatorium and ensure its long-term sustainability. The Conservatorium provides tuition across the range of instruments, musical styles and production, including guitar, drums, piano and keyboard, brass, strings, wind, vocals, choir, music ensembles, sound recording and songwriting. The current term is well underway, with over 500 students enrolled, of all ages and musical abilities. Don’t miss out – you can still enrol. Give Gillian or Lorraine a call, or stop in at the front desk to start or continue your musical journey at the Conservatorium –'Where Music Lives!'

Terrigal Gestalt Institute Counselling Training/Personal Development/ Professional Development Terrigal Gestalt Institute, in partnership with INTERRELATE, is offering a Counselling Training program in Coffs Harbour starting in May 2013. This unique program is presented in a small group format and is highly experiential and creative. The course is part-time and taught over weekends: one weekend a month for 8 months and a 4-day Residential in October. We cover basic Gestalt theory and practice using creative methods such as chair work, art work, dream work, sand tray, etc. The course is also suitable for those who wish to develop greater self-awareness and further their personal development in a creative, supportive and challenging context. We will also be commencing a six weekend PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT course for experienced Counsellors and Psychotherapists who would like to integrate creative and experiential techniques into their work with clients. If you are interested in enrolling, or want to know more about our courses, please contact Johanna, our Program Director, on 6652 2745 or 0432 068 881, or visit our website at: www.terrigalgestalt.com.au

focusinterview.

W O MEN

OF THE

y name is Agnes. I was born in Liberia in 1985. When I was four months old, Mum and I fled civil war, and my eight siblings and I walked to Guinea and then on to Sierra Leone, where we grew up in a refugee camp. Mum was an entrepreneur, and she started a restaurant in the camp which enabled us to open a small grocery store. We then went on to build our house with our bare hands! How have people of the Coffs Coast community supported your journey? Once a year, Coffs Harbour has a multicultural day called Harmony Day. After the event I met Pip Gordon from Chandler MacLeod (national recruitment company) to seek part-time work whilst I was finishing my HSC. The team at Chandler MacLeod asked me what I wanted to do; I replied, "To dance, to dance for joy!" What school did you go to? Did you find cultural barriers at school? When I moved here, I went to Orara High School. There were many young African girls. We didn't always get along, because we spoke different languages and we came

WORLD

from different backgrounds. I asked the Principal if I could start an African dance class to bring us girls together. It worked; I now have a core group of girls who are my close friends. We dance and share our cultures! What is WOW? And how are you connected with it? WOW stands for Women Of the World. It was born here in Coffs Harbour as a forum for women to come together. WOW represents honour, respect, connection, harmony, and empowerment. It is a model for all women to sit together and connect over our commonalities. It is a place for the traditional ways of 'women's business' to be expressed and celebrated. WOW brings together women of all ages and backgrounds, and there is a place for the honouring of our Elders from all backgrounds, so that the young women have a kinship of support in their local community. Have you worked on any special projects? Back in November, I performed with a group of my fellow dancers in a 'Ceremony of Honour'. I also held the first African

Meet Agnes, a true reflection of the WOW movement! At the age of 16, Agnes moved to Coffs Harbour. She has been through trials, tribulations and shares her story with gratitude: "I have a big story, and I want to share it!" dance workshop in Coffs Harbour and whet the tastebuds of many women interested in learning vibrant cultural dancing! Projects to come? This year Sarah Lugnan and I and the Yawaar Ngujiwini Aboriginal dancers joined together with other cultural dance groups such as belly dancers and Afro Cuban/Latin. Many people said it was a 'goose bump' experience to see us perform in front of the women as a mark of honour and respect and leadership of reconciliation and connection in unity. What are you working on at the moment? Through the mentorship and network of WOW, women have created a dance school â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a social enterprise that continues to bring local women to share dance and culture to pave the way for continued Honour, Respect and Connection. Thanks Agnes.

the plug! Baptist Church - Crn Harbour Drv and Curacoa St. Time: 5:30PM Thursdays Cost: 8 week program $120

coffs coast focus 29

focus

editorial.

reparations for the event are in full swing, with a dedicated committee applying itself with an ongoing sense of vigour, cooperation and community spirit, determined to attract increased numbers of visitors to the event. The committee is made up of a wide sector of the Woolgoolga community, with representatives from both Gurdwaras (temples), Rotary and Lions, stall holders, Chamber of Commerce members, as well as an event manager contracted by the chamber. The Curryfest committee are very pleased to announce local business Oz Berries has become the major sponsor for the festival! There are big changes to this year’s festival, including being fence free and free to enter. In 2013, OZ Berries Curryfest is returning to the streets! Lots of exciting events for the festival have been planned … Wednesday 27 February In conjunction with Birch Carroll and Coyle, Oz Berries Curryfest will play host to the premiere of Singh VS Kaur. Come along and experience a Punjabi romantic comedy and help to raise money for this fabulous festival. The evening begins at 6.15pm, with the movie to start at 6.45pm. All tickets must be pre purchased and are available via Curryfest Woolgoolga Facebook page, Curryfest website or at Woolgoolga Newsagency, Spice Rack Restaurant, Oz Berries or John Arkan’s ‘Curried Away’ van at Growers Markets in Harbour Drive. Saturday 6 April: Will see the first ever Bollywood Ball at the C.ex Woolgoolga. Everyone is invited to open the festival in style with a bright and colourful evening of fun and frivolity. Tickets are $50 and include canapés and drinks. Lucky ball attendees will have the opportunity to win a ticket to INDIA, thanks to Rogers Travel. An absolutely indulgent lucky door prize is also being donated by Le Dãin Designs, which will see someone heading home with a custom piece of jewellery

30 coffs coast focus.

created as a one of a kind for the ball. A variety of cultural entertainment is being lined up to entertain lucky guests and includes singers and dancers to get you dancing the night away Bollywood style, as well as a henna artist and tarot card readings for those not so dance floor inclined. 7 – 12 April: Talented and award winning local chefs will be holding ‘Curry Master Classes’ at the Seaview Tavern for those wanting to learn some new skills or take their curry to the next level. Classes include traditional Indian curries, Indian cheese making as well as some new age, reinvented curries for those wanting to take it to the extreme. Timetables and costs are available on the website, along with bios on our talented master chefs. Places are extremely limited, so

PHOTO BY DAN STEWART

Woolgoolga’s premier event, ‘Curryfest’, is big, colourful and spicy, and it is on again in 2013! Curryfest is a signature event which celebrates the cultural diversity of our area. Woolgoolga Curryfest showcases multicultural cuisine, traditional and modern dances, music, comedy, arts and crafts and fun activities for the kids.

Also on Friday the 12th, ‘Bollywood on the Beach’ will be happening after dark on the beach reserve (a wet weather option has been arranged) with the showing of the Indian film Barfi. Food, drinks and kids entertainment will be available on the evening. Saturday 13 April: THE BIG DAY! OZ Berries Curryfest will return to the streets this year, with the closure of Market St. The main stage will make its new home in the Market St car park and the Absolute Entertainment Kids Zone will be located in the closed off portion of Queens St, with rides and entertainment

There are some big prizes on offer this year for those joining in the fun. We’ve already mentioned the flight to India and the stunning jewellery to go to a lucky ball goer, but it doesn’t end there.

please book early to avoid disappointment. Friday 12 April: The Hot, Colourful and Spicy Art Exhibition will take place at the Woolgoolga Art Gallery. Local artists and school groups are invited to submit pieces for inclusion in the collection. The Woolgoolga Art Gallery are hosting the evening, with all money raised going directly to the gallery. The exhibition opens at 5pm with nibbles and champagne; the cost to attend is $10.

for the young and young at heart. A short stroll to the reserve will take you to the Chillout Zone with the open mic/buskers stage, more food and market stalls and the Scouts FREE kids area.Cooking demonstrations and short courses will take be taking place as well, along with yoga, meditation and other get up and join in fun activities. The Vaisahki parade will head through the town as part of the traditional celebrations to spread the message of thankfulness and renewal.

Sunday 14 April: Wind down day, ‘India V the Rest of the World’ cricket match will be taking place on Centennial Reserve. Spend the day relaxing in the shade and enjoying a few overs; food and drink will be available. There are some big prizes on offer this year for those joining in the fun. We’ve already mentioned the flight to India and the stunning jewellery to go to a lucky ball goer, but it doesn’t end there. Tickets are about to go on sale all over the Coffs Coast and online to win a jaw dropping prize, which is all about celebrating the amazing area we call home… Here it is: 1st Prize: A ‘Staycation’ – 52 weekends away on the beautiful Coffs Coast – 2nd Prize: A “Year of Dining Out” – 52 delicious dinners to enjoy on the stunning Coffs Coast and 3rd Prize: A “Year of Experiences” – 52 relaxing and exciting things to try on the thrilling Coffs Coast. Amazing! There are so many ways to join in the fun, but being a cultural food festival, talented local chefs have more ways than one. They can enter the ‘Great Curry Cook Off!’ proudly sponsored by Coffs Coast FOCUS. Local chefs are asked to prepare a curry inspired signature dish and submit it with recipe and photo to win a feature interview in FOCUS. The winning chef will be invited to partake in the ‘Iron Curry Chef’ against legendary local Indian chefs during the festival. Entry details can be found online. See you at Oz Berries Curryfest!

focus Weddings. s o c i a l s c e n e with Carole Beros from Le Dāin Designs

Below. MP Andrew and Kerrie Fraser, Arlene Cole and Peter Deliseo

Right. Fiona Foulkes and Raymond Mather Below. May Dazon and Allison Jones.

Left. Lauryn Nichols, Michelle Clarke, Gayle Graham and Rachel Bye

Social/scene.

Right. Focus Editor Melly Dee and Mayor Denise Knight

It’s hard to believe it’s the end of summer. Christmas was a blink ago and now the Easter Bunny is on his way!

lum pudding at Christmas, chocolates on Valentine’s Day and more chocolate arriving at Easter .. talk about roly poly pudding and pie ... seriously off to the gym am I! What with being the Social Pages Columnist for this magazine and involved with events for our Designer Jewellery business Le Dãin Designs, we do go out a bit! The Husband and Son get a bit jealous and say I am SPOILT with treats and ladies events. They are moaning that I don’t attend enough events with MEN’S STUFF! For goodness’ sake! As well as covering the big and the sparkly, FOCUS loves to cover the small and the interesting, certainly not forgetting the ‘BLOKEY’ and family events. What are they on about? For instance, The Sydney Swans were the guest speakers at the recent Chamber of Commerce event. This function was held at The Beachfront Opal Cove Resort. I have been informed that over 200 guests attended the breakfast. I bet there were a fair few gentlemen who attended that breakfast, and I doubt if there was any talk of hats and shoes. I know this because I was there, and ‘The Husband’ declined the offer!

The Coffs C.ex was literally sparkling with talent at our very own Dancing with the Coffs Coast Stars. This was the third of its kind for the Cancer Council, and it was bigger and better than ever. ‘Dancing’ as the event is affectionately called, fills seats as quick as lightning, and there is never a problem getting new dancers to give it a bit of the light fandango. Carol Myers from Pacific Dancecentre had two of her dancers, Kyle Withers and Emma Robb, performing the opening number. Seven Stars and their partners hit the dance floor and entertained the crowd. The fabulous Cheryl Duroux and the effervescent and ever cheeky Michael Crossland were there to MC 32 coffs coast focus.

the evening. Judgess had the ridiculously hard he winners task of choosing the winners. The Judges’ choice was Phillip Marinuccci, who danced with Carol Young. The people’s choice award went to Colleen Longstaff, who danced with Rick Wilson. Ray Ellicott raised over $15,000 and won the fundraising award. Overall, approximately $65,000 was raised for the cause ... amazing! So much effort gets put into these functions. Major sponsors for the event were FOCUS, 2CSFM and Southern Cross Ten. Fiona Foulkes likes to hide behind the scenes, but I’m going to pop her out in the Social Pages. She is a never ending source of energy for the Cancer Council and deserves a big mention. A hugely entertaining evening with fantastic results. Here is something completely different. On Saturday March 16, the Woolgoolga RSL will hold a fundraising Fashion Parade with a difference. The event is called ‘Wheels on Woopi’ and is sponsored by Nortec. Monies raised will go towards the purchase of a Community Beach Access Wheel Chair for Woolgoolga. This gives the disabled and the elderly the chance to enjoy the sand the ocean and the ability to experience the joy of floating in the ocean and the lapping of the waves on their bodies ... something we all take for granted. There will be a two course sit down dinner, Belly Dancers and a Fashion Parade from The Next Phase Boutique. What took my fancy is a Newspaper Fashion Parade Competition. Note to Le Dãin Designs: make paper Jewells! There will be a photo booth, candy bar prizes and live entertainment with singer/songwriter Craig Freeman, all for only $40 pp. For info, contact Vicki from The Next Phase Boutique on 6654 8118 or Lisa on 0410 052 601. For something different, we are looking forward to attending The Coffs Coast Movie Premiere of SINGH VS KAUR. It’s being played at the Coffs

Birch, h Carro oll aand nd Coyl Carroll Coyle cinemas on February 27 mov function at 6.15pm 27. There is a pre pre-movie and movie is in Punjabi, with English subtitles. Tickets need to be purchased in advance from Woolgoolga Newsagency, Spice Rack Restaurant, in Coffs from John Arkan’s ‘Curried Away’ van at the Thursday markets or online at http://singvskaur.eventbrite.com/ Talk about getting a bargain! For a few dollars, we walked out of the C.ex Group Community Book Fair with an armful of fabulous books. It was decided by the C.ex Community Crew to run another fair after the first one in January being such a huge success. These fairs raise a few thousand dollars, and all proceeds go towards funding local organisations and charities along the Coffs Coast. This is a great opportunity for the family to get a day out of the house together and enjoy perusing the book stalls. Get out and about and away from the computer. Enjoy the process of picking up a book, finding a nice spot, and sit down to relax and read! Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for a great event on 16 March, presented by Coffs Coast Autism. It is the Twilight Cocktail Party Fundraiser. Tickets are on now on sale at The Sawtell Golf Club for $40 per person. There will be champagne on arrival, a delicious selection of canapés, fantastic entertainment and prizes a plenty. The Club are planning some exotic cocktails and a few surprises - don’t miss out! Well, it wasn’t all for the BLOKES at The BCU International Stadium. Some of our local sports loving women were spotted getting all excited with the big game between the Newcastle Knights and the South Sydney Rabbitohs, one of them being our very own Lady Mayor, Denise Knight. Considering it had poured for most of the day, the skies cleared for the big game and

my boys and plenty other football crazy fans got to enjoy the match. Both teams stayed locally at two of our fabulous resorts; The Rabbitohs resided at the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort, and The Newcastle Knights (lucky for me) stayed at The Beachfront Opal Cove Resort. Opal is a stockist of Le Dãin Designs Jewells, and they were still there when I had to restock my cabinet (excellent excuse!) The boys enjoyed massages and team building activities during the afternoons. Training sounded pretty enjoyable, as it included the use of ‘The Cove’ Miniature Golf Course and the beautiful pool. Going back to events treats and perks, I know that ‘The husband’ has to listen to a fair few of the “How does this look?” questions but does not have to attend lots of events. He is quite comfortable to stay at home and watch the football, or some BLOKEY show. It is often said that if it involves handbags, shoes and stuff, it’s not for the boys! Well, that is not always the case, as only the other day I was organising the handbag, shoes and stuff and they were standing there looking totally disinterested as usual, and I get (in a slightly sarcastic tone): “Hey Mum, where are you off too?” Dad and I are sooo disappointed we can’t come; we are busy sorting our sock drawer! Hilarious, I might add, but delighted in replying ...”Well OK, I am only just popping up to Opal Cove Resort to have a nice little lunch, maybe have a refreshing swim in the fabulous big pool and then (wait for it) interview and do a photo shoot with The Newcastle Knights! You should have seen those two bolt to the car! This was very obviously a BLOKEY do! Here is to picking and choosing! How SPOILT are they! Carole – Le Dãin Designs.

focusinterview.

Tracey

CANCER COUNCIL

Maree

RELAY FOR LIFE

Ten years ago Maree Tracey went through a life changing experience - she survived cancer. This year she will Life, Cancer Council be participating in The Relay for L fundraising event.

i Maree. How long have you lived in Coffs Harbour, and what is your business? I have been living on the fabulous Coffs Coast since relocating from Sydney with my son, Lachlan, in April 2009. I had always toyed with the idea of running my own business, and what better place than Coffs Harbour for my first business venture. After settling in a little and finding my feet, Thirst for Thirst Juice & Wrap Bar was opened in Moonee Street in April 2010. With its third birthday fast approaching, Thirst is still offering its healthy signature selection of freshly squeezed juices, smoothies, coffee, wraps, salads and sushi. We are open Monday to Friday from 7.30am 'til 3pm and if you haven’t given us a try, we’d love to see you. I thoroughly enjoy what I do and feel quite blessed to have the opportunity. Please tell us about your cancer journey? In June 2006 I was diagnosed with an aggressive Grade 3 breast cancer. As the saying goes, there is never a right time to start a family ... may I add there is never a right time for a cancer diagnosis either! I was a busy 38 year old wife and working mum with a gorgeous 2 year old when I first realised that something wasn’t quite right. I had my “huh?” moment – you know, where the world stands still for a few brief seconds, but it feels like an eternity. I seriously did not have the time for this! As crazy as it sounds, I did what any normal person would do in the circumstances ... and ignored it. Some weeks later, realising that I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone for fear that it would make it all the more real, my commonsense returned, and I decided to do something about it. I was in the best of hands and put all my faith in my GP and the fantastic medical team of surgeons and oncologists, led by Professor

hiding their feelings and fears from me (as you David Gillett. do!) and were truly there for me every step of A full bilateral mastectomy (after some pleadthe way. ing on my part, as it was then not a common Can you please tell us a personal family procedure) and removal of my rather large 7 experience with cancer that has made cm tumour, auxiliary clearance, chemotherapy you stronger? and radiotherapy were the recommended Seeing my older brother, Steve, going treatments, and I willingly complied. through his own cancer journey a few years I made it through slowly but surely, and I prior (without complaint, I might add) obvicontinue to receive ongoing monthly injections ously gave me the strength to embark on my as a precautionary measure. own journey. If I was ever in need of advice or For me, it was a life changing experience just somebody to understand how it all felt, he – but not in a negative way. I did have a tenwas there, and he still is to this day. dency to become preoccupied with I had also started advance planwhat I thought was important. ning in my head (as most parMy cancer journey, in a lot ents do) for a wonderful 3rd of respects, removed To think that birthday party for my son my shelter and gave everybody there with all his little friends. me the courage and and a y or st ck ba a d Come post-diagnosis wisdom to truly see ha icipating rt pa r fo e os rp July, and the reality that life really is too pu in itself. g in er w po em was slightly different short to not get out as w ity, un m m co a is e ... chocolate cake with there, take a risk and er H orking w d an ng ki al w Wags the Dog candles enjoy it. l al e goal.” m sa e th ds ar and paper plates on my w Today I am a working to hospital bed! Although out mother, small business of my control and not quite owner and sole parent how I envisaged his birthday to my handsome 9 year old to be, Lachlan was so happy, right Lachlan, living in my happy place there, right then, and his smile just and enjoying my life here on the Coffs beamed from ear to ear. That simple pleasure Coast. How did you first respond to having from my son was my turning point. My positive cancer? attitude was here to stay, and I was ready to In a lot of ways, being given the diagnosis fight the good fight. was not so much of a shock to me, but a relief. What is Relay For Life, and what is your involvement? No more cleverly hidden anxious thoughts, The Relay for Life is a Cancer Council erratic behaviour or sleepless nights. I believe I knew from that very first instance that a cancer fundraising event. I’m excited to see that Coffs Harbour will be holding their very own Relay diagnosis was imminent, and that somehow again this year over the weekend of 25 and prepared me and guided me through. 26 May. It is an overnight event (i.e. camping!) My first thought was for my son. How was that brings us all together to celebrate and I possibly going to pull through this leaving remember the lives of those who have battled him unscathed? Next came the horrendous cancer. Teams register to participate and then pangs of guilt I felt when having to share the make laps around the track throughout the news with my parents, my brothers and my Relay, all the while enjoying the local entertainclose-knit family. I was, of course, worried unment, fabulous food and activities on offer and necessarily, as they all performed remarkably in

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taking part in the moving ceremonies. All money raised through Relay for Life makes a difference in helping fund Cancer Council's critical research, local prevention, education and support services. Together with my family and friends, we put together a team last year, 'Thirst for Life'. It was our first time at the Relay, and we were not quite sure what to expect. We raised some much needed funds, contributed to others fundraising on the day, the kids had a blast, the adults walked for miles, and we will definitely be registering for 2013. How does participating in such an event help with your recovery? Witnessing the sea of purple Relay shirts together for the first time was magnificent. Happy faces, people everywhere pitching in, camping equipment, marquees, fundraising stalls – it took my breath away. To think that everybody there had a back story and a purpose for participating was empowering in itself. Here is a community, all walking and working towards the same goal. I participated in the first lap of the Relay, the Survivors & Carers Lap, alongside my beautiful parents, my brother and my son, and the positivity and strength emanating from that group alone touched us all. You're a huge supporter of other cancer sufferers. What motivates you to be so selfless? For those that know me, I’ll happily chat for hours about anything, and that is when I feel most happy. If perhaps my chatting away about my cancer journey somehow makes a small difference to somebody for whatever reason, then I am grateful to have had that opportunity and to have undergone the experience. I believe that positives come from most of life’s encounters, in whatever shape or form. Sometimes you may have to look that bit deeper, but other times they just appear out of nowhere. That is the story of my life! Thank you Maree. coffs coast focus

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Harmony Day. The cultural diversity in our community is celebrated on this national day; the theme this year is ‘Everyone Belongs’ . We find out more about the festival. hat is Harmony Day? Harmony Day is celebrated nationally every year in March. It was established by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and gives people the opportunity to celebrate what makes each Australian unique and share what we have in common. The continuing message for Harmony Day in 2013 is that ‘Everyone Belongs’, which means all Australians are a welcome part of our country, regardless of their cultural background. It’s a time to reflect on where Australia has come from, recognising the traditional custodians of this land, and look to the future. It’s about community participation, inclusiveness and respect – celebrating the different cultures that make Australia a great place to live. The Multicultural Harmony Festival is the city’s way of celebrating Harmony Day and our community’s cultural diversity.

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Tell us about the 2013 Multicultural Harmony Festival held here on the Coffs Coast ... Each year the festival is planned and organised by a dedicated and diverse group of people drawn from across the city, including the multicultural community, local service providers, volunteers, government and nongovernment organisations, Council and sponsors – all dedicated to making the festival a positive experience for all who attend. In particular, the festival is a celebration and demonstration to our young people that Coffs Harbour celebrates and embraces that which makes Australia unique. Each year, organisers work hard to ensure that the event connects with the community on a whole range of levels, with: • Jeremy ‘Yongurra’ Donovan, sharing his Aboriginal culture through story and music. • A host of multicultural performances – a professional Bollywood group

butu from Sydney, the Siren Dance, Jabutu artists Caribbean Steel Band, and local the Swing Katz, Coffs Drumline, Coffs oir. Coast Pipe Band, Swingfonia Choir. ods • Tasty, tempting multicultural foods and refreshments. • Kids show and activities. AND in 2013 we’ve included a Multicultural Film Festive and Exhibition Soccer Game, the ‘Harmony Cup’, and Clayton Donovan, Aboriginal Chef, Jaaning Tree Restaurant will present cooking demonstrations l and tastings, along with The Multicultura y migrant students from the Harmon ty’s Coffs Coast Community Festival is the Ci g in at br le ce of ay w College, and the list goes d our Harmony Day anltural on – all this, and it’s free! cu community’s How long has this diversity. ” festival been running? In the 5 years since its inception, it’s grown in attendances each year, with last year’s audiences reaching 4,500 andmore expected this year.

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editorial.

R A V

Toyota’s next-generation RAV4 will arrive in local showrooms late next month, with significant improvements to its performance, handling and safety.

T O Y O T A’ S N E X T - G E N E R A T I O N

new selectable Sport mode is available to provide a more dynamic, sporting drive experience by modifying the power steering, throttle and automatic or CVT transmissions. Sport mode decreases power-steering assistance, sharpens throttle response and adapts automatic and CVT gearbox management for more responsive gearshifts. In AWD models, a new Dynamic Torque Control system provides greater stability and agility on both wet and dry roads. Torque transfer to the rear wheels will now occur when the system detects understeer during cornering, not just when slip is detected. Front-wheel drive is automatically engaged in normal driving conditions to improve fuel economy. The system uses information from speed, steering, throttle and yaw sensors to monitor and control torque transfer. In AWD models, the new Sport mode also activates torque transfer to the rear wheels from the moment the steering

wheel is turned. It will automatically distribute 10 per cent of torque to the rear wheels and will increase torque transfer up to 50 per cent if actual understeer develops.

“New RAV4 brings advances in capabilities including dynamics, ride comfort and ease of driving even on the most challenging of road surfaces,” Mr Callachor said.

“It offers distinctive styling, refined interior and an engaging drive with three new fuel-efficient engines - including a turbo-diesel - as well as refinements to New RAV4 ces the suspension, brings advan revised electric , in capabilities power steering amics, including dynan se and the new d ea ride comfort en on Sport mode. ving, ev

A new Eco mode regulates engine output and air-conditioner operation to enhance fuel efficiency. The driving position of the new RAV4 has been redesigned for excellent ergonomics, greater comfort, better forward visibility and a more engaging driving experience.

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of dri nging the most challe .” es ac of ro ad surf

New RAV4 has even higher levels of active and passive safety, with a highly rigid body that has been engineered to achieve a five-star NCAP safety rating. Toyota Australia’s executive director sales and marketing Matthew Callachor said the new RAV4 will build on the reputation developed by previous generations.

“Active singles, couples and families with a growing demand for space and versatility will particularly appreciate the roominess, comfort and luggage capacity.” Available in more than 150 countries, three generations of RAV4 have sold more than 4.5 million units since 1994, including almost 200,000 in Australia.

coffs coast focus 35

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Maureen Burgess is a well-known identity in the local theatre scene. She acts, sings, plays piano and directs many local productions. As well as working full-time and being a mother of two, Maureen has also written and directed her own show and is currently the President of the Coffs Harbour Musical Comedy Company. FOCUS chats with this exuberant and wonderfully talented lady, as she launches into her next production. ow did your love of music and theatre evolve? I began playing the piano at an early age and performed a lot in my teens, so music has been a huge part of my life for a very lo time. I was also a member of Canberra Youth Theatre, long an loved acting on stage, but it wasn’t until I moved to Coffs and H Harbour in the ‘90s that I put the two together. H How many productions have you been involved in? My very first show was CHATTERS’ production of Ginger M Meggs in 2001, for which I played the music, and my debut on th the stage was in CHMCC’s first production of Sweet Charity the fo following year. I have continued to perform on- and off-stage ev ever since, in both musicals and plays: My Fair Lady, Oklahoma!, Th The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, Godspell, Falling from Grace, Ca Cabaret, Hello Dolly and RENT, to name just a few. In 2005, I also wrote and directed the pantomime Jaq and th the Green Pork, an amalgamation of many of my favourite nu nursery stories/characters with accompanying music from a variety of genres (Disney and Shirley Temple, through to M Michael Jackson and Black Sabbath!) in a twisted, gastronomic ad adventure. It was a hugely rewarding experience. W Which of those productions have you enjoyed the most an and why? Those that I have directed have given me the most artistic sa satisfaction, but my favourite on-stage role was playing Miss A Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, which was just a fantastic show al all-round. Music, sets, cast, costumes – it had it all (including our w wonderfully talented Mayor, Denise Knight, leading a fabulous C Calypso number!) and gave me the opportunity to work al alongside my good friend and one of Coffs Harbour’s most ac accomplished performers, Chris Gooley. W What are some of the challenges you face when directing a musical? Where to start? Choosing the right material, casting the va various roles, organising the music, rehearsal venues and times, co costumes, props, sets, publicity, keeping your cast motivated th through the entire process, when most of them hold down day jo jobs as well, putting all other engagements on the backburner fo for months, the list goes on and on. W Who in the theatrical world inspires you most? Everyone who is able to make a living from it! W What shows would you most like to bring to Coffs H Harbour? West Side Story, The Wizard of Oz, Sweeney Todd, Les M Miserables, The Wedding Singer, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Eu Eurobeat (based on the Eurovision Song Contest) ... Th The Coffs Harbour Musical Comedy Company had a su successful year in 2012. Tell us about that. Well actually, it started off with a bit of a hiccup, as we had to cancel our planned production of A Chorus Line due to a paucity of male performers (an ongoing problem). With very

coffs coast focus.

stage role was playing Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls which was just a fantastic show all-round.

little available time, we decided to revise Sweet Charity 10 years on from its original sell-out season and were incredibly fortunate to welcome back our original Charity, Cath Beynon. Following this was one of the biggest productions we have ever undertaken, Beauty and the Beast, directed by first-timer Donna Fairall. What to say about that? Everything was on such a grand scale, and through both the rehearsal and production period, the camaraderie which developed amongst the cast along with the total commitment from everyone involved made it a truly memorable experience for both the cast and the audience. An absolutely fantastic way to finish off the year. What can we look forward to in 2013? I am very proud and thrilled to be directing the Australian Premiere of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, which will open at the Jetty Memorial Theatre, Friday, April 12. As anyone who is familiar with the 'story' would know, it is totally, ridiculously, pants-wettingly hilarious and features a crazy number of extremely challenging musical numbers, along with a few little dance numbers as well. Getting this together has required relentless rehearsals, sweaty hard work, total commitment, patience and yes, more hard work! Our November production will be The Secret Garden based on the wonderful novel by Frances Hodges Burnett, a beautiful and very different style of show altogether. Tell us more about Young Frankenstein. It is a HUGE show styled in the old Broadway tradition and is based on the 1974 movie of the same name. After the success of The Producers, it was

not surprising that the famous writer/director, Mel Brooks, would musicalize another of his successful h films. He wrote the original Young Frankenstein with Gene Wilder and describes it as his best film ever. It is insanely over the top in every area. More slapstick rs that you can poke a stick at, big, big musical numbers g including the fantastical Puttin’ On the Ritz, featuring Dr Frankenstein’s Monster, Roll In the Hay, He Vas My Boyfriend, Deep Love and Please Don’t Touch e Me, which I believe holds some sort of record for the number of times the word 'tits' is mentioned (14 at last count!) Despite the workload from my extraordinary cast, we’re having so much fun doing a true, side-splitting comedy, and as a bonus, it’s allowed me to fulfil my dream of costuming 25 assorted bodies in Those that I have ‘ghostly’ onesies. You just don’t directed have t artistic m get better than that! given e the mos y m t satisfaction, bu Is this show suitable for the role was e ag -st favourite on whole family? aide in playing Miss Adel ch was Well, it is a Mel Brooks show, hi Guys and Dolls, w allso there is plenty of smutty ow sh just a fantastic innuendo, sexual references and round. ” political incorrectness covering a broad spectrum of ‘offenses’. I guess that’s why it’s so funny, but it is possibly not suitable for the very young or the extremely austere. I feel it is a real privilege to have been given the opportunity to debut this whimsically entertaining show in Coffs Harbour. We may never see the likes of it again! Thank you Maureen.

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coffs coast focus 37

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38 coffs coast focus focus.

The health and fitness industry has certainly come a long way in the 18 years I have been working in it.

hese days we employ sports scientists, exercise physiologists, rehabilitation experts, personal trainers, gym instructors, group exercise instructors, massage therapists, weight loss consultants and any number of other specialists to help you achieve your goals.

3. Check the price of the product or service being offered. If you commit to the business for a longer time period, you should receive a cheaper rate e.g. a single visit to a gym may be $15 but a 12 month membership may only be $15 a week. A single personal training session may be $44, but a 12 week personal training program may only be $35 per session.

4. Check to ensure that the fitness business is a Across the entire world, the industry now offers member of the governing body Fitness Australia. community health clubs, women’s only, You can call 1300 211 311 or search seniors only, kids only, indoor, www.startexercising.com.au to outdoor, fitness holidays, check on them. retreats, weight loss camps, specialised sports training 5. Check to ensure that and the list goes on ... the business works closely We all know we

“

ing it,

should be do with other local health The excuses for not of the % 80 nd ou ar t professionals. This network bu exercising are becoming pulation still po l ra ne is very helpful for you ge less and less, but r do it on a regula t n’ es do gaining assistance when unfortunately our u So where do yo s. si ba required. general population’s start?” health is becoming 6. Check to ensure that the increasingly worse and business provides childminding the burden that places on and/or group exercise if that is our economy from preventable important to you. disease is almost out of control. A 7. Check to ensure that the location poor diet coupled with a lack of exercise has of the business is convenient. Most successful been shown to be as detrimental on our physical participants typically join a business within 20 health as smoking cigarettes. minutes of their home or workplace. The other benefit of exercising regularly and eating right is the mood lift it gives us and the psychological strength to achieve more in our daily lives. Exercise is so powerful, it is commonly prescribed for the management of depression and melancholy thoughts before or in addition to medication. We all know we should be doing it, but around 80% of the general population still doesn’t do it on a regular basis. So where do you start … Whether you are searching for yourself or helping someone else get started with their lifestyle improvement, here are 10 key things you should do first: 1. If you have a family history of illness or injury, or you would just like to be sure before starting to exercise, get clearance from your general practitioner. 2. Engage an expert. Talk to a personal trainer or one of the specialists listed above, as not all types of exercise are suitable for all types of people.

8. Check to ensure that the business has a safe, supportive and comfortable environment. 9. Check to ensure that the fitness business is staffed during all of its open hours. 10. Check to ensure that the staff are qualified to be providing the advice you need to achieve your goals. Formal exercise in conjunction with a local fitness business will certainly accelerate you towards helping you achieve your goals, but there are other ways of improving your lifestyle. Simply being more active every day, eating right, enriching your spirit, taking time to value the people and places around you and contributing to your local community will all have positive health benefits. You are only one workout away from a good mood, so together let’s make the goal, make the time and MAKE IT HAPPEN! See you next month … www.facebook.com/duncan.marchant https://twitter.com/duncan_marchant coffs coast focus 39

I will be teaching Pamper Me workshops at the end of March at Blush.

Nathan Kake. Etiquette + Image + Respect Impress for Success is the School of Etiquette and Image training on the Coffs Coast, run by Gina Szary and her professional team. Impress for Success offers an Etiquette and Image program to assist students in personal presentation, selfdevelopment and self-confidence for social and business engagement in every day life. Courses are suitable for girls and boys - juniors, teenagers and adults of all ages and stages in life. Modules include: Image and Style, Beauty, Deportment and Modelling, Dining Etiquette, Business and Social Etiquette, Entertaining, Communication Skills, Body Image / Body Language, Customer Service, Public Speaking and Netiquette. Upon completion of each course students are presented with a Certificate. The course is the perfect gift for your grandchild, daughter, son, niece, nephew ... We offer personal tuition and regular programs; ideal for school leavers, formals or functions. We assist young adults in preparing for job interviews and job seeking.

Gift Vouchers available. Like us on Facebook!

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How long have you been a makeup artist? Forever! Literally forever! I come from an enormous family in the Western Suburbs of Auckland and at one stage or another all of my brothers and sisters have worked as a model or entered some kind of pageant or modelling competition. Tell us about some of the celebrities you’ve worked with and major events you’ve worked on. Rachel Hunter is probably the most famous, but I’ve also worked on people like Charlotte Dawson. When I worked in LA, Cher was probably the biggest star I did; she was great and is always an impressive dinner party conversation topic! I’ve also done Trinny and Susannah from What Not to Wear. I’ve worked on NZ Fashion Week, Australian Fashion Week, presented my own regular makeup segments on Good Morning in NZ and worked a number of other television programs. In 2009 I returned to Australia to take up a position with Napoleon Perdis. How long have you worked with the girls at blush makeup and beauty? Over the last two years I had the pleasure of working with the team from blush makeup and beauty. Not only are they experienced and talented at what they do, they are warm and friendly. I will be teaching Pamper Me workshops at the end of March at blush.

March and April retreats. Stressed out and need some quiet time to get back some normality? Learn new skills to relax? Lightstream Sanctuary’s March retreat is focusing on stress reducing themes, particularly how to meditate and ways to learn to relax. Rather than try to block out thoughts as some meditation techniques suggest, we show how to create positive thoughts that enhance one’s state of well being and produce a state of calm. Knowing how the mind interacts with the intellect and the subconscious, we learn to understand that we are essentially a spiritual being, a peaceful soul, and that we can get back to or re-emerge that state, by focusing our mind accurately. As well as learning to meditate, or improving your practice for experienced meditators, you will be treated to a naturopathic assessment, Swedish massage, tai chi, yoga exercises, and workshops on positive outlook, nutritional and dietary advice with cooking demonstrations, bush walking in rainforest, and swimming in the waterfall, including all accommodation and healthy vegetarian meals, all for the cost of $420! Early bird special $400 if booking before end of February. Book for March 30/31/1st April, or April 27/28/29 retreats at Lightstream Health Clinic, 7/66 First Ave Sawtell or ring (02) 6658 6406, and check www.lightstreamhealth.com.au for more details.

By Cancer Council NSW

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Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world.

sun safe. The Cancer Council’s Northern Region is urging everyone to protect their skin.

wo in three Australians will develop some form of skin cancer before the age of 70, more than 440,000 Australians are treated for skin cancer and about 1,800 Australians die each year from skin cancer. In 2012, the NSW Northern Region suffered 633 incidences of melanoma, with the confronting figure of 68 people in this region lost to the disease. “With these figures in mind, it is important to remind everyone to protect themselves while also being able to enjoy the warmer weather,” said Adele Hayne, Regional Programs Coordinator, Cancer Council. “Nearly all skin cancers can be prevented by protecting yourself from the sun, and most skin cancers can be cured if they are diagnosed and treated early.” While most people love nothing more

than getting outdoors and enjoying the sunshine, there are five important steps to remember when enjoying the warmer weather to protect yourself and your family: • Slip on clothing that covers your shoulders, arms and legs • Slop on SPF30+ broad-spectrum waterresistant sunscreen. Apply generously 20 minutes before going outside and re-apply every 2 hours • Slap on a broad-brimmed hat that protects your face, ears and neck. • Seek shade whenever you can • Slide on sunglasses Look for a new mole, or any change in shape, colour or size of a mole or spot. Visit your doctor if you notice any changes. For more information, please visit www.cancercouncil.com.au or call the Helpline on 131 120.

coffs coast focus 41

At the current time, Fresh Dental Care boasts three practices in Coffs Harbour, Urunga and Grafton, with a practice

Because

Smiling is Important!

coming soon this year to Macksville.

F re sh D e nt al C are i s a p ro fe s si o n al , g e ntl e an d c ar i ng d e nt al p ra c t i ce . welcoming cup of tea or coffee upon your offer of a welcoming p arrival to the practice. Marinucci Practice Principal, M Principal leads our Dr Sharon Marinucci, professional, determined and dedicated team of dentists working at this practice, including: Dr Cathy Do, Dr Ruth Mansell, Dr Benjamin Mansell, Dr Emma Codrington, and we have two dentists currently on maternity leave: Dr Philippa McCarron and Dr Ruth Drakes. Our hygienist, Tamsin McCarthy, will cater to your needs for oral hygiene and cleaning, whilst therapist Dina Jeffries will be able to ll of our surgeries have recently been attend to your children’s smiles and honour your Medicare revamped and updated, with our Coffs Teen Dental Vouchers. We also have Dr John Wills, who Harbour practice relocating on 18 visits from our Grafton practice and will do consultations March 2013 to 252 Harbour Drive. All for any implant procedures, and a visiting prosthetist, three surgeries are brightly coloured, Susan McDonald, who will complete denture work, sprightly and welcoming with new, mouthguards and other prosthetics. interesting décor and local artworks. Our dentists listed above also work in Fresh The new Coffs Harbour Practice will Dental Care Grafton and Urunga, as well as house five surgeries, a welcoming Dr Margaret Kleinig and Dr Devendra reception area, a dedicated Rao. They also have therapists sional, laboratory and large sterilisation Wendy Summerill in Urunga and We have a profes room. The Harbour Drive Bernadette Basset in Grafton. You determined and practice is a large upgrade of can visit www.freshdentalcare. dedicated team from our current practice in t staff and com.au to read the biographies dentists, suppor Bray Street; we are excited to ho will try to on our dentists, which will receptionists w be making this move, and so way possible give you their education and aid you in every are our patients. The practice sit to the background. You will also be able to make your vi will be directly accessible from rtable and as to read about what our dentists dentist as comfo the parking at the rear of the be.” can offer for anxious patients, the relaxed as it can building, off Barrie Street. There technology that we have access to will be plenty of parking spaces and what services you may benefit from. provided, with wheelchair access. Fresh Dental Care is very involved in the Not only do we have a lovely new building, community, with preschool visits and nursing but we also have lovely team members as well. We have a home visits. Coffs Harbour, Grafton and Urunga Dental professional, determined and dedicated team of dentists, Therapists and the Tooth Fairy visit our local preschools support staff and receptionists who will try to aid you in annually to inform young children on healthy eating every way possible to make your visit to the dentist as habits, how to brush their teeth, what happens at a dental comfortable and as relaxed as it can be, with even the visit, stories and on occasion, even songs. The visits are

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42 coffs coast focus.

ur D entipedia is yo all r fo online source piled m Co ion. dental informat rich a es ovid by dentists, it pr and s tip s, le collection of artic ions to at an pl t ex dental treatmen ur family’s oral help improve yo rstanding. ” health and unde

“

On top of preschool visits and nursing homes, Fresh Dental Care also sponsors different local events, such as Toast Urunga, local sporting groups and local schools. Fresh Dental Care is part of a bigger family ‘Dental Care Network’, which encompasses over 180 dental surgeries throughout Australia and New Zealand. Dental Care Network offers our patients a new service which allows them to book an appointment online, access to Dentipedia, Chompers Kidzone and also have complimentary accident insurance: Dentisure. Log onto www.dentalcarenetwork.com.au to check it all out!

24/7

to protect you against the unexpected and extend care beyond the chair. It is available to all patients who keep up their annual consultations with Fresh Dental Care who are under the age of 85 years. A great initiative to ensure that you keep up your annual check-ups and examinations; for more information on Dentisure, log onto www.dentalcarenetwork. com.au and follow the Dentisure prompts to read more. We would like to welcome the community to become a part of our friendly and caring team at Fresh Dental Care. You can visit our website www.freshdentalcare.com.au to access a basic fee schedule, location maps, telephone numbers, addresses, opening hours, patient forms and answers to some of your questions and also career information and any position vacancies. Or you can call today and speak with one of our helpful reception staff on 6651 1350. Because smiling is important!

Free, 24 x 7 Cover Against Dental Accidents*

Coverage Up to $5000 Per Accident*

a us e ec

il in g Sm

$5000

an t ! B

Easy Eligibility Criteria*

fun and interactive, with the children being given a small package of leaflets, balloons, stickers, colouring in pages and more. If we haven’t visited your childcare or preschool in the past, please give our friendly Practice Coordinators a call to arrange a visit. You can call Kirsty in Urunga, Caroline in Coffs Harbour and Carol in Grafton. In Grafton, Fresh Dental Care visits the local nursing homes. Dr Ruth Mansell will perform any necessary dental treatment for elderly patients who may not be able to come along to the surgery. This is a great initiative for the nursing homes and also the carers of the residents there.

Dentipedia is your online source for all dental information. Compiled by dentists, it provides a rich collection of articles, tips and dental treatment explanations to help improve your family’s oral health and understanding. Dentipedia contains information on common health issues, dental treatment, oral surgery and surgical procedures, oral wellbeing, oral health by age, dental technology and anxious patients. It will give you the latest up to date information. Chompers Kidzone is where the plaque patrol family live and is where Max Bite keeps teeth strong, Betty Bright keeps teeth clean and white, Felicity Flow protects teeth using magic floss, Charlie Chomper fights plaque and germs and side kick Bristles. It is a fun and interactive website with dot to dots, colouring in and even a plaque attack game. A great way to start your children learning about oral hygiene; you can print and use the Brush Mania Chart to encourage them to brush morning and night. Dentisure is a free dental accident coverage,

Impo *See the full Dentisure™ Dental Accident Program Policy for more details, eligibility criteria, and terms and conditions on www.dentalcarenetwork.com.au

Professional Ɣ Gentle Ɣ Caring

Grafton

Urunga

Coffs Harbour

Cnr Queen & Victoria St Grafton NSW 2460

46 Bonville St Urunga NSW 2455

252 Harbour Dr Coffs Harbour NSW 2450

6643 2225

6655 5800

6651 1350

Opening in Macksville soon 0403 723 308

www.freshdentalcare.com.au

coffs coast focus 43

focusinterview.

S t a c e y

P i g g o t

Stacey Piggot's new book, Blow Your Own Trumpet, A Musician’s Guide to Publicity & Airplay is a book for self-managed artists, budding music managers and music industry students. It was written to dispel myths and provide a collection of tools to help the reader promote their own music or that of the bands they are representing, without handing over cash to a third party. It’s a book of ideas, guidelines, philosophies and stories telling the many pathways one can choose to create a media presence in Australia.

tacey Piggot, you're originally a Coffs girl? We like this ... My family moved to Coffs Harbour when I was four, and I stayed until I finished high school. I love it; I get back whenever I can. My dad is still there and a lot of my closest friends have moved back to raise their families. I think it will always be my home, as long as all of those people are still around. It is a place to exhale and escape from the craziness of the big smoke; walking along Boambee Beach without another soul on it is my kind of heaven. I find it really grounding to go home; I feel like a kid again when I land. I am proud of my correlation to Coffs – growing up with that strong sense of community has served me well in city like Sydney that is notoriously about the individual. Tell us about your career ... I started working in music by accident. I was working as a freelance journalist and waitressing at a friend's restaurant in Bondi on the weekends, and I met Donna Simpson from The Waifs, who was also a waitress. At that point, they were taking care of their own booking, management, distribution and publicity and they had a new record and tour coming up. Donna suggested I do some publicity for them. So I went and sat in the newsagency with pen and pad and wrote down names and phone numbers out of magazines and papers, went home and started calling people. That was at the very brink of a major shift in the music industry; the notion of an independent artist crossing over to the mainstream was pretty foreign at that time. The fact that I was totally clueless and had no industry experience was a blessing, because I had no expectations and therefore no limitations. I still work with The Waifs today; it has been a long and fruitful relationship. They

44 coffs coast focus.

have since gone on to win a couple of ARIAs, collected a number of platinum records, sold out national tour after national tour and played on stage with Bob Dylan, all while remaining 100% self funded. Working with them attracted more independent artists who needed help with their publicity, and eventually there were so many on my books, being a publicist suddenly became a full-time job. I have been lucky enough over the years to work with some of my favourite artists like Clutch, Bon Iver, Neil Finn, Augie March, Henry Rollins, The Drones, The I wanted to They also have a Jezabels, The Mark ith provide them w this idea that to get Of Cain, and loads s, ea id a collection of ies and anywhere they need to more. or st , es nc experie at, I hope, th spend a lot of money ns Every New Year, io at an pl ex to pick or have a third party I get to go down will inspire themd just up the phone an le to act on their behalf. For to Lorne on the start calling peopg, rather young acts, spending Great Ocean Road in get things mov e waiting outside of their financial and watch eight or er th ng tti than si ring.” to e means on a publicity on so months of work ph e th r fo campaign can be a futile blossom, when amazing experience and can leave local and international acts them with a mass of debt, bad blow people’s minds at The relationships with the people they owe Falls Festival. I have small team of money to and a world of stress. When I have amazing staff who work with me, and we get been talking to artists who are starting out, to blast great music in the office all day while they seem genuinely surprised that they can we talk about it. I couldn’t think of a better contact media themselves and also surprised way to spend my life, to be honest. when I give them examples of some of our Music is one of those things that just clients who manage their own careers. keeps on giving; it’s a universal language that I wanted to provide them with a collection doesn’t care about age, gender, religion or of ideas, experiences, stories and explanageography. There is nothing that gives me the tions that, I hope, will inspire them to pick up feeling I get when I listen to music or see an the phone and just start calling people to get awesome gig. I love it! things moving, rather than sitting there waitWhat is the motivation behind the book? ing for the phone to ring. Nothing in life hapI come into contact with grass roots acts, pens unless you get up and make it happen, and a lot of them seem really lost with where and we are missing out on some really great to start when it comes to media. There are so many platforms to cover with online, print, TV music because the makers of it are waiting by the phone. and radio, and it can be really overwhelming I also wanted to add in some first hand exif you don’t know where to start.

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periences from artists who have taken things into their own hands to start those balls rolling to highlight the number of pathways musicians can create to make their music a paid career, rather than just a pipe dream. The stories from the artists are riddled with differing opinions on various aspects and assorted successes and failures as a result of their particular pathways, but the one thing they all share is the drive to make things happen for themselves and the hunger to keep going in search of a break when someone has told them no. It is that kind of tenacity that makes or breaks an artist. Talent is everywhere, but talented acts who are willing to work their butts off are not as common. I hope that when people finish the book they will feel more confident to forge their own course and more clear on what to ask for and expect back should they get to the point of wanting to engage a third party to help spread the word about their music. I hope it will save them some money and save them some hard lessons by hearing those learned by the artists they admire. When does the book go on sale? It is on sale now through www. twofishoutofwater.com/book Thanks so much for having me! Thanks Stacey.

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Louise Williams. Owner/Accredited Dietitian Lauren Harper. Owner/Operator

Kate Cooke. Owner

Lauren opened up her studio 4 years ago in the beautiful Boambee Valley. Her mission was to offer the best quality Pilates and personal training services in terms of the facilities, equipment and most importantly, qualified staff.

Tell us about your business: I arrived in Bellingen 13 years ago with a dream to build a gorgeous little mud-brick home on the river banks, grow chooks and children and veggies and establish a wholistic health care centre. I now run a beautiful, private clinic from North Bellingen specialising in Colon Hydrotherapy, Nutrition, Massage, IR Sauna & Detox programs addressing heavy metals and other nasties.

The success of this business has been largely based on its uniqueness and atmosphere of the studio and of course, the years of experience I’ve had both as a personal trainer and a Pilates instructor. I often incorporate both personal training and Pilates elements into a person’s program, as well as certain classes. 2012 was a busy year completing my Advanced Diploma in the Pilates method, which enables me to work with clients with more special conditions and often working closely with allied health professionals in the management and wellbeing of these clients. 2012 also saw the introduction of Liz Moye to the studio, to help meet the growing demand of both Pilates and the Beyond 50 classes. Now at the start of 2013, Giulia Potesta has recently joined the studio, working as both a Pilates instructor and a Myotherapist. Giulia is the first Myotherapist to relocate from Melbourne. Myotherapy is a combination of remedial and deep tissue massage, dry needling, cupping and corrective exercises. So whether you are looking to meet your health and fitness goals with a private session or a class, give us a call and we can work out the best possible solution for you – and within your budget. Inspections of the studio are more than welcome; however, bookings are essential.

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What makes your business unique? My personal health story involved ‘mystery’ skin rashes and a host of other symptoms that defied medical diagnoses. Many years of suffering later, whilst studying Autism Spectrum Disorders in children, I unearthed a link between mercury and enzyme pathway disturbances that answered a host of questions. I have since gone on to recover optimum health, in the process learning how to successfully chelate modern-day toxins (PCBs, herbicides, pesticides, petrochemicals, organochlorides, Hg, Pb, Cd, Al, etc) whilst supporting gut and nervous system integrity. This, along with my qualifications as a health-fund accredited Nutritionist and Masseuse, places me in a perfect position to assist other people. Nervous, immune, hormonal and digestive system disturbances can all be influenced by addressing accumulated environmental toxins. None of us can entirely avoid some degree of exposure and its serious affects. What are your goals for the next 12 months? To attract those people with their own ‘mystery illnesses’ who would benefit from what I offer, to serve those wanting to optimise their health & to continue working with anyone with gut or digestion issues – colonics can be so helpful. Too many of us are suffering needlessly.

Are you originally a Coffs Harbour woman? No, I was originally born in Tumut (in the Snowy Mountains), but my husband and I have lived in Coffs for quite a few years now. What is your position at Coffs Coast Nutrition? I’m the owner of Coffs Coast Nutrition, where I work as an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and Accredited Nutritionist. I also employ another full-time dietitian, and a part-time exercise specialist. What does your work as an Accredited Practising Dietitian involve? Our training involves 5 years full-time study at university. This equips us with the medical and scientific knowledge to provide expert nutritional advice to people with medical conditions, as well as to athletes and people who simply want to lose weight or improve their overall health. What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? My father. He was a quiet achiever with a great work ethic. What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date? Although I’m very proud that my research into weight loss diets and fad diets has been published in an Australian scientific journal, I would have to say that my greatest professional accomplishment has been the ability to make a positive impact on people’s lives. I love seeing the look on people’s faces when they tell me how much their energy levels have improved since coming to see me, or how much better they’re performing at their chosen sport or how they’ve managed to reduce their medication or effectively control a medical condition.

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Gillian Allport.

Judith McNeill.

Chiropractor

Chriopractor/Owner

Chiropractor Judith McNeill has been working in Coffs Harbour for the past 7 years and has built a reputation for being a very caring, thorough and professional clinician. Judith is thrilled that Gillian Allport, who locumed for her last year, has decided to stay permanently and make the Coffs Coast her home. Gillian Allport is in her tenth year of practice and has worked throughout Australia and overseas (becoming fluent in Spanish in the process!) Like Judith, she had wanted to be a Chiropractor since childhood – after it helped her profoundly with her own health. Gillian had suffered from Asthma since the age of 2, and having her spine gently corrected by a Chiropractor made a world of difference to her respiratory system. Gillian’s own story highlights what many people do not realise about Chiropractic. Not only is it very good at reducing people’s pain and spinal dysfunction, but because of its focus on reducing interference to the nervous system (the control system of the body) it allows the body to work as nature intended. Ailments such as headaches, digestive complaints, ear-infections and bedwetting may all be improved with chiropractic. Chiropractic, being non-invasive, is also inherently safe. It is appropriate for people of all ages – from newborns to the elderly. If you’ve never had your spine and nervous system professionally evaluated, now is the time to do it! Judith and Gillian have been able to extend their clinic hours (open Monday - Saturday) and are now taking new clients.

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Karen Di Nicola. Partner/Acupuncturist Alissa Monkton. Owner Lisa Ford. Stylist Are you originally from the Coffs Coast? ALLISA: I am originally from Armidale and moved to Woolgoolga when I was 14. What is your role at Meabella Hair and Day Spa? LISA: I am a senior stylist plus a colourist. I am enjoying my time in the salon. ALISSA: Mealbella is really my baby. I was working from a small salon at Woolgoolga, but my clientele grew to a point where I had to spread my wings and branch out to the shop we’re in now. Who or what has been your greatest influence? ALISSA: I am passionate about my idol, Sharon Blain. I worked with her in QLD at Toni & Guy. I trained there for four years. On juggling kids? ALISSA: Hair has been my passion for 14 years, and I have since had three children, all under five. I juggle between them and six days of work per week. I do like to be busy. LUCKILY! What have been your accomplishments? LISA: I have participated in many hair shows and attended Hair Expo. ALISSA: Over my long spanning career I have participated in many competitions. And Toni & Guy also trained me in Balmain Hair Extensions. 20% offer for all old and new clients for March only.

The Coffs Harbour Acupuncture Clinic was established 21 years ago in Coffs Harbour, originally on Grafton Street, and then moved to its current location at 87 West High Street 15 years ago. The practice is owned and run by myself (Karen) and my husband, Bruno. Within my general Acupuncture practice, I have a special interest in fertility and women’s health and am well versed in the IVF protocol programme. I am the only qualified practitioner on the Mid North Coast to offer the Qi Beauty facial, which is an innovative skin treatment that uses 24 carat gold-plated magnets to help stimulate the cells and energise skin affected by factors such as smoking, illness and sun damage. I am also fully qualified in Constitutional Facial Acupuncture Renewal. Since moving to Coffs Harbour from Sydney nearly 22 years ago, I have increased my portfolio to be able to offer services and treatments for today’s woman. With the constant demand to progress with the new and diverse approaches to today’s remedies and treatments, I feel that I can offer a service that is unique and very much a growing industry, that is natural and has proven very successful. The most enjoyable part of living in Coffs Harbour I would say are the people, the climate and the lifestyle that living by the coast has to offer. I love photography, and living here on the Coffs Coast offers something new and beautiful to photograph each and every day. The best advice I have been given in business is to be passionate about what you do and never settle for second best.

Karen Di Nicola Acupuncturist

Practitioner of the Qi beauty Facial Treatment

Specialising in health for beauty

Correcting imbalances for vitality & sustainable age-control

Coffs Harbour Acupuncture Clinic 02 6651 2898

www.coffsharbouracupunctureclinic.com 87 West High St, Coffs Harbour NSW

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Belinda Lemair.

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What is YOUNG ACTORS STUDIO and when did the business start? YAS is the actor training and development arm of BL Management. The studio combines energy, passion and expertise, bringing together the fields of acting, movement, voice, singing and public speaking to build confidence, self esteem and vital communication skills to the performing arts students who attend. YAS opened its doors to Coffs Harbour in 2009. Why did you start Young Actors Studio? I wanted to create a local studio for the next generation of performing artists, preparing and supporting those who wanted to step into the profession and showcase their talents in high standard productions. What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? Graeme Crawford, the owner/principal of Reddam House – the Independent High School I taught Drama/Dance at before moving to Coffs. You have a family too? I include my children in everything I do. We are a team. We’re a part of each others journeys. I also have the best parents in the world who support us. What is the number one business goal you plan to accomplish over the next year? To proudly represent young local actors and creative artists, providing them with services across film, television, theatre and secure them in professional paid work!

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Francesca Byer. Director/Proprietor Are you originally a Coffs Harbour woman? No. I lived on Sydney’s Northern Beaches until my mid 20s. Fortunately, I made the Coffs Coast my home in 2007. You have a family as well; how do you manage it all? What secrets do you have for women in business in relation to juggling family and business? My son is 11; my daughter 7. We spend much of our free time at the river/beach/pool. Weekdays I am organised with a regular routine. On weekends we relax with friends and take it as it comes! Oh ... and breathe! By the way, what is sk-oob.com? sk-oob.com is the purse friendly splurge ($39) for outgoing teens/girls/ladies. Packaged in a funky, reusable tube, it’s versatile, fun and easy to wear –3 different ways! Little black dress, skirt, boob tube, and it’s light weight and quick drying! Perfect for travellers/backpackers, girlfriends, sisters, friends, mums, mums to be, dancers and fitness fanatics! Wear to the beach, nightclubbing, waitressing, exercising, office, dance class ... even to bed ... and everywhere in between! Made of a slinky two-way stretch fabric – it’s individual, comfortable and fits most shaped girls/women(10 - 14). Just add your favourite accessories! PROUDLY DESIGNED & MADE ON THE COFFS COAST. Available @ RJ’s Bellingen or online at sk-oob.com $39 FREE POSTAGE AUSTRALIA WIDE.

Elizabeth Cook. Director/Proprietor What is Frolic in Fabric, and when did the business start? Frolic in Fabric is a creative place where people come to learn, be inspired and make beautiful things. Since opening my business in September 2010, Frolic in Fabric has continued to grow. Starting with a few school holiday workshops for kids, we are now running up to 8 regular weekly classes and several short term courses. Do you have anything interesting coming up in the next few months? I am delighted to have guest tutor Rita Showell coming to the studio 27 & 28 April running a course called ‘sewing to a higher level’. If you want to take your sewing to the next level, don't miss this event. With 30 years’ experience in garment construction, you will not find a more experienced teacher than Rita. In term 2, we will be running classes for ‘sewing clothes for your children’ and ‘garment fitting’. What’s the best way for our readers to connect with you? My website is up to date with detailed information about all of my classes. Email or phone enquiries are always welcome. I also have a mailing list for all my fellow frolickers, informing them of the latest news and events!

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Christine Rengger. Director/Agent/Property Manager Avalon Connor. Owner

Karen Lewis. Strata & Community Manager

Tell us about Avalon Connor Conveyancing ... Avalon Connor Conveyancing is all about catering to all people entering into property transactions in New South Wales, including interstate and international investors.

What is SMS STRATA, and when did the business start? We’re community and strata management specialists and nothing else. We have over 25 years of experience. A strata manager organises paying all your building’s bills, arranges insurances, enforces by-laws, prepares for and chairs meetings and manages the common property areas. With strata, the fastest growing form of housing in this country, we see a lot of stress come from self-managed strata. Our fully trained and certified staff are at your call - we keep abreast of changes in laws which may affect your home, so you can go on enjoying your life.

At Avalon Connor Conveyancing, we understand that buying or selling a residential, commercial or industrial property is a big decision and a significant matter for most people. What is involved in your job? • Preparation and review of contracts for sale or purchase of land • Property settlements and negotiations • Looking after auction enquiries • Assistance with first home owners and the First Home Owners Grant • Mortgages, refinancing and property deposit bonds • Property developments and subdivisions • Residential property • Commercial and industrial property Who are your customers? We assist first home buyers, property developers, real estate agents, banks, mortgage brokers and surveyors. Our conveyancing services are offered at competitive, fixed fee rates, and we deliver them through highly qualified staff. Contact us to arrange an appointment.

You have a young family as well. What secrets do you have for women in business in relation to juggling family and business? Never be afraid to reach out for help! There is no such thing as a Super Mum - and my other advice is to choose your employer wisely – flexible employers who have raised a family themselves. I am lucky Colin Dennis at SMS Strata is very understanding. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers? Go hard or go home. I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have! What’s the best way for our readers to connect with you? Ph me on 1800 355 863 - it’s free! Or: karenl@smstrata.com.au

What makes your business stand out? Our sole focus is tenancy management, so I think our commitment to building and maintaining the relationship between clients and customers is what stands out. What team changes have recently occurred? Kirsten Howton has joined our team – a local girl who has returned to the industry, and you would think she never left! She is a ball of fresh energy and encompases all that TMP Rentals stands for. Technology has changed real estate in the past decade. How have you adapted to this change? Technology has changed our industry in the past decade dramatically. When I started in the industry in 1989, mobile phones didn’t exist! So to now have access to email, internet, iPads, iPhones, Skype etc; my goodness, where will we be in another decade? Regardless of technology, honesty, integrity and true communication should be enhanced by technology – not in lieu of it. You have a young family; what are your secrets to juggling both? I don’t juggle it; I make it work. I am an extremely organised person, so I manage my day to day routine by factoring in all facets that I need to deal with, whether that is work, baby, or home. My commitment to my clients and customers is a responsibility I take seriously, so ensuring I have my work/life balance allows me the flexibility to cover all aspects and best service everyone.

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Sarah Armstrong. Owner/Director Sandra Vout. Owner

Kylie Mackay and Kristie Peel. Owners

What is your position at Banksia Preschool & Long Daycare Centre and when did you start the centre? I am the Director and an owner of Banksia Preschool & Long Daycare Centre. I started at the centre in February 2000. I began as a Childcare Assistant, and in May 2005 we purchased Banksia as a family business. This year marks my 14th anniversary with the centre.

You have a young family as well; how do you manage it all? What secrets do you have for women in business in relation to juggling family and business? We have a schedule and follow it as closely as possible. Having that structure, even with the odd curve ball we still manage to accomplish our tasks!

What do you love most about your business? I love coming to work each day and never knowing what to expect. Days are long, but they are so rewarding when you see how the children are growing and developing in every way. The children are the most amazing little people to be around. We are not only teaching them, but they are also teaching us in many ways. It is a family run and operated business and as with all family run business it has its challenges. What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date? I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams I would own and run an Early Years Learning centre, with 8 wonderful staff.

What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date? Being brave enough to take that plunge of starting our own business – it has been scary, but also very satisfying. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers? Don’t look behind, always focus on what’s ahead and enjoy what you do – it shows in your work. Negativity does not produce productivity! What is the number one business goal you plan to accomplish over the next year? Streamline our technology.

We recently went through our Accreditation processs, the first under the new National Quality Standards. We are very proud to say our results where outstanding, where we recieved very positive and encouraging words from the validator.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? Our services can save you time and money. The total cost of a project, whether it’s a new home, renovation or commercial project, can be the most important and the least expensive element of your project.

I feel that our small personal centre is a place where we work with parents and carers for the best outcomes for their child’s early learning.

What’s the best way for our readers to connect with you? You can connect us via phone, mobile, email, website or Facebook.

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What secrets do you have for women in business in relation to juggling family and business? Balance ... as important as it is to run your business well and spend quality time at work, it is just as important to leave the office and turn off your phone when it is time to become ‘Mum’. Otherwise, you don’t do either things very well! What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date? The amount of work I receive purely through word of mouth. I believe it really is the best form of advertising and a reflection on your ability and professionalism. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers? To always give clients a little bit more than they were expecting. What is the number one business goal you plan to accomplish over the next year? To continue with my passion in residential design and produce inspiring and practical homes for my clients to suit any budget. I am also finding more and more clients passionate about incorporating good solar passive principles into the design, which is fantastic. We also plan to further develop our association with Interior Designers - ‘Two Birds Design’ and Graphic Designers - ‘Daley Creative’ in the commercial sector. This has proven very successful with our string of recent fit outs, including Toleman and Co Jewellers, Seasons in Coffs Central, Egoli Days Spa at Park Beach Plaza and St Luke’s Medical Centre. Business owners can save themselves a lot of hassle with our one stop service for their fit out.

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Karen Stevens. Director/Proprietor Kerry Bottrell. Business Administration. Kerry, what is your position at Nu Era? Administration: I have qualifications and experience in business administration, MYOB Accounting, customer relations and community welfare. I am now going into my 4th year with Nu Era Kitchens and Bathrooms, and in that time I have been part of this company’s growth. When I started at Nu era, we were a team of 5; now we are 10. We have moved to bigger premises and now have a showroom that displays our kitchens and bathrooms. Our experienced tradesmen are working towards more and exciting renovation and ideas that will be on show in our new display room this year. Recently Rebecca Ferne joined our team, bringing with her over 6 years’ experience in the kitchen and building industry. Rebecca will be assisting Des with quoting and production drawing. We now have another 4 tradesmen in our workshop to assist Mick with the growing demands for renovations, as we now have a full builder’s licence. What is the number one business goal you plan to accomplish over the next year? Our goal this year is to grow our business and build on our customer relations. Having our builder’s licence helps our customers achieve their dreams.

Established in 2003, original owner/operators Mick and Karen Stevens are still enjoying the success of their first business venture. The nearly 10 years since the doors first opened have definitely passed very quickly, due to the relaxed location of Coffs Harbour and the success of this Australia wide franchise. Mick and Karen are very appreciative of the continued loyalty and support from local residents and business owners, but always look forward and welcome even more new customers and general enquiries. Located still at 95 Grafton Street, please drop in and see what Cartridge World has to offer to suit your particular printing needs. Whether customers prefer genuine products, compatibles, refilling or remanufactured cartridges, you will find their pricing very competitive. Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm and Saturday morning 9am - noon. Cartridge World supply products for all major brands - Canon, HP, Epson, Lexmark, Xerox, Brother and Samsung. If ordered by 2pm, delivery is usually 10am the following business day. Mick and Karen have decided to put their business up FOR SALE and plan on travelling around Australia, caravan in tow. But until then, it’s business as usual, so drop in and give them a try today. Sale enquires to: david@cartridgeworldnsw.com.au

Bec Gaile. Director/Proprietor What do you enjoy most about working on the Coffs Coast? George and I moved to Coffs Harbour for a sea change in 2004. We thought we would give it 12 months. And 9 years later, we have made it home. Coffs is a fabulous place; we have the luxury of free parking and secluded beaches and a great community. We live in a town that people want to holiday in! I don’t think it gets much better than that. Tell us about Coffs Hire. Coffs Hire was formed when we amalgamated our two previous businesses, All Transport and Fabrication and Coffs Harbour Containers. Coffs Hire now have a modern fleet of shipping containers, portable toilets, scissor lifts, VMS sign boards, portable showers, coolrooms, telehandlers, portable buildings, forklifts and various car trailers. Servicing a 300 km radius of the Coffs Coast on all long term hires. We also specialise in used container sales, with over 150 in stock. What do you like about your job? Being an Owner/Operator, I get to enjoy so many aspects of the business, from bookkeeping in the office and organising the staff, to throwing on the hard hat and steel cap boots and heading out in the trucks. But it would be nice to not have to wear fluoro safety shirts EVERY day!

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Ebony Shalders. Owner/Operator What is Pig in a Pickle? Pig in a Pickle are 1 day workshops where the students get to learn methods of making their own small goods at home. This includes, but is not limited to, prosciutto, pancetta, salami, bacon and sausages. What is your position at Pig in a Pickle? I am the owner/operator/cook/presenter and of course, taste tester! What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? Firstly, would be my love of food and the old methods of food production. These cooking methods have been around for centuries and have now been pushed aside for the cheap and easy way. Secondly, would be my close circle of friends, who too, are women in small business. Being able to share ideas and support with them has been invaluable. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers? Listen and respond to your customer feedback. Your business would only be a hobby without your customers. Some of the ideas that an outsider can come up with have been fantastic! Also in our case, having a practice run with friends and family was the best thing I did. Those close to you can always be brutally honest.

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Annette Mavin. Mobile Caterer/Director Your position at Coffs Coast Event Catering? I am the owner, but I am also the cook, cleaner, bookkeeper and whatever else it takes to get the job done. When you’re a small business, you need to be very organised and be able to multitask. I can’t do the job alone; you need to have a dedicated team to work with, to be able to achieve your goals. I’m very lucky to have a professional and fun team to work with. What are your business goals for 2013? To continue doing what I’m doing, providing fabulous fresh food and service at affordable prices to the Coffs Coast. We would like to further expand our market share, we have some fabulous events planned for 2013, but it’s just a matter of organising our time to fit everything in without compromising our standards. What is the highlight of your job? Being my own boss is fabulous, but what I really love about what I do is the fact that every job is different. This makes my job exciting, especially when the client gives me a challenging task to tackle. We cater any size event, from a small family gathering to a large corporate event, and we can individually design a menu to suit your budget and needs.

Nicole Donovan. Restaurant Co-owner/Manager Where do you work? Surf Club Restaurant and Bar, Inside the Coffs Harbour Surf Life Saving Club. What makes your business stand out? By using positive outcome management skills, we continue to change, grow, innovate and keep our business fresh, alive and totally current. Customer service is also our number one priority, and we treat all our customers with warmth and respect, because of course, without them, we could not be here doing what we love. What technology have you implemented to improve the business in this changing environment? In the next few weeks we will have installed the latest point of sale system, supplied by David Ford of Coffs Computing Services, using Apple iPads and iPad minis. We can’t wait! I saw it in operation in the USA late last year, and couldn’t wait to get it in! What business goals do you have over the next 12 months? The same as last year: to fill our conference room every day of the week. To make it more appealing, we are looking at having air conditioning installed very soon.

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Business Women’s Network (BWN). “It’s the best 35 marketing dollars you can spend each month. That’s what I say to people who feel they aren’t making connections with customers and the community.” BWN events allow time to meet and greet over a coffee or wine, sit down and hear a great speaker, win some prizes, speak about your organisation and take back to work a warm glow in your brain. We ran our first member survey last year; this is what you can expect from BWN in 2013: World-class speakers. We are courting the likes of chef Maggie Beer, entrepreneur and Boost Juice founder Janine Allis, comedian Jean Kittson, Queen of Fizz champagne expert Bernadette O’Shea, Pru Goward and more. Better cuisine. We know our members want something delicious and different as well as piping hot coffee – we are keeping all our venues on their toes this year.

The Women of MJ Accountants. Melanie Jenkins - Owner Melanie started MJ Accountants in 2007 because she had a vision that an accountant should be focused on a client’s future success, rather than simply reporting on the past. Over the last 6 years she has created a thriving accountancy practice that pride themselves on being the experts in business. Mel loves her job. “Every day I get to work with clients to proactively help them to grow their businesses,” she says. “I get to see my clients solidify their foundations and expand with confidence. It’s a buzz.”

always open to assist with a simple financial matter or a complex strategy issue.

As well as the necessary compliance work, Mel has invested in dedicated software to enable clients to value their businesses, and use 'what if' scenarios to understand how price increases, improved debt collection and other actions might impact valuation. She also accesses industry benchmarks across a wide range of industries and helps her clients to work toward industry excellence. Readers may have heard Mel on Radio 2CS, where every Monday and Wednesday she hosts the Money with Melanie segment, read her weekly column in the Advocate or followed her tips on the MJ Accountants Facebook page. She believes strongly in helping the community as a whole to achieve success and is unstintingly generous in her willingness to share knowledge. Her door is

between your need to touch base with people you already know and to meet some new friends along the way. Women do socialise and communicate differently to men, and it’s a different dynamic than a mixed group. The fact that women love to talk makes it a perfect platform for sponsors to gain word of mouth. And that’s worth every cent of that $35 ticket. Our next event is International Women’s Day, Friday 8 March. To join our data base: www. bwn.org.au - JOIN US! Want a sample? email: info@bwn.org.au the word FOCUS and we will send you a $15 voucher to attend a BWN event.

It’s no surprise that MJ Accountants was yet again a Sunny Business Award winner this year. It’s rare to find a business owner so committed to her clients’ success. Senior Accountants

MJ Accountants ork is a fun place to w e according to thes ke ta ey ladies. But th ry ve what they do seriously.”

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More opportunity to mix and meet. We make a special effort to make sure that newcomers are introduced to someone as soon as they arrive. We get the balance right

President Annie Blair and Feb breakfast speaker Lily McDonald.

There’s more than one woman behind MJ Accountants’ success. While Mel remains the driving force, the team continues to grow.

The firm’s senior accountants, Ebony Zander, Leanne Jackson, Ina Crombach and Katie Pledger bring a wealth of professional and accounting experience to the team.

MJ Accountants is a fun place to work according to these ladies. But they take what they do very seriously. All of the team at MJ Accountants knows about the pressure businesses are under. They work hard to reduce their clients’ stress and to keep their businesses strong and growing. It’s a tough job … but these ladies are up to the challenge.

the plug! Check out mjaccountants.com.au for heaps of business information or call Mel, Ebony, Leanne, Ina or Katie on 6652 8788.

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Christine Clarke. Real Estate Agent Are you originally from Coffs Harbour? I moved to Coffs from Sydney in 1980 as the manager of Grace Brothers ladies fashion store at Park Beach Plaza.

Kuei Manyoun. Owner

After 12 months, I was appointed Marketing Manager of the centre, which I did for the following six years.

Are you originally a Coffs Harbour woman? No, but I have been living here for over 11 years now. What is your position at African Hair Braids? I am the owner of the store. I have owned salons in Africa and the USA. I started my training in Africa and then finished in Arizona. What do you love about your work? I love making people look beautiful. I have a background in nails and beauty, and I love fashion. I also help out as a translator, as I speak fluent Dinka language and I was a translator for the United Nations. What is the number one business goal you have achieved lately? I would have to say it is setting up my new

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big store here in town, which also boasts a new party room for children where they can have snacks, get their hair braided and play games. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers? I would say that you have to really like people. Be a patient and happy person, treat people well, be understanding and always welcome people warmly.

What is your position at Raine&Horne, and how did this come about? I had been studying the real estate licensing course at TAFE of an evening. A position came up at the leading agency in town at the time, and it gave me an opportunity for a new direction careerwise. Little did I think at the time I would remain in the industry for the next 25 years, or become the Principal of Raine&Horne. Who has been your greatest influence? That would have to be my business partner, Brian. He is an old school agent, with over 60 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience. He still operates on the basis of good old fashioned values and ethics. He turned 99 last birthday, and still comes to the office five days a week - he has a real passion for the industry!

Greatest professional accomplishment? I have been an elected Board Member of the Real Estate Institute of NSW for the past eight years. It has not only been an honour to represent the industry at this level, but I have gained a valuable overview of factors affecting the property industry throughout NSW. I have also been honoured by the Raine&Horne network with the annual Chairmans Award, recognising commitment to the industry, and Excellence in Real Estate practice.

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Sharna Missen. Manager SHARNA MISSEN What is your role at Boost Juice? Hi, my name is Sharna and I am the Manager at the Boost Juice store in the newly developing Coffs Central Shopping Centre. What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? Without sounding too predictable, I am really fortunate to be employed by a boss who takes a genuine interest in his staff and customers. I have learnt a lot from him in the past two and half years. He has great business knowledge, but still knows how to make work enjoyable and bring a smile to customers. He can juggle oranges too – something I am yet to master! What do you like about the Boost Juice brand? The friendly Boosties, the loyal customers, the vibe and of course, the delicious and healthy juices and smoothies are all the ingredients to what make Boost not just another juice bar. Oh, and dressing up for theme days has its fun too! What’s the best advice you have received about business that you wish to pass on to our readers? Customers are the lifeblood of a business; treat them like you would treat your friends … and don’t forget to smile. What is the number one business goal you wish to accomplish over the next year? I wish to continue to grow in my role as store manager and support manager for Taylor and continue to create a store environment where people will feel welcome and want to come and enjoy our boost-alicious smoothies and juices. So watch this space for a fruitful year ahead. TAY L O R L E A C H What is your role at Boost Juice? My role is to drive our team of brilliant, eccentric young adults to deliver the awesome customer experience that the Boost label is so renowned for. My responsibilities include typical managerial tasks such as rostering, training staff, ordering stock, keeping track of costs and leakage

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Taylor Leach. Manager reports and basically all the operations involved in helping to run a successful business. What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? I may sound a little biased if I say Janine Allis (CEO and founder of Boost Juice) is my greatest influence, but she is a truly influential woman! Janine and her husband, Jeff, found a hole in the market for a fast, healthy alternative, and they absolutely ran with it. Janine developed the structure and work ethic that has made this brand such a successful one. Aside from creating thousands of jobs for young adults worldwide, she created a movement in the fast food industry. What do you like about the Boost Juice brand? Aside from the obvious, the incredible juices and smoothies, the aspect I like most about the Boost Juice brand is definitely the positive, outgoing attitude towards life that everyone in the company seems to have. It’s infectious. It really shows through when you see how constantly the brand is growing and changing to fit the needs expectations of today’s consumer. What is the best piece of advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers? I’m always being given great advice about business, but one thing that stood out to me is something that I read while studying. It was in regards to handling a complaint. It explained to never see the customer as an enemy, but to remember that they are the lifeblood of an organisation! What is the number one business goal you plan to accomplish over the next year? I plan to complete my Diploma in Business Management by the end of the year. It would be amazing to look back and see that operations of the store have improved over the year, as I continue to learn under the incredible guidance of the manager of Coffs Central Boost, Sharna Missen and the fantastic franchise owner, Colin Webster. coffs coast focus 55

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Jodi Wood is the Manager of Disability Employment Services at Key Employment. She prides herself in finding her clients great jobs; she also manages a young family. Here she discusses her career.

Jodi Wood. Manager of Disability Employment Services

re you originally a Coffs Harbour girl? I came from the Central Coast via Iluka, where I started school. But I have been here since I was 9, and I think that makes me a local. I went to Orara High School and completed my psychology degree at SCU here in Coffs. What is your position at Key Employment? I am the Manager of the Disability Employment Services (DES). This is the major program at Key Employment and is our core business. It’s the program responsible for getting people with disability into the type of work they like and that they are good at. I oversee over 50 staff in 5 different offices from Iluka to Kempsey. What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? I have had so many great teachers in my life – people who have helped shape not just who I am as a business leader but as a person. At Orara High I had many great and influential

teachers, who taught me about leadership, hard work and dedication. My high school was also where I learned about lifelong friendships and loyalty, as well as the benefit of networks. My mum keeps me focused on the bottom line, on ROI and cost benefit analysis, and my husband helps me remember to laugh. However, my biggest influence in business is my dad. He is the most brilliant business person I know and is a constant reminder that after considering all the facts and looking at things from every direction, good business people make the big decisions from the heart. You have a young family as well; how do you manage it all? What secrets do you have for women in business in relation to juggling family and business? There are no secrets to this juggling act, and I am not the first or only woman to have 4 balls in the air at the same time. Actually, I am not too sure that I do manage it all. My husband, Adam, and I insist on getting quality time with our kids, and this can mean compromise on

some of the domestic chores (in other words, we are extremely messy ha ha). We have a cleaner who works part-time, and she is an angel! I have a lot of support from my parents and Adam’s parents. Both live locally, and both will drop whatever they have on to have the kids at a moment’s notice. They are AMAZING! I have an iPad, iPhone and a laptop and get a lot of work done late at night. Key supports all of the latest technology, and my team at work are fantastic professionals. The whole set up at work is family friendly. So, I guess my secret is this – lots of family support, great family friendly employers and some hired help. Don’t stress about a messy house and play with your kids whenever you get the chance. What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date? Before my management roles, my greatest achievements were always getting one of my clients into a great job. We call that a goose bump moment here at Key, and I still feel it when any of the team gets a successful placement or helps a client achieve a goal or their dream. The moment we achieved 5 Star ratings at all of our sites to be in the top 2% of all Disability Employment Services in Australia was possibly my proudest accomplishment. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers? Respect is not a privilege of the old or powerful; it is something that must be earned. As a leader or manager, you cannot demand the respect of your team; you need to earn it. That means working harder than anyone else, listening to your team and giving positive feedback at every opportunity. The second piece of advice is this – you have to spend money to make money! (That one is for you, Mum). What is the number one business goal you plan to accomplish over the next year?

Professional development of all staff is a priority as we enter our new 5 year contract with the government. The aim is to maintain our 5 Star status as the best local disability employment service. You want to write a book on ... I don’t really have any ambition to write a book, but do have plans to complete a PhD in the near future. My research will be based around a fabulous apprenticeship program Key currently runs called KIKASS and will aim to inform social policy on the best ways to help young people with disability transition from school to meaningful employment. Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? Three things: not for profit companies with a strong social conscience and successful social agenda can still be run as efficient effective businesses. Key Employment is a fantastic example of balancing social responsibility and good governance with successful corporate financial goals. Women can make a real difference to business, but often need supports like good maternity leave and flexible hours. We should work together to remove the glass ceiling and let women compete on an even playing field based on their talents and skills. I am not convinced that I am important enough to influence others but if I could, I would urge people to look after each other ... to work together towards a fairer society where refugees are welcome, where Indigenous Australians are celebrated as original owners of all of the land, where people can choose to marry whoever they like regardless of gender, and where women are finally recognised as being superior to men. What’s the best way for our readers to connect with you? Email is a great tool for direct and confidential contact. My address is jodi@keyemployment. com.au - I use LinkedIn as well.

NEED STAFF? We have people available NOW! It’s a

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Employment, training & assessment services

Call LIZ or JOE TODAY 56 coffs coast focus.

43 Gordon Street &RĀV +DUERXU (0pp. Memorial pool)

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Natural Rejuvenation.

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Barbara Wenman - Owner

hat’s new at La Fleur D’Alyse? I am excited to introduce MediSpa to the Coffs Coast and welcome you to explore an exotic world of treatments that are influenced by the queen of Godesses herself, Cleopatra and the decadent world of emperors and empresses of China and Japan.

I am the company director and Practice Manager. After raising 5 children and while working full-time, I completed a B.A. with a triple major in psychology, sociology and philosophy and a minor in politics and a graduate diploma in social science. I then opted out of the study field and decided to concentrate on cosmetics.

Are you originally a Coffs Harbour woman? Yes, I was born in Coffs Harbour, after studying nursing in Sydney. I returned to Coffs Harbour with my husband, Dr. Wenman, over 36 years ago. Together we have established a successful medical and cosmetic practice. I trained in cosmetics in Sydney, Melbourne, London and Paris.

We specialise in the rejuvenating effects of cosmetic injecting using dermal fillers and muscle relaxing injections. We create a natural, non-surgical facelift, restoring youthful curves to the face and eyes, while a natural lip treatment is used to restore the youthful appearance to the lips.

What is your and Dr. Wenman’s background? Dr. John and myself have over 20 years’ experience in Cosmetic Medicine and believe it is best to offer a full range of treatment options, tailoring them to suit each client’s specific skin type and skin concerns. We both take a holistic approach to fighting the ravages of age. Dr. Wenman is a member of the Australasian Society of Cosmetic Medicine and a fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians. I am a registered nurse and cosmetic nurse and an associate member of the Australasian Society of Cosmetic Medicine and like all members, I maintain a commitment to a high standard of treatment, patient safety and ongoing training.

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Tell us all about La Fleur D’Alyse?

I am also experienced in facial peeling and skin analysis, I.P.L and laser therapy. Dr. John Wenman specialises in the Promoitalia Threads face and neck lift. The Thread Lift procedure elevates the soft tissue of the face and neck, to create a lifted effect without the need for traditional invasive surgical facelifting. While this Thread Lift is a standalone procedure, when combined with the natural face, eye and lip treatment, it gives a more significant rejuvenated effect. What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? I have been influenced by the great beauties of history from Cleopatra to Coco Chanel in developing La Fleur D’Alyse, which takes its name from my middle name, not the original Fleur D’lys, the French lily. I want all of my

clients to enjoy their experience with us and get that wow factor with each of their treatments. At La Fleur D’Alyse we are committed to the highest standard of client care and satisfaction, staff training and client safety. Final comments? La Fleur D’Alyse’s private and spacious spa facilities cater for individuals, couples and groups of up to 10 people for a wide range of special events such as hen’s nights, birthday parties, girls’ nights or baby showers. Our 2 to 4 person sauna and our 2 to 10 person spa are also a perfect way of unwinding and releasing the stresses of everyday life, or there is a private spa bath if you prefer. Nothing is forgotten at La Fleur D’Alyse MediSpa, where you can get a full range of cosmetic enhancement and rejuvenation, beauty therapy treatments including waxing, special occasion makeup, relaxing massage, as well as your weekly manicure and pedicure. We also offer a complimentary tea of the day to all our clients. Half and full day packages receive a complimentary full morning or afternoon tea and a complimentary glass of bubbly with all packages over $200. We will continue to research the market for safe, exotic and affordable treatments to pamper and rejuvenate our clients as we continue to develop our spa and offer the Coffs Harbour community the best there is in rejuvenation and relaxation.

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Andrea Caldwell – Board Member Jan Strom – Board Member

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Jo-Anne Stavely – Board Member, Dawn Thornton – Secretary & Public Officer, Cassie Crompton – Project Assistant, Megan McGill – Project Officer Engagement, Jenni Kew – Office Manager.

Jacquie Houlden – Board Member

Regional Developement Australia. Connecting people throughout the region from the coast through the valleys is the one of the key objectives for the Women of Regional Development Australia. We find out more ...

hat is Regional Development Australia Mid North Coast? Regional Development Australia (RDA) is a partnership between the Australian, State and Local Governments to develop and strengthen the regional communities of Australia. RDA Mid North Coast is a not for profit Incorporated Association that operates in the dynamic environment of the local government areas of Greater Taree, Port Macquarie/Hastings, Kempsey, Nambucca, Bellingen, Coffs Harbour and Lord Howe Island. A key role of the RDA is to act as a conduit between business/community and government to ensure that government is responsive to local needs and priorities. RDA Mid North Coast has three principle objectives including ‘Connecting People, Coast and Valleys’ to broker and facilitate the development of the region connecting via partnership with stakeholders. How will the Mid North Coast become more competitive in 2013? RDA Mid North Coast has been at the vanguard for advocacy and promotion of High Speed Broadband and the value of NBN Co, producing Australia’s first Regional Digital Strategy. The roll out of the NBN in Coffs and across the region is a game changing opportunity for regional Australia. Coffs Harbour is currently in the process of the fibre rollout with Taree soon to follow. The exciting

news for the region is that Fixed Wireless & relevance these include: Research, Communication, Satellite will service nearly 22% of the region to be Facilitation, Alignment and Leadership. fully operational by the end of 2013. One of our most important tools we have We are providing information to Councils, is research. Government and industry are Business and the community through our constantly producing quality data relevant to our “Broadband Toolkit” on line through our region. However the most important website (www.radmidnorthcoast. consideration for RDA Mid org.au). RDA Mid North Coast North Coast is to interpret id M A D R is the producer for the major that research and identify The expo in Coffs Harbour, implications that may North Co ast has jectives ob e pl ci in pr e T.H.E (Technologybenefit or impact industry thre cting Heath-Education) and/or our community. including ‘Conne Valleys’ d People, Co ast an ate Exchange Expo & RDA Mid North Coast cilit to broker and fa Seminar program. This in partnership with t of the developmen year T.H.E Exchange the La Trobe University ecting the region conn will be rolled out as a commercialised Regional with p hi rs via partne Road-show in each of the Economic Modelling & stakeholders.” local government areas and Planning tool (REMPLAN); will complement the Digital has developed a free ‘Regional Champions project where we Digital App’ on its website (www. are looking for individuals to promote radmidnorthcoast.org.au). The App is their digital broadband experience to their free and provides research data on up to community. T.H.E Exchange will be in each 19 industry categories and compares any of the of the council areas in July – be prepared for the 6 LGAs with the whole region and NSW. We digital revolution. encourage everyone to become familiar with the How do we identify and communicate the key RDA/REMPLAN ‘Regional Data App’. While the app issues for the Mid North Coast? is simple to use, in the coming months we will be Our purpose is to develop and facilitate providing free seminars to Business Chambers and industry in our region and it is up to all of us to economic, social and environmental organisation be competitive in the current economic climate. on how to best exploit the data – contact RDA Mid RDA Mid North Coast utilises five tools to ensure North Coast for further details.

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How do you communicate the key issues and achievements for the Mid North Coast? RDA Mid North Coast’s website (www. radmidnorthcoast.org.au) has become a portal for information on Industry, Community and Government. A cornerstone of our communications strategy, the site is a model for other RDAs around Australia, carrying information from the Broadband Toolkit, Grant Links & other Resources. In addition, the site offers details of RDA MNC services, including the Regional Migration Scheme (RMS) and other Federal programs such as the Regional Development Australia Fund. RDA MNC recently audited its Web Traffic for the last year identifying over 25,000 unique URL visits. More significantly though was that 39% of those were return visitors and that the average time of the site was over 3.5 minutes per visitor. In summary RDA Mid North Coasts Board and Staff are pleased to contribute to the FOCUS “Women in Business” supplement and we thank the women involved in our region for their leadership to our objective: ‘Connecting our products, services and capacity to our neighbours, our nation and the world’. RDA Mid North Coast Phone. (02) 5525 1500. Email. admin@rdamidnorthcaost.org.au

Visit our website for: Access to regional news and information Regional data for the Mid North Coast from Coffs Harbour to Taree Regional indicators bi-monthly publication Available grant information The Strategic Regional Leadership Conference The International Year of Co-Operatives National Conference T.H.E Exchange – Technology, Health, Education Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme The latest information on the NBN rollout

www.rdamidnorthcoast.org.au

MID NORTH COAST NSW

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Achieving Excellence in Small Business

Alyssa Evans.

TOP TIPS MY

for excellence

in business.

By Melissa Murphy

There is a difference between success and excellence in business. Success is often measured by comparing ourselves to others. Excellence, however, involves maximising our potential to be the best we can be. Here are a few tips for achieving excellence in business. epending on your definition of success, you may have achieved a certain level of success in your small business. But how great would it be to exceed success and move on to excellence? No matter what defines the success of your business thus far, it is probably not enough to warrant the badge of excellence. To be excellent, you must not only succeed, but be willing to recognise and maximise your potential in all areas of business. Here are a few tips to help you achieve business excellence. Focus As with other things in life, it is imperative to have a clear, concise vision of where you want to go. Focus is like having a map that tells you how to get to your destination. If you are just driving around on any road, it will take you much longer to reach your intended target if you arrive at all. A focused business person has a clear pathway outlining how to achieve goals on a consistent basis. Exceed Expectations When people think of exceeding

Stay Positive expectation, they generally assume it Maintaining a positive outlook on is the customer’s expectations that are your business life is one of the most important. And going above and bebeneficial things that you can do to yond what your customer is expecting accelerate your quest for excellence. is certainly something to strive for, but Negative thoughts draw negative what about your own expectations? people. That includes employees, Shouldn’t you have the same attitude business associates, and cusabout the goals you have set tomers. On the other hand, for yourself? To achieve positive people are excellence in business, drawn to optimism. It you must exceed not “ A focused works the same way only your customs busines a as h n so on an intrapersonal er’s expectations, per ay hw at p r ea cl level, as well. If you but your own as outlining howals are focused on the well. go to achieve t negative, then all Have a Role en st si n on a co you will see are the Model and be a ” s. si ba problems. However, Mentor positive thinking autoYou can learn somematically points you toward thing from everybody. So growth and solutions. Which do you no matter how far up you go, there think will help you achieve excelwill always be somebody you can lence? learn from. A good role model will Most people strive to succeed in help your business grow. Furthermore, role models are trusted advisors business, but few put much thought into achieving excellence. Where busithat can give you sound advice when ness is concerned, success is good, you are faced with setbacks. By the but excellence is better. Keep these same token, you should be willing to share your wisdom and mentor others tips in mind in your pursuit of business excellence. who are also pursuing excellence.

Founder - Lyss and Her Camera

What is Lyss and Her Camera? Simple photography. What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? That’s a hard one! I guess I would have to say Jonas Peterson, all Magnum photographers, my aunt (who ran a successful portrait studio on the beach in QLD) and Tegan Ewart are stand outs. What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date? Well, I guess taking the plunge to drop out of uni (I had gone back to uni to become a teacher), quit my waitressing jobs and give this business my all. It was scary! But oh, how it has paid off! I would have to say that my greatest accomplishment though, is providing services for Heartfelt. It is something I’d been wanting to do for a very very long time and is the one thing that makes me feel like I am on the right path. What is the number one business goal you plan to accomplish over the next year? Quite simply, I want to see improvements in our life now ... all this time I’ve been putting 100% of time and money into the business; this year I hope to find balance, some time for family, exercise, time to read a book maybe even (GASP!) and my financial goals are pretty simple too: I’d like to drive a nice car and rent a nicer house. Wish me luck!

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Saturday May 11th

at BreakFree Aanuka Beach

Wedding will be the word on everyone’s lips on Saturday 11 May, when brides-to-be, photographers, cake specialists, venue decorators, entertainers and more gather at BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort, Coffs Harbour, for its first Wedding Open Day.

rom 11am to 3pm, Open Ope en Day guests have w Golden sand stretching out to the blue waves breaking on the opportunity to meet the resort’s team a secluded beach, green grass scattered with confetti and of wedding specialists, view the resort’s flower petals, surrounding leafy gardens catching the fresh array of ceremony and reception venues sea breeze, and comfy chairs decorated in crisp wedding and discuss their plans for their big day white set out in the sunshine for family and friends to share with a range of the region’s most soughtthe moment with you … such a dream wedding day can be after wedding suppliers. yours. Attendees will also be offered complimentary entry, That exact scene is what has made wedding ceremonies free parking onsite, a gift bag on arrival, champagne so popular at BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort on the and canapés and will have the chance to win an attractive Coffs Harbour coast. assortment of prizes, such as an overnight With an ideal location on scenic Diggers holiday for two people at BreakFree Beach, the resort can make your special day Aanuka Beach Resort, a Finz On The everything it should be. dings Catering for wed Beach dinner voucher, a free venue With beachside weddings a speciality, e re kF ea Br of all sizes, fers a of hire voucher and more from BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort can rt so Re h ac Aanuka Be packages ng di exhibitors there on the day. arrange for the bride and groom ed w of ty varie s and Plus, every Wedding Open to exchange vows on the sand, or to suit all budget unning st bo asts a range of Day guest will receive a 10% say their ‘I dos’ on a choice of three ns, tio ca lo ceremony r da ce discount off their wedding’s food spacious lawn areas with the beach g in m including a char n er od m e and beverage account if they as a backdrop. re th d chapel an .” es nu ve n io confirm their wedding booking at Or, there is also a charming cedar pt rece the resort on the Wedding Open chapel by a fresh water lagoon amongst Day. native gardens. Inside, your ceremony Couples can also make a weekend of will be flooded with natural light streaming it and enjoy the resort’s fantastic range of through stained glass windows, while the leisure facilities, including several swimming pools, courtyard outside features a renaissance stone fountain an onsite day spa and beachfront restaurant, with great for that special romantic touch. With room for up to 110 rates from $159* per night in a Paradise Spa Bure, including guests, the air-conditioned chapel is also a great wet buffet breakfast for two. weather option. Catering for weddings of all sizes, BreakFree Aanuka For treasured wedding photos, everything is just a short Beach Resort offers a variety of wedding packages to suit all walk away to truly capture the tranquillity and beauty of budgets and boasts a range of stunning ceremony locations, your special day, with the beach and landscaped gardens including a charming cedar chapel and three modern offering superb locations that are the essence of romance. reception venues. Tailoring a memorable reception is also at the top of the Weddings @ BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort list for BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort, so we offer four Memories of your wedding day are meant to last forever, venues to select from. which is why this special event in your life should be picture Three boast magnificent views to Diggers Beach and vary for intimate gatherings under the stars with as few perfect.

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as 25 guests, to dancing the night away in air-conditioned comfort for up to 220 guests. Don’t stress about the details either, with BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort offering specialist wedding coordinators and a list of suppliers who come highly recommended for their quality service and products, ranging from wedding cakes and flowers to photography. When it comes to the wedding night, the newlyweds and their guests can take advantage of discounted accommodation packages from Studio Hotel Rooms up to roomy Four Bedroom Villas, including a free night for the new Mr and Mrs Married in a beautiful Paradise Spa Bure, when a reception is booked for at least 50 guests. As for honeymooners, so many special moments are to be found when walking hand in hand through the resort’s 15 acres of sub-tropical gardens, strolling on the adjacent beachfront or sharing a romantic meal at the onsite café, restaurant and bar. Relax or find your own adventure with the many resort facilities, including five swimming pools, a cave spa and water slide, three tennis courts, beach volleyball, mini putt putt golf, or head out for a day trip to see the sights of the surrounding township and coastline. BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort is located at 11 Firman Drive, Coffs Harbour. For more information on the Wedding Open Day or to book accommodation call (02) 6652 7555 or email aanuka.events@breakfree.com.au ABOUT BREAKFREE HOTELS, RESORTS & APARTMENTS BreakFree Hotels, Resorts and Apartments offer an extensive range of over 30 properties in favourite holiday destinations and cities around Australia and New Zealand. Spacious, self-contained apartment accommodation combines value with access to the best beaches, city highlights and holiday attractions, making them ideal for leisure seekers and corporate travellers alike. See www. breakfree.com.au for more information. *Subject to availability. Valid for travel from 10 -12 May 2013.

Commemorate Your New Life Together... with a special Commemorative Marriage Certiﬁcate.

Holding Hands

Waratah

Rose

Diamond Rings

Cut the Cake

Marriage Rings

Commemorative Certificates are a unique memento of your wedding day and can be displayed in a frame as a keepsake or become part of your album as an everlasting memory. Commemorative Certificates are purchased as a $71.00* package that includes a Standard Marriage Certificate (valued at $48.00) that can be used for official purposes. With each package, additional Commemorative Certificates can be purchased for $23.00 each. To apply for your certificate, speak to your celebrant, visit our website or call the Registry on 1300 655 236.

Commemorative Marriage Certiﬁcates do not contain security features and organisations may not accept them as a proof of identity document. *Prices are correct at time of printing and include postage, handling and GST where applicable. Commemorative Certiﬁcates are A4 in size (210mm x 297mm).

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MARCH 2013

WITH TERRI

AQUARIUS.

GEMINI.

January 21 - February 19

May 22 - June 22

You will have victory very soon. Words will bring a positive outcome with a happy surprise. Your wish is coming true, but first you must heal past hurts by releasing them with GRATITUDE for the positive changes they brought to you. Rose Quartz connects us to our loving beautiful self.

PISCES. February 20 - March 20

Your thoughts of yourself are quite destructive at the moment. Release your harsh judgment and compliment yourself regularly throughout the day, just to reestablish a new habit. Your kind words benefit so many others. Try the gift of giving this energy to you. Carry some citrine with you, it shatters negativity.

ARIES. March 21 - April 20

Your emotions have been a little over sensitive lately as you have begun a cycle of self-discovery, where you will be letting go of a lot of passed hurt. Try to recognise all of your insecurities, so you can release them and their influence from your sphere of existence. Phenacite is a wonderful stone for initiation, bringing a new level of awareness.

CANCER. June 23 - July 23 Ju

Your action in life has slowed down as a result of not knowing what you’re wanting, and you’re taking life far too seriously. Lighten up by bringing back that wonderful sense of humour; think about what would make you happy, and set some goals. Turquoise gives self confidence a boost.

LEO. July 24 - August 23

You are the MAGICIAN, remember? All you need is a little clear direction. As soon as you have set some goals, things will shift and change will be yours, effortlessly. Spend some time in nature to release your tension. Blue Quartz clears the mind, energises the body and connects us to our soul.

TAURUS.

VIRGO.

April 21 - May 21

August 24 - September 23 A

Even though your challenges may seem overwhelming, look at the new you that you're expressing to the world. You are a very strong person, so congratulations on owning your own power. Try a little fresh goal setting; this will ease your restlessness. Tourmaline amplifies your inner peace, playful inner child energy and settles restlessness. 62 coffs coast focus.

Relationships are likely to be on the main agenda this month. Be open with your communication to avoid any misunderstanding and know which insecurities belong to you and which ones don’t. Kyanite helps build inner bridges so we can literally get over things.

Avoid arguing the point at the moment, as this behaviour is stopping you from seeing the bigger picture. Your position is far more valuable as the wise 'peace-keeper', not the enemy. Soon change will show you how important your values really are. Be kind to yourself. Clear Quartz gives our confidence a boost.

LIBRA. September 24 - October 23

Good news is on its way, more than likely bringing cause to celebrate. Kick up your heels and party; celebration is good for the soul. Your writing skills are suffering from boredom lately, so pick up that pen and put your creative self to good use. Citrine attracts an abundance of positive energy and shatters negativity.

SCORPIO. October 24 - November 22

Movement is the main theme for the sensitive scorpio. Allow yourself the freedom to make choices without guilt. Guilt arises from low-esteem, and low esteem could leave you vulnerable to self-sabotage. Rhodonite helps us discover new talents, which enriches our life.

SAGITTARIUS. November 23 - December 21

Bring back your laughter and play with life. Your freedom will be found when you take a break from every day life. There is a new friend entering the picture, who will help you find a new talent. Avoid distractions from scavenging energies. Kyanite helps us face our challenges with a joyful outlook.

CAPRICORN. December 22 - January 20

Reconnect with your talent in teaching people. You are able to share the most amazing insights and experiences, yet you’re afraid to speak for fear of how your words may be accepted. Focus on your intention or motive. Rose Quartz is very nurturing for all situations.

focus_interview.

SOCIAL MEDIA.

Do you wonder; what is Social Media? Is it essential for my business? Terry Ronan and Chris Van, Partners and Managers at Social How To Media expose the importance of understanding how it can work for your business.

ocial How To Media services businesses' of all sizes, what is it that you actually do for businesses? We specialise in creating online social media marketing strategies to help organizations increase their internet presence and drive potential sales to their brand. Using powerful online strategies across the major social media networks we help promote your brand and message to the general public and selected target markets. We can target your potential clients using our skilled team of professional marketers and sophisticated software systems. We customize all of your social media platforms to match your organsiations image and implement unique techniques to help capture and connect to existing and future clients. We communicate daily to your fans through social media platforms and automated email systems to help build rapport and gain inside knowledge to your clients needs. We integrate all of your online marketing so it seamlessly connects and communicates with your target market using cutting edge automated systems and processes. Location is not a problem; we work with people from all different parts of the country and globe. We do all of the heavy online marketing lifting to allow you the time to concentrate on what you do best – running your organization. Please explain exactly what Social Media is? ‘Social Media’ is used to describe a number of platforms where people can share thoughts, ideas, the latest news and other significant information. Although the conventional definition of media does not fit the frame of social media but it is the new-age way of building one-to-one relationship which ensures much clarity and a feeling of ‘face-to-face’ interaction. When we say ‘social media’, we refer to a number of sites and stages. We have social networking sites, blogs, microblogging platforms, professional networking sites as well as photo and/or video sharing sites. Now, each of the platforms has its own distinct purposes to serve. Some are like nightclubs or pubs,

whereas some others are like business meets or trade shows or cocktail party. All you need to understand is the different etiquettes along with your role in that particular platform. What value can social media add to the growth of your business? For businesses, media plays a vital role in marketing and advertising products or services. No doubt, social media is also used with the same aim. But what marks the difference is that social media brings transparency in your interactions with the customers or prospects. In fact, it’s the business house that often comes under the strong scrutiny of its target market. Fortunately, this tough situation leads to a sense of reliability. If you are not satisfied with the information or find it superficial then here is some tangible information on what values social media can add to the growth of your business. • Lets you listen to the heart of your core target market • Gives you the chance to analyse data and latest market trends • Helps you integrate the feedback into the work process to live up to the expectations of the tech-savvy customers who can find flaws with just a quick glance • Ensures quick response which makes the customers feel desired and not ignored • Lets you tap an unimaginable range of demographics beyond the geographical boundaries Is having social media presence in your business essential? We are not going to get into the point of how essential it is to have a strong social media presence, let’s take a look at the opposite side of the fence. What if you do not have a social media presence? • It’s like using lanterns in the 21st century • You are not following Darwin’s theory of evolution • You are grossly missing a presence in the social graph which could have otherwise fetched 40% more business for your company • You are soon going to be rejected by the young generation. How can we contact you? 1300 550 169 www.socialhowtomedia.com coffs coast focus 63

focus_editorial.

T u r b o c h a r g e y o u r home.

offs Harbour residents are now among the first in Australia to have access to Telstra services on the super-fast National Broadband Network (NBN). No doubt many of you will be asking, “Why should I change over to an NBN service?” Well, the simple answer is: "It’s all about speed and being able to do more things at once." Fibre’s extra bandwidth enables the whole household to perform several tasks at once, like downloading movies on your T-Box while streaming internet radio on the T-Hub 2 and uploading photos to Facebook. Fast broadband is also set to expand the entertainment you can enjoy, making it easier to stream internet TV services like FOXTEL on T-Box. As well as changing the way you enjoy the internet, NBN will mark a change in the technology that delivers voice calls around Australia. Home phones will be transitioned from the familiar copper network to digital technology running on the NBN. Over time, this digital technology will bring benefits like betterquality voice calls. As Australia’s largest full-service provider, Telstra is uniquely positioned with its popular bundles, improved customer service and more than 100 years experience in connecting

Australians. We are working closely with customers to make the process of connecting to the NBN as simple and hassle-free as possible through our team of Telstra Fibre Connection Specialists. Once NBN Co connects the fibre to a customer’s home, Telstra will complete the installation with a follow-up appointment, where one of our specialists will connect the Our store staff customer to Telstra’s services are trained and ensure devices such devices and ensure you have as the T-Hub 2 are fully the right set up for your and available for e connected. household. appointments th – ay According to Telstra In the next decade, we w d ne io sh old fa research, the average will see an explosion in ” . ce face to fa Australian home has up to the number of connected five devices connecting to the household devices as the way internet at any one time, so we we use technology to communicate have designed a range of bundle plans with each other, and the world, continues to provide generous data allowances to enable to evolve. With Telstra services on the NBN, our customers to connect to the NBN with you’ll be ready to take full advantage of them. confidence. Chat with us the old fashioned way Customers have access to a dedicated call We know people will have lots of questions centre, 24/7 online and technical support, and about upgrading to Telstra services on the a team of trained technicians who offer after NBN. Our store staff are trained and available hours and weekend appointments. for appointments the old fashioned way – face Our team of technicians recognise that to face. You can book a time with staff either every home is different and will take the time in-store (at Park Beach Plaza or Coffs Central to explain how to get the most out of your shopping centres) or, in the comfort of your own

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home. To book an appointment, please call Park Beach Plaza on 6658 0600 or Coffs Central on 6651 3620. See the NBN in action at the Telstra Fibre Experience Centre. You can take a test-drive with Telstra services on the NBN at the Telstra Fibre Experience Centre, which is open from March 6 until March 14. The Centre is set out like a lounge room and is staffed by experts who will explain how you can use high-speed internet in the home and how Telstra services like FOXTEL on T-Box, BigPond movie downloads and next-generation calling via the Telstra T-Hub 2 perform on the new fibre network. The Telstra Fibre Experience Centre is located at Coffs Harbour Showground, near the Norm Jordan Pavilion and is open between 10am and 5pm.

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focus_sunrise.

focusrealestate.

with Chris Hines from Unrealestate

real Why Your Emotions Might Be Stopping You From Selling Your Home S u p p o r t e d

L i v i n g

chris hines.

Sunrise offers a distinct choice for seniors when it comes to care and support as they age. Normally they would be faced with little or no choice and usually end up on waiting lists to gain placement in an Aged Care facility. n Supported Living Communities, at all times holding true to the fundamental unlike traditional retirement villages, values Sunrise is based on. residents have access to various levels Throughout the month of March, Sunrise of personal care and nursing care, Supported Living will be holding 'Mini Open with the distinct difference being this Days' at our Coffs Harbour Village. We invite care and support is provided in the privacy of you to attend one of these sessions to find their own home – a choice not available in out more about Sunrise and the experience nursing homes. that it offers our residents as part of the This means residents can 'age in place' and Coffs Harbour community. may never have to move again, eliminating Single and group bookings are most welthe anguish of separation. In the past, elderly come, and sessions will be held every Tuescouples had to face the anguish of separaday to Thursday throughout March, being: tion if one partner needed nursing 5 March – 7 March,12 March – 14 home care. This is no longer the March,19 March – 21 March case, since Supported Living and 26 March – 28 March. Communities offer the Morning sessions will Ask any Sunrise capacity for couples to include: resident about stay together in their • Morning tea and s for own home, even if the staff that care y welcome with our da they need different them on a day to residents at 10am. levels of care. basis and you will • An information nd Sunrise affords begin to understa session followed by an re them the ability to the high level of ca .” open 'questions and er continue with their we do in fact deliv answers' at 10.30am. independence in a private • A tour of our village and and nurturing environdisplay unit at 11am. ment. Independence and • Topped off by a delicious 2 privacy of owning their own home course complimentary luncheon. is the foundation of a Sunrise Supported • An information pack and free gift. Living Community. The social interaction of Afternoon sessions will include: like-minded residents, and the security and • Afternoon tea and welcome with our personal 24 hour care by dedicated profesresidents at 3pm. sionals, ensures normality and is the most • An information session followed by an advanced model of senior living available in open 'questions and answers' at 3.30pm. Australia. Sunrise stands alone compared to • A tour of our village and display unit at traditional nursing homes. 4pm. The warmth of the caring environment at • Happy hour with our residents at 4pm. any of our Sunrise communities is very evi• An information pack and free gift. dent. Ask any Sunrise resident about the staff Our residents are our best ambassadors. that cares for them on a day to day basis and Sunrise is their castle, their security, their you will begin to understand the high level of independence, their community and most of care we do in fact deliver. all, their home. The staff at Sunrise proFreedom of choice, retention of personal vides the support that our residents need to dignity and happiness of each and every resimaintain their lifestyle as they age. It is our dent is fiercely protected. Continual listening privilege to be there for them. to the needs of our ageing residents allows For bookings and further information, all Sunrise Communities to evolve and beplease phone Bob Newport on 6651 3374. come personalised to their unique occupants,

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any people think they should As hard as it is to do, do not focus on the entrust the sale of their prinfee or commission that the agent is going to cipal place of residence to the charge you. Consider first if you think that real estate agent who puts the agent and agency is the best to represent highest value on it. Not necessarily so, and you in the sale of your property. In a nutshell, in many cases the absolute last thing you are they the agent who is going to represent should do, if you want to actually sell. your best interest, ethically and honestly and Talk to people you know who have put the most amount of money in your back recently sold in the area; act on advice from pocket at the end of the day ... not just a people whose opinions you respect. Word high ‘fantasy’ listing price that doesn’t of mouth is the best source of reflect the true market price of current information about your property. local real estate agents or One of the biggest ing with go od go any other professional problems in selling a no s It’ “ puts the the agent whoon services. home is overpricing your highest value s you the Intending sellers in the beginning er off or e hom ly on , on si is m m should also obtain of the marketing lowest co ere th at th t ou nd fi submissions from campaign. The to reason is obviously ahe agents who are first few weeks are ily av e why they ar any active in their local M often crucial, as it is . ed nt ou disc see area. during this time that would-be sellers nd of false through this kila You can tell if agents the most amount of .” economy too te are active by the number property ‘hits’ either on of ‘Sold’ signs they have, the internet, print media or and by the quality of their local agent's buyer data bases occur. advertising. A busy, well-located office If it is overpriced and misses its target with ready after hours facilities is also a must. buyer range, it may be destined to stay on Choose two or three agents and get them to the market for a considerable time. put their submissions in writing. Potential buyers recognise overpriced Some of the criteria to consider are level of property for what it is; this makes them service, specific advertising details, fees and cautious and decreases competition for the expenses, and a commitment to feedback property. Most overpriced properties fail to during the marketing programme. Make attract offers, and purchasers end up with sure they show you comparable sales in your the psychological edge once negotiations are local area; no two homes are exactly the underway. Take your time about choosing same, but compare similar properties to your an agent; after all, it’s not something you do property – they give you a great indication of every day, and you want to be confident in what you can expect. your choice. Do your homework, and don’t Once you have two or three submissions, be seduced by fantasy prices. you are in a position to compare apples with Do you know folks, that the ‘buyer’ does apples. exist who has sold their property in one of It’s no good going with the agent who the capital cities and moves to Coffs with a puts the highest value on your home or wallet full of money, but do you know what; offers you the lowest commission, only to he also looks at the internet and the papers find out that there is obviously a reason why and knows value for money. they are heavily discounted. Many would-be Never forget that for most of us, our home sellers see through this kind of false economy is the largest investment we ever make. It’s too late. Like everything else in life, we don’t our nest egg, part of our superannuation mind spending money as long as we get package, and our kids' inheritance. Choose value for money. And at the end of the day, and choose wisely; if you were going to a it doesn’t matter how little you're paying if specialist, you wouldn’t make a decision you don’t sell regardless. based solely on price.

coffs coast focus 67

Starts 17 March 2013.

Plunge into Something New! Seniors Week is about showing our appreciation and making sure that seniors have awareness and ease of access to information they need. It is celebrated nationally and is a great time for senior citizens to connect through various activities. Seniors Week this year will be celebrated from 17 to 24 March. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: • Senior Awards presented by the Mayor for outstanding contribution to our community. • Active, adventurous and creative activities. Life ball, Salsa, Pumpin Seniors, indoor bowls, eco kayak tours, gift cards and exhibitions. • Information sessions on ‘Your brain matters’, helping you lead a brain healthy lifestyle.

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• Technology savvy classes. Learn and experience future technology and its impact for seniors, known as the Digital Literacy sessions. Learn about emails, online shopping, pay bills, banking, plan holidays, how to stay in touch with family and friends through social media, hands on experience with tablets and iPads, internet basics, privacy and security, photos and media. • There are also plenty of get togethers for lunch and entertainment throughout Coffs Harbour. There is something for everyone. Full program can be downloaded at www.coffsharbour.nsw. gov.au or contact Community Development Wendy Lord-Smith on 6648 4831.

Coffs Harbour Masonic Village At Coffs Harbour Masonic Village, we offer a 65-bed, low care accredited Residential Care hostels, a separate 13-bed respite centre, and 50 Independent Living Units. Within both Residential Care hostels, accommodation incorporates ensuite bathrooms, ceiling fans and ducted air conditioning. The village also includes 50 Independent Living Units, each with two double bedrooms with built in wardrobes. There are both upstairs and downstairs units, across four blocks, with secure entry to each block. There are also two

single storey villas. All the Independent Living ed Units have lockup single garages, an attached laundry and a vital call system. Our residential care facilities have spacious activity areas, providing a relaxed atmosphere for our residents, with the option of participating in a wide range of activities such as: concerts, fashion parades, parties, shuffleboard and carpet bowls competitions. We also offer hairdressing services, podiatry and physiotherapy on site. Coffs Harbour Masonic Village also owns an 11 seater bus, which is available to all residents for outings, shopping trips and so on.

Service Provider of Choice

WHY? READ ON

Enhancing people’s lives, enabling them to live safely, independently at home, and in their community.

offs Harbour Home Modification + Maintenance Service, affectionately known as ‘Coffs Home Mods’, is funded through the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing and the State Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care. Coffs Home Mods have been successfully providing modification and maintenance services to the Coffs Harbour and outlying areas since 1988. Over these 25 years we have completed thousands of minor modifications and hundreds of major modifications, providing a well planned construction designed and completed to meet your specific needs, enabling you to feel confident, increasing health benefits, reducing the risk of falls, and increasing security at home. The benefits to you, when using Coffs Home Mods to complete modification in and around your home, include reliability, quality of construction, improved safety, and cost effective outcomes. Additional value when working with Coffs Home Mods include the long term unique experience in design and construction of building by prescription, in partnership with experienced Occupational Therapists, who

provide the clinical recommendations making up the specific design, in consultation with yourself and our builders.

community sector, working in cooperation with other service providers.

Coffs Home Mods is getting the right This partnership ensures the modification to modifications done, in the right way for you, at your home, your care base, will have the the right time. best results, with a benefit to you of a A recent testimonial thanking our builder, well supervised, quality construction David Reid: “It has given me a ‘new meeting your specific care needs, lease on life’ and taken a lot of enabling and enhancing physical stress off my carer. at The team independent care and e m Ho Completed to a fantastic s ff Co preventing the loss or risk ry ve e ar s standard; thank you so very Mod rs, of falls – in particular at passionate worke much”. ality entry point to your home committed to qu The many stories we have like outcomes and a and your bathroom. in e nc rie pe this will soon be posted to our ex ive posit you, The team at Coffs Home website, to be live by the end construction for Mods are very passionate our clients.” of March 2013, together with workers, committed to video presentations on the life quality outcomes and a positive changing experiences presented as experience in construction for you, our a live testimonial of the living experience, clients. then outlining the construction experience As we enter retirement, we can plan for short and how life in the modified environment has and long term goals to modify our home, the changed lives. care base, meeting the challenges of existing Services provided include: limited circulation space in our bathrooms, Major modifications high risk access to and around our homes, Bathrooms as a prevention of loss of independence and Kitchens lowering the risk of falls, resulting in possible Access ramps visits to hospital. Inclinator platforms + stair chair climbers

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Coffs Home Mods is part of the larger

Minor modifications

Internal shower and access grabrails Internal and external handrails Hand held showers Easy steps Wedge ramps Furniture raisers Maintenance related specifically to safety and access Plumbing and electrical Carpentry Yard care Allied health Referral to experienced Occupational Therapist to complete assessment for you in your home. These projects are funded and subsidy can be applied, in line with meeting the criteria of the recently released Fees Policy Guidelines. Coffs Home Mods can now be found at 5 Druitt Court, Coffs Harbour, having moved from the Community Village in September 2012. The new premises will incorporate a showroom; we will showcase some of the work we do for you. The showroom will be completed by 30 April 2013, with an Open Day to be set upon completion. Contact P. 6651 2143 F. 6652 9430 E. shalla@chhmms.com

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focuseditorial.

FREE F I R E S A F T E Y F O R S E N I O R S With NSW experiencing such a dangerous fire season so far, seniors with hearing difficulties should take advantage of new smoke alarms that could save their lives. And our firefighters will install them free! ccording to Fire & Rescue NSW statistics, seniors aged 65 years and over are the highest risk group for fire fatalities in the community. And with 60% of our over 60s experiencing hearing loss, the need for a smoke alarm that caters for the hearing impaired is vital. Australian Hearing Manager in Coffs Harbour, Karina Morrison, says there are smoke alarms available for those with hearing difficulties, and veterans could receive a smoke alarm package free. “At Australian Hearing we provide smoke alarm packages specially designed for alerting people with hearing difficulties,” said Karina. “The Brooks alarm includes a 10 year lithium battery operated smoke detector, strobe light and vibrating pad to place under your pillow. These alarms are now free to eligible veterans with a DVA Gold card or White Card specifying hearing loss.”

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Other people with a hearing loss may also be eligible for free or subsidised smoke alarms through the NSW Government’s Smoke Alarm Subsidy Scheme (SASS). Normally costing over $400, smoke alarms for the deaf or hard of hearing are available for only $50 to approved people. And pensioners or those experiencing financial difficulty can receive them free. Application forms from the Deaf Society www. deafsocietynsw.org.au/smokealarms And NSW Firefighters will install smoke alarms for eligible seniors FREE! The Smoke Alarm and Battery Replacement for the Elderly (SABRE) program assists seniors aged over 65 years and people with a disability who don’t have family members, neighbours or friends to help them install or maintain their smoke alarms. Firefighters can visit the residence at an arranged time to install the resident’s own battery-operated smoke alarm or replace batteries. Residents simply need to contact their local fire

station and have their own working alarm and new batteries ready. Alternatively, call 1800 151 614 for information. Fire & Rescue NSW Commissioner Greg Mullins stresses the importance of fire safety.“ Every day firefighters attend home fires that could have been prevented with a few simple steps and precautions. Sadly, this includes fires where people have been killed or seriously injured. “It can take just three minutes for a fire to take hold, but only seconds to prevent one. The problem is complacency – people assume it will never happen to them. But I assure you it can. “The most important thing you can do in your home is to have a working smoke alarm and a practiced home escape plan,” added Commissioner Mullins. For more information on this FREE lifesaving service, call Australian Hearing Coffs Harbour on 6652 0700.

focusbusiness. with the Sawtell Chamber of Commerce

P R O F I T

P O I N T S

W I T H

S E A N

M A R T Y N

Leading Your Business through Tough Times Leaders need to be accountable!

clive greenway. Greetings to all the FOCUS readers from the businesses and traders in Sawtell, and we hope that your start to 2013 has been healthy, happy and prosperous. t’s amazing to think that so soon we are saying goodbye to summer, welcoming cooler weather and looking forward to Easter at the end of the month.

The first two months of this year saw an influx of visitors to Sawtell from across the country and overseas as well. Some were returning to visit again and many were new guests, but all were delighted at what they found in our village. I think it is fair to say that we had a good tourist season and can look forward to many folk coming back to visit Sawtell once again.

local business and the local economy. The Sawtell Chamber of Commerce has been very proactive from a marketing perspective and in regards to the promotion of Sawtell as a destination. A major television campaign was launched in February throughout various parts of the state and will continue to run during the year. A series of new commercials, including a 15 second ad and three 5 second ads are running in specific order, creating a story about Sawtell and a call to action or prompt to viewers to come and visit us.

The commercials implement excellent We did, however, experience the creativity and a very clever placement horrendous weather conditions strategy designed to deliver an that also accompany the important message to potential season. Unlike our tourists. The funding for d an n, ai Once ag counterparts further by this marketing campaign, if as t os alm north, we appeared e th , re and in fact all the others tu na second cked pi rs to miss out on major ne ow we have done in the ss ne busi and reup d flooding this time ne ea cl , past, is made possible up on with around. Despite stocked and got es to by the monthly financial go the job. It really this blessing, there contributions of a small lient lot show what a resi were still a number of group of business owners. we are!” homes and businesses I sincerely thank these adversely affected by the people for their loyalties and rain and the wind. Certainly belief in what is actually possible. in Sawtell there were several The Sawtell Chamber of Commerce businesses unable to trade effectively in the is a voluntary organisation comprised of a week following the Australia Day weekend group of committed business owners and as a result of water and storm damage. Once like minded locals and as a group, we are again, and almost as if by second nature, the passionate about our town and its livelihood. business owners picked up, cleaned up and We are always looking for new members re-stocked and got on with the job. It really with new ideas and welcome your contact at goes to show what a resilient lot we are! www.sawtellnsw.com.au. If you don’t own a These sort of events, whilst not classed business, an associate membership is always as natural disasters, still deliver significant available. interruptions to trade and productivity and do We continue to tackle the challenges that result in lost sales. Certainly another hit for face all small business owners. Without the small business who continue to battle every support of our community and our visitors, day with the challenges set by such things as our success will be compromised. We thank a slow economy and an increase in internet you as always for your continued patronage. trading. Sawtell ... it will surprise you ... it will delight Once again, I can only herald the incredible you! importance of shopping locally to support

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ow often do businesses really hold themselves accountable for improvement in results? The GFC and the associated economic fallout challenged all businesses, large and small, and we recommended they do at least 5 things; 1. Manage cashflow. 2. Retain best people (exit the worst ones). 3. Retain best customers (exit the unprofitable ones). 4. Improve profit (remove waste and inefficiency). 5. Guard your energy (you need it when times are tough). These strategies provided opportunities for businesses to right-size and remove costs, but most failed to leverage these tactics to the fullest. The biggest problem in business isn’t having great ideas and great plans – everyone seems to have those ... The real problem is a failure to execute. Often the reason is there are few, if any, consequences for not executing. The small business owner is accountable only to themself, and the manager is accountable to a boss who usually struggles with the whole management accountability thing. I recommend that your profit be locked in place at the start, then whatever cash and resources remain are all you have to run the business. A reverse budget, if you like – start with a profit ... don’t end with it. This challenging target and new mindset forces the owner/manager to take tough and effective decisions. It is better to make a decision, get it wrong, and make another decision, than to do nothing for fear of getting it wrong. Research shows up to 70% of business improvement initiatives fail; the key is to implement change using proven processes such as the business tools that we provide at PrincipleFocus. An example is this checklist of opportunities: simply tick if the opportunities exist in your business and then estimate the annual $$ value for each opportunity. What is your $$ total?

Tick if its applicable

Waste reduction Opportunity

Estimated Value $

Priority

Remove poor performing staff Remove unprofitable customers Remove waste in the sales process Remove waste in production process /assets Reduce overheads by 10% Increase number of sales / customer per month, quarter or year Remove inefficient suppliers Increase average sales $/transaction Improve cash collection process TOTAL POTENTIAL VALUE

We all need to address these issues now – you can’t expect to achieve your profit and cash flow potential without this type of comprehensive review. Ask yourself, “What barriers are stopping me from making a start on a business improvement program?” Fix the issues you identify and keep asking the question until all the barriers are dealt with, then just make a start. If you don’t start within the next five days, you probably won’t. If you do, increased cash flow, reduced risk, and the ability to prosper despite continued volatility are your rewards. If you’re not sure where to start or would like to evaluate your business, go to: www.principlefocus. com.au and complete the FREE Business Vitality Check. You can then take advantage of an obligation free diagnostic of the results and feedback on opprtunities to make 2013 a turning point in your business.

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focusinterview.

Dads in Distress

Quadrant Travel and Journeys - Vietnam If you’ve ever wondered how professional photographers capture such fabulous photos in far-flung places, why not consider travelling on a small group tour to Vietnam with award-winning photojournalist Tim Barnsley to see how it’s done? Tim lives in Armidale now, but back in 2008 he had the good fortune to spend two years in Vietnam with his young family whilst his wife was teaching at an international school. During his time in Thao Dien, a district of Ho Chi Minh City on the Saigon River, Tim says he fell hopelessly in love with the Vietnamese people and spent his days documenting their daily life with his camera. The sights, sounds and smells of the country totally captivated him, and so he needed no urging when the opportunity came up to lead a small group tour to Vietnam for local company Quadrant Australia. Tim’s Photographic Journey to Vietnam is

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perfect for travellers who wish to immerse themselves in Vietnamese culture and learn about the country’s history, cuisine and its people. Commencing in the north in Hanoi, the tour travels to the spectacular mountain area of Sapa near the Chinese border and continues on to the ancient imperial city of Hue, as well as World Heritage listed Hoi An and beautiful Dalat. You then travel on to Vung Tau on the coast and finish up in the fascinating city of HCMC, or old Saigon, where the remnants of French colonial architecture are found on every corner. The tour offers a unique opportunity to wander through bustling markets, see colourful hill tribes and visit ancient temples, with Tim on hand to help you document your travels and experiences through the camera lens, all with an eye to recording everlasting photographic memories. For more information, drop into the Quadrant Travel office in Vernon Street, Coffs Harbour.

Dads in Distress Support Services Dads in Distress Support Services began on a verandah in Coffs Harbour in 1999. It is now a large national volunteer group that helps thousands of dads and families. Barry Guidera is the CEO. Here he shares the importance of his work.

hat is Dads in Distress Support Services (DIDSS), and how long have DIDSS been helping dads? DIDSS is a NFP organisation that helps parents experiencing the trauma of separation and divorce, founded in Coffs Harbour in 1999 by Tony Miller OAM and other men who discovered there was no one else doing what we do. We now have over 150 active volunteers nationally. We receive minimal funding to provide a presence here and in small parts of Sydney and Melbourne. We aim to have staff in every capital and major regional city, we regularly meet in Canberra with the leaders of Men’s and Women’s groups, FAHCSIA & the CSA and are the biggest Men’s support organisation after Mensline. We provide peer support in the way of group meetings, a Helpline, or meeting one on one. Our members present with a variety of issues, mainly limited or no access to children, dealing with CSA, family law courts etc. Many are frustrated and stressed, so we provide the opportunity for them to ‘get it off their chest’ in a confidential, non-judgemental, safe environment. One aim is to have the parents focus on what is in the best interests of their children and what needs to be done to minimise the effects separation has on them. Extended conflict doesn’t help anyone – ‘do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?’ We receive 5,000+ calls a year to our National Helpline, where the callers are listened to, have other experiences shared with them, are advised about what may have worked for other parents and referred to other suitable service providers if needed. Our most effective means of support are the group meetings held in 20 venues around Australia, where the participants can share what they are going through and realise that they are not alone. Over the years many mums have called us and attended our groups, so we recently started Mums in Distress, with our first group in Parramatta. We find that both genders present

with similar issues and anxieties; they haven't been able to find support elsewhere and connect with the services we offer. How did you get involved, and what is your role? I have been the CEO since 2009, obtaining the role after moving here from SA with my wife and 3 kids. It is important that our clients talk to others that have been through what they are experiencing, so I leave that to our staff and volunteers, while I manage the organisation under the direction of a national board. What does a typical day look like for the DIDSS support staff? Answering calls to the Helpline, and following up people from the night/day/week/month before to make sure they are okay. We build relationships with and support the volunteers around Australia, while nurturing potential ones that want to help. We do some advocacy work where we can i.e. assisting with CSA, Family Law etc. issues. It can be very stressful work, so we are always aware of our capacity and limitations. What work are you particularly proud of? We deal with a lot of stressed people, and we are always proud when someone goes out of their way to thank us for helping them. Quite often they state that, “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you guys”. There are 5 male suicides a day in Australia, so if we can play a part intervening and supporting men so they are there for their children – that can be very satisfying. How can we get involved? By letting all your family and friends around Australia know about DIDSS so we can become a household name like Mensline and Lifeline. 70,000 couples separate every year, and most need support and guidance through the separation maze (dads and mums). Anyone interested can come into our office at 4 Duke St (the mud huts) for a chat; we are always looking for volunteers – especially with administration. Or, visit our website and join up as a supporter. Helpline: 1300 853 437. Website: www.dadsindistress.asn.au

focustourism.

with Dene Zahner, President of Tourism Coffs Coast.

UPDATE denezahner March is going to be a busy month on the Coffs Coast, with a number of sporting and cultural events lined up. In addition, as a community we urge you to put your pen to paper, as the Jetty Foreshore plan is now on exhibition, so please make your comments and send them in to Coffs Harbour City Council. here are many activities in March that you can consider participating in; now is a good time to start training for the inaugural triathlon event or one of the other activities available. If you prefer the arts, there’s no doubt that March will get locals and tourists out and about.

If you stll need more culture, you can catch the musical Chicago at the Jetty Memorial Theatre on Sun 3 and 9 March. The Touch Football Tournament will take place from 11 - 16 March and will see teams competing from all over Australia. In addition, Outriggers will be competing on 16 and 17 March, which will make this a very busy weekend.

The month kicks off with the Ella 7s on 1 and 2 March; this will bring families into our The annual Coffs Ocean swim will take place region and will be a busy event, with the on Sunday March 24, 2013 and will take first major Triathlon taking place on Sat 2 place in the protected Coffs Harbour Jetty and Sun 3 March. A big congratulations to foreshore. This annual fundraising event caters the organisers, Village Sports, in organising for the novice and the more competitive this event. There is something for swimmer, with a 600 m swim of 1 lap everyone, regardless of age around the Jetty structure and a or fitness levels. The main 2000 m swim (1 lap inside the headline Olympicll ba ot harbour). There are also fun Fo h uc To The distance event is for races for children, all held Tournament will 11 - 16 those who have inside the harbour. take place fromsee trained (1.5 km March and will g from The Bellingen Readers swim, 40 km cycle teams competinia. In and Writers Festival al tr us A er ov all and 10 km run). The will be held Bellingen n, Outriggers will tio di ad enticer triathlon, 16 and from March 22 - 24. be competing onwill (375 m /10 km 17 March, which busy The annual festival is a /2.5 km) is perfect make this a very celebration of Australian .” for moderate fitness weekend writing in all its forms and levels. In addition, there will feature many established will be races for children. and emerging Australian The spectacular open water writers. Three days of events, swim will be held inside the protected including readings, panels, forums and feasts, harbour, with spectators getting a bird’s eye workshops, multimedia, theatre and spoken view from the Jetty. The two-lap bike course word performances will take place amidst the will be fast but challenging on a mostlymagnificent natural environs of the Bellinger flat, closed road out to Sawtell and back to River, Coffs Harbour and Dorrigo National the harbour; and the run will comprise two Park. The full program for the 2013 Bellingen laps along the beautiful harbour foreshores. Readers and Writers Festival is available on Organisers of the event, Village Sports, are their website. offering a total prize purse of $4,500 for March will see many athletes competing open male and female category place getters. in Coffs and a busy time for tourism. The Entries are now open at www.villagesports. Triathlon and Ocean Swim provides an com.au excellent opportunity for locals to get active We are fortunate enough to host the and support these fantastic events. Remember Philharmonia Cologne Orchestra on 7 March, to make your submission for the Jetty who will be at St. John’s Church, Maclean Foreshore Development; all you need to do is Street and will play some of the great classics: write a letter to Council with your comments, Vivaldi, Bach, Tchaikowsky and Mozart. Tickets send them through to the General Manager, available at the Coffs Coast Visitor Information CHCC, Locked bag 5, Coffs Harbour, 2450. Centre.

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focusinterview.

with Samantha Wardman of CornerPost Marketing

Business

Sam Lowrey. Partner - Advantage Plus Tax & Business Solutions

am you have been a practising accountant on the Gold Coast and Coffs Coast for more than 17 years. Tell us a little bit about your background and why you chose the Coffs Coast to build a successful business? I am the youngest of four, and we moved to Coffs when I was 9 years old. My father was the principal at Sawtell Primary School and my mother was a teacher at St Augustine’s Primary School, where I went to school (and now my two kids, Ruby and Lockie attend there), followed by Jetty High and then the University of New England. After completing university, it was obvious I needed to move to get the experience needed to further my career. So, after speaking to one of my uncles, Terry Quinn, who is now a retired accountant, I headed up to Queensland to start my career. I gained invaluable experience and after 8 years on the Gold Coast, my wife, Kylie, and I decided to move back to Coffs with our daughter, Ruby, as it’s a fantastic place to raise a family. Advantage Plus Tax & Business Solutions is a full service accountancy and business advice practice that you founded together with Denise Kelly. What was the driving force behind its establishment, and what are the key services you offer clients? Denise and I had worked together in a local accountancy practice for 8 years. It was originally Denise’s business, which had been on sold to another professional services group. During this time we had developed a close knit and competent team of accountants who really offered a personal touch, and we had grown the business quite a lot with a diverse client base. So making the move to our own practice was easy and well supported by our clients. Advantage Plus Tax is a mid-sized boutique accounting practice and we cater to a wide range of clients – individuals and sole traders, partnerships, small and large companies, family trusts, self-managed superannuation funds and

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have clients from Canberra to Brisba bane ne, wh whic ich h Brisbane, which we thoroughly enjoy. Sam, being an accountant often extends to fixing problems. What are some of the common problems you’ve worked through with businesses on the Coffs Coast? Quite often, the biggest ‘fix it’, if you like, is developing the processes to manage a business and the systems required to capture the data so the performance of the business can be From a software perspective, we t measured accurately. oduc recommend a prto What is the point k called Banklin ch has of putting in the hard our clients, whi e way work if you don’t revolutionised thcome know how your expenses and in rough business is actually can be tracked th The new nk the business ba performing and if you technologies accounts .” are making a profit or available have not? Keeping track of had a big impact on things like debtors, expenses accounting. For our and cash flow can be critical to business, in particular, we a business’ operations and survival. have embraced the digital world. Most businesses fail when they are unable to We spent a lot of money on our systems from keep track of these things and are just flying the perspective of processing power, storage, blind, making reactive decisions instead of software and security. We are also moving to proactive decisions. a semi paperless office, where we only retain I don’t think there is any business owner paper files for the current and previous year out there who doesn’t have the goal of only, with all earlier years stored electronically. growing their business. What are some From a software perspective, we recommend of the things business owners need to be a product called Banklink to our clients, which aware of as their business grows? has revolutionised the way expenses and It is important to plan for the growth. income can be tracked through the business Things like ensuring you have sufficient bank accounts. It allows transactions to be capital to fund the growth, the right staff electronically transferred directly into our to service the expanding business, the right computer system from their bank. Banklink plant and equipment and of course, the right cuts down the amount of time our clients need professionals such as accountants, IT people, to spend on record keeping and makes life and lawyers to provide advice on how best easier. to do things. Without these essential support As a business owner looking for an mechanisms, growth is often harder to achieve accountant, what would you say is the – or if realised, could be fleeting. difference between a good accountant With the ever changing pace of the digital and a bad accountant? world impacting business these days, how A good accountant is able to provide so has it impacted the way you conduct your much more than just preparing a tax return. business? Professional accountants can value add by

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identifying opportunities or strategies for either individuals or business to maximise returns within the framework of the relevant tax laws. Being able to identify these opportunities, advise the client on how they can take advantage of the opportunity, and then help them to implement the strategy to achieve the desired outcome is a mark of a good accountant, and that’s what we strive for. Sam, I happen to know that in your downtime, you’re the drummer for the popular band, Gunshy, which is somewhat of a contradiction to the ‘boring accountant’ stereotype! How did you get into drumming? I wanted to play the drums from when I was about 5 years old. I’d play on upturned saucepans and ice-cream containers, much to mum’s dismay. I started drum lessons when I was 10 and got my first proper drum kit for my 11th birthday. I was 13 when my first band played at the Dragon Chinese Restaurant and well, as they say … the rest is history. At the moment, besides Gunshy, I am playing in an originals band called Blue Sky Day with a couple of mates, Damion Towner and Craig Margetts, and we’ve just recorded 10 songs in a studio out at Sapphire, which we hopefully will release soon – so stay tuned! Thanks Sam.

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