MOVIE REVIEWS

David Laidley Exhibition West Art Gallery February 4 to March 29 Featured artist David Laidley’s exhibition is on display at the West Art gallery from February 4 through to March 29. Laidley specialises in emotive landscape work and has conducted his painting in the USA, England, New Zealand and Australia. He is also a former President of Royal Queensland Art Society Gold Coast and has held numerous solo exhibitions with many paintings now in private collections. If you have a favourite landscape then David can paint it for you. Visit www.davidlaidleyart. com.au for more information. DrugArm Book Sale and Family Fun Day 52 Andrew St Bundamba 5-8 March Bibliophiles rejoice! The DrugArm Ipswich Book Sale is back- this time in the Big Book Barn in Bundamba. This year promises to be bigger and better than ever with the addition of a family fun day that will include face painting, fair games, entertainment, scavenger hunts, community stalls and a country afternoon tea. There will also be a photo competition in the lead up to the book fest, giving local photographers the opportunity to win $10 vouchers for the sale. Gold coin donation for parking and entry. Busby Marou Friday March 6 8:00pm Ipswich Civic Centre Busby Marou are back on stage with their Great Divide 2020 tour. The duo have been playing together for over a decade and are fast becoming firm Australian favourites with their powerful onstage chemistry and spellbinding story telling. Tickets are available through the Ipswich Civic Centre website at www.ipswichciviccentre.com.au Column sponsored by:

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v with Luciana

Here’s what’s been happening on the Ipswich business scene.

Australia Post moves to Nicholas Street Ipswich residents will soon have to travel a little further for their post office needs. After a change of heart late last year, and a last minute pledge to stay on, the time has come for the Australia Post Office to move from it’s home next to Tower Central down the street, and into the Ipswich City Mall Newsagency. The post office services will be combined with those of the newsagent, so customers will be able to continue to use the services of the post office through the newsagent. For those businesses and individuals with PO boxes, spots are limited and there will be a few available at the newsagent. To apply, applicants must respond to a letter they will receive from Australia Post and return the form to the post office. The procedure will favour the first in best dressed. For those customers who aren’t able to secure a PO box, the nearest available options are in the Booval or Riverlink shopping centres. The move has drawn frustration from customers and businesses as it was felt to have been done quietly, with little time to prepare and a lack of regard for business needs. Norman Street Bridge Update Council is in the process of presenting the final business case for the Norman Street Bridge, a construction project which has been in the making for almost a decade. This latest proposal stage is still under consideration, funding hasn’t been approved and it isn’t a clear marker of when the bridge will be built. The report presented to the council a run down of the costings and benefits of the project. It estimated that currently, without a bridge, tax payers are paying $34 million a year in costs related to road congestion and traffic safety. In contrast, they have estimated that the building of the bridge would come to $372 million. In 2013, the estimates came to $320 million with stage 1 suggested at $190 million. It is unclear as to where the changed figures lay.

If the bridge does secure funding and funding assistance, it could work to stimulate the economy through increased access to jobs and the CBD as well as increasing community involvement and an active city centre. The following reduced traffic congestion and greater road safety could also make room for increased amounts of cycling, pedestrian space and public transport routes in the existing spaces. While the project has been maintained during the interim administrative government, the plans for it aren’t clear in candidate mandates for the election.

RACQ Building Rises from Ashes Ipswich social housing is keeping pace with population growth as work starts on the multilevel social housing complex in the Ipswich CBD. The units will be located on the site of the former RACQ heritage building that was destroyed by fire last year.

The multi-level social housing building will have 20 apartments constructed on the East Street site next to Centrelink in Ipswich Central. The development will provide 15 onebedroom and five two-bedroom units, to help Ipswich families and individuals in need.

The $8 million project will provide jobs for about 270 construction workers.