The
Quality Cut TOOWOOMBA
Issue Five | December 2017
Giddy Up! Melbourne Cup
Christmas Cracked: Top 5 Trending Kids’ Toys
Tackling Travel: Live the Lifestyle you Deserve!
Our Resident Stories
General Manager’s Message Welcome to the December edition of our newsletter – and final one of the year! We’ve entered the wonderful festive period, and I’d like to extend my very best wishes for your holidays and the new year. At Christmas, we are all brought together to celebrate as family and friends, and what better way to do that than in a community like Living Gems Toowoomba. There have been plenty of socialising events and exciting occasions in the resort throughout the run up to Christmas. We have a fantastic array of photos from the recent Melbourne Cup celebration that looked like incredible fun. I’d like to personally thank our Resort Managers and Sales Team for their continued help in organising events that leave everyone with a smile on their face. We hope you enjoy this final newsletter of the year, and have a happy and safe Christmas filled with love and joy. We’ll see you all in the New Year! Vlad Pullich General Manager Living Gems
Toowoomba Lights up for Christmas Christmas comes but once a year and we plan to make the most of it with a Festival of Lights. Homeowners are invited to decorate the exterior of their villas with lights and other festive items. There are valuable prizes to be won. On Wednesday 20 December, residents and invited guests can join in the fun and tour the resort. Join the community in the Resort Managers garage at 5:00pm for a sausage sizzle and presentation night. At 6:30pm Resort Managers Cheryl and Rick will take Rachael and Jenny from GemLife Highfields on a twilight tour of the resort. Rachael and Jenny will judge the exterior lights. First, second and third prize winners will be announced at 7:00pm.
FIRST PRIZE $100 gift card
Sales Manager’s Message Our club house is progressing at a rate of knots and we greatly anticipate its opening in the new year! Recently, we had a successful Melbourne Cup luncheon which was a lot of fun. Many of our guests made the effort to dress up in fun outfits with a Melbourne Cup theme, while others wore their best for our ‘Fashions on the Field’. Plenty of fun was had with our ‘in-house horse races’ and various prizes were won throughout the afternoon. It has been a busy year welcoming
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SECOND PRIZE $50 gift card THIRD PRIZE $25 gift card Celebrate the spirit of Christmas and show off your decorating skills. Complete the details below and return to the managers office entry box by Friday 15 December.
many happy residents into their new lifestyle at Living Gems Toowoomba. They have settled in quickly to the way of life here and enjoyed the many social functions held within the resort. As the year draws to a close, we would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. Shirley Ortez Sales Manager
500 South Street, Glenvale QLD 4350
Construction Update
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It’s all Systems Go at Living Gems Toowoomba! Here’s your latest construction news:
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Clockwise from top: 1 The gym is working out well does Rick look motivated for a lifting session? 2 The craft room has cupboards all put in place ready for painting. 3 The cinema is ready to be painted. 4 Everyone has to smile when they’re on stage!
Gem of a Home: $398,000 The Wattle design is incredibly popular with its stylish two bedrooms, two bathrooms and double garage. A study nook ensures that you will always have a space to focus or relax depending on your immediate needs. A tiled courtyard and generously-sized alfresco ensure that you get the best inside and outside your home all year round. • 2 bedrooms • 2 bathrooms • Gas fire
• Remote control 2 car garage • Ducted air conditioning
Call our Sales Team on: 1800 348 977 or email: shirley@livinggems.com.au for more information or to view our stunning range of homes.
1800 348 977 | www.livinggems.com.au
Issue Five – December 2017
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Social Update 1
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The Living Gems Toowoomba residents had a cracking time at the latest Melbourne Cup day function. The Living Gems Toowoomba residents had a cracking time at the latest Melbourne Cup day function. There were many prizes to be one and plenty of fun to be had. We saw some exceptional outfits that truly deserved a win.
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If you’d be interested in coming along to any future events, get in touch with our Sales Team on: 1800 348 977 or email at: shirley@livinggems.com.au. This resort really is the place to be!
First row: 1 The Living Gems Toowoomba Horse Race – Giddy Up! 2 Lillian Staal won the prize for ‘Best Novelty Ladies’ Hat’. Second row: 3 The Living Gems Toowoomba ‘Fashions on the Field’. 4 Jim Staal Third row: 5 Suzy Sawley won the prize for ‘Best Ladies’ Hat’. 6 Sales Manager Shirley with Marlene Hubbard, who won the prize for ‘Best Dressed’. 7 Jim & Lillian Staal Fourth row: 8 Charlie & Issy Clarke 9 Ladies who lunch in style!
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500 South Street, Glenvale QLD 4350
Toowoomba Home and Caravan Expo Winner winner! Tracy Hambrecht was our prize winner of the day – congrats to you Tracy! When collecting her prize, Tracy had a good look at our display villas and is very keen to move into the resort lifestyle on offer here at Living Gems Toowoomba. Having only recently moved to the area, Tracy said that she would definitely enjoy the social aspect and security living in the resort would offer. If you or a friend is interested in seeing one of our display homes at Living Gems Toowoomba, contact our Sales Team on: 1800 348 977 or email at: shirley@livinggems.com.au
Welcome Suzy! It’s not hard to have fun in Living Gems Toowoomba! Suzy and her fellow resident Beth Milne enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea at Suzy’s new villa. Suzy said that she is so happy with her decision to move into Living Gems. So happy in fact, that she invited us over to show off what she has done with the place. Suzy said that she has loved the feeling of “belonging” and has thoroughly enjoyed making new friends.
Feature Floorplan: $375,000
Perfect for the downsizer who doesn’t like holding on to clutter! This two bedroom, two bathroom home offers so much for so little – especially with the added study! The open plan kitchen, complete with stone bench tops and walk-in pantry, oversees the large living area that opens seamlessly out on to an alfresco. The master bedroom boasts a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. You can work, rest, and play in this home! If you’d like to learn more about this outstanding floorplan, please contact the Sales Team on: 1800 348 977 or email at: shirley@livinggems.com.au 1800 348 977 | www.livinggems.com.au
Issue Five – December 2017
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Resident Spotlight
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Living Gems residents, Bill and Else Parsons have a long and colourful tapestry of travel under their belts. Having been on trips all over the globe since 1958, Bill tells us a little bit more about his adventures, mishaps and standout moments. “Having left on the boat for Australia from Liverpool aged 11, I refused to get off the boat, I made an awful stink over it! But I have mellowed somewhat over the years.” “I spent many years in the Administration of Papua New Guinea and travelled to many places either on my own two feet, sailing, or flying. In the middle of my term in PNG I responded to a gracious request from the Australian Government to join their army and so became an Infantry Officer. I returned to PNG, but eventually made the change to economics and became an auditor.” “From that point on, my travels were mainly around Australia which meant that I was regularly driving over 100,000kms – plus aircraft, and everything else. I got out of
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that eventually, and formed my own auditing practise specialising in fuel management.” “The work saw me moving through most of Australia and on to the Pacific Rim in the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Nauru. I was travelling for nearly 300 days overseas every year. It burnt me out after about 15 years so I got out and semi-retired in 2007, although the opportunity to run a few overseas training courses proved to be too attractive to be denied.” “My travel experiences are definitely divided between pre-retirement and post-retirement. Travel has always been a major part of my life and when I retired I thought: “Hmm where can we go now?” Else and I first went over to the United States for a month and came back after two– despite my wanting to stay. We got caught up around Yosemite – and truly couldn’t see a good reason to come back to Brisbane! It was magnificent. You turn a corner and suddenly see El Capitan – you just stop there, pick up your jaw and put it back on.” When not viewing nature’s stunning landscapes, Bill and Else never like to
“You turn a corner and suddenly see El Capitan – you just stop there, pick up your jaw and put it back on.” part too far from the water. Known for being part of the ‘bucket list’ for sailors, the couple were lucky to sail around the rough waters of Cape Horn to the Falklands. “I seem to remember the Captain saying that winds had gusted up to 312km as we went around – which was quite impressive. I’m a storm man myself. I love big seas and I don’t get sea sick”. 500 South Street, Glenvale QLD 4350
“I do remember grabbing two glasses, a bottle of red, and going up to the deck to see just how big everything was, but unfortunately, as I opened up the door to the afterdeck, the wind took the door straight off! So with that, I decided to have a lie down instead.” Whilst Bill and Else’s travels have certainly been a lot of fun, they have never been too far away from peril. On the same sailing trip, Else was unfortunately mugged in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Else got knocked over, purse taken and though the travel insurance companies advised them to report it to the authorities, very little was done to help them. “That sort of thing happened a lot whilst I was working, too. In my last trip to the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, I was shot at three times. They were having a civil war and the drug industry is a huge problem in Papua New Guinea.” Since then, things have calmed down rather a lot for Bill and Else. But they have still not steered too far from travel mishaps. “Recently, we went on our first group tour to Saigon and Cambodia. The thing that annoyed me most was on our first day in Saigon I fell and cracked my ribs and radius which was a little disconcerting, but what are you going to do? You’re in Saigon, so we carried on. We sailed up the Mekong which was the most magnificent thing we’ve seen. I’ve never seen a ship so clean and bright and well organised. Truly spectacular.”
Bill and Else have also cruised on the Nautica, the Insignia, the Silver Shadow, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Crown and the Volendam.
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“Our second son lived in the UK, so we travel over there annually to go and see our grandson – we certainly didn’t need much convincing! It was a very good excuse to wander over to Europe.” “We got on a ship and went over from Italy and Rio and hopped straight on a plane, went straight back to Porto, Portugal and stayed for several weeks. It was just stunning, clean, bright and full of happy, friendly people. It’s right on the Atlantic coast, so you can see the weather pounding in.”
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Clockwise from top left: 1 El Capitan stands proudly over the Yosemite National Park. 2 Bill and Else all dressed up for the recent Melbourne Cup function. 3 The Nautica Cruise Ship. 4 Christ the Redeemer looks down upon Rio de Janeiro. 5 Porto, Portugal was a standout experience for Bill and Else. 6 The breathtaking El Capitan at sunset. 7 Halong Bay, Vietnam.
Despite Bill and Else’s love for the sea and the chilly air, they now reside in Living Gems Toowoomba. “We have wanted many things over the years, including a brick house on a concrete slab – so naturally when we moved to Toowoomba, we bought a high-set timber house. Things definitely change over the years!”
“The whole idea of coming here is for companionship and social activities, knowing that there’s a mate just down the road, instead of living in the suburbs where you either don’t know your nextdoor neighbour – or when you do know them, they throw rocks at you.”
“We eventually became tired of the house we were in. It was going to need a lot of maintenance and was on five acres. I got rather sick of mowing, as you can imagine.” “We were the second couple that moved in to Living Gems Toowoomba. We’ve now been enjoying the lifestyle and settled in. I’m a member of the Residents’ Committee so things are moving along nicely.”
If you would like to contribute to our Resident’s Spotlight section in a future newsletter, contact the Editor at: editor@livinggems.com.au 7
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1800 348 977 | www.livinggems.com.au
Issue Five – December 2017
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Our Living Gems At Living Gems, we’re a community inside and out. We love getting to know our resident stakeholders, so here’s an opportunity for you to get to know us better too. A family-run business through and through, Living Gems would be nowhere without its staff members and we like to make sure they know that they’re appreciated. Here you can learn a little about their backgrounds and why they love working with us:
What is your favourite thing about working for Living Gems?
Dean Panic is our Estimator and Procurement Officer. Dean makes sure that we bring the best possible products with the highest quality into our residential buildings and resort facilities. Our ongoing commitment to quality building, and luxury design is facilitated by Dean’s vast knowledge of the industry and exceptional network of professional contacts. How did you get into estimating? DP: Construction was always my passion from day one. Having completed a Bachelors of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying at Bond University, I was awarded several Dean awards which further solidified my love for the job. After graduation, I got a job in a Quantity Surveyors role which progressed into the position I am currently in – procurement. What is your background? DP: Well, like a few of us here at Living Gems, I am Croatian. I came to Australia when I was 14 years old, along with my family, and since then I have called this my home! I still have a very strong accent though, so that definitely gives me away.
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DP: The people. I wouldn’t call what I do work, it feels like more of a hobby. I’ve read this section of the newsletter before and everyone seems to say that, but it’s genuinely true. We’re all a big family here, so coming to work never feels like a chore, and if/when we need to do a late night – I’m really just hanging out with my friends whilst we achieve great things. That’s very rare. Taking part in such large national projects is an amazing feeling and seeing that development go from conception, to construction, and on to finalisation is awesome. What is your favourite floorplan? DP: The bigger the better for me.I need lots of space! According to my friends I also need the extra room to house my ego. So, at Living Gems Toowoomba I would say that’s the Azalea.
against him. It shows me that through hard work and determination, there is always a way forward. What do you like to do in your spare time? DP: At the moment, I am helping to build a Croatian chapel. Besides that, I spend a lot of time with my friends and being active, whether that’s swimming or cycling, and I also really enjoy tinkering with cars. Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time? DP: In the mirror. If you’d like to speak to one of our sales people regarding your home, please contact the Team on: 1800 348 977 or email: shirley@livinggems.com.au
“Taking part in such large national projects is an amazing feeling and seeing that development go from conception, to construction, and on to finalisation is awesome. “ What inspires you? DP: After a couple of glasses of wine, I can be inspired by anything. On a more serious note though, one of our Directors here at Living Gems does tend to imbue me with a sense of inspiration. He also left Croatia at a young age with nothing in his pocket, and managed to make something of himself despite all odds stacked 500 South Street, Glenvale QLD 4350
The Top 5 Kids Toys Trending this Christmas Are you always stuck for what to buy the young children in your life? Well here’s the top five kids’ toys that will be causing a rush in the Boxing Day sales. Jump the queue and get these in advance for all the little kids on your ‘nice’ list, this year:
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Lego First Order Star Destroyer
Lego is a timeless piece (or pieces) of any child’s toy chest. To celebrate the upcoming movie “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” this First Order Star Destroyer will be a favourite – for kids and the lucky grownups who get to help. Plus, no batteries required!
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Hatchimals Surprise
A popular toy from the last holiday season, Hatchimals are back and hold a very special surprise indeed. Each Hatchimal Surprise Egg contains two surprise characters that sync and perform skits, one dances whilst the other plays music!
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Meccano M.A.X. Combining artificial intelligence and customisable programs,
1800 348 977 | www.livinggems.com.au
M.A.X. is the most advanced Meccano robot. It also features infrared navigation and custom apps that bring M.A.X. to life, as well as a built-in gaming system.
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Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart
This toy ice cream cart from LeapFrog features buttons, lights, sound effects, music, phrases and much much more. It comes with four flavours of ice cream (two scoops each), three toppings and three flavours of sauce so that kids can create their favourite sundaes. Includes a cash register and magnetic scooper.
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Sky Viper v2450 GPS
This GPS streaming video drone is lightweight and can maintain its coordinates in a hover without drifting away. It also features a ‘return to home’ feature so that the drone can fly back to its launch point. Best suited to the older kids/young teens in your life, this is definitely something different! Living Gems Toowoomba promotes an active and healthy lifestyle where you can meet like-minded others. For more information, call: 1800 348 977 or visit: www.livinggems.com.au
Issue Five – December 2017
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Get Stuffed with Living Gems It’s Christmas! Everyone looks for a showstopper to bring to a Christmas party – and what better way than a fairy tale gingerbread house? There’s no snow in Australia this time of year, so fake it ‘til you make it with some white icing to make your ultimate edible winter wonderland. Ingredients: For the Gingerbread: • 250g unsalted butter • 200g dark sugar • 7 tbsp golden syrup • 600g plain flour • 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda • 4 tsp ground ginger
To Decorate: • 200g bag flaked almond • 2 egg whites • 500 icing sugar, plus extra to dust • 125g pack mini chocolate fingers • Generous selection of lollies of your choice, choose your own colour theme • 1 mini chocolate roll, or a dipped chocolate flake • Few edible silver balls
Method: 1. H eat oven to 200°C. Melt the butter, sugar, and syrup in a pan. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and ground ginger into a large bowl, then stir in the butter mixture to make a stiff dough. If it won’t quite come together, add a tiny splash of water. 2. Visit www.livinggems.com.au to download the template. Put a sheet of baking paper on your work surface and roll about one quarter of the dough to the thickness of two $1 coins. Cut out one of the sections, then slide the gingerbread, still on its baking paper, onto a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, re-rolling the trimmings, until you have two side walls, a front and back wall, and two roof panels. Any leftover dough can be cut into Christmas trees, if you like. 3. P ick out the most intact flaked almonds and gently poke them
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500 South Street, Glenvale QLD 4350
Talking Pets into the roof sections, pointy-end first, to look like roof tiles. Bake all sections for 12 minutes, or until firm and just a little darker at the edges. Leave to cool for a few minutes to firm up, then trim around the templates again to give clean, sharp edges. Leave to cool completely. 4. Put the egg whites into a large bowl, sift in the icing sugar, then stir to make a thick, smooth icing. Spoon into a piping bag with a medium nozzle. Pipe generous snakes of icing along the wall edges, one by one, to join the walls together. Use a small bowl to support the walls from the inside, then allow to dry, ideally for a few hours. 5. Once dry, remove the supports and fix the roof panels on. The angle is steep, so you may need to hold these on firmly for a few minutes until the icing starts to dry. Dry completely, ideally overnight. To decorate, pipe a little icing along the length of 20 mini chocolate fingers and stick these lengthways onto the side walls of the house. Use three, upright, for the door. 6. Using icing, stick lollies around the door and on the front of the house. To make icicles, start with the nozzle at a 90 degree angle to the roof and squeeze out a pea-sized blob of icing. Keeping the pressure on, pull the nozzle down and then off – the icing will pull away, leaving a pointy trail. Repeat all around the front of the house. Cut the chocolate mini roll or dipped flake on an angle, then fix with icing to make a chimney. Pipe a little icing around the top. If you’ve made gingerbread trees, decorate these now, too, topping each with a silver ball, if using. Dust the roof with icing sugar for a snowy effect. Lay a winding path of lollies, and fix gingerbread trees around and about using blobs of icing. Your gingerbread house will be edible for about a week – but will last a lot longer. If you have a family recipe that you’d love to share with us – send it through to the Editor at: editor@livinggems.com.au
me go every three months to have my coat seen too, so I’m ignoring them completely. I’m planning to continue the silent treatment for at least another week or so. I like my hair being wild – just like me! Now I just feel naked. What’s your party trick?
Keeping up-to-date with our residents is very important to us here at Living Gems Toowoomba. As a petfriendly resort, we see our animals as part of the family – so in this section of our newsletter, we catch up with our hairier residents. What type of dog are you? Abbey: I am a Border Collie crossed with a Shih Tzu so I’ve got all the trainability of a collie, but all the sassiness of the Chrysanthemum Dog. I’m bright white and very friendly with everyone – humans, that is. What’s your preferred food? Abbey: I regularly go wacko for Schmackos! Why are you sulking at the moment? Abbey: Mum and Dad had the audacity to send me to the beauty parlour again this week. They make
Abbey: I can stand on my back two legs whenever there’s treats involved. But other than that, I’m just very well behaved. Which Living Gems Toowoomba do you enjoy the most? Abbey: That would have to be on the grass out the front of our villa. What’s your favourite toy? Abbey: I have a red ring that I thoroughly enjoy playing with. Unlike other dogs, I love to share my toys, so even when Dad throws my toy away I always bring it back and give it to him. It’s very confusing – you’d think he’d just hold on to it when I’ve been nice enough to offer it to him. What’s your daily routine? Abbey: I’m strictly a backyard dog and only allowed in the house during the day. When it comes to 7pm I take myself outside to my personal crate and go for a snooze. I like to keep a regular bedtime. If you are interested in becoming part of our resort and would like some more information, contact the Sales Team on: 1800 348 977 or email: shirley@livinggems.com.au
Hot Stuff Most of us like to take a little time to focus on our body and health. What better way than to utilise your own spa and of course, sauna. The health benefits of using a sauna have been discussed for hundreds of years. Sauna use may relieve symptoms of the common cold, help rheumatic arthritis, fight chronic fatigue syndrome and recently, one study has connected it to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Just steps away from you front door, you can pamper your body as much as you wish. For more information about our saunas and other facilities, contact us on: 1800 348 977 or email at: shirley@livinggems.com.au
1800 348 977 | www.livinggems.com.au
Issue Five – December 2017
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What’s On December Triple M Mayoral Carols by Candlelight
FREE
Sunday 3 December, 4–8.30pm Queens Park, Cnr Margaret & Hume St, Toowoomba Toowoomba’s annual Carols by Candlelight event returns in 2017. This free event kicks off with Christmas markets, food and rides at 4pm, preshow entertainment from 5.30pm, carols from 6.30pm and concludes with fireworks at 8pm.
Toowoomba’s Christmas Tree Festival Wednesday 6 December 9am–9pm Middle Ridge Uniting Church 264 Stenner St, Middle Ridge Middle Ridge Uniting Church is hosting a beautiful display of Christmas trees, evening concerts, craft and refreshments.
DONATION
$12.50 Da Vinci Machines Saturday 9 December, 9.30am–4pm Cobb+Co Museum 27 Lindsay St, Toowoomba This award-winning international touring exhibition showcases iconic machines and inventions inspired by Leonardo’s drawings. Highlights include the bicycle, the scuba suit, spring powered car as well as flying machines. Featuring the best breweries, wineries, and foodies in Queensland.
My Local Feast Farmers’ Market
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Thursday 7 December, 12–6pm Empire Theatre 54-56 Neil St, Toowoomba Open every Thursday, these midweek markets offer a fabulous selection of all the wonderful local growers and food artisans who sell direct to the community. Produce includes: fruit and veggies, meat, honey, pasta, baked goods, wine, herbs and spices.
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Bush Christmas Exhibition
Audio Vixen – A Tribute to Family Legends
Thursday 30 November to 9 December, 9am-6pm Masonic Hall 58 Neil St, Toowoomba This year’s bush Christmas exhibition is where you will find a huge array of quality, handmade gifts. Feast your eyes on the exhibitors and the tempting gourmet delights. Contact 0418 709 821 for more information.
Friday 22 December, 7–10.30pm City Golf Club Toowoomba 254 South St, Toowoomba This exciting tribute show can only be described as ‘pure gold entertainment’. From one family to another, Australia’s premier award winning vocal group Audio Vixen performs a tribute to family legends The Bee Gees, The Everly Brothers, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, The Andrew Sisters and more!
500 South Street, Glenvale QLD 4350
1800 348 977 | www.livinggems.com.au