BITS AND PIECES

Free Soccer Umpire Training For Females In Hobart

As part of their commitment to maximising the legacy of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Football Tasmania are conducting a free beginner referee course for females in Hobart. The course comes with the first year of registration, a whistle, two cards, a notebook, two AR flags and a ‘laws of the game’ book. The minimum age to participate is 13. The course will be held on the 9,11, 16 and 18 August from 6pm-9pm at Cornelian Bay. For more information or to register head to www.footballfedtas. com.au and find the ‘Referee’ tab.

White Gum Tree Supports

HOBART

RIVULET’S FUTURE

Prep students from South Hobart

Primary School have grabbed their shovels and rolled up their sleeves to plant a young white gum tree along the banks of the Hobart Rivulet. The students planted the gum as part of the school’s Bushcare program. The white gum, which can reach up to 40 metres tall, will help stabilise the rivulet banks via its root systems and provide shade in the summer. The shade will also help regulate water temperatures in that part of the Rivulet, aiding platypus and other aquatic wildlife. South Hobart Primary School hopes the gum will become a very special tree for the students and for the future of the Hobart Rivulet.

GLENORCHY POOL CLOSED FOR SUMMER…AND MAYBE FOREVER?

Sadly the outdoor pool at Glenorchy will remain closed for the coming summer season due to safety concerns. A condition report identified numerous serious issues, including faults in the pool shell (causing the pool to leak), structural issues with the concrete grandstand, an urgent requirement for the electrical switchboard to be upgraded and replaced, as well as major works for the chemical dosing area and complete refurbishment of toilets and change room areas.

Glenorchy Mayor Bec Thomas said the Council could not afford the estimated $30million repair bill on its own and that she was seeking consultation with the state and federal governments. Mayor Thomas also said the pool did not have a particularly strong business case to justify the cost of the repairs. “As an outdoor pool it has a limited season, with many people preferring to use Hobart’s Aquatic Centre which is a more modern facility just 10 minutes up the road,” she said. “Last season, fewer than 100 people used the pool every day on average, with an annual cost to Glenorchy ratepayers of about $400,000.” The Glenorchy War Memorial Pool is Hobart’s last outdoor pool, so if it closes permanently it’s the end of an era.

Thumbs Up

August is one step closer to spring which is one step closer to summer.

Congratulations to Queensland who have cancelled the use of mobile phones in all schools.

Tassie U18 Hockey team bringing home the gold at National Championships.

Thumbs Down

Cottees cordial bottles. According to the War on Waste on ABC, their PVC based bottles can’t be recycled.

Toucan Play At This Game

What does a group of four friends do when waiting for their plane to take them home from the remote Tasmanian wilderness? Develop a brand new strategic card game based on Tassie birds, of course! A Game Called Birds, a card game that encompasses Tasmanian bird life and strategic play, was created by the friends who become trapped when the weather closed in during a walking trip along Tasmania’s South West Circuit.

The game, designed by Chris Bury, Corey Graham, Leigh Ellis and Thomas Friend, offers a blend of strategy and creativity. Players strategically choose birds from their hand to play against their opponent’s birds, contending with power birds and ultimately a spinning Wedge-tailed eagle that introduces an element of chance and chaos. The game uses vibrant photography of Tasmanian birds by local photographers to foster awareness and appreciation for all Tasmanian birds, specifically endemic and endangered species.

“We never set out to create a game. We were going troppo in a little wet cabin using a Trangia as a heater and then at one point we started making bird noises to pass the time,” said Corey Graham. “Creating rules kept us entertained, we had a Wedge-tailed eagle card speared through my Leatherman and that was when we first started ‘spinning the Wedgie’. We hope players will experience the same sense of fun when they spin the Wedgie and work out their own winning strategies!” added Thomas Friend. After three years developing the impromptu game, A Game Called Birds finally took flight at a special launch event during July at Good Grief Studios. If you’re keen to get your hands on the cards, head to a www. gamecalledbirds.com.au.

Legal Dough Fight

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has started legal action over allegations that more than 100 young staff at Bakers Delight outlets in Hobart were underpaid. It’s alleged 142 mostly young staff at the bakeries in Kingston, Lindisfarne and Eastlands were underpaid a total of $1.25 million between July 2017 and October 2020. The FWO is taking legal action in the Federal Court against Bakers Delight Holdings Pty Ltd, the franchisor of the Bakers Delight chain in Australia, in relation to a portion of the alleged underpayments. The FWO is also taking legal action against the couple who owned and managed the stores, and their company, Make Dough Enterprises, which was placed into liquidation earlier this year when the three stores were closed.

HAVE A GOOD OL’ NOSEY AT HCC MEMBERS’ ASSETS

Hobart City Council’s new Public Interests Register is now available to view on the Council’s website. The register was suggested and established by Councillor Ryan Posselt, who wanted councillors to be more transparent about their income and assets. At the time of print not all councillors had added some level of detail to the log. You can have a nosey for yourself by going to www.hobartcity. com.au/Council/Elected-Members and scrolling down to the Public Interests Register PDF.

New Antarctic Portfolio

As part of a recent cabinet shuffle, Premier Jeremy Rockliff has established a Ministry for Antarctica. Bob Brown has welcomed the news, saying Tasmania could now play a pivotal role in protecting the Great White Continent, its ocean and wildlife. “We look forward to working with the government to give Antarctica its rightful place as the pre-eminent World Heritage Area for the future of humanity,” Brown said. “Premier Rockliff is in the box seat to have the Albanese government work with other Antarctic Treaty countries to have Antarctica get that listing.” Premier Rockliff said, “We’re not only the gateway to the Antarctic, we are leaders in science, research, logistics and services capabilities. It was clear when I visited Japan and the Republic of Korea this year that there is enormous potential to grow our Antarctic industry, and further strengthen our economy.”

HOBART BEST CITY…OBVS

We’ve gone and snatched Sydney’s crown as ‘Best City in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific’ at the recent Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2023. Travel + Leisure is a leading US travel media platform, known for its ‘discerning’ readership who rate cities based on various metrics including sights, culture, cuisine, friendliness, shopping, and overall value. Hobart is now ranked within the top 25 favourite cities worldwide.

Health With Dignity Assists People In Need To The Gp

A new program, Health With Dignity, is offering free general practitioner consultations for any community member who can’t afford or access a GP. The new program will be run by the Salvation Army and jointly funded by the City of Hobart and Hobart Airport who have both contributed $15,000 to cover the program. Any community member in extreme need who can’t find or can’t afford a GP can contact Salvation Army Hobart to help organise a visit to a doctor in Hobart. After the visit, the GP bills the Salvation Army, so the patient doesn’t have to pay anything. The Health With Dignity program will cover the cost of three 30-minute GP consultations per person. Salvation Army Homelessness and Housing state manager Ben Moroney said, “It is a simple but effective way to support vulnerable people in the Hobart community to access essential medical care, which they would otherwise likely go without.” If you or someone you know is in need of assistance call the Salvation Army Hobart on 6278 2817.

Environmental Activist Jailed

For the first time in 12 years, an environmental activist has received prison time in Tasmania.

Dr Colette Joan

Harmsen, a Hobart veterinarian and forest activist with the Bob Brown Foundation, appeared in the Hobart Magistrates Court last month in relation to four counts of trespass, one count of wilfully obstruct the use of any road, and failing to comply with a direction of a police officer. She was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for breaching a suspended sentence by continuing to protest against mining in Tasmania’s west. Harmsen was involved in a protest with the Bob Brown Foundation at a MMG mine near Rosebery on the west coast of Tasmania in 2021.

Free Internet For Tassie Students In Public Housing

Tasmanian students and their families, living in public housing, now have access to 12 months of free NBN. This is a first step towards removing the barriers to digital inclusion for the one-in-four Tasmanians locked out from fully participating in economic, social and community life. “This announcement is positive news off the back of the 2023 Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) released in July, which confirmed Tasmania’s poor standing as the most digitally disadvantaged state in the country,” said TasCOSS CEO, Ms Adrienne Picone.

DOUBLE COLES, DOUBLE WOOLLIES

Not content with two Woollies shops in the one place, Kingston is set to get a second Coles supermarket in a new centre. Pending council approval, construction of the new $40m shopping centre on the Channel Highway, opposite Bunnings, is expected to commence early next year.

Spirit Of Tasmania Ii In Town

The Spirit of Tasmania II has been back in town for the first time in almost 21 years. The ship usually dry docks at Sydney’s Garden Island, but couldn’t get a spot there for this round of maintenance. More than 70 local contractors have been undertaking maintenance work on the vessel for the past few weeks, painting, chipping rust, maintaining the engine and tank, cleaning and testing lifeboats. It’s partly routine maintenance and partly prepping the big ship for potential sale - the Spirit of Tasmania I and II will be replaced next year with two new ships, with prospective buyers set to check out the older vessels at a shipping conference in November in Devonport. The new vessels will be 18 metres longer, six metres wider and have a 40 per cent increase in capacity than the current two.