Straddie Island News autumn2013

Straddie Island News

AUTUMN 2013

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M I N J E R R I B A H / N O R T H S T R A D B RO K E I S L A N D C O M M U N I T Y N E W S

THERE’S MORE TO STRADDIE THAN MINING: KEATING

Former Prime Minister Paul Keating made a historic visit to Dunwich at the invitation of Quandamooka Native Title holders. Story page 4.

PHOTO: MARK CALLEJA

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR THE ARTICLES BY SUE-ELLEN CAREW, (FRIENDS of Stradbroke Island, FOSI) and Susan Martin (Stradbroke Island Management Organisation, SIMO) in the Summer issue of SIN deserve a response.

The policy objectives that FOSI and SIMO capriciously set for all island residents will not be achieved simply because they are slogans and not goals –“A Strong Green Future,” “A Sustainable Economy.” Never set an objective that cannot be measured.

You need to be able to identify when the goal has been achieved. Announcing a policy that on the surface seems justifiable is the easy part. Successful implementation takes real ability.

Organisations such as FOSI and SIMO that are incapable of understanding the commercial needs of a community, but still try to reverse engineer a strategy that has worked for decades, need to be confronted by public opinion.

They, and the commentariat, spend 99% of their time debating the perceived environmental consequence of sand mining but are incapable of debating what should replace sand mining as a viable alternative.

Breathless reporters anxious for a quick photo fix are appalled to discover the, admittedly, ugly sight of open sand mines but seem incapable of debating/reporting the efficacy of the work put into rehabilitation. They then project only the “ugly” side of sand mining into our living rooms. That is not balanced reporting.

Neither FOSI nor SIMO, nor indeed the previous state government, have defined anything that even looks like a strategy to fill the void in the economy that will be the inheritance of the community after sand mining ceases. They have enunciated a vague strategy then failed to provide the resources to achieve even their minimalist objectives.

The eight years decreed by the Bligh Government to prepare and put in place an alternative to sand mining was never going to be enough time. Governments should resist making changes based on the most noise from small, self-interested lobby groups. Changes should be based on solid evidence and consensus and need to build in the option for review as we learn more of what works best.

— Bill Giles, Dunwich

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I REALLY LIKE THE SIN AND HAVE BEEN A happy writer of articles for SIN, most recently on page 15 of this issue and many times before on my research on koalas.

I was therefore saddened to see that I had been misquoted and taken out of context after a talk I gave for the Wild Disease Association conference, in an opinion piece titled “Hollow Promises”, on page 23 of the summer issue, by Sue Ellen Carew, president of Friends of Stradbroke Island Inc. The quoted statement: “Foxes are the most common animals picked up by the company’s few nocturnal ‘wildlife’ monitoring cameras at rehabilitation sites (according to a company spokesperson at a public meeting 26 September 2012). Foxes and wild dogs are a major threat to koalas” is not correct and distorts the outcomes of my research.

Firstly there are not “a few” wildlife monitoring cameras being used for this project. There are at least 30 cameras permanently deployed in various rehabilitated areas, and they are rotated every week. This program keeps me very busy indeed.

Secondly, I am not an official spokesperson for Sibelco. I do fauna research for Sibelco as an employee.

There is a difference and, to ensure people at my talk knew the difference, I stated (more than one time) that I was presenting data collected during my PhD, plus some insights into my current research for the company. All opinions expressed were my own and I was not speaking for the company Sibelco.

The most damaging misquote was that foxes are the most common animals picked up in rehabilitation. This is not true; the most common animals are actually Swamp Wallabies.

Additionally, data I published previously indicates that densities of foxes are similar in rehabilitated and undisturbed areas.

All persons interested in protecting wildlife on Straddie know that foxes are a major issue for the entire Island, not just in rehabilitated areas. Foxes are a real problem and we should as a community do something about them.

Finally, I should mention that foxes are not considered a major threat to koalas by koala researchers – dogs are – though foxes are catastrophic for smaller animals.

I encourage public debate on these issues but the facts must be correct. I am living and working on Straddie, so anyone who is interested in the facts is more than welcome to have a direct chat to me by email DrRomane.Cristescu@sibelco.com.au or meet for a cuppa.

— Romane Cristescu, Dunwich

SOME

WEEKS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THE

“Hollow Promises” (SIN summer 2012-13), written by the president of FOSI to which I contributed research, I was contacted by Ms Romane Cristescu, an employee of Sibelco. Ms Cristescu raised with me two concerns relating to one paragraph in the article and stated that she was going to write to SIN. I must presume that her letter to SIN addresses the issues that she raised with me on the phone and respond accordingly.

Firstly, Ms Cristescu expressed her opinion that, although she was not named in the article, she had been incorrectly described as a company spokesperson when she gave a presentation to delegates, museum volunteers and members of the public at an open session of a wildlife disease conference at the Dunwich museum on Wednesday, 26 September 2012. My assumptionthat Ms Cristescu represented Sibelco may have arisen because the session was described as a “mining talk” in the conference field day program emailed to me, she wore her Sibelco uniform and used a company-branded Powerpoint while speaking about her work on fauna in the mining leases.

Several times during the talk Ms Cristescu indicated that she was presenting her own opinions – for example as to the reason that the mining company had not undertaken fox control on its leases for many years. As these asides were clearly opinion I did not report them. What I did report, in a general way, was the factual information on foxes that she provided as the company employee responsible for fauna research.

In her phone call to me, Ms Cristescu disputed that she said during her talk that foxes were the most commonly detected animal by night vision cameras, as stated in the article. However, my recollection and my notes made at her talk record that Ms Cristescu gave numerical data that foxes outnumbered any other fauna by a proportion of 3:1 on the cameras that record nocturnal fauna movements in the southern mining “rehab" leases.

Although there is some disagreement over the extent of the fox infestation, I came away from the presentation and our phone conversation with the impression that we had a shared concern about the impact of foxes on Stradbroke’s fauna. I congratulate Ms Cristescu on her valuable work on the Island’s wildlife on the mining leases undergoing revegetation, and for providing additional evidence that has alerted FOSI and others to the extent of the fox menace on the Island.

—Yours sincerely, Mary Barram, vice president FOSI (Friends of Stradbroke Island) ARTICLE

AUTUMN 2013

NEWS

Berlin cabaret comes to the Lifesavers he grand piano will take the barge across Moreton Bay yet again to star at all six concerts of this year’s Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival (26–28 July).

Virtuoso pianists Stephen Emmerson and Liam Viney will join other players in trios, quartets and sextets by Ravel, Brahms, Poulenc and Carl Vine. Stephen will also play Beethoven’s solo piano sonata no. 6, one of the composer’s favourites.

Outstanding string players Sophie Rowell, Caroline Henbest and Eric de Wit needed no urging to make return appearances to this year’s festival, alongside festival favourites Rachel Smith and Louise King and some exciting new faces.

From Berlin to Stradbroke will come Montmorensy — pianist, composer and singer/songwriter Paul Hankinson — for a lively cabaret-style evening at the Point Lookout Surf Lifesaving Club, one of the festival’s most striking venues.

There’ll be a touch of the gypsy in the Haydn and Brahms quartets of the opening concert on Friday night. On Saturday an opportunity to hear the rarely performed string septet version of Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen and the string sextet version of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante.

On Sunday morning there’s riotous family concert in the Dunwich hall, featuring Ferdinand the Bull (for violin and narrator), The Swan, The Elephant and a host of other animal-themed pieces.

Book 26–28 July on your calendar now, and visit www.stradmusic.org for more information as it becomes available.

— Col Cunnington

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Sophie Rowell makes a return appearance at this year’s festival.

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The testimonials from clients of Discover Stradbroke Real Estate speak for themselves.

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Julie Elliott Sales Manager/Licensed Agent 0408 853 940 julie@discoverstradbroke.com.au AUTUMN 2013

STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 3

OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD BACK AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY I HAD this crazy idea to start a quarterly “newspaper of record” for North Stradbroke Island.

Along with my friend Liz Johnston we made it happen with the first issue being a four-page newsletter back in the summer of 2000/01.

Indeed it was Liz, a long-term Straddie resident and one of Australia’s most respected journalists, who coined our wonderfully cheeky nickname, the SIN! There had been at least one previous Island newspaper — a monthly I think — that had come and gone in the 70s, but when I moved to live full-time at Point Lookout with my family back in 2000, we felt was time to have a newspaper to which we could all contribute, and to record the Island’s wonderful rich cultural life and the issues affecting residents and visitors.

Twelve years later the little quarterly is still going. Liz is still a major contributor and her daughter Kate, and her son-in-law Mr T, are the stalwarts behind the content and design of the Straddie Island News. We think it is beautifully produced and we’re proud that it is still the Island’s only newspaper.

But it’s not easy to please all of the people all of the time, as any newspaper publisher (and politician) will tell you.

And to please everyone is not our function either.

We should be provocative and we should ruffle feathers. And sometimes we have to take a stand, no matter how inclusive we want the paper to be.

Right now, SIN’s advertisers and contributors are comprised of those at both ends, and everywhere in between, of the debate about sand mining and the island’s future.

Our editorial line is to be fair, fearless and independent. And to never let any advertiser, no matter how powerful they may be on the Island, dictate our editorial stand.

Our policy is that we want ALL Islanders to feel they will get a fair representation in the paper should they contribute a story.

We welcome ALL points of view and will run ALL advertising as long as the facts can be supported and there is no blurring of the lines between advertising and editorial.

And yes, though our editorial view is that it’s time for mining to be phased out, SIN respects the long history of sand mining, its workers, and its contribution to the community.

We’re being honest and open about our views but we will continue to publish all points of view and we always welcome yours!

— Trish Lake EDITOR Kate Johnston editor@straddienews.com MANAGING EDITOR Trish Lake REPORTING Liz Johnston, Trish Lake LAYOUT Mr T ADVERTISING Vicki Kelleher via editor@straddienews.com FOLLOW SIN ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/straddienews ISSN 1839-5716 GENERAL DISCLAIMER Views expressed in articles are contributors’ own and not necessarily the view of the publisher. Statements of fact are believed to be true, but no legal responsibility is accepted for them.

PRINTER Printcraft PUBLISHER Freshwater Productions PO Box 86 Point Lookout Qld 4183

4 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

NEWS

Paul Keating

BY LIZ JOHNSTON

Aunty Rosie Borey, Paul Keating and Uncle Bob Anderson. PHOTO: COURTESY QYAC.

E

motions ran high when former Prime Minister Paul Keating spoke at the first annual general meeting of the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) in Dunwich.

Mr Keating was given standing ovations before and after his presentation to officially launch the corporation’s strategic planning process. “He was actually blushing,” said QYAC Projects Officer Delvene Cockatoo Collins.

“Paul Keating is an absolute hero to many of our people as the man who introduced the Native Title Act,” QYAC chairman Cameron Costello told SIN. “It was an honour to have him launch our strategic planning for our future on the Island.”

Mr Keating told the meeting QYAC must seize the opportunities presented by the determination of their native title rights.

“What you need above all else is imagination to know that a place like Stradbroke with its great beauty can do well mining a bit of rutile, but we can do better if we do other things,” Mr Keating said. “If we find ourselves here in 20 years having the same

discussions [and] all there is here is a bit of rutile mining it means as a community you would have failed,” he said.

Cameron Costello said the Quandamooka people must “… explore all avenues as to how they will progress socially, culturally and economically, in partnerships with community organisations, government authorities and island businesses.

“Mining is currently one of the drivers of the island economy and is going to occur for a few more years yet. We hope to work closely with the mine for however long it continues, along with other industries such as tourism, to ensure that our cultural heritage is always at the forefront of any activity. The cultural heritage of the Island is paramount.”

As part of a week of celebrations, QYAC also launched its camping business, Minjerribah Camping, a business enterprise partnership with Indigenous Business Australia.

Elders used sand and water to bless Minjerribah Camping in a ceremony at the Dunwich Community Hall. Previously, Straddie’s camping grounds and beach campsites were managed by Redland City Council.

AUTUMN 2013

visits Dunwich “…a place like Stradbroke with its great beauty can do well mining a bit of rutile, but we can do better.”

—Paul Keating

Paul Keating and QYAC chair Cameron Costello. PHOTO: COURTESY QYAC.

The Quandamooka estate covers all of Moreton Bay, including Moreton Island, the bay islands and parts of the mainland.

Mr Costello said QYAC’s core business was caring for country, including the marine habitat. It was important to put procedures in place with regulatory authorities, for example with native title rights to hunt traditionally for non-commercial purposes.

“Often there are regulations on areas which conflict with what native title holders are able to do by law,” Mr Costello said.

“We’ve always had a good relationship with the fishing sector and nothing we’re doing would impinge on their current rights on the bay. Where cultural issues arise we need to work with agencies to ensure they are aware of that.”

QYAC’s role includes engaging the next generation of Quandamooka leaders, with workshops for students aged nine to 17 to contribute to the final draft of the strategic plan due later this year. It is also running education and skills training programs at various levels including through schoolbased programs. Two Cleveland High students, Valley Murray and Milly Coghill, are

AUTUMN 2013

currently spending one day a week in the QYAC office in Dunwich while completing Certificate II in Business Administration.

QYAC staff are: Chief Executive Officer Suzie Coulston; Joint Management Coordinator Darren Burns; Projects Officer Delvene Cockatoo Collins; Acting Cultural Heritage Co-ordinator Michael Costelloe.

The Chairman of the QYAC Board of Directors is Cameron Costello.

Sponsors providing advice and funding for QYAC’s Strategic Plan process are the managing director of corporate advisory and investment firm, Lazard, chair of the Australian Sports Commission and chair of the Melbourne Cricket Ground Trust John Wylie; the honorary French Consul-General to Victoria, Myriam Wylie; co-founder of Wotif.com Andrew Brice; chair of Mirvac, James MacKenzie and the general counsel Telstra Innovation, Products and Marketing Flavia Gobbo. All have a personal connection to the island.

The Strategic Plan facilitators are Second Road, consultants to a range of leading Australian government, infrastructure, resources, not-for-profit and

professional organisations. Second Road’s CEO Tony Golsby-Smith told SIN that after the long hard battle to win native title, Quandamooka faced a completely different problem in achieving the benefits.

“It involves an amorphous ecosystem of white Australian rules and regulations, Indigenous ways of knowing and doing business, and internal and external stakeholder expectations. Beyond mere compliance, there is no common, definable answer as to what success looks like.

“It is no wonder Indigenous organisations struggle with this challenge, nor is it any surprise successive federal and state interventions have failed to help Indigenous Australians attain the same economic and social benefits available to the wider Australian population. Instead, because of their over-bearing top-down approach they have often created divisions and sometimes a whole set of problems of their own.

“The people of Quandamooka are well aware of this pitfall. For this reason QYAC is designing its own strategy for using the proceeds of the native title win, a task previously controlled by government.”

STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 5

NEWS

Oysters under the microscope he fatal consequence of heavy rainfall on oysters has been the subject of a continuing scientific study on Straddie and the Gold Coast.

University of Queensland (UQ) researcher Dr Cecile Dang has been working with two oyster farmers, Pat Verner and Tony Carlaw, and UQ students to study Straddie oysters, and their Gold Coast cousins from the Pimpana River, since 2012.

The study, funded by Ocean Watch through its Tide to Table program, was proposed after oyster farmers in Moreton Bay lost between 50 and 70% of their stock following heavy rainfall incidents in 2009-2010.

While the exact cause of the deaths was unknown, the possibility of a disease and/or pollution were investigated by the study. So far, it has identified that conditions of low salinity and high zinc could lead to compromised immunity in the bivalves.

According to Dr Dang, low salinity has previously been demonstrated to reduce immunity for bivalves, but information on the role of zinc in bivalve immune systems is

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Dr Cecile Dang on the Straddie oyster lease. PHOTO: LIZ JOHNSTON very scarce. The project also uncovered a parasite previously only found in pacific oysters in Korea, although Dr Dang says this requires “… further confirmation by molecular biology and electron microscopy… We need to continue to monitor the evolution of this condition, as it causes detrimental effect in Pacific oyster populations in Korea.”

OceanWatch Australia says the project is the first step towards developing practices for managing diseases in oyster culture in Moreton Bay. “Long-term sustainability of the oyster

PHOTO: JOSEPHINE ELLIS

Wild life stories

6 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

farming industry depends on the ability to identify, prevent and manage diseases,” OceanWatch Australia’s SEQ Tide to Table Project Officer Debra Henry said. “We recognise Dr Dang’s project as the first step towards developing practices for managing diseases in oyster culture in Moreton Bay.” Dr Dang said the two oyster farmers had benefitted from disease monitoring in their oyster stock and the present study would contribute to better management practices to reduce the impact of disease on theirs and other leases.

ocal residents Josephine Ellis and Barry Brown are coordinating a series of photography and filmmaking workshops relating to the local flora and fauna.

Baz and Jo ran a successful photography workshop with Grade 6 students at Dunwich Primary School and will hold their next workshop at the Point Lookout Bushcare nursery on April 13.

The workshop is open to anyone wanting to learn more about nature photography.

Some cameras will be provided and participants can also bring their own.

Further workshops are planned for Cleveland High, Coochiemudlo Island, Macleay Island and the Lines in the Sand Arts Festival on Straddie in June.

Selected photos from the workshops will be published on a poster to feature information about local flora and fauna, including Indigenous names, scientific names and seasons. Barry and Jo will also present films and photographs from the project at Lines in the Sand.

For information about the project and workshops, email Jo at josephinellis@live.com.au or info@howlingplanet.com

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AUTUMN 2013

NEWS

Sin BRIEF GOOD SIGNS Work is expected to start soon on a wildlife signage and landscape project for Mooloolaba Road at Point Lookout. The $200,000 project became possible after the state government placed the road into local council control, following an eight-year campaign by locals and council.

“I am extremely pleased that we can now treat this road as the local road it is,” Councillor Craig Ogilvie said.

Grinding away at bush regeneration akeaway coffee cups from Coffee on Cylinder and recyclable waste and straw bales from last October’s Island Vibe festival are being recycled by Point Lookout Bushcare.

After removing labels from the coffee cups and puncturing them with drainage holes they are used to give a good start to plants used in revegetation sites including South Gorge. Containers are planted directly into the ground and break down gradually as the plant establishes itself.

The Island Vibe waste has required a large amount of space and earth moving equipment, to turn the pile and push the straw bales into a constantly decreasing rectangle as it breaks down. It has also required regular monitoring of the temperature of the heap. Eventually this will provide a rich soil for Bushcare’s re-potting and seed raising work.

While all this recycling is happening in the background, nursery sales are increasing at a fast pace as customers find more room to move around the tables and a greater variety of plants on sale, labelled for easy identification. Volunteers are on hand to answer questions about the plants, including advice on where they will thrive and the approximate size they will reach at maturity.

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AUTUMN 2013

New stocks for autumn planting include well established tree ferns ($6) and two different Straddie lillypilly ($5), one with a tasty blue fruit and the other with an edible pink fruit. Both attract birds and grow up to 15 metres.

There is also new stock of the very hardy and fast growing coastal wattle that has yellow flowers through winter and spring, as well as a fragrant sweet wattle that flowers through winter. Both are on sale for $5.

Native ground covers are available as tube stock from $2.50 and stocks will be replenished over the coming months as volunteers gather seeds and cuttings from plants on the headland and dunes for propagation.

There are also a number of pandanus trees for sale from $5 each.

The Bushcare nursery on Kennedy Drive (access via Point Lookout headland reserve) is open Thursdays between 10am and noon and on Point Lookout market days between 8am and noon. Bushcare working bees are held on the first on the first Saturday of every month starting at 8am. Bring a hat. Gloves and equipment provided. To join the Bushcare mailing list contact Judy Hines 3409 8567 hines.mj@bigpond.com or Jan Johnman 3409 8687 jbjohnman@bigpond.com.au

PHOTO: BARRY BROWN

DANGEROUS CANISTERS A sealed canister washed up on Flinders Beach in February was found to contain a toxic chemical known as Aluminium Phosphide. The chemical is generally used to fumigate ships and is a restricted substance. It can self ignite and be fatal if inhaled. A number of similar containers were located along the Queensland coastline during 2012, as far north as Cairns.

Police advise residents and visitors not to touch or transport the canisters if they find one but to immediately contact the Fire Service, Police or Maritime Safety.

AMITY DAY The North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum invites members of the public to a special morning tea at the Amity Community Hall, on Wed May 1 at 10.30am, where they will have items from the museum’s Amity collection on display. They especially hope that Amity locals will come along and share stories, photos, documents or artifacts related to the township.

CEMETERY TOURS To celebrate Queensland Heritage Week the North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum will lead historical walks through the Dunwich Cemetery on Wednesdays April 24, May 1, May 8 and May 15.

Meet at the Flinders Avenue entrance at 10am.

DISASTER CENTRE OPENING Members of the public are invited to the official opening of the new North Stradbroke Island Disaster Resilience Centre and State Emergency Service Depot, in Mitchell Crescent, on Saturday April 13. Mayor Karen Williams will officially open the centre.

STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 7

ISLAND BEAT

ISLAND BEAT

By Sergeant PETER TWORT, Officer in Charge, Dunwich Police. 3409 6020

YOUTH INITIATIVES Dunwich Police have maintained vigilance on youth behaviour, particularly loitering and disturbances, in the township. Additional evening foot patrols have been conducted, not only in the CBD area but also around the church, behind the shops, and around general residential and industrial areas. Police continue to inform the parents of youths who come to our attention. SupportLink referrals and social welfare opportunities have also been offered to a number of persons, and in most cases accepted. Police have liaised with the Quandamooka Forum, which is considering their involvement in supporting this initiative. It is pleasing to see that youth delinquency appears to be reducing, but we will maintain our vigilance. Please contact Dunwich Police immediately youths are observed to be causing problems for the community.

GRASS FIRE Grass fires engulfed the centre of the Island in early December, starting near what is locally known as the Seven Mile, or S-Bends, on the East Coast Road, between Dunwich and the Amity turn off. Fire crews attended a fire in the area early in the morning, and had it extinguished only to be recalled to another fire in the same area. The second fire was the one that took hold. Fortunately there was sufficient time to locate residents living in nearby bush land. All residents packed and left the area without incident. Four vans and two self-made structures were destroyed. The fire ran along the eastern side of East Coast Road, up to Gatumba Street, then spread back north along the peat mine swamp, and towards Amity.

At no time was the township of Amity under threat.

Since the fire, numerous, recently harvested, cannabis plants have been located near the initial ignition point. This corroborated previously received information and the areas will be monitored in the future. Investigations into the cause of the fires are still underway.

What has come to light however, is the need to know exactly who is in the bush. A meeting has been set with QYAC and QFS to establish the names of all persons residing in bush land.

SUMMER STATS A large volume of tourists visited the Island over the summer holiday period, which was great to see and no doubt a boost for local businesses.

Dunwich Police were kept busy, as would be expected for a peak time, but since the holidays it has been very pleasing to see minimal reported crime across the Island. For the period December 2012 to the end of February 2013, policing activity has been as follows: Over 1100 RBTs have been conducted, resulting in the detection of 13 drink drivers, almost 70 traffic offence notices have been issued and currently we are targeting seat belt offences; so be warned!

Police have attended 171 Calls for Service during the period, 83 of which were disturbance related.

A total of 47 offenders have been identified and charged with 56 offences that included, public nuisance, resist, breach bail, drink driving, possession of dangerous drugs, stealing, steal from dwelling, common assault, serious assault and rape.

For a break down of reported offences for each township see table below. A number of these Assaults Burglary Stealing Drink Drive Public Nuisance Possession Drug Steal dwelling Enter with intent Rape* Steal vehicle Wilful Damage * Solved.

Dunwich – 3 Dunwich – 3 Dunwich – 2 Dunwich – 3 Dunwich – 2 Dunwich – 1 Dunwich – 0 Dunwich – 1 Dunwich – 1 Dunwich – 3 Dunwich – 0

have been solved. Police also attended three traffic incidents and nine domestic violence related matters.

Dunwich Police continues to urge the community to contact them regarding any matters at the time they are occurring. If you have information regarding drug activity please let us know or call Crime Stoppers on 1300 333 000

MYPOLICE BLOG The Wynnum District has joined mypolice.qld.gov.au a web page that provides information regarding policing activities throughout the state. On it you will find a range of information including some statistical information in relation to offences reported throughout the state. To find Wynnum look under the tab for Brisbane. Give that a click and it will bring up the main information page for the Wynnum Police District. You will then see on the right hand side column “Dunwich” – give that a hit and you will have all the stuff regarding the Island. You can subscribe to get updates straight to your email and there is also a way you can get it onto your Facebook; something I am yet to master. I will regularly post items of interest and of importance in order to keep you informed. So look for MYPOLICE – and let your friends and neighbours know about it as well.

Point Lookout – 1 Point Lookout – 7 Point Lookout – 5 Point Lookout – 8 Point Lookout – 8 Point Lookout – 3 Point Lookout – 1 Point Lookout – 0

Amity Point – 0 Amity Point – 2 Amity Point – 2 Amity Point – 2 Amity Point – 1 Amity Point – 0 Amity Point – 1 Amity Point – 1

Point Lookout – 0 Point Lookout – 1

Amity Point – 0 Amity Point – 0

SURF CLUB BAR

Open Saturday & Sunday from 3pm* Awesome ocean views Cold beverages, friendly staff Courtesy bus

FOR ALL Venue hire/Weddings/Functions/School camps Contact Stradbroke Island Holidays 07 3821 0266 *Times may vary 8 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

AUTUMN 2013

NEWS FEATURE

STOLEN

FOOTPRINTS A Quandamooka leader says it is a tragedy that sand meant to form large tree-covered dunes on North Stradbroke Island, is instead being buried in construction sites around southeast Queensland.

BY TRISH LAKE

Darren Burns

“Along with the sand everything is displaced by the way mining occurs on Stradbroke.”

— Darren Burns

AUTUMN 2013

D

arren Burns, the Chair of the Quandamooka Land Council says he mourns for the loss of North Stradbroke sand which left the Island when it should have been used for dune restoration.

“Once the sand had the silica and minerals removed, it should have been put back on to the hillsides. Instead the sand was sold to mainland construction companies.

The hills where that sand was taken from, no longer have the same volume they once had and that sand is gone forever.”

According to Darren the time has come for sand mining on North Stradbroke Island to end.

“Along with the sand, everything is displaced by the way mining occurs on Stradbroke,” says Mr Burns, who once worked as a sand-miner on the Island.

“Kangaroos, wallabies, snakes, lizards, possums, bandicoots, birds – only the faster animals can get out of the way of the bulldozers and excavators that remove the vegetation and trees, preparing the hillsides for mining.

“I was a safety-spotter, working in the Gordon mine at the south end of the Island when I would see koalas displaced by the bulldozers.

“We tried to give them time to move on, but we were destroying their habitat. Every animal is displaced when the land is stripped bare for sand mining.”

“Elders, who are true to their heritage, will tell you – sand mining is a very destructive industry. As well as destroying the ecology it is slowly pitting people on the Island against one another. There’s a sophisticated campaign going on from the mining company to tell everyone that mining is OK. But it’s not.”

Meanwhile Mr Burns said he was particularly concerned the historic NSI ILUA (Indigenous Land Use Agreement) had been suspended, pending negotiations with the new government relating to the Bligh Government’s previous commitments to phase out mining. Instead the mining company is campaigning to expand its operations.

“Mining has stolen the footprints of my ancestors”, Elder Uncle Bob Anderson recently told a gathering of Islanders.

Darren Burns agrees.

“North Stradbroke Island is one of only a handful of sand barrier islands that are unique – among them Fraser, Moreton and South Stradbroke. There’s nothing like them anywhere else in the world, and we’re destroying what should be a sanctuary marked for preservation. It should not be marked for continuing destruction.”

Meanwhile, a Brisbane Magistrate has ordered Straddie sand-miners Unimin (now known as Sibelco) to pay court costs of more than $250,000 incurred by the state environment department in successfully opposing applications by the mining company to have charges against it dismissed.

The magistrate ruled that Unimin does have a case to answer on two charges, relating to whether the company had the correct permits to mine and sell non-mineral sand from Straddie.

The magistrate also rejected a claim by the company that the charges were an “abuse of process”. The trial is set to continue later this year.

STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 9

AMITY DESPATCH by Rex Kimlin

The saga of the 67-year-old air letter couple of months ago I emailed an old ex-workmate of mine by the name of Joe Williams who resides in Western Australia. I wrote to tell him that my book, telling the story of my time as a wireless operator flying in Lancaster Bombers during World War II, had been published.

He bought a copy and emailed me back saying that he had enjoyed reading it. A couple of weeks later Joe got back in contact with the following amazing story.

He was browsing along in the internet, when he came across a most intriguingly named site called, “Ask The Grumpy Old Men”.

Ever curious he clicked on the site and thought to himself what question should I ask? As he had just finished reading my book he entered my name, Rex Kimlin, and immediately got a hit. Up came A426351 P/O Kimlin A R. This was my air force number and name.

He scrolled down and up popped an air letter, written to me in May 1945, by my now deceased sister, Nella.

I didn’t receive the letter as I was on my way home by then. The return address, in red ink on the letter, was my home address in Australia. I have no recollection of ever receiving it, but as 67 years have gone by, maybe I did.

A

My friend Joe, once he gets his teeth into anything, kept plugging away and managed to get the email address of the person who put the letter on the internet, and asked how he had come by it.

It appears that the man, Greg Allan, who lives in Goulburn, New South Wales, was a stamp and envelope collector and he had bought it on eBay a few years ago, then put it on the Grumpy Old Men site asking if anyone knew what the stamp ARGO, which was stamped on the front of the envelope, meant.

Greg got my email address from Joe and

told me he would send the letter back to me, which he did, by registered post so that it wouldn’t go astray this time. So I now have the original air letter. In the letter Nella mentions she is pregnant with her first child, a daughter Diane, who now resides in Melbourne and is, of course, 67-years-old and a grandmother herself.

I intend sending the letter to Diane, (by registered mail of course), which will be a fitting home for the letter after all those years.

How it ever got on eBay is beyond me and I doubt whether I’ll ever work it out.

To learn more about the Grumpy Old Men visit: http://thegomc.com.

To ask them a question visit www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=6954.

To buy Rex’s book, ‘How Lucky I Was’ (see page 19 for an excerpt) visit Amazon.com and search Rex Kimlin or the title of the book.

A club with more than golf on offer

BY GREG GRIMMETT

10 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

the Glasshouse Mountains and is a marvellous venue for seeing the Island’s native wildlife.

Already the course hosts eastern grey kangaroos, nesting curlews, nesting plovers, nesting butcher birds, nesting magpies, and visiting populations of black cockatoos, spangled drongos (not to be confused with some humans) swamp wallabies and the rare golden wallabies.

Early morning is the best time to see the wildlife and the club is open from 7am to enable residents and tourists alike to hire a cart and view the wildlife at close hand.

Alternatively, binoculars from the clubhouse veranda will reveal a wealth of wildlife not to be found in any other location on the Island.

Whether your interest be golf, wildlife or just “drinking in” spectacular views, the North Stradbroke Island Golf Club will not disappoint.

PHOTO: STUART PATTERSON

D

uring 2012 the North Stradbroke Island Golf Club continued to take action to improve its value to golfers and the wider community. Currently the club is installing a new ablutions block that caters for disabled persons. And a new, automated irrigation system was recently installed to ensure the playing surface stays in top condition throughout the year.

But steps have also been taken to widen the value of the club to non-playing residents and visitors.

These include the planting of 225 koala food trees on the course to enhance the value of the club leasehold as a haven for wildlife, and sponsoring a wildlife care and recuperation centre feasibility study.

The club committee appreciates that the land the golf club occupies provides spectacular vistas over Moreton Bay and across to

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NEWS

THRIFTY THOUGHTS

T

he Thrift Shop, as we on the Island know it, is a little shop catering to all tastes (or most anyway).

We are part of St Marks Historic Anglican Church, which sits comfortably on the corner of Bingle Road and Rous Street Dunwich.

The Thrift Shop was first opened about 35 years ago by Dunwich parishioners Molly Scott and Audrey McMullen. In those days it was only open on Saturday morning and was a small building full of all sorts of things imaginable.

After 10 years the Thrift Shop became so popular that the original building was demolished to make way for the larger building you can visit today.

The main aim of the shop is to support the Parish of Stradbroke Island and to donate to worthy causes such as the Volunteer Marine Rescue and flood and bush fire

AUTUMN 2013

appeals. We also try to assist local people in need of clothes, furniture and kitchenwares etc. Whatever we can do to help.

We are very grateful for any donations and they are given generously by many in the Island community. Without this support we could not function, so please keep the donations coming. We have a happy band of about 22 volunteers who donate their time to help in the shop (sorting, cleaning, arranging, dusting etc).

Sometimes we get more than we can use but, never fear, nothing goes to waste. All good clothes and books that are surplus to our requirements are taken to Cleveland to the Salvation Army depot. The Big Red Cat kindly donates a free passage and Victor donates his ute so we can transport them.

The St Marks Thrift Shop, Rous Street, Dunwich is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 9am to 1pm.

PHOTO: MR T

BY EVELYN ROBBINS

STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 11

NEWS

ISLAND GLIDE

S

urf and art came together for the multimedia installation Island Glide, exhibited at the Redlands Art Gallery as part of its 10th birthday celebrations.

Featuring the creative work of several Island residents, the installation included hand-painted and sculpted surfboards and a collection of photographs of Island locals and landscapes, all informed and extended by music written on and about Stradbroke Island. Island Glide was also on show at the Point Lookout Surf Club for the Easter long weekend.

Venerable Robina returns to Straddie W orld-renowned, Australian-born Tibetan Buddhist Nun, Venerable Robina Courtin, will return to Straddie in April.

The forthright nun, who addresses capacity crowds throughout the world, has made a number of visits to the Island in recent years.

She will hold a public talk at the Point Lookout Community Hall at 7pm on Friday April 19 (entry by donation) and a $100 a head workshop in the Amity Point Community Hall on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 April.

12 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

According to organisers, Venerable Robina’s “… nononsense forthright style of presentation and her great sense of humour allow profound concepts to be communicated and understood with ease.”

Last year the Venerable Robina appeared on ABCTV’s Q&A panel discussion program and in comedian Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey series.

For more information on her Straddie talks please call Gail Bell 3409 7158 or Linda Rago 0409 538 972/ 3409 8020.

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MAINLAND

Reduce, recycle, rejoice!

I

sland residents on a day out in Cleveland have discovered an unexpected slice of eccentricity at Willow and Fox in Bloomfield Street.

Owner Mandy White has lived in the Redlands for 26 years and been a regular visitor to Straddie for even longer. Mandy says that after emigrating from the UK in 1981: “Straddie was one of my first holiday experiences in Australia and has remained in my heart ever since. Having come from an area of heavy industry, Stradbroke was paradise to me.

“I’ve had great support from the Stradbroke community and have felt quite privileged to have the Straddie ladies (and gentlemen) as some of my regular customers.”

Willow and Fox stocks products from around 25 local artists and designers, including paintings, jewellery, clothing and “quirky bits and pieces”.

There is also a wide range of recycled and vintage clothing – even the laundry water is recycled!

Opened in March 2011, Willow and Fox also hosts regular High Teas and evening events featuring artists and writers, such as those from the Lines in the Sand festival.

“For the most part it’s just about allowing people to come together in a very relaxed setting and enjoy each others company,” Mandy told SIN.

North Stradbroke Island

IS NOT A RENEWABLE RESOURCE

Mandy White

Every day its beautiful environment, extensive ecology, high bio-diversity, precious aquifer is attacked.

who cares? simo cares.

Stradbroke Island Management Organisation Inc., PO Box 304, POINT LOOKOUT, 4183, Queensland.

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STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 13

NEWS

New vet is pets best Chance

S

traddie’s beloved pets can now receive house calls from the Island’s resident mobile veterinarian, Dr Morgan Chance. Morgan, his wife Sarah and two young sons, moved to Point Lookout last year, making a real sea change from their previous home in the inland New South Wales town of Glen Innes.

The Chance family have been holidaying on Straddie for 14 years and Morgan and Sarah were married here 10 years ago. The idea of establishing a veterinary service here arose over several of these holidays, as discussions with local residents revealed a keen interest in having greater access to veterinary services on the Island.

The Chances tell SIN they have been delighted by the move and the warm welcome they have received from Island communities.

NSI Mobile Vet is a house call veterinary health service for dogs, cats and pet birds and appointments can be made by calling 0411 539 067.

FREENITY

U COMM NT EVE

Dr Morgan Chance with Point Lookout patient, Milly. PHOTO: KATE RIGUET

Join Redland

City Council and the State Emergency Service

at our

Official Opening

North Stradbroke Island Disaster Resilience Community Education and Resource Centre Saturday 13 April 9am - 12pm # #"! "! $ ! $ $ $ $ ! $ $ $

! $ ! $ ! ! $ ! $ !

V Venue: enue: $ $ $ $ $ $

$ ! $ ! $ ! $ !

Cost:

$ $ $ $ $!

$ $ $ $ $!

Get Ready North Stradbroke island!

8628 3/13

When: T Time: ime: $

Come and learn about disaster preparedness and emergency services on your island.

Become a volunteer SES member or simply take a tour of the new community facility.

Funded by the Natural Disaster Resilience Program.

More information: Byron Shreeve, 3829 8574 Community Safety Officer 14 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

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OBITUARY

Dr Cristescu with Dunwich school students and their teacher.

Rest in peace, lovely Suzy

BY ROMANE CRISTESCU

O

ne of Straddie best-known koalas passed away recently: we called her Suzy, although I’m sure she had a different name in koala language.

Suzy was special in many ways.

Suzy was very cultured. She spent many years attending schools in Dunwich and was particularly assiduous to the Dunwich Primary School, where the students saw her on a regular basis. In 2009 they recorded her presence every day for a few months, mapping her movements across the trees of the playground with their teacher Nicole. They then determined which were her favourite trees and were able to protect these trees when the library was extended. That’s conservation in action!

Suzy was world famous. She appeared in numerous presentations and scientific articles, and in SIN (“From Seuss to science” winter 2009, “Living dangerously: Straddie urban koalas” summer 2012/13). I’ve also seen many tourists from around the world stopping along the road and taking pictures of her, so her fame probably extends through many countries.

Suzy was a great help to science. Twice she was part of research projects by the University of Queensland, supported by

AUTUMN 2013

Sibelco, aimed at increasing our knowledge of koalas on Straddie. Suzy’s first encounter with science was in 2004, but I personally first encountered her in 2008, when she was caught in front of the Dunwich High School. On each of these occasions Suzy was fitted with a radio collar, used to track her movements and record which areas and individual trees she liked.

It always puzzled me that she spent most of her time in urban areas, like the schools.

She never seemed to mind having lots of noise and activity around her during the day, even though that was when she was supposed to be asleep.

Suzy was a constant reminder of how fragile urban koalas are. She faced many threats on a day-to-day basis. She had to cross very busy roads (like the East Coast Road). She had done it for many years and was pretty good at it, though she sometimes had help from her fans at the school.

Suzy also shared her home with dogs, which can be dangerous to koalas. Finally, Suzy relied on trees that were in gardens, schools or in local parks, which could be cut down for various reasons, each time taking a little bit of her food and shelter away. Suzy was thus a great reminder that we can all be involved in preserving koalas

by being careful drivers, safely stopping the car when a koala is crossing the road, keeping our dogs on leash and restraining them to our garden, and keeping and planting native koala food trees in our garden.

Suzy was a successful mum, contributing many cute additions to the local koala population, and was a respectably-old lady; she would have been around 15 when she died, a great achievement for a koala.

Most of all, Suzy decided to live in close proximity to us all in Dunwich, giving us the amazing privilege of calling her our neighbour. It certainly made my day when I could spot her. In fact I could see her so easily it was like visiting an old friend.

Suzy will be greatly missed by all of us that love to take a walk and enjoy the wildlife. She blessed Straddie with her presence for many years and I can now only hope her descendants will keep the family tradition and stay around, and that we can protect them to make sure we can live together for many years to come.

Suzy’s body was found on the ground at the Dunwich School after the January weekend of high winds. Her body was disposed before an autopsy could be carried out to discover her cause of death. Dr Romane Cristescu has been studying koalas on Straddie since 2008.

STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 15

ARTS

Nature comes first LINES in the SAND

ALL PHOTOS: COURTESY LINES IN THE SAND

16 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

AUTUMN 2013

T

he four-day Lines in the Sand arts festival will return to Straddie for the third time this year, with the theme nature first. Invited artists will create site-specific, outdoor installations and ephemeral art works that may only last until the next tide comes. As in past years, the installations will feature mainly on the Point Lookout headland and gorge walk, as well as beaches and coves. This year Dunwich also will host festival events and performances.

Weaving, print-making and contemporary earth jewellery workshops will be on offer at the Point Lookout Hall, while other festival events will include a projection onto the South Gorge cliff, performance-based art works, an art market, and the opportunity for informal conversations with the artists about art and ecology and the roles and potential of art in contemporary life.

This family-friendly festival is fast gaining popularity with locals and winter holiday visitors. Organisers invite everyone to visit them under the marquee at the mouth of the gorge walk to find out more about the Saturday and Sunday morning programs that will take place at the Old Tennis Courts at Point Lookout.

LINES in the SAND, 22-25 June 2013, is sponsored by Redland City Council and the Jani Haenke Charitable Trust. www.linesinthesand.com.au

at

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STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 17

HISTORY

Passion for history

BY LISA JACKSON

I

n May, Saint Paul’s of the Cross Church in Dunwich will celebrate 170 years since the first Catholic Mission to the Aborigines in Australia.

One Swiss and three Italian priests of the Congregation of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ (Passionists) established the Mission.

Raimondo Vaccari of Rome, Luigi Pesciaroli of Canepina, Mauizio Lencioni of Lucca and the Swiss Joseph Snell arrived in Dunwich in 1843. For a variety of reasons the mission was not a success, and by 1847 each of the Passionists had left.

The celebrations will include a commemorative mass in St Paul’s Church on Sunday May 26, and an unveiling of the refurbished plaque on the old Passionist mission site near the playground in Junner Street, Dunwich.

Evelyn Parkin is compiling a community history of Catholic families on Stradbroke, and Sister Kay McFadden from the Murri Ministry and Michael Aird are putting together an exhibition of the Catholic community history.

An exhibition will be held at the North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum, on Welsby Street, Dunwich, to celebrate this community story. It will open on May 26 and will be installed for about a month.

18 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

Top: St Paul’s of the Cross Catholic Church, Dunwich, 1960-65.

PHOTO: COURTESY ETHEL MCKASKILL AND NSIHM.

Above: Bonty Dickson, Ted Brown, Archbishop O’Donnell, Father O’Halloran, Father Edmund, Brother Joseph and Father Austin at the opening of Catholic Church at Dunwich, 1966.

PHOTO: DARCY PFORR, COURTESY ETHEL MCKASKILL AND NSIHM.

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BOOKS

LUCK ON HIS SIDE “Attacking a target at night, was like flying into an inferno. Fires blazing on the ground, searchlights all around and what looked like an impenetrable wall of flak, in yellowy red bursts, and heavy smoke from previous flak explosions. Tracers drifting up towards you, and then zipping by at high speed, and now and then a plane or two going down in flames, or exploding in mid-air, either by a direct hit on their bombs in the belly, or by a collision, or bombs dropped from above through the stream, by chicken aircraft flying higher than they were supposed to, to avoid the flak, to the detriment and danger of all aircraft doing the right thing. It was a mad hectic 10 to 15 minutes, from the time you started the straight and level bombing run, until you were able to turn away and clear the target area.”

— An excerpt from How Lucky I Was by Amity resident, Rex Kimlin.

n the peace and quiet of an Amity cottage, resident Rex Kimlin sat down to recall the noise, smell and chaos of flying in bombing missions across Europe in World War II. In his recently published memoir, How Lucky I Was, Rex, 89, describes in precise detail his extensive training in Australia and England, before going on to recall in a matter of fact tone the 35 missions he flew as a wireless operator with Bomber Command, attacking Germany and the Occupied Countries.

Ironically, it was his father’s reticence to discuss war-time experiences in World War I, that drove Rex to record his own war time memoirs.

“My father was a digger in World War I, and served in France and Belgium. He was

I

AUTUMN 2013

gassed, which affected his lungs for all his life there-after and was blown up by a shell, injuring his hip. Other than that I knew very little about his life in the trenches, as he was very reticent to talk about it,” Rex told SIN. “I was always sorry I hadn’t learnt more about his war-time exploits, and decided that at some stage I would write my memoirs, so that my sons and daughters, my grandsons and now my great-grand-children, would have some idea of what happened in ‘my war’.

“In 1997, at the insistence of my dear wife Charmian, I sat down and wrote, typing it out on an old Imperial typewriter. I was fortunate in that I had to be a speed touchtypist in my job as a morse code and machine telegraphist with the Postmaster-

Generals Department, so the typing was no hardship.

“You can obtain a book, either an electronic copy which you read on your computer, or you can purchase a paper-back book, which will be posted to you.

“Just go into internet, then Amazon Books, type in the title of the book How Lucky I Was by Rex Kimlin, and it will take you to my page at Amazon, and you can select what type of book you require.”

For those without internet access Rex has a number of books at his Kindara Street home that he will sell for $20, personally signed and dated on the fly-leaf.

“You can phone me on 3409 7192 to order, and to make sure I am home when you come to collect the book,” Rex said.

STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 19

Campers evacuated

V

olunteer members of the North Stradbroke Island (SES) State Emergency Services opened an evacuation centre at Point Lookout on the Australia Day weekend, to cater for campers displaced by the extreme weather.

With public ferry services suspended due to high winds and waves, the Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) requested

that the NSI SES and Redland City Council officers establish the centre in the Point Lookout community hall.

With the help of members of the Raby Bay VMR (Volunteer Marine Rescue), SES volunteers were able to get from the mainland to the Island, though with swells of 4.5 – 5 metres the trip was rough going.

Once on North Stradbroke Island, and with help of Point Lookout Life Savers, part

PHOTO: COURTESY NSI SES.

NEWS

BY BEN HOLDER

of the SES crew was deployed to assist with flood and storm damage, including continual clearing of the East Coast Road by our chainsaw crew, plus roof repairs and sandbagging.

The rest of the crew assisted at the evacuation centre with Redland City Council officers. Our thanks and praise to the Bowls Club who fed volunteers and displaced campers and residents.

The NSI SES is looking for new volunteers. To get involved contact Ben Holder on 0407 893 669 benjamin.holder@redland.gov.au

COUNCIL NEWS with Councillor Craig Ogilvie ne year on since the Newman Government was elected and we are none the wiser as to what the future holds for North Stradbroke Island.

It was clear in the last state election that the incoming government was going to do something about the Bligh Government mining timelines, but nothing has been said or done.

It is widely acknowledged that we need a transition strategy to plan for the inevitable end of mining, whenever that may be. Substantial community consultation and planning work has already been done, but it needs to be backed by the kind of money

O

20 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

that will ensure Straddie can be the place that Queenslanders want it to be.

The costs of running the Island are substantial; the urgently needed replacement of the water treatment plant at Point Lookout will top $15 million dollars alone. This will be done by Council, but Council is not in a position to continue to spend that kind of money. Yet there are similar, big-ticket projects needed in Amity and Dunwich.

The state government has been receiving mining royalties from Stradbroke Island for a long time. A Royalties for Region’ program has been set up and is designed to put mining royalties to use in the areas where

they were raised, and to assist mining communities to embrace new economic opportunities.

The Newman Government should direct some of this funding to public infrastructure and tourism projects on Straddie. We need bikeways, community facilities, scenic lookouts, signage, transport subsidies and more.

And we all need some certainty about what is going on with land planning and the state government’s Native Title agreement with traditional owners.

It’s been a year. It’s time for clarity and action.

AUTUMN 2013

ENVIRONMENT

THE THREAT OF THE FOX A concerted effort to stop the ongoing spread of foxes on North Stradbroke Island must be a priority, if native species are to be protected, writes MARY BARRAM, Friends of Stradbroke Island.

O

ne of the most loved elements of North Stradbroke Island is its pristine environment and the native animals that inhabit it.

Unbeknownst to many, these animals are at threat as the number of predatory red foxes on the Island continues to grow.

Since 2008, Michael Dickinson, a former National Parks ranger and now wildlife spotter and catcher for Redland City Council, has trapped 118 foxes on the Island.

“It’s thought that foxes started appearing on NSI in the mid-1930s and their numbers have steadily grown,” Michael said. “I estimate there’d be over 1000 foxes now living on the Island.”

Residents regularly spot foxes and they have been detected by wildlife monitoring cameras and recorded on pre-mining environmental studies by scientists.

Fox predation is not a new story to Queensland, or Australia. It is an animal with a wide and varied diet, an invasive nature, a good breeding rate and few natural enemies.

Long-term control and eradication programs have been successfully implemented on Phillip Island in Victoria (to protect Fairy Penguins), and recently commenced in Bundaberg (to protect breeding turtles), and throughout Tasmania.

FOSI fears that with insufficient controls in place on Straddie, the increasing number of foxes will bring disastrous ecological consequences to the Island.

Evidence from across Australia shows that fox predation is a major threat to the sur-

AUTUMN 2013

vival of native Australian fauna. Terrestrial animals at the greatest risk are those that weigh between 35 and 5500 grams – on Straddie these include the young of the Island’s Agile Wallabies and the rarely seen Northern Brown Bandicoot, the rare and endangered Water Mouse, Common Planigale (marsupial mouse), lizards, Sugar Gliders and frogs. These animals are at particular threat as their numbers are unable to be boosted due to the Island’s natural quarantine border of water. Ground-nesting and feeding birds, such as Beach Stone Curlew, Rainbow Bee Eaters, plovers, ducks and shorebirds, are also prey.

Given the extent of their impact on biodiversity, predation by the European red fox has ensured its listing by the World Conservation Union as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species. The Australian government lists fox predation as a key threatening process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Many of us who have kept chickens know of the devastating “thrill kill” or “multiple killing” behaviour of the fox, killing more animals than it needs for food. Unfortunately foxes on Straddie exhibit this behaviour, as Dickinson confirms, describing how foxes attack the beach nests of the endangered Loggerhead Turtles.

“The foxes monitor the nests and, with their excellent hearing and sense of smell, dig up and attack the nests killing all the newly hatched turtles,” Dickinson said.

Older island residents still recall the terrible events of 1991, when a fox killed 300 Wedge-

tailed Shearwaters in a single night on Camel Rock, destroying a small nesting colony that has never been able to re-establish.

Eradicating these feral animals involves a range of strategies. One of newest is to use trained sniffer dogs to find fox dens. Dickinson himself has recently recruited a fox detector dog, Koda, to his team.

As feral cats are also a problem on Straddie (Michael has caught nine of the notoriously difficult to catch feral cats) and their numbers could increase if foxes are removed, it’s crucial that an effective feral predator management strategy targets both foxes and feral cats.

Because Stradbroke is an island it is possible – with the long-term commitment and support of all island land managers – to eradicate foxes.

The Phillip Island program, after several decades of general fox control work, took five years using an island-wide, properly resourced, concentrated program to achieve a 90% reduction in fox numbers, and hopes to be declared fox-free soon.

Stradbroke is bigger and with a greater fox load but we could have the same success using a long-term strategy over 10 to 20 years involving all stakeholders – Redland City Council, Quandamooka Native Title Holders, National Parks managers, SEQ Water, SEQ Catchments and Sibelco – along with community groups, residents and visitors to the Island.

For the sake of the Island’s native wildlife let’s aim to make Straddie fox-free once again.

STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 21

NOTICE BOARD

Noreen’s Seaside Shop ANCHORAGE BEACH FRONT RESORT, POINT LOOKOUT

Open Monday, Thursday, Friday , Saturday: 9.30 am - 5 pm Sunday: 9 am till 1 pm • Open 7 days on school holidays Freshwater pearl and semi-precious gem jewellery. Fashion jewellery, sarongs, evening bags, homewares, unusual gifts, clothing, decorator items, shells, toys and much much more!

3409 8798

Linda Rago Meiso Shiatsu Practitioner

The Yoga Tower 8 Billa Street Point Lookout

MOB: 0409 538 972

E: lrago@bigpond.net.au

Massage & acupressure Postural correction Injury rehabilitation

Improve your breathing Lymphatic drainage Relieve pain & tension

22 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

AUTUMN 2013

NOTICE BOARD

Lee’s Liquid Waste Services EPA Licensed EST. 1984

27/7 Professional Service

Clean again.

Lic. No. 50044 Established since 1991 on North Stradbroke Island Specialists in Domestic, Commercial and Industrial Installations, Maintenance TV Systems, Lighting, Power, Safety switches, Hot Water systems, Stoves etc.

SEPTIC TANKS SHIPS’ BILGE HOLDING TANKS RECYCLED WATER OILY WATER DELIVERIES TREATMENT PLANTS GREASE TRAPS PORTALOOS

Bill Rhodes 0407 965 699 rholec@bigpond.net.au Dan Rhodes 0409 270 036 rhodeselectrical@hotmail.com

• Free quotes and advice • Family owned and operated • • All suburbs inc. Stradbroke and Bay Islands • • Commercial and domestic • www.liquidwaste.com.au • lees@liquidwaste.com.au

Ph. 3415 3083 Fax 3415 3098 PO. Box 186 Point Lookout 4183

3206 4844

For your Local Electrician and Member of the ECA Call Bill or Dan

Incorporating K.C. Domestic Trap Cleaning & Lee’s Septic Tank Services

BE SEEN IN SIN For all advertising booking and queries please email editor@straddienews.com Friendly Service and Best Meat Guaranteed

POINT LOOKOUT

MARKETS Tel: 07 3409 7224 rufuskingseafoods@bigpond.com 44 Sovereign Road, Amity Point, North Stradbroke Island, Qld, 4183 Proprietors: Eddie & Steph Walker Open 7 days Trawler Fresh Prawns, Oysters, Crabs, Whole Fish, Fillets Large range of frozen seafood

Stradbroke Island

BUTCHERY Phone: 3409 9088 1 Stradbroke Place Dunwich QLD Open Mon-Fri till 5pm & Sat till 12noon Fax: 3409 9196

8am til 12 noon At the community hall opposite the bowls club.

Most Sundays.

Check signs.

EFTPOS AND MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

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STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 23

NOTICE BOARD

THE MOST

AMAZING

SHOP

8 BINGLE ROAD DUNWICH

(ON THE MAIN STREET LOOK FOR THE POTS & FLAGS)

CAROL 0419 727 133 Come and visit u r sure to find that special gift, clothing or the very thing u wanted. Open 10am holidays ring and check (usually every day) non-holidays wed, thurs, sat maybe sun clothes – giftlines – furniture – collectables – the unusual – garden pots plants – sleepers – planters – manchester

Enviropest Services 07 3415 2522

P/L

11A Illawong Crescent, Dunwich 4138 • Cockroaches, spiders (Domestic pests) • Visual termites inspection and report • Termites treatments • Visual timber pest inspection and report (Pre-purchase) • Alterm (Termite shielding) • Sentricon (Termite baiting system)

Victor Korzeniewski. Licence No PMT–O–3514. BSA Licence No 743908.

CJ’s island pizza Enjoy a slice in paradise…

Visiting, leaving or just arriving? Grab a pizza, enjoy the sunset along the Dunwich foreshore.

3415 2444

OPEN 4–8pm

Ballow Road Dunwich

7 DAYS A WEEK

BAY ISLAND VALUATIONS Paul W Mergler AAPI AssocDipBus (Real Property Valuation) Certified Practising Valuer Professional property reporting through service, quality and advice.

Phone 3409 8855 Fax 3415 3060 Mobile 0417 786 708 pmergler@bigpond.com www.bayislandvaluations.com

PO Box 300 Point Lookout North Stradbroke Island QLD 4183

5-14 April

Youth Week on Straddie BE ACTIVE, BE HAPPY, BE YOU!!!

Check out what’s happening: www.facebook.com/RedlandsYouth 3829 8233 8626 03/13 SIN

STRADBROKE

OPEN PUBLIC HOLIDAYS AND EVERYDAY DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

24 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

AUTUMN 2013

NOTICE BOARD

Save big dollars

on your power bills

Strait to the Point.

with Solution Skylights.

Contact Liam Dormehl at Solution Skylights on 0433 543 254 for a free in-house quote now.

We have now established an office at Point Lookout, attended by appointment on Thursday and Friday.

You will find us at 32 Tramican Street.

Phone 07 3806 1511 for a discussion with Brian Hooker, partner.

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TRAWLER FRESH SEAFOOD Mintee Street, Point Lookout Wed to Sat 10am - 4pm & Sun 10am 3pm

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HOUSE Ph 3409 8353 Mob 0409 618 353 PROVIDING STRADDIE’S FINEST SEAFOOD

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Mid-week offers & Winter 2013 wedding specials available.

Enquire now for an obligation free wedding information kit. functions@stradbrokehotel.com.au

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Fantastic accommodation midd week deals view our we ebsite for more info. To ENQUIRE/BOOK CALL 3409 8188

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AUTUMN 2013

STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 25

NOTICE BOARD NOR TH STRADBROKE ISLAND

Historical Museum P R E S E RV I N G O U R H I S T O RY

Radio National 2009 Regional Museums Award John Oxley Library Community History Award 2010

鵹鵺 Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 2pm • Sunday 11am - 3pm 15-17 Welsby Street, Dunwich • Phone 3409 9699 www.stradbrokemuseum.com.au

Stradbroke

Stradbroke Island

Auto Repairs & 3409 9336 PO Box 39 Dunwich QLD 4183 Blair Howe

• Full Service and Tuning • Engine Reconditioning • Brakes and Clutches • Suspension and Front End Repairs • Roadworthy/Inspection Certificates

• Manual and Automatic Transmission Repairs • Tyre Repairs • Breakdown Calls • Free Quotes

BLINDS & AWNINGS Your local supplier of all types of Venetians, verticals, roller blinds aluminium and fabric awnings Showroom at 7 Ballow Road Dunwich (beside Dolphin Real Estate) PHONE DAVID THORBURN

3415 3206 0400 341 532

www.islandweddings.net.au davidroy0204@yahoo.com

Lic. no. 14408 s BSA 1239824

PLUMBING DRAINING GAS FITTING NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND DAMIEN MARSH

Phone. 0427 458 177

NSI Mobile Vet “North Stradbroke Island’s resident vet” Small animal vaccinations and house call consultations by appointment.

Dr Morgan Chance BVSc (Hons).

Mobile: 0411 539 067 • Phone : 3415 3340 Email: mchancevet@gmail.com

26 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

AUTUMN 2013

ADVERTISEMENT

Stop sand mining.

Save the natural beauty of Stradbroke Island.

You may have heard that the sand mining on Stradbroke Island has stopped…. …It hasn’t. Mining is being allowed to continue for many years on the island.

There are three large active mines on Stradbroke Island.

The Yarraman mine near Point Lookout will close in 2015, but the life of the giant Enterprise mine in the middle of the island has been extended to 2020 and the silica mine until 2025.

Mining activity is destroying acres of precious old eucalypt forest… …forests which provide food for koalas and shelter for our native species.

Large tracts of woodland with mature forest trees are being cut down as part of the sand mining activity. The hollows that form in these trees take hundreds of years to develop, and provide essential habitat and breeding grounds for many of the island’s birds, mammals and reptiles. The lengthy process for trees to mature means that no naturally occurring hollows will form on any mined land until the year 2090; put simply, revegetation is not an option.

According to the CSIRO, koala populations have declined by an estimated 80 per cent in southeast Queensland since the mid 1990s, due mostly to vegetation clearance. Their decline has become so alarming that Federal Minister Tony Burke in 2012 listed them as a ‘vulnerable’ species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. On North Stradbroke Island, their precious habitat and food is still being cleared.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUSAN HILL, HEYN DE KOCK AND ATAGLANCE.COM.AU

Australia’s best loved national icons – cockatoos, gliders and koalas - all live on Stradbroke Island, finding shelter and food in the Island’s old forests, tree hollows and eucalypt trees.

But development, including the continuous clearing of forest to accommodate extensive sand mining, has put the Island’s unique biodiversity under increasing pressure.

The risk just isn’t worth it... …Stop sand mining on Stradbroke Island.

SAVE STRADDIE.COM NATIONAL PARK — NOT MINING!

Visit www.savestraddie.com for more information about the need to protect the wilderness of Stradbroke Island.

FISHING

FISHY TALES with Jim Campbell ots of laughs, conviviality, loads of banter and a great feeling of welcome topped off with a meal fit for royalty. That is a condensed description of the annual trophy night for the Amity Point Fishing Club.

The club decided to introduce a team competition for the year and it looks like they will stay with the concept into the future. The teams consisted of members representing Brisbane, Amity, Flinders Beach and Amity Point Caravan Park.

Maybe the Dunwich mob and Point Lookout crew could get a team together and join the Amity Fishing Club. Then we’d see once and for all where the most successful fishos reside. This year the trophy for the best team went to the Caravan Park team captained by Ray Ferguson. Top catches for 2012 were: Snapper – Barry Dunn 3.170kg; Sweetlip – Steve Tudhope 0.450kg; Parrot – Jeff Weston 6.230kg ; Bream – Ben Armstrong 0.975kg; Whiting – Bob Armstrong 0.595kg; Flathead – Sasha Steinke 2.465kg;

L

Tailor – Bernie Mascord 1.470kg; Dart – Mick Williams 0.730kg; Jew – Ray Ferguson 8.800kg; Luderick – Barry Fabricato 0.800kg; Mackerel – Stewart O’ Brien 7.000kg. Club Champions were: Arienne Hedley, Ben Armstrong (junior champion) and Bob Armstrong.

A CURLY CORD TALE After hearing this next true story we may all start strapping our outboard motor safety lanyards to our wrists. That is the little plastic thing with the curly cord that fits into the stop switch on either the controls or onto the motor. I can’t disclose the name of the person involved in the incident for fear of being attacked about the head by a mullet. Our friend was cruising in and around the mangroves checking his crab pots, which can be hungry and thirsty work. He hadn’t clipped the lanyard to himself, because it didn’t look too bad just hanging off the controls. So our friend decided that he would check out what his

wife had made him for little lunch. He turned around, bent down and checked the esky for goodies. All the time, he kept his hand on the steering wheel but didn’t look where he was heading. The boat, of course, had headed a bit off course. After noting that his wife had not made him any vegemite sandwiches he stood up to find what he thought must have been Mike Tyson in the boat with him. He didn’t see it coming but just felt a sharp pain in the jaw and out the back of the boat the captain went. Luckily the boat headed into the mangroves and beached itself with the motor still running near flat out while digging a big hole to accommodate the motor.

The next trick was to turn the motor off without getting his legs cut off. That neat trick was performed by using a long stick and knocking the motor out of gear. The story had a good ending with the captain nursing only a sore jaw and a badly dented ego. I think I’ll velcro my curly cord to my wrist in future.

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3409 9252 28 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

AUTUMN 2013

PROPERTY

ISLAND PROPERTY

By Rae Green

I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains, I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, Her beauty and her terror — The wide brown land for me How true are the words from Dorothea Mackellar’s wonderful poem My Country.

Late last year the Island was so incredibly dry and we experienced frightening bush fires that burnt a huge tract of land from Myora to Amity Point; and then the rains started.

The bush is recovering now and the Island is a picture of green but we have certainly taken a beating from mother nature.

It would seem that structurally the homes on the Island have stood up well to the weather (particularly in exposed areas). However, many homes did experience problems with trees and antennas down, guttering damaged and water leakage from the driving rain.

While we all love the trees, we need to be mindful of trees that overhang our homes and can cause damage if they come down in extreme weather. Blocked gutters also cause problems in many homes. Some gutters

I have seen actually have plants growing in them!

Leaf litter in gutters and around drainage pipes stops water from escaping, causing it to back up into homes.

It is very easy after a long dry spell to forget about these minor maintenance issues but they can be expensive to rectify if they are neglected.

It would seem that the bad weather is not yet behind us so I encourage all homeowners to take a good look at their property (or ask your property manager to do it on your behalf) and assess whether any of these matters need attention.

TEE TIME

News from the NSI Golf Club with Geoff Nette

SWEET AMBROSIA To frequent visitors of Stradbroke Island, especially the golfers, word that the Straddie Ambrose is to make a triumphant return to the golf course this winter should be good news.

After a number of years in suspended animation, this most festive event on the Stradbroke Island golfing calendar is due to be reanimated on the weekend of July 6 and 7.

Don’t wait before it’s to late to be a part of the tradition: contact the North Stradbroke Island Golf Club on 3409 9999 to book a place or obtain further details.

VETERANS HONOURED In other news from the North Stradbroke Island Golf Club (known affectionately in certain circles as the Royal Dunwich) the club has recently bestowed two octogenarian members with the title of Veteran Golfers.

After many years playing around (not sure that came out right?), Joe Lake and Peter Simpson have been bestowed with this rare honour. No more green fees for you Sirs, you have finally earned your dues. Congratulations.

YOUNG SWINGERS Thanks to new club captain Kevin Zielke, an increased range of competitions are planned for the club this year, and among them a golf school for younger residents and visitors is being considered.

The North Stradbroke Island Golf Club, is open daily from 8am to 5pm. Phone 3409 9999 or visit www.northstradbrokeislandgolfclub.com.au

AUTUMN 2013

Another stuning day, first tee at the ‘Royal Dunwich’.

STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 29

SURFING with Murray Taylor

Classic Main stokes local love S

ummer produced some great waves at Point Lookout, with Main Beach delivering world class swells and fantastic barrels. One swell, just before Christmas, was like Main of old: 6ft barrels in crystal clear water.

February also produced days that will go down in the memory banks, particularly one when it was 6ft and pumping with a 10 knot northwesterly. The water got very busy with stoked locals and a few Gold Coast refugees, including pro-surfer Bede Durbidge, who made a quick trip from the Coast to join in on the fun. The surfing standard was sensational.

Just to share the love around, Cylinder shorey did a Tea Tree Bay (Noosa) impersonation for most of February, supplying quality waves. Sadly March did not start well, with non-stop easterly winds and choppy swell. Here’s hoping for change ahead.

CLUB NEWS Point Lookout Boardriders are putting a lot of energy into junior development and there have been great roll ups of parents and kids to both the Junior Comps that Dadee Taylor started, and at after school surfing on Tuesday afternoons from 3.30 to 5.30. Results for the contests saw Molly and Pieter Pike finishing on top in both events.

For information on these programs “like” the Boardriders Facebook page and come and join the fun.

ON THE CONTEST FRONT Bede Durbidge began the year ranked 20 on the World Championship Tour after a solid finish to the year in Hawaii. His first 30 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS

heat for 2013 in the Quiky Pro showed a fit, powerful Bede in form and taking a win over Taj Burrow.

Tim MacDonld and Lincoln Taylor are both chasing the World Qualifying Series (WQS) circuit this year. Neither had a great start to 2013 but both were hoping to turn that around at Margaret River, Western Australia, the next event on the tour as SIN went to print. It would be great to see both, who have scholarships to train at the Surfing Australia High Performance Centre at Casuarina Beach, Northern New South Wales, on the podium.

Lincoln had a great end to 2012, finishing 5th at the Sunset World Cup at Sunset Beach, Hawaii, the second in the Vans Triple Crown event. Bede Durbidge won the Triple Crown in 2007. This lifted Lincoln’s ranking on the One World Tour to 57. Lincoln also represented Australia in the ISA (International Surfing Association) China Cup in January, where Team Australia took gold.

PRO JUNIORS Nathan and Logan Specht also competed in the first two WQS events, but without luck.

Nathan is in his last year as a Pro Junior and is heading to Tahiti for two junior events.

Hopefully there will be quality waves and he can show his power surfing.

As SIN went to print Ethan Ewing was in Hawaii with the Billabong Team riders getting valuable experience in the powerful waves of the North Shore and surrounding islands. Ethan is the current state under 16 champion and will be competing in the same division again this year, promising great results.

From top to bottom: Resident Jason Jenner gets an early Christmas present at Main Beach.

PHOTO: MURRAY TAYLOR

Bede Durbidge at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast 2013.

PHOTO: © ASP/ KIRSTIN

caption 3: Tim MacDonald competing in the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships in January.

PHOTO: © ASP/ KIRSTIN

AUTUMN 2013

BEACH YOGA TALES by Linda Rago

A

fter a turbulent summer of low pressure systems, big seas, sweeping rain, high humidity and bush fires, it can be easy to react to this perceived pressure and feel as if we have less time to do our daily business.

Making it a good time to simply breathe and relax.

Feel for your wrist pulse and breathe in time with it – try six beats for your exhalation and four beats for your inhalation.

Then, sitting or standing, open your arms up and lift them as high as comfortable, fingers soft but open, hands wide apart and breathe as though you are connecting to the sky. Let the atmosphere, clouds or horizon fill you with a sense of scale. Open, curved, ever changing, glorious. Stop and appreciate being alive.

All this takes less than a minute – though it would be wonderful to take three.

As autumn irrepressibly embraces us, tap your lungs, jiggle your shoulders and begin to practice stretches that you enjoy. In my experience, the low pressure systems of late summer are very hard on people who suffer depression, leakage of the spirit and fluids, arthritis and vertebral-disc problems. So the postures that you like won’t increase the pressure of being drawn away from your centre. What they might help you do is breathe.

Focus your mind and concentrate on the

present moment. And when you are fully engaged in your stance, try to find balance between the lower and upper parts of your body, the left and right sides. Strong lower body and soft elastic upper body. Check if the left side is up or down and check if the right side is forward or back. In other words, honestly observe your postural imbalance and become an agent for change – make change.

We started the summer at Beach Yoga with the theme “LET’S GO” and now we drop the ‘s’ and LET GO. In Eastern medicine, autumn is the season of lungs and large intestine and the tendency to “hang on” or “congest” is foremost. It can translate as mucous not only in the nasal passages but in the digestive tract so it’s a great time to drop foods that feel like they clog you up or bloat you. And when winter comes it might be easier to generate warmth in the centre of your body and disperse it to your extremities via the blood. Start with a circulatory change now, don’t wait.

Often the key to warmth is laughter, that wonderful sound of the human spirit in flight. Plenty of that at Beach Yoga. Integral practices this autumn will be breathing techniques to LET GO, physical stimulation to shift blockage and promote laughter. When you LET GO of your tendencies and mental habits (we call that “thinking”), blockages and imbalances in the body resolve.

Shorebirds by the seaside PHOTO: BRUCE MARTIN

AUTUMN 2013

Linda Rago lrago@pigpond.net.au has been studying and teaching yoga and shiatsu healing practices since 1989. She specialises in mindful postures, recovery from injury through positive attitude, movement and respiration.

Beach Yoga — Straddie is on Facebook.

DID YOU KNOW that the bar-tailed godwit can fly more than 10,000km without stopping? Learn more about the incredible migratory and resident shorebirds to be seen on Straddie at a free workshop at the Little Ship Club in Dunwich on April 6.

Wetland Australia will host the day-long event, which will feature a presentation by an expert from BirdLife Australia and a field trip. Although not shorebirds, these Little Black Cormorants, are part of the vibrant bird life to be found on the Island. This group, roosting in a casuarina tree on the Point Lookout headland, was photographed by local resident Bruce Martin, who noticed them in the same place each day, as he took his regular bike ride. To book a spot at the workshop contact Cheryl Bolzenius 0438 733 563 or cherylb@wetlandcare.com.au

STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 31

WA AN NT TO HELP YOUR COMMUNIT TY Y? BECOME A SES VOLUNTEER R!!

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