Straddie Island News winter 2011 by twofish productions

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Straddie Island News

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WINTER 2011

AT NEWSAGENTS & SELECTED OUTLETS

PHOTO: PETRINA WALKER

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 ’ S C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R

LOCAL ARTISTS WORLD CLASS Talisah Edwards with Kinyinyarra

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CALL 1800REDCAT Snorkel between games...there’s so much to do! NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR NOT ONLY IS GOVERNMENT pulling the Island’s mining industry off us, they are destroying industries that are supporting whatever is left! The council has consistently shown incompetence in managing the Island’s affairs, so any attempt by them to curtail the wedding industry is mystifying but true to their form. The beautiful new Point Lookout hall will be the showpiece of a ghost town. And yes, I know of all the plans to revitalise the Island economy. They are so tempting and exciting but as yet have no substance. Quite simply we will need 150 full-time jobs to keep the status quo. Destroying an economy is easier than building one. I haven’t seen an Island transition economic master plan: true, there’s plenty of a smiling Anna Bligh and serious-faced minions but nothing to satisfy, give hope or console. — David Thorburn, Point Lookout LEISA SCOTT’S ARTICLE, ‘Sand Storm’, in the Courier Mail’s Q Magazine, presented a good snapshot of North Stradbroke Island. It is understandable that many islanders have expressed consternation in the face of change. However, well before the government determined that mining on NSI would end by 2025, the mining company itself disclosed it would shed half the workforce in 2015 when Yarraman mine ends. The mining company offered no strategy to assist the island community to deal with this substantial economic hole. In contrast, the government has now announced that a regional economic development strategy will be planned for NSI. Those interested in activating the longterm, sustainable post-mining economic future of the island will have the opportunity to contribute. — Jackie Cooper, Point Lookout

OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD THIS ISSUE I'M STRUCK BY HOW MUCH OF THE NEWS IS about community — community giving, community sharing, performing, volunteering, fund-raising and, of course — debating. Every group, it seems has something to say about sand-mining. There's a story about the gorgeous Straddie women who call themselves DOLLS (see page 4 to find out why) and who have raised more than $500 to buy indoor bo wls equipment for the residents of Nareeba Moopi Moopi Pa, the community-run aged care facility in Dunwich. You can read how dedicated our Island firefighters have been under the captaincy of recently retired Terry Green (page 9), and about NSI's Youthlink who this year won an Australia Day Community Organisation of the Year Award (page 23). I'm writing from chilly Sydney where it hasn't stopped raining for a week, and when it rains here in winter, it’s cold. Like many SIN readers not lucky enough to live full-time on the Island, as soon as the winter chill sets in I star t dreaming of Straddie. All I can think of are the crystal clear waters at Cylinder, still a mild 22º, and how lovely it would be lazing on the soft white sand, watching the sea-birds diving. I'm wondering what the tides are doing on Main, if the tailor are biting, and how the fairways are looking at the NSI golf club. My dad, long-time club member, Joe Lake is sure to give me an update as soon as I retur n. Perfect winter weather for me at Straddie means sunny days, crisp nights and light westerlies; not too cold on the bayside, with seas on the surfside slight enough to see whale spouts from miles away. The sort of off-shore weather that can sometimes mean perfectly formed glassy barrels for lucky surfers. And talking about whales — it's now official. According to a University of Queensland survey Point Lookout is “simply one of the best places in the w orld to watch whales”. Well, I guess we already knew that. But it’s nice the rest of the world is learning about our whale counts too. The good news, for me, is that by the time most of you are reading this, I'll be back on Straddie looking out for whales too.

ROB BRAIN AND RICHARD DUNN ARE OYSTER GROWERS within the Ningi Ningi Yum Yum Oyster group. Their baskets of rock oysters are tended most lovingly. Each bag is numbered with detail describing age and what work has been done. The various oyster types range from hatchery-bred fast grow to deep-cupped wild oysters caught on the Ningi lease. The oysters, which range in age from six months to four years, are dipped in 82º water every 12 weeks. Rob and Richard limit the quantities of oysters by volume in each long line basket to ensure maximum growth rates. This year, barnacles have been the bane of many an oyster grower. These boys enlist various friends to help cull the little barnacles off while sipping a coldie – and with the offer of the odd dozen beautiful Moreton Bay oyster from Myora for their time. — Stuart Patterson

— Trish Lake EDITOR Kate Johnston editor@straddienews.com MANAGING EDITOR Trish Lake REPORTERS Maria Tan, Pekeri Ruska, Harry Brumpton LAYOUT Mr T ADVERTISING 3252 4551 ads@straddienews.com LIKE SIN ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/straddienews

CONTRIBUTORS Editorial contributions are warmly welcomed. Articles are edited for purposes of style and space. We cannot print anonymous material. PRINTER Paradigm Print Media PUBLISHER Freshwater Productions PO Box 86 Point Lookout Qld 4183

Helen and Tony Surawski and family would like to express their sincere appreciation for all the kind thoughts, prayers, flowers, cards and amazing support from everyone. We feel very loved. 2 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

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NEWS

Local artists world class The exhibition, Oodgeroo – one person can make a difference ran at Salt Water Murris Qandamooka Gallery in Dunwich for two months. Many of the artists were descended from Oodgeroo; others called upon personal memories of her; others drew their inspiration from her poetry and books. Leecee Carmichael with The Vicar of Stradbroke PHOTO: PETRINA WALKER

he exhibition was a collaboration between Salt Water Murris Qandamooka and North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum, caretakers of the Oodgeroo of the Tribe Noonuccal Custodians of the Land Minjerribah Collection, together with the Walker family. Leecee Carmichael, Elisabeth Gondwe and Heather Way compiled the installation, with many helpers. A lot of stitchery to complement the show was expertly done by Rosemary Thurlow. About 200 people attended the opening, which even heavy rain couldn’t dampen. The Noonuccal Kunjeil dancers entertained the guests, and Lord Mayor Melva Hobson and artist Belinda Close cut the opening ribbon. The downpour forced everyone to crowd into the gallery, where Petrina Walker,

BY MARGARET SHI ELDS Oodgeroo’s granddaughter, whose vision led to the exhibition, gave a very personal view of her grandmother. Helen Pithie from the Queensland Museum, who curated the exhibition, also gave a brief introduction. A variety of styles and expressions were on show, brought together with a unity of purpose, a shared love of Stradbroke Island and a commitment to the upholding of Aboriginal cultural values. Oodgeroo’s poetry, born out of such concepts, ran like a thread through the works, binding them together. There was a sense of nostalgia to the works, sadness at the loss of a lifestyle that, in retrospect, could seem idyllic. In artist Belinda Close’s words (referring to Aunty Kath’s story, Stradbroke), “…it takes me back to when I was a child growing up out One Mile with bandicoot traps, parrot stew, fires, fresh creek water, chooks, ducks and guinea fowls

running around, fresh sea mullet, wild horses, wild cows, dirt, dugong oil medicine, Quampies, wild flowers, laughter, unity, when everybody was happy.” Oodgeroo was the name Kath Walker took some years after she became the first Australian Aboriginal woman writer ever to be published. It means “paperbark tree” and Kath explained to me many years ago that one reason she chose the name was because her people had used paperbark to record and communicate messages, which is what she did. Oodgeroo is still sending messages: everything about the exhibition celebrated Kath Walker’s life, achievements and legacy, and at the same time revealed the depth and breadth of talent in this present generation of artists. Artworks can be purchased through the Salt Water Murris Qandamooka gallery. 3415 2373.

BEES GET REPRIEVE VETERAN STRADDIE BEEKEEPER Charlie Bowman looks to have won the right to keep more than one million bees in hives on land rezoned for national park. For 25 years, Mr Bowman has kept European honey bees in more than 150 hiv es spread across mining lease land, on a permit from the mines department. Earlier this year, the Department of the Environment and Resource Management (DERM) outlawed Mr Bowman’s hives under new national parks legislation.

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A petition, launched by the Bowman family over the Easter weekend, attracted more than 1000 signatures in three days. It was sent to Queensland Minister for Environment and Resource Management, Kate Jones, who personally contacted Mr Bowman. “We did get a call from Kate Jones and they’re talking to us about a Resource Reser ve at the sites where we currently are. We’re awaiting the next move,” he told SIN. “Because of the minister’s intervention there’s a possibility that

we may be able to stay there, but I still haven’t seen anything in writing. We got people out from Parks and Wildlife and they’ve assured us that we won’t have to move and that they’ll create Resource Reserves. Patience is the word. As long as they don’t forget us.” Mr Bowman said it was important to the health of his business that the hives remain where they are. “Beekeepers that are isolated and don’t move their hives around are free of the diseases,” he said. – Harry Brumpton

10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 3

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NEWS

For the love of dance bout 200 people crammed in to the Dunwich hall to see Roll up! Roll up!, a circus-themed end-ofterm concert featuring students from the local community. Appearing on stage were a variety of Straddie kids, including littlies from the Stradbroke Early Learning Centre, members of the Dunwich Prep class, girls from the local high school, and even some adults joined in the fun. Opening with “Make ‘em laugh”, and dressed as rogue clowns, the Dunwich Prep class had everyone laughing and smiling as

they performed on their own with no adult supervision, proudly showing off their weeks of training. Their teacher, Marie Goebel, and all of the parents, were impressed with the confidence shown by the preppies performing their first live show. Also on the bill were acrobatics, hoop twirling, body bending, white-gloved and neon glowing mime artists, little elephants swaying too and fro, lions roaring and jazz dancing ponies. A group of girls from the high school performed street dance/tricking and looked proud and strong in their street gear, taking it to the audience. There was

cabaret, with some of the older girls going Moulin Rouge, before the adults showed off their newfound Latin cha cha moves. Mrs Goebel stood out in her authentic Spanish flamenco attire. Olay! Dance teachers Jasmine Stefonovic and Camille Chesterton, of Dancefit, have brought a fresh approach to the art of dancing to the Island and managed to bring the communities of Point Lookout, Amity and Dunwich together under the ‘Big Top’ to see the performances. Jasmine and Camille are currently completing a fine arts degree, majoring in dance, at QUT and travelled to Straddie every Thursday to teach at the prep class and the high school and spread their passion for dance. They were then able to translate this into a great event, anticipated and enjoyed by all of the children and their families and friends. The Aunties of our Island especially enjoyed seeing young people and their grandchildren perform in the same way that they had remembered doing as school children, coming together and singing their songs at the end of school each year, in the Dunwich Hall. Everyone in attendance at the concert expressed the hope that more of these concerts take place in the future, and especially look forward to Camille and Jasmine returning from their teacher training practicum in the next few months. Special appreciation goes from the community to Helen Groombridge for initiating this wonderful experience. — Vicki Kelleher

DOLLS bowl for aged care early 50 Island DOLLS attended a lunch at the Amity Point Community Centre where $520 was raised for the Nareeba Moopi Moopi Pa Aged Care Hostel. DOLLS (Day Out for the Lovely Ladies of Straddie) are a group of local women who raise funds for Island-based organisations. Their recent event featured a display of artworks by students of local artist Karen Anderson, who also donated her own work as prizes for raffles. Profits from meals, raffles, books and donations were given to Nareeba Moopi Moopi Pa to buy indoor bowls equipment for the residents. DOLLS has been running for 15 years and has donated to a range of deserving projects, helping to pay for facilities at the Early Learning Centre, enabling kids to participate in the Dunwich School Music Program and buying vital equipment for the ambulance, Volunteer Marine Rescue and fire brigade. DOLLS’s new committee members, including Karen Anderson, Sue McElwaine and Jackie Chadwick, would like to thank

Karen Anderson and Estelle Jarvis with some of the artworks that were on display at the recent DOLLS lunch. the previous committee members for their work and dedication to DOLLS. The next DOLLS lunch will be at the Dunwich RSL on Tuesday August 16 and will feature a trivia quiz with lots of easy questions.

4 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

If you wish to donate a prize or join DOLLS for lunch, contact Sue via email susanmcelwaine@hotmail.com or Karen on 3409 7270.

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NEWS

PHOTO: GEORGE GANZENMULLER

New firefighters needed BY MARI A TAN

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fighting scrub fires or fighting house fires, it’s all forms of rescue. “When someone rings 000 these days, they send a fire and rescue crew, even for a medical emergency, so there’s quite a lot required. For a lot of people that’s a plus and that can be very interesting.” Mr Ewing also told SIN that while fitness was a “huge plus”, the most important qualities that new recruits needed were “openmindedness and a preparedness to learn”. “You’ve got to be prepared to try to put in some hard yards to learn and hopefully what you learn will give you the confidence to go out and work in the community and help.” Veteran firefighter and recently retired Captain Terry Green served for 21 years with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) and recommends firefighting “because it’s really a satisfying career”. “Basically we’re trained up enough to cover any eventual calamity. I think it’s a very good thing to be in. You get a lot of satisfaction out of it, especially after you put out a few fires,” Mr Green said. For more information on auxiliary firefighter training and employment, visit www.fire.qld. gov.au or head down to the Dunwich or Point Lookout fire station on Tuesday evenings to speak with a local firefighter.

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people these communities have. No one else is coming over from the mainland, initially, to help. It’s the people from within the community who are going to be doing it.” Mr Ewing described firefighting as “an honourable job”. “There’s a huge thrill and joy in working with a group of people and achieving something. If there’s an incident that requires our assistance, and we’ve gone out and done something good, everybody kind of feels good about that,” he said. “You’re paid for your hours, which is a huge plus, but ultimately I don’t think many people do it for the money. I think most people do it because they have some sort of community commitment and they feel that they have something to offer.” Any Island resident interested in joining one of the three local fire brigades is encouraged to visit the Dunwich or Point Lookout fire stations during Tuesday night training sessions to meet the crew. “A lot of people aren’t aware of what fire fighters do or what’s required to fulfil this role, so it’d be good if they came down. The men and women who are currently working will be able to give them a heads up and they can make a decision for themselves,” Mr Ewing said. “It’s not just about going out and

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he Amity, Dunwich and Point Lookout fire stations are in need of new recruits, with up to 20 casual positions available for any Island resident interested in becoming a paid auxiliary firefighter. Firefighter and Point Lookout resident Bill Ewing told SIN that, although he is currently training 12 new recruits, all three fire stations are understaffed. “When an emergency unfolds, if we have a staff of 12 at one station, we may be lucky to get four persons responding. So we need to have a lot more people on the books than it would seem [necessary] just to make sure that, in an incident, we get sufficient people to fill the team,” Mr Ewing said. Mr Ewing said full training and equipment would be provided to successful applicants. “They put you through fire and rescue courses where you learn about things like structural firefighting, extricating someone who’s trapped in a motor vehicle and assisting someone who may be on a cliff face; so there’s a lot of skill sets that you attain through accredited courses,” he said. “The people that come down here and learn our skill sets have something to offer, because when someone rings 000 these are the only

If you are considering buying or selling, call now for a confidential discussion. Julie Elliott 0408 853 940

A fresh approach to real estate

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LITHO ART (07) 3375 1868

When it comes to SOLD the DIFFERENCE is Julie Elliott

P: 3415 3949 E: julie@discoverstradbroke.com.au A: Shop 5, Mintee Street, Point Lookout Qld 4183 W: www.discoverstradbrokerealestate.com.au 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 5

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TREASURE ISLAND

Celebrating Straddie’s natural treasures BY JAN ALDENHOVEN Endangered wallum sedge frog Littoria olongburensis

Looking north from Bippo Penbean ne of, if not the, best lookouts on the Island is from Bippo Penbean; 10 kilometres from Amity, nine from the Point and less than seven from Dunwich. Looking to the north, one can see straight up the spine of Moreton Island; to the north and east, the Pacific Ocean; and to the west, Moreton Bay. Bushwalkers have long regarded this as the rooftop of the Island. Until recently, a mining lease covered Bippo Penbean, but as an outcome of recent government legislation (the North Stradbroke Island Protection and Sustainability Act), this lease has gone. Instead the Quandamooka people and the state of Queensland will jointly manage the land as part of the na-

tional park extension due at the end of the year. Water is the lifeblood of the Island; how it travels through the dunes, where it surfaces or pools, affects a lot of the Island’s habitats. Stradbroke has a great variety of wetlands, lakes, streams and lagoons. The water is quite acidic and the animals that live there, like the endangered wallum sedge frog litoria olongburensis, are specially adapted to those conditions. If the water chemistry of the wetlands is altered, it can change the fauna and allow invasive species to flourish. Water moves through the Island in mysterious ways and we need to be mindful to not interrupt that flow. With more than 500 species of native plants on Straddie, you could spend a life-

6 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

PHOTO: GLEN CARRUTHERS

PHOTO: JAN ALDENHOVEN

PHOTO: HARRY HINES

time learning about them. There are wildflowers year round and some 30 different kinds of orchid. Some orchids are tiny like the little thumbnail size green hoods; others are giants, like the swamp orchid phaius australis whose flower stem is more than a metre tall. Another damp-loving Straddie plant is the blue tongue melastoma malabathricum [above pic]. Its masses of purple flowers can be seen on the edges of the Island’s swamps. Koalas also favour the trees along margins of many of the Island’s wetlands, including Flinders swamp. Straddie has an unusually high bird count too, around 250 species, and is the best landbased whale-watching site on the east coast of Australia. Minjerribah has many treasures worth looking after. Kathy Stephen’s book The Flora of North Stradbroke Island is available from Island news agencies and the Minjerribah Moorgumpin Elders office in Dunwich. Dr Jan Aldenhoven, a biologist, lives at Point Lookout WINTER 2011

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NEWS

PHOTO: KATHY EICHMANN

Community rallies to support mine bout 800 people attended a rally on Dunwich oval on Easter Saturday to show their support for the continuation of sand mining on North Stradbroke Island. Speakers who addressed the peaceful gathering included Nationals’ Senator Ron Boswell, Cleveland MP Mark Robinson, sand mining company Sibelco’s representative Paul Smith and Dunwich residents Tony Brown, of

the Straddie Sharks Football Club, and Robyn Mortimer who organised the event. According to local business owner Jim Campbell, the major concerns of the promining protesters were job losses and lack of community consultation on the early mine closure by the Bligh Government. “Most who attended had concerns about their future and have no faith in the assurances given by the Bligh government that

tourism will take over from mining as the Island’s future economic base,” Jim told SIN. Although Premier Anna Bligh was believed to be holidaying on the Island at the time, she did not attend the rally. Senator Ron Boswell told the crowd he knew of a group of barristers who had offered their pro bono services to attempt to overturn the decision to end mining earlier than promised, through the court system.

Ferry merger unopposed Only three of the 100 people who attended a public meeting to discuss the proposed Sea Stradbrok e/Stradbroke Ferries merger said they opposed a merger. Dunwich resident Bill Giles called the meeting after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (A CCC) contacted him to ask what the community thought about the planned merger. Mr Giles told SIN that a cross-section of Island business owners and managers, employees and residents from the three townships attended the meeting, which was held at the Little Ship Club in Dunwich. “The spectre of a monopoly with the possible consequences of fare increases and reduced WINTER 2011

daily services was uppermost in the minds of the community members present,” Mr Giles said. David Thomson, CEO of Stradbrok e Ferries, and Graham Leishman a director of Transit Systems, the parent company of Sea Stradbroke, addressed the meeting. According to Mr Giles, they told the meeting that neither ferry was making a reasonable retur n, nor could they afford an upgrade of infrastructure or v essels. They said the y both felt that the decline in re venue was due to a drop in touris t visits to the island and loss of re venue from the reduction in sand mining traffic, after the expor t of sand to the construction industry was stopped. The future end to sand mining was also a

consideration, they said. The men asserted that an amalg amation would allow a ne w company to pro vide a first class ser vice at a reasonable cost. They expected that, under a merged company, one barg e would depart Cleveland every hour commencing at 5.00 am and one w ould depart Dunwich every hour commencing at 6.00 am. During times of peak demand such as school holida ys, they would bring in extra v essels from the Southern Moreton Bay run. The men could not guarantee there would be no fare increases but said a merger would result in cost savings for the new company, which would reduce the need to raise prices. “All in all I thought Transit Systems

and Stradbroke Ferries presented a credible commercial argument in support of the necessity of a merger,” Bill told SIN. “When I asked for a show of hands from those w ho oppose the merger, only three people voted against it. The majority of those who attended indicated they understood the commercial imperative driving the proposal and accepted that the merger should go ahead.” Mr Giles and a deleg ation of Island business people met with the ACCC to hand them notes from the Little Ship Club meeting. Representatives from Redland City Council also he ld discussions with the ACCC about the issue of a monopoly being created if the two ferry companies merge.

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ISLAND BEAT By PETER TWORT Officer in Charge, Dunwich Police. RANDOM DRUG TESTING UNIT The Random Drug Testing Unit (RDTU) has conducted a number of operations on the Island over the past year. It was disappointing to see the number of positive results they processed, particularly during the Easter period. Both tourists and locals were caught via this testing and as a result it has been arranged that the RDTU will make regular visits to the Island. This will be in the form of covert, one-day operations, using unmarked vehicles. Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol will not be tolerated on our roads or beaches.

MOBILE RADAR Speeders beware, the mobile radar that we have had for a fair while now is continuing to net offenders. To be honest, I would be happy if we were unable to find anyone committing offences on the roads, but this is not the case. Be mindful that while we are patrolling, the mobile radar is running, and believe me this thing is very sophisticated and will pick you up from a long distance. It is that fast – it has you locked on before you can slow down. Save your licence – watch your speed.

PROPERTY OFFENCES Investigations are underway regarding a break and enter at Skip’s First Stop in Dunwich. One offender has already been located

and will appear before the court and remaining offenders have been identified and will be located. Thanks again to the community for the support we received in solving this matter. Another issue has been damage to vehicles in the ferry car parks. A number of brainless acts of wilful damage have been committed – from scratching vehicles to slashing tyres. Any information as to the identity of the offender/s will be gratefully and confidentially received.

NOISE COMPLAINTS Noise complaints remain an issue, particularly at Point Lookout. Meetings have been held with the Redland City Council, local real estate agents and other community stakeholders to find ways to alleviate the issue. This has been somewhat successful. However there are still a few old faithful addresses that keep hitting our radar. A misconception is that 10 pm is the magical hour at which noise must abate. This is not the case; excessive noise complaints can be made at any time of the day or evening. If the noise is deemed excessive, police can, and will, take relevant action. All that is asked is that you be considerate of your neighbours, and monitor the level of noise coming from your residence, be it your private home, or a holiday rental. Everyone wants to enjoy their

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holiday and lifestyle, so please be mindful of your noise levels.

PASSING OF DETECTIVE SENIOR CONSTABLE LEEDING As I penned this article, my members and I were preparing to attend the funeral of Detective Senior Constable Damian Leeding, a 35-year-old police officer who was shot during an alleged robbery on the Gold Coast. The murder of this officer sent a cold reminder, not only to the Queensland Police Service (QPS) family but also to the entire community, of the inherent dangers that police officers face in the execution of our duties. We do not seek accolades as we chose this profession. After 28 years as an operational on-road police officer, I still hold my values to help people and strive to make society a safe and harmonious place. I know this is true of all QPS members. It is a harsh reality that at times this comes at an extreme price. What we have seen throughout Queensland, and nationally, is an outpouring of community support for the Leeding family and the QPS. This has been evident here on the Island where hundreds of ribbons were being worn, and numerous calls and comments of support were received from the community. This has been heartening for my officers and I, and we thank you.

Looking for a local apprentice BY PEKERI RUSKA LOCAL BUSINESS O WNER, Colin Battersby, is looking for a Straddie resident to undertake a chef apprenticeship at his popular fish and chip café, Fishes at Point Lookout. “A local person will already have somewhere to live on the Island and will be able to develop their career locally,” Colin told SIN. While trade apprenticeships are available to young people on the Island, Colin says not enough are being offered in the hospitality arena. “With a tourism job you can travel the world, work in all sorts of places and countries; it’s a definite career.” Colin told SIN that a w orkplace apprenticeship generally lasts for four years, though it can be less depending on the commitment to col lege hours the apprentice decides to make.

“Traditionally, an apprentice starts off on the pots and pans and mo ves on to peeling spuds, and chopping onions,” Colin said. “At F ishes they will be cooking very quickly – breakfast, fish and chips etc. We also prep about 50 kilos of garden salad every week, prepare and crumb perhaps 500 kilos of fresh local fish and so on. Each day we have one chef w ho just wields their knife doing this stuff. The others cook and clean up. The goal is, of course, for the apprentice to be introduced to the whole kitchen.” Straddie is looking towards sustainable tourism and Fishes is no exception, already doing its par t by introducing sustainable practices to save power, energy and the environment. “We’ve spent a whole heap of money in upgrading to a refrigeration system

8 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

that uses the least amount of electricity,” Colin said. “The council doesn’t recycle business waste, so we separate our cardboard and take it to the waste transfer station ourselves. We have a machine that crushes all of our glass, and we separate our organic waste to use as compost.” One exceptional example of recycling undertaken by Fishes is their method of recycling old oil. Rather than throwing out the 200 litres of oil used each week at Fishes, a local fisherman collects it and turns it into bio-diesel to fuel his land cr uiser, which he then uses to deliver fresh produce to the café. Colin says Fishes also supports other local businesses by using local produce. “We buy about $500,000 of produce every year and about $330,000 of

that is spent on local produce, including seafood, the milkman, the baker, butcher, and our fruit and vegies come from the Island Fruit Barn (in Dunwich). We buy everything we possibly can on the Island.” Now Colin and the Fishes team want to further support the local community by providing work and training for one young person. So if your passion lies with food, your interests in local business, and presentation and punctuality are high on your list of qualities, you might want to conside r applying for the position of apprentice che f at Fishes. But most importantly, Colin adds, “The applicants need to ha ve a lo ve for Straddie; because we don’t just sell fish and chips, we sell Straddie.”

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FEATURE

Fire in his belly Despite being on call 24 hours a day for 21 years, retired Captain Terry Green’s passion for firefighting still burns bright, Maria Tan reports.

uring his time as an auxiliary fire fighter in the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS), 16 of those as captain of the Point Lookout fire station, Terry was on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The 64-year-old father of two responded to every single emergency call, an extraordinary feat to which his wife Rae and their children can vouch. “Let me tell you, it’s had its moments,” Rae told SIN. “We joke about it now, but we have a 24-year-old daughter (Peta) and a 22-yearold son (Dane). They’ve grown up and they really don’t know anything else except that if the phone goes off in the middle of the night and it’s a fire call, Dad goes out to the fire. And not just fires; they go to car accidents, they go to drownings, they go to people falling down stairs and the ambos needing assistance, they go to all of those things. “I used to get really annoyed because Terry could get called out, go to a fire, come home, go back to bed and fall asleep while I was still awake from when he first got the fire call. But that was just the knack that he had,” Rae said. Following in his father’s footsteps, Dane joined the QFRS as an auxiliary fire fighter in 2007. When asked what made him decide to get into the same line of work, Dane replied proudly, “Oh Terry for sure. I’ve seen him doing it from when I was really young and I’d always wanted to join as well. So I joined when I was 18, as soon as I could.”

Dane, Peta, Terry and Rae Green Father and son worked side-by-side at the Point Lookout fire station for almost four years before Terry’s retirement in May this year. The veteran firefighter spoke warmly of moments spent training his son, and with a mixture of excitement and concern as he recalled a blaze they battled together near Myora Springs Environmental Park. “The two of us turned up to the corner of Gatumba Street and the main road at Myora to be confronted by eight metre high flames,” Terry said. “It was so high that it crossed the road and burnt up the other side of the road as well. So we got there at about four in the afternoon confronted by this and we hit it with as much water as we could and we knocked it right down.” While admitting that he worries from time

Terry and Dane Green WINTER 2011

to time about the situations his son may face without him, the former fire captain has strong faith in son’s training and the camaraderie between the QFRS fire fighters. “We’re all good friends,” he said. “I usually see them about two or three times a week when I’m around the place. I still run into them and some of the retired firefighters who I keep in touch with, which is good. It’s like a club.” It is this comradeship that Mr. Green says he loved most about being a firefighter. “All fire fighters are brothers. I really do miss it.” As a tribute to Terry Green’s 21 years of service as a fire fighter and 16 as captain, QFRS officers from the mainland and all three fire stations on the Island threw him a farewell party, where he was presented with a certificate in recognition of his service, along with a letter from the QFRS Commissioner. Fire fighter Bill Ewing, who has known Terry for almost 30 years, told SIN “the words ‘dedication and commitment’ accurately describe how Terry fulfilled his role. “In those 21 years there were an enormous number of people who came and went through this station at Point Lookout; the attrition rate was quite high. Terry just stuck with it through thick and thin, under a lot of difficult circumstances too, where decisions had to be made. “As time went by he just got better and better at it, because there’s no substitute for acquired knowledge in this job. The longer that you do it, the better that you get at it just by virtue of experience,” Bill said. “It’s not that he was captain that’s the greatest loss. It’s the loss of someone with 21 years of experience. “The men and women I’m training now will be very enthusiastic and they’ll be very keen. But it’ll take them a long, long time to see and do and learn the things that Terry’s learnt,” Bill said. “His knowledge and experience are a sad loss.”

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NEWS

Sin BRIEF

Pekeri makes Island proud

STRADDIE REFERENCE GROUP

Minister Kate Jones has established a North Stradbroke Island Reference Group to enhance communication between the state government, Redland City Council, the Quandamooka People, business and stakeholder groups, and the community. The group will include two community representatives, who were to be selected through a self-nomination process. The reference group is expected to meet on a monthly or as-needs basis.

ISLANDERS MULCH MORE

Residents on North Stradbroke, Coochiemudlo, Karragarra, Lamb, Macleay and Russell Islands are more likely than people on the mainland to compost or mulch their green waste, according to the Redland City Council. RCC also says more people living on islands have downsized their waste bin in the past year than those on the mainland. “By downsizing their waste bins islanders are rewarded for producing less waste, by paying less for their kerbside waste service,” Mayor Melva Hobson said. “And even though island residents can take their green waste to transfer stations for free (along with the rest of their household waste), they are also re-using their garden waste as compost and mulch.” Residents on the mainland will have kerbside collection of green waste later this year. Islanders can register their interest in a green waste bin collection service “some time in the future”. To register your interest phone 3829 8166 or email rcc@redland.qld.gov.au.

STRADDIE FUTURES ON FACEBOOK

Island councillor Craig Ogilvie is starting an online conversation with his constituents via a Facebook group, Straddie Futures. “It’s just another way for the community to have conversations and ask questions about the future,” he said. “The site is primarily aimed at Island residents but we all know there are many others who love Straddie and wish to contribute to its future.” You can also stay up to date on Island news, in between issues of SIN, by “liking” us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/straddienews

LINES IN THE SAND

LINES in the SAND is a free four-day festival (June 29 – July 2, 2011) of ephemeral art, workshops, talks, performance, projection, art market and auction, as well as other spontaneous happenings. Share your roots with the Island, while welcoming a sustainable influx of tourism. For more information about visit www.linesinthesand. com.au or contact JulieAnn Ellis via email: jape74@live.com.au or phone: 0423 267 380.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

About 50 people attended the inaugural AGM of the Straddie Chamber of Commerce (SCC) at the Amity Community Club. David Thomson of Stradbroke Ferries was elected chairman, with Milton Kemp of Dolphin Real Estate voted treasurer and Robin Barrass of Samarinda Resort, secretary. Elected committee members are: Col Battersby, Discover Stradbroke; Gordon Dix, Seashells Café; Paul Kemp, Golden Sands Services; Paul Smith, Sibelco Aust; and Debbie Wilson, of Transit Systems (Sea Stradbroke). Col Battersby is setting up a tourism sub-committee and Milton Kemp an economic transition subcommittee. To join or receive updates, contact Liz Weil via: lw@stradisphere.com.au

Proud parents Tracy and Dale Ruska with Pekeri (centre), outside the Brisbane Supreme Court

ocal Goorumpul woman Pekeri Ruska, who was educated at the Dunwich School to year nine, has been admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland as a solicitor. Pekeri, who completed her high school education at Cleveland State High, holds a dual degree in law and journalism from Griffith University. Since beginning her studies, Pekeri has gained experience in criminal law, administrative law, human resources law and has undertaken pro bono (unpaid) work for Aboriginal rights for a number of years. In March, Pekeri’s parents, Dunwich residents Dale and Tracy, watched with pride as she was admitted to the Supreme Court as a lawyer. Pekeri, who studied in Sweden and other parts of Europe while completing her degree, now works as a Legal Officer and Project Manager for RBY Projects, an Aboriginal-owned management company.

As the head of RBY’s legal department and coordinator of RBY’s social programs, she uses her legal degree to assist Aboriginal groups to take advantage of the opportunities that arise on their land. She works closely with Aboriginal communities on projects that facilitate the revitalisation of Aboriginal language and on scholarship programs, and she also edits a community newsletter. Away from work, Pekeri works with her family to strive for Aboriginal rights and justice for her people. A recent Dunwich School newsletter summed up the high community regard for Pekeri. “Her family and community are proud of Pekeri and her achievements through her hard work and dedication. Her parents are to be congratulated also for their love, assistance and determination to educate their children on the Island. Pekeri is an inspiration to many in her community and we wish her well for the future.”

Singing in yer singlet

very second Saturday morning the Island comes alive with sound of music, as musical director Ann Bermingham workshops the Stradbroke Island Singers at the Dunwich Early Learning Centre. Now the Island’s younger voices have joined in the chorus with the formation of the Stradbroke Island Singlets. When parents learn with their children, singing class isn’t something that happens once a fortnight on Saturdays – it’s a life experience shared by the whole family. Jamella and Satchi Ogilvie’s dad Sean has been a member of the Stradbroke Island Singers for a few years and now his daughters have joined the Singlets. “It’s good,” they told SIN, “because Dad does it with us.” Ann is especially good at sparking the children’s creativity; the children contribute ideas and together they create a chorus to go along with actions. Ann’s warm-up exercises at the beginning of the workshop emphasise the concept that singing is a whole body activity, not simply a vocal exercise, and the children’s movement with song echoes this. Not surprisingly, the group-created choruses

10 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

Young singers Jamella and Satchi Ogilvie, with their great-grandfather Stan Crowther don’t always rhyme, so Ann has introduced clapping as a way to anchor the lines. The children themselves added stomping. Jamella and Satchi particularly like the combination of song and movement. Singing makes them feel good, they told me; they have lots of fun with friends. And you can’t say better than that! — Margaret Shields Singlets singing workshops are held fortnightly on Saturdays at the Dunwich Early Learning Centre from 9 to 10 am, followed by some playtime. Stradbroke Island Singers (SIS) Workshops are held from 10 am to 1 pm, same place. For workshop dates phone Sean Ogilvie on 34098 097 (Singlets information) or Keith White on 34098 473 (SIS information). WINTER 2011

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NEWS

Quandamooka dreaming

PHOTO: JAN ALDENHOVEN

Mayor Melva Hobson, Aunty Margaret Kucirek and Aunty Joan Hendriks (pictured l-r) were among 400 people who attended the world premiere of the Quandamooka Dreaming documentary film series at the Redland Performing Arts Centre. With funding from the Redland City Council, and editorial and production control by the Quandamooka Combined Aboriginal Organisations Forum, filmmaker Marcia Machado created four films about the history and living culture of the Quandamooka people (people of the Moreton Bay region). Working in collaboration with Elders, community leaders and young people of Quandamooka Country, Machado captured more than 70 hours of film, which she then edited into the four short films featuring the voices of more than 50 people from the community; from pre-schoolers to elders sharing their stories, dreams and aspirations. The Quandamooka Combined Aboriginal Organisations Forum represents the five incorporated Aboriginal community organisations on the Island.

WHALES WATCH “If you stand up at Point Lookout between mid-June and mid-July, there’ll be, on average, a new whale coming into your field of view every seven minutes or so.”

niversity of Queensland researcher, Dr Mike Noad, reckons Point Lookout is “simply one of the best places in the world to watch whales”. Mike has been involved with the triennial humpback whale survey, during which volunteers count whales as they pass the Point Lookout headland on their northern migration, since 2004. Last year’s survey found an average of 85 whales passing Point Lookout between the hours of 7am and 5pm each day. “Put it another way,” said Mike. “If you stand up at Point Lookout between mid-June and mid-July, there’ll be, on average, a new whale coming into your field of view every seven minutes or so.” Though in reality, he says, the whales tend to travel in small groups. “Some periods you may only have one or two new groups appear per hour, but at

WINTER 2011

other times you may have 20. Also some of the groups are easier to see than others. “But we have shown from aerial surveys that 80 per cent of the whales pass within five kilometres of the headland and so they are relatively easy to spot.” Mike told SIN that data from the humpback survey is used to work out how many whales are in the population and how quickly the population is growing. “I analyse the data and the results end up in reports to the federal government (who fund the survey) and in scientific papers to the International Whaling Commission, which keeps track of whale population sizes and growth rates. “The east Australia population of humpbacks was nearly wiped out by whaling in the early 60s and probably got down to about 1 per cent of its original population, which we think might have been around 25,000 whales.

“Since then they’ve made a rapid recovery, growing at between 10 and 11 per cent per year for the past 25 years or so. Last year we estimated we were up to about 15,000 whales, which is excellent. We think the rate of growth will start to slow soon as the population builds back up towards its original size. We don’t really know though where it will level out – only time will tell.” About 18 to 20 volunteers give about 2000 hours to the survey. “Most of them are recent graduates in biology or marine science. Most are from overseas and come to Australia primarily to undertake the survey; it’s recognised as one of the best land-based whale surveys in the world. “During last year’s survey Redland City Council was extremely helpful and supportive,” Mike said. “They built us a scaffolding tower to use as a viewing platform. It was excellent and not particularly cheap. So they deserve special thanks.”

10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 11

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NEWS FEATURE

Karen for Mayor? BY MARI A TAN

Karen Williams attended the recent Dunwich rally in support of sand mining

aren Williams, the only local councillor who openly rejects new state government legislation that will put an end to mining on Straddie, hopes to be elected mayor of Redland City Council next year. The Capalaba councillor, who says ecotourism cannot fill the economic gap left by mining, has told SIN that mining and Indigenous land agreements are two key issues that need to be addressed on the Island. “Obviously the financial and economic sustainability of an Island that’s facing job losses through the bringing forward of the departure of sand mining on the Island, that’s a critical issue,” Cr Williams told SIN. “The other issue I suppose that’s critical at the moment is the Indigenous land agreements, which I think have a huge impact on the future of North Stradbroke Island.” The independent mayoral candidate has called the Bligh Government’s plans to convert 80 per cent of the Island into national park “premature”, telling SIN, “I think it’s been pretty much a political hot potato as well.” During a general meeting at Redland City Council on April 27, Cr Williams asked the RCC to reject the Bligh Government’s new legislation, asking that: “… Council resolve to put forward their complete rejection of the recent North Stradbroke Island Protection

and Sustainability Act 2011 to the State Government”. None of the other nine councillors present voted in favour of the motion.” “I didn’t get any support,” Cr Williams told SIN. “I was surprised because local government is at the grass roots of the community and often they look to us to be a voice on these sorts of issues. I think we could’ve demonstrated better leadership in terms of taking a role in lobbying against the State acting so hastily.” In a statement released to SIN, Cr Williams further said: “For half a century the jobs and investment provided by sand mining have allowed the cultural and economic health of the Island to remain livable. Eco tourism will not fill this gap and that has been demonstrated in many places over time.” Two days after the motion was lost, on April 29, Cr Williams posted on her blog: “ … just because I don’t support their position they haul out the personal attacks alleging political affiliations, donations from mining companies etc. Quite hilarious really – the mayor insinuated I was an LNP member because I laid a wreath on ANZAC Day on behalf of the federal member for Bowman? For the record, I am not a member of any political party and have not received donations from any mining company.” Cr Williams, who is in her second term at

12 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

RCC as Division 9 Councillor for Capalaba and Alexandra Hills, told SIN Straddie would benefit from stronger leadership if she were elected Mayor. “I’ve got experience with local government that basically gives me an insider’s knowledge as to how government works and how it should operate. I’m a born and bred Redlander and, as far as I’m concerned, North Stradbroke Island has been part of my life starting as a child, having visited there et cetera, and having close friends that live there, and I think that intimate knowledge of Stradbroke and having a big picture of the Redlands is really important.” The mother of two was born and raised in Capalaba and attended high school at Mt Carmel College in Wynnum before working in domestic and foreign exchange markets. She ran two “floral studios” in Bulimba and Coorparoo with her husband before entering local politics in 2004. “I think there’s no doubt that North Stradbroke Island is one of the shiniest jewels in the crown. It’s a huge natural asset in terms of community and its culture is really important. It has great potential to serve the people of not just Stradbroke Island but Redland City, so I think we need to have passionate leadership and put that in the forefront,” she said. WINTER 2011

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NEW BUSINESS

For Donna, Straddie is the event Donna Shannon knows better than most that change is happening on Straddie. er husband Mark, known to friends as Spider, has worked in the mining industry for 14 years, enabling the couple to pay a mortgage and raise their kids on Straddie, giving them, as Donna puts it, “the same relaxed and simple childhood that I was privileged enough to enjoy”. Donna arrived on Straddie in 1971 with her parents, Jan and Max Craig and two sisters, Tracey and Sandra. “We moved in to a shack my grandfather had built in the 1940s from bits and pieces he scrounged,” Donna told SIN. “The shack was on lighthouse hill and was called Tree Tops. It’s gone now and has been replaced by a pink house with a green roof that was built to my grandmother’s specifications after she won the casket (golden casket lottery) when she was about 80. “It was an amazing childhood growing up on the hill. We did lots of fishing, exploring, swimming, socialising and life was simple.” Some things change; some stay the same. In 1994, Donna and Spider bought a 1950s Straddie shack, just over the hill from where she had spent her childhood. At the time they thought the house was “ridiculously expensive”. “Little did we know!” Donna said. “We simply bought because we loved the place, its people and the lifestyle.” The lifestyle included home-schooling children Clancy and Nell for six years, at the end of which the family took off on a sixmonth surfing adventure, travelling through Asia while Mark was on long service leave from the mine. Now “… with the mine ending and our future changing” Donna is making some changes of her own. The kids have enrolled at Dunwich state school and she has launched an event management and styling business called Stradbroke Island Events. “I’ve been managing events, party equipment hire, grants and acquittals within Youthlink (a community not-for-profit organisation that organises sport, culture and art events for Straddie youth) since 2000. In fact, it became a passion for me. I gained so many skills through my voluntary work and get such a buzz from being part of a great team who can make stuff happen. “Before I had kids I was employed as restaurant manager at the Stradbroke Hotel WINTER 2011

PHOTO: JESS SCOTT

Stradbroke Island Events organiser Donna Shannon with husband Spider and kids Nell and Clancy

and I managed many conferences, wedding entertainment and special events there. “The event service industry ticks all the boxes for me. I get to be part of people’s celebrations, I get to plan amazing events, I get to be over-the-top creative, I get to meet and interact with lots of people – and all of this happens in a place I adore.

“I’ve purchased a lot of equipment, including a 6.5 metre trailer to transport my equipment. I have banquet tables and chairs, bar tables and stools, bamboo arbors, lots of lighting, table decorations, metres and metres of white draping fabric, candles galore, crockery, cutlery, PA systems, marquees – the list goes on.” Stradbroke Island Events’ inaugural event was the Redland City Council Tourism Summit at the Point Lookout Surf Club in May, for 100 delegates, though by that time Donna already had another 17 events on her books. “There is a thriving wedding industry on Straddie,” Donna told SIN, “and their tourism is great for the Island economy. An average wedding includes somewhere between 50 and 80 guests. “They fill barges, holiday houses, cafes, restaurants, shops, and keep lots of people employed – and wedding guests are generally very respectful and low impact as far as tourism goes. “As soon as I made the decision to enter the event industry I knew instantly it was the right decision and that I was really going to love my work.” Call Donna on 0418 301 000 for information about Stradbroke Island Events.

10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 13

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OPINION

Mining and national parks, but

PHOTOS: NIKKI PARKER

BY PEKERI RUSKA

North Stradbroke Island is Aboriginal Land: local kids wear their t-shirts with pride

Minister Kate Jones (far left) talks to Dale Ruska at a protest against sand exports

he closure of sand mining on the Island has become a hot topic. The ‘Anna, don’t shut Straddie down,’ slogan is pasted all around town. It is clear that converting Straddie into a national park is high on Labor’s agenda; but the Aboriginal people appear to have been forgotten. What happened to the recognition of legal land rights of the Aboriginal people of the Island? Aboriginal occupation sites on Minjerribah have been carbon dated by archaeologists to be at least 22,500 years-old. Archaeologists have also found that Aboriginal occupation has, uniquely, continued unbroken to this day. In 1994, the Quandamooka Native Title claim, consisting of the Nunukel, Ngugi and Goenpul clans, was lodged on behalf of the Aboriginal people of

North Stradbroke Island. The claim was the third lodged after the historical case of Mabo, which was pivotal in changing Australian land law and resulted in the introduction of the Native Title Act. The claim was made on behalf of the community, not a tribal group, to ensure fairness to all Aboriginal people who formed part of the Quandamooka community. Dale Ruska and Ian Delany were applicants to the claim, representing all of the Quandamooka people. However, in 2001, Dale removed himself as an applicant on the grounds that he believed no just outcome for Aboriginal people would be reached through the native title process. Ian remains as the sole applicant to the claim. When lodged, the Quandamooka claim was perceived as one of the strongest urban claims in Australia,

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PHOTOS: NIKKI PARKER

what about Aboriginal rights?

due to the Aboriginal people’s continued and unbroken connection to the land. However, the native title negotiation process has not been simple. In fact, the process has been overwhelming and brought much distress and heartache to the Quandamooka people.

“We have always had to prove ourselves to the wider community and government, it has been very difficult,” said Ian. “It’s been very long and extremely difficult, and throughout the journey there has been virtually a whole generation of elders, who held high hopes in achieving a satisfactory outcome, pass away,” Dale said. Almost 20 years on and there is still much that needs to be negotiated and agreed upon. Nonetheless, the legal recognition of the Quandamooka people, as the legal landowners of the Island and its surroundings, is near. But what will native title really mean to the Quandamooka people? Darren Burns is the family representative for several of the family groups to the claim. “Native title will mean recognition that we are the traditional owners of this region we call Quandamooka, and everything that flows from that, including the rights and interests that we are legally entitled to,” Darren explained. “The next generation will have resources, processes and guiding principles to enable them to move into the future, with a lot more than what my generation had.” The views of what recognition will mean differs among the community. “The way it is all being proposed at present, native title recognition will actually be legally diminishing of our Aboriginal first nation rights to our land. It represents a lot of losses to us and it does not provide us with a secure future regarding our rights, nor does it ensure we have economic equity,” Dale said.

Recently, the government introduced the North Stradbroke Island Protection and Sustainability Act, which authorises the implementation of national parks on the Island. This act was announced, designated and gazetted before the native title group gave authorisation to the proposal. Opinions on national parks are also divided among Aboriginal people. “The benefits of national parks means that once again we have a legally-ratified process to protect our land … there is also an aim to have more of the national park wholly controlled by the Quandamooka people, through their own specific land management principles and processes,” Darren said. However, many Quandamooka people believe the most important issue at present is the recognition of Aboriginal rights, before national parks. “We are the traditional owners, our rights come first before anything else, including national parks. My main concern is that our Aboriginal rights are protected,” Ian said. “The recognition of Aboriginal rights should be the first priority. Before national parks, all land that is held by the state should be returned to the Aboriginal people in full legal title, then the Aboriginal people can consider what the future land use options are for their land, and national parks may be a possibility,” said Dale. To portray the message of recognising Aboriginal rights first and foremost, before national parks and sand mining on Straddie, t-shirts bearing the message “North Stradbroke Island is Aboriginal Land, always was, always will be were recently launched. Now the shirts can be seen around the Island, worn proudly on the backs of many Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people who feel strongly about the matter. The fight and struggle for legal recognition of Aboriginal rights is far from over. The journey so far has been one phase of an 18yearlong journey. It is questionable whether it will provide better opportunities to Aboriginal people then generations have had in the past. Only time will tell. Pekeri Ruska is a Goorumpul woman from North Stradbroke Island.

ORDER T-SHIRTS BY EMAIL goori.sovereignty@hotmail.com Please include shirt sizes in your email message. Kids $15. Adults $18.

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Help us keep Straddie Open.

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Together weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re fighting for our families, friends and way of life. Our tight-knit community deserves a strong and thriving future. We believe in the long-term survival of our island. Sustainable Stradbroke www.sustainablestradbroke.com.au

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NOTICE BOARD

THE ACCOMMODATION CENTRE AND REAL ESTATE SALES Ray White North Stradbroke Island is the largest and longest established Real Estate Office servicing the entire Island. Residential and commercial sales, leasing, project marketing and investment portfolio management are our areas of expertise. If you are considering renting your valuable holiday property at Point Lookout please consider our professional management team who would be happy to provide you with a Management Package for your consideration along with advice on how to set your property up for rental, rental rates and recommended inventory items.

Excellent Career Opportunity at Fishes Café! APPRENTICE CHEF Dan Battersby and the team at Fishes Café are looking for an interested person to begin their chefs apprenticeship. We believe in a positive spirit and strive to show our guests to the island what Straddie is all about. Fishes is open 7 days a week, 364 days of the year, servicing local residents and visitors to Straddie with sumptuous breakfast, local sourced produce and a casual but value for money lunch and evening menu offer. You will be joining an award winning crew that believes in hospitality, friendship and enjoying each others company at work and at play! Above ward wages and generous government incentives make this tourism training opportunity signiﬁcant. School leavers and mature age, career changers encouraged.

4 Meegera Place Point Lookout PH 3409 8255 straddie.qld@raywhite.com www.visitstradbroke.com.au

Join our team, get qualiﬁed and travel the world!

Rae Green 0417 797 885 Alan Carter 0409 873 757

Email your résume to FishesAtThePoint@gmail.com and we’ll get in touch – go on – make it happen!

18 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

WINTER 2011

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NOTICE BOARD

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an outsider, but as somebody who lives in the islands and is conversant with both the people and the property. By utilising Bay Island Valuations you are able to liaise directly with the valuer, who will in turn provide you with a prompt, personal and professional service at the most reasonable fees available. Bay Island Valuations presently conduct property valuations on North and South Stradbroke Islands, Moreton Island, Russell Island, Macleay Island, Karragarra Island, Lamb Island and Coochiemudlo Island. We are active within the following areas of property valuation and consultancy — Mortgage security purposes, family law & litigation, pre-sale or pre-purchase, stamp duty and capital gains, local authority rating and land tax, resumption & compensation valuations, government, rental determinations and consultancy advice, progress inspections during construction. At Bay Island Valuations we strive to provide professional property reporting through Service, Quality and Advice.

10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 19

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NOTICE BOARD

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Open Monday, Thursday, Friday , Saturday: 9.30 am - 5 pm Sunday: 9 am till 1 pm • Open 7 days on school holidays

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3409 8798

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Natural Beauty from the sea

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OVER 20 YEARS Phone 3409 8219 Shop 4 – Point Lookout Beach Resort North Stradbroke Island Open Tues – Sat 10.00am – 5.00pm (after hours available by appointment) 20 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

All you can eat Pizza/Pasta buffet every Wednesday — $15 / $9 kids Delicious a la carte menu Thursday to Sunday. Great takeaway deals! Order pizza and get the second one of equal or lesser value 1/2 price — the same with pasta. Every night! We deliver at Point Lookout too! Fully Licenced Open Wednesday to Sunday from 5.00pm Ph: 3409 8778 www.lafocaccia.com.au

Phone 3409 8353 Mobile 0409 618 353 Straddie’s local ﬁsher for quality seafood Cnr Tramican & Donahue Sts, Point Lookout

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WINTER 2011

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PHOTO: SAM CRAIG. VISUAL MOMENTS

1. Jasmine and Rick Relentless rain may have forced Jasmine Williamson and Rick Pacey to hold their wedding ceremony under cover at the Amity Club, but the couple still managed a short romantic beach walk between showers. 2. Alana and Marshall When Alana Brown and Marshall Sigley wanted a beautiful location for their wedding, Marshall’s father, Barrie, who manages the Island runway, suggested Amity Point. The pair were married at the beach and held a reception at Seashells Café. Guests were delighted when a koala decided to move between trees, just across the road from the restaurant. WINTER 2011

PHOTO: SAM CRAIG. VISUAL MOMENTS

Weddings

PHOTO: SAM CRAIG. VISUAL MOMENTS

a Island

3. Katie and Adam Katie Turner and Adam Davies recited their wedding vows in front of family and friends on Home Beach. 4. Alison and Michael As Michael Jarvis had proposed to Alison Garland in South Gorge, it was their first choice as the location of their wedding. Stormy southeasterly winds dropped off just the day before and the sun came out to produce a stunning day.

10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 21

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NOTICE BOARD Friendly Service and Best Meat Guaranteed

15-17 Welsby Street, Dunwich Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 2pm Tel: 07 3409 7224 rufuskingseafoods@bigpond.com 44 Sovereign Road, Amity Point, North Stradbroke Island, Qld, 4183

Adult $3.50 Conc $2.50 Child $1.00 Phone 3409 9699

www.stradbrokemuseum.com.au

Proprietors: Eddie & Steph Walker

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

Open 7 days Trawler Fresh Prawns, Oysters, Crabs, Whole Fish, Fillets Large range of frozen seafood

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Telephone: 07 3409 8213 Fax: 07 3409 8733 Mobile: 0407 677 751 Email: pointlookoutrealty@straddy.net.au www.pointlookoutrealty.com.au

Stradbroke Island

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 22 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

WINTER 2011

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NEWS

NSI YOUTHLINK 2011

he year started well for local group NSI Youthlink, winning the Redland City Council Australia Day, Community Organisation of the Year award. For the volunteers behind Youthlink the award was recognition of years of hard work winning community recognition and raising awareness, as well as their joy in watching the children of today become the adults of tomorrow, fulfilling their dreams. Youthlink was also successful in its application for a grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund. The grant will allow the group to fulfil an exciting event calendar, which kicked off this year with a twoday Skate Biz workshop.

Eight pro-skaters came to the Island to demonstrate skate, scooter and rip sticking. All involved had fun, gained confidence and learnt some new tricks, as well as winning prizes. Youthlink’s next event will be a spectacular weeklong workshop culminating in a one-day Sand Art and Whale Welcoming Ceremony, welcoming the whales on their annual migration north. This extravaganza will start in the midst of school holidays on Sunday July 3 and workshops will run for two hours each day that week, with the official ceremony on Saturday July 9, at 11am at Flinders Beach. The day will showcase Indigenous heritage, include an inspection of three bamboo cubby houses that will be made during

the week, and of course the highly anticipated sand sculpting contest, fire twirling, drumming, circus tricks, educational talks and storytelling. Youthlink’s 2011 event calendar also includes an adventure weekend, a six-month band mentoring project and a gala event. All events are made possible through donations from our generous sponsors, tireless board and volunteers hours and, most importantly, the young people of this very special Island home. For more information about any Youthlink events, become our friend on Facebook or call 0418 301 000. www.facebook.com/nsi.youthlink — Naomi Henny, president of Youthlink

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10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 23

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NOTICE BOARD

24 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

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OPINION

The Protection and Sustainability Act: does it protect or sustain the Island?

The Bligh Government claims that it has acted to protect the Island’s fragile environment from destructive sand mining. Does this stand up to scrutiny?

he North Stradbroke Island Protection and Sustainability Act was passed by parliament in April. Despite its title and claimed object of ending mining, a principal purpose was to renew key expired mining leases and enable mining to continue at Enterprise mine until 2019 and at Vance mine until 2025 (section 11 and schedule 1 of the act). Prior to the act, mining had been taking place on a long-expired lease at Enterprise mine while Vance mine was utilising an expired lease for a processing plant. To assess the government’s actions, it is necessary to understand two issues: • the potential life of NSI mineral sand mining; and • the law relating to expired mining leases.

The potential life of mineral sand mining on NSI All reliable evidence shows that mining as an economic force on Straddie will have halved by 2014 and ended between 2020 and 2027. Before being taken over by a privately owned Belgian company, the Island’s two mineral sand mines were owned by Consolidated Rutile Limited. As a public company, with duties to report honestly to shareholders and the Stock Exchange, CRL disclosed (in reports to shareholders, in its own newspaper The Sand Times and on its website) that mining would end between 2020 and 2027 (assuming expired leases were renewed). A May 2009 letter to the Stock Exchange, just prior to the takeover, was the latest of WINTER 2011

these statements. The letter, which also indicated that half of mining jobs would go with closure of the Yarraman mine in 2013, can be viewed at www.savestraddie.com (along with other CRL documents, under the ‘library-resources’ tab). Although the Vance silica mine potentially has a longer life, its contribution to the Island economy is minor because it only employs about 15 people.

Expired lease laws Under Queensland’s expired lease laws, which apply everywhere except North Stradbroke Island, there is no right to renewal. In fact, the opposite is true. The minister for mines must be satisfied of each of a number of factors before a lease can be renewed. If the minister is not satisfied with even one of those factors, there is no legal power to renew (section 286A of the Mineral Resources Act). And there would be no compensation payable because there was no right to an extension.

Why renewal was unlikely There were several factors the minister was unlikely to be satisfied of in considering whether to renew expired mining leases on Straddie; one being that there had been no breach of the lease conditions. In the case of the Vance mine, for example, renewal of two expired leases was highly unlikely because of the 2010 Court of Appeal finding that Unimin/Sibelco had undertaken unlawful mining. Lease conditions required all nonmineral sand to be used for rehabilitation not sold off at a profit. The minister was also required to be satisfied that:

Having regard to the current and prospective uses of the land comprised in the lease, the operations to be carried on during the renewed term of the lease — (i) are an appropriate land use; That represents good law. It recognises that community needs and attitudes may change between the granting of a mining lease, often for 21 years, and an application to renew it upon expiry. All of the expired mining leases were within the boundaries of the proposed national park, announced by Anna Bligh in June 2010 and first promised many years ago. How could any minister be genuinely satisfied that mining of land earmarked for national park would be deemed “an appropriate land use”? Legal opinions, jointly obtained by Friends of Stradbroke Island and Stradbroke Island Management Organisation, before the new legislation was rushed through parliament, clearly stated the obvious: no minister could be genuinely satisfied that it was appropriate to mine a future national park.

The special act of parliament sidesteps the law Incredibly, rather than apply the existing expired lease law, the government sidestepped it and enacted a new law to extend key expired leases. What makes the sidestepping of the existing law in favour of Sibelco even more objectionable is that it occurred despite: • last year’s Court of Appeal findings of unlawful mining by Sibelco; • unresolved charges before the

courts and allegations of theft and fraud; and • the majority of Native Title claimant families wanting mining to end (confirmed in a Courier Mail, Q Magazine article, published May 21, 2011). The Bligh Government’s spin has been breathtaking. It has acknowledged that the future of the Island is closely linked to the protection of its environment. Yet it has taken extraordinary steps to legislate to avoid protecting Straddie from further damage. Mining company criticism, based on exaggeration and halftruths, and motivated primarily by the financial interests of its European shareholders, could be countered by a decisive, genuine and forward-thinking government, acting in the best long-term interests of all Queenslanders. Instead, the cowardly decision to protect the profits of Sibelco until 2025 puts both the integrity of the national park and the future economy of North Stradbroke Island at risk, while apparently still not satisfying the miner! We believe the government should amend the new act to remove the extension of several key leases at Enterprise mine and Vance mine, and apply the same laws that apply elsewhere in Queensland. Otherwise, questions will continue to be asked about the government’s role in what history may judge to be a sordid affair. — Sue Ellen Carew, president Friends of Stradbroke Island — Ellie Durbidge, president Stradbroke Island Management PHOTO COURTESY JACARANDA WILEY Organisation

10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 25

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PHOTO: MIKE LARDER

FEATURE

PHOTO: PAUL WAGER

Paul photographs women working at a brick works near the provincial city of Pak Lay.

PHOTO: PAUL WAGER

Joy’s Restaurant.

For the love o

I’d gravitated to Laos to find an old friend and widely respected c off the Australian media scene. Recovering from a debilitating car s one time diesel fitter from Straddie and gun News Limited photo g

BY MIK E LARD E R

Paul and Joy’s guest house in Luang Prabang.

orn in the UK, Paul Wager’s family emigrated to Queensland and settled on North Stradbroke Island. His father worked for Consolidated Rutile until his retirement and it seemed natural for his son to follow. Wager Jr. took a diesel mechanics apprenticeship but, luckily for the world, photography held greater attraction than smelly engines. He spent a year diving and photographing the Great Barrier Reef before taking a job as press photographer on the Mackay Daily Mercury, then to Brisbane in the mid-eighties where he eventually joined The Australian and then The Courier Mail (and earned the nickname Popeye for his oft-disastrous escapades in small boats). It was on return from a Courier Mail assignment that Paul was involved in a car accident on the Gold Coast highway. The impact crushed his neck and, eventually, his spirit. Medical analysis proved the damage to his

neck was serious. The relating surgery, fusing of steel to bone in his shattered spine, tested his sanity to the limit. Placed on half pay while the protracted legalities of compensation were argued over, Wager took to his bed where he was to remain prostrate for four dark years, wondering if he would ever pick up a camera again, let alone earn a living from a job he loved and excelled at. As a full time working news photographer, his career was essentially over. In January 2004, having finally received a compensation cheque, Paul was confronted with a “life decision”. Go on as he was, wallowing in pain, prescription drugs and self-pity, or take his cameras for a walk. On impulse he jumped a flight and simply vanished. Popeye is widely respected by his peers and is possessed of a prodigious photographic talent. He is blessed with what snappers enigmatically call “the eye”. Yet Wager wondered if he still possessed that eye. Without that alternate way of seeing light and shade and the instinctive reflexes a photographer needs to

26 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

grab that brief moment in time, he may as well pack it in. He lugged his gear through South East Asia wandering wherever whim took him. “While in Chiang Mai I saw a brochure advertising flights to Luang Prabang in Laos and decided to go for maybe four days and then continue on to Cambodia,” Paul told SIN. Wandering into Laos, sore, hot, and road weary, Popeye headed into a restaurant keen to slake a gritty thirst. It was there he met Joy, the restaurant’s manager, and fell in love. “With the constant aid of an English-Lao dictionary we were able to enjoy a conversation lasting hours by passing it between us,” Paul said. “Two weeks later I rang my parents to give them the news that I intended staying in Laos and marrying Joy. I discovered a happiness I could only previously have dreamt about but would not have believed possible.” Since making Laos home, Paul says his respect and admiration for the Lao people has steadily increased. WINTER 2011

PHOTO: MIKE LARDER

SIN_Winter2011_v3_SIN_Winter2011_v3 20/06/11 11:16 AM Page 27

PHOTO: PAUL WAGER

Left: Children in the picturesque village of Gan on the Ou River in Luang Prabang Province, Laos. Above: Blessed with what photographers call “the eye” Paul takes stunning images as he travels. Below: Paul is escorted to his wedding ceremony by members of Joy’s family.

of Laos d colleague who’d simply vanished r smash, Paul “Popeye” Wager – o grapher – had gone walkabout.

“They live at the mercy of the elements and must overcome all obstacles by themselves. To say they work hard is an understatement in the extreme and what they accept as being life obstacles would be regarded as insurmountable problems by most in the west. “Every time I go for a drive or a walk I witness new sights and experiences. Most are amazing, enlightening, and wonderful. However some bring the reality of poverty and hardship back into perspective. Living in Laos makes me feel that I am truly living and not simply going through the motions. “My most bewildering experience was at the family farm where we were to be married. It began with greetings from hundreds of relatives, some who had travelled on foot through jungle and over paddy fields for two days to be there. “After our initial greetings we went through the ritual of paying for the upcoming reception; it was quite a list, and at the top were one and a half head of cattle. “Then a pair of Lao ‘lady men’ arrived to

take care of Joy’s makeup and hair and instantly became the life of the party. “I was dressing in the usual western style clothes when eight men came into the room, none of whom could speak English and me unable to speak Lao. They made short work of stripping me and dressing me in what I can only describe as a bright red giant silk nappy, a white shirt, and a sash over the shoulder. “They led me outside to where at least two hundred people waited to escort me to the wedding ceremony. All the way they sang and clapped and I can only now appreciate how wonderful it was. “Of course the ceremony was totally unfathomable to me. The monks were sitting around the walls chanting, all the guests filled the large room sitting on the floor and Joy waited for me in the centre of the room looking stunning and surrounded by symbolic decorations including a bed. “It was both enchanting and surreal at the same time, especially when I began wondering why there was a bed in the room.

“After recuperating for a short time the celebrations began and I was ready to attempt a waltz, but of course this is a different culture and different dances are required. “Lao traditional dancing is beautiful to watch, unless you happen to be watching a Falang (westerner) with two left feet who has no rhythm and is wearing a giant red silk nappy. At least I gave my new relatives a good laugh.” Following the birth of their son Dan, Popeye’s joy was complete. The couple set up home in a solid stucco French villa and, capitalising on Joy’s culinary talents, refurbished the shambolic old post office in downtown Luang Prabang and opened Joy’s Restaurant, incorporating a gallery for Paul’s images. Feasting on Lao food requires a considerable act of faith. The fermented contents of a buffalo’s stomach are a particular delicacy. The Lao waste nothing that is remotely edible and, while most dishes are based on recognisable ingredients (sticky rice, vegetables,

…Continued next page WINTER 2011

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PHOTO: PAUL WAGER

FEATURE

PHOTO: PAUL WAGER

A young girl caring for her brother, allowing their parents to work on the farm, northern mountains, Luang Prabang, Laos.

Joy on her wedding day. Below: Dan, Paul and Mike in Luang Prabang.

noodles, boiled or charcoal grilled meats and scrumptiously crunchy grilled fish) don’t be surprised to find the sightless eye of a deceased pig staring blankly back from your noodle soup. As an honoured guest you get the best bits. Joy’s Restaurant quickly attracted an ex-pat clientele. Next, using recycled precious woods, Paul and Joy built a Lao-style guesthouse. Paul has come to know and respect the gentle and shyly enigmatic Lao people and they in turn have proved overwhelmingly welcoming to him. “The Lao have a thing about noses,” chuckles Paul, who possesses a prominent snout. “They think large noses are sexy. Maybe that’s why they worship elephants. Maybe that’s why they like me.” The Peoples Democratic Republic of Laos, sparsely populated by six-and-a-half million ethnic Lao has, in the past decade, tentatively opened its borders to embrace western democracies. Laos shut its borders in 1954, after Ho Chi Mihn ousted the exploitative French colonists in a bloody confrontation. Laos claims the unenviable statistic of being the most bombed, per capita, country on the planet. During the Indo China conflict, aka the Vietnam War, relentless bombing by American B-52s led to the death of uncountable numbers of innocent Lao, perished either by a direct hit or by innocently treading on unexploded munitions. UXO’s (unexploded ordnances) still

28 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

maim or kill villagers in remote regions of Laos. Paul recently presented a permanent exhibition of UXO victims, grotesquely mutilated yet photographed with his trademark understatement and tenderness. Currently Paul works for a variety of nongovernment organisations, travelling deep within the Lao countryside to shoot assignments for UNICEF, the ALOHA medical mission and the Lao government, among others. He recently lent his creative support to LEOT, an NGO that pays for Lao students to attend school, college and university (www.leot.org.uk/). Popeye has been published in numerous international publications and has won a number of international photography awards, most recently gold and bronze in the 2011 Prix de la Photographie Paris (www.px3.fr), awarded for a series shot in Lao hospitals on behalf of Health Leadership International to help them raise funds to train doctors in Laos. And he still pinches himself every day. More of Paul Wager’s images can be seen at http://paulwager.photoshelter.com/ Paul also conducts photo tours through Laos and China with Grasshopper adventure photo tours, grasshopperadventures.com Mike Larder is a photojournalist based in Yamba, NSW, and member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers. His images, includng shots of the Lao Pak Lay Elephant Festival, can be seen at www.pbase.com/lardershots WINTER 2011

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PROPERTY

ISLAND PROPERTY By Rae Green

he legalities of buying or owning a rental property, whether holiday or permanent, are becoming more complex than ever. I thought it timely to remind people of some of the legal issues involved in owning a property. Selling – when you decide to sell your residential property you are required to first complete a Sustainability Declaration, which is then available for prospective purchasers to view should they wish. If you are selling a property that has a swimming pool, you are required to have an approved fence and Pool Safety Certificate. This applies not only to individual dwellings but unit complexes, no matter how big or small. Matters such as smoke alarms and electrical safety switches also need to be addressed at this time. Permanent rental – if you want to charge your permanent tenants for water charges to

the property, you won’t be able to do so unless your home/unit is completely waterwise. Lessors are able to pass on the full water consumption costs to tenants if: • the rental premises are individually metered • the rental premises are water efficient • the tenancy agreement states that the tenant must pay for water consumption. Anyone wanting to know the criteria for making their rental premise water efficient can collect the information form from our office. Permanent and holiday rentals – all rental properties must have smoke alarms installed. Lessors are obliged to arrange for the installation, cleaning and testing of smoke alarms, and to replace batteries, before the start or renewal of a permanent tenancy. Tenants are obliged to clean, test and replace batteries in

smoke alarms during a tenancy. In the case of holiday rentals, the landlord has responsibility for all maintenance. We also have an information sheet available on this. I would also like to remind everyone of how important it is to have your house number shown prominently on your property. This is particularly relevant on the Island as we have no mail deliveries and therefore no obvious letterboxes. Should emergency services be called to your property, it is extremely difficult for them to locate a home without a house number. Please do not hesitate to contact us at Ray White if you would like more information on any of the above. Rae Green is principal of Ray White Stradbroke Island and has been selling real estate on Straddie for nearly 20 years. www.raywhitestraddie.com

Kids get dirty in school garden T

he Dunwich Primary school garden is pretty much completed, with seven raised garden beds constructed and planted out. A big thank-you to all those who donated money towards the cost of this project; I have not named names for fear of missing somebody out, but for all those who donated money they can be assured good luck is coming their way. I would also like to thank The Big Red Cat for allowing me two free shopper days to get supplies. So far we have planted the area with two fig trees, a native lime, a dwarf lime, a dwarf lemon, a lemonade tree, a kaffir lime, pineapples, a raspberry bush, midjimberry, basil, cherry tomatoes, sage, thyme, coriander, rock melons, squash, zucchini, chilies, dwarf beans, nasturtiums, marigolds, mint, capsicum and silver beet. Our worm farm is also up and running. The next project is the compost. The soil at the school is not as fertile as I thought it would be, so progress has been a little slow. In time, and with the addition of fertiliser and our worm wee, I’m confident we will build the soil up and get some great results. Plenty of the kids have shown interest, asking questions and getting their hands dirty, so for those reasons alone, it’s all been worthwhile. — Paul Merger

WINTER 2011

Paul Mergler is dad to Dunwich State School student, Flynn (Year 2) and principal of Bay Island Valuations, providing property valuations on North and South Stradbroke Islands, Moreton Island, Russell Island, Macleay Island, Karragarra, Lamb and Coochiemudlo Islands. pmergler@bigpond.com

10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 29

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FISHY TALES B Y J I M C A M P B E L L

Don’t let fun police make you frown ishing so far this year has been a bit less than ordinary. The Amity Point Fishing Club can attest to this, judging by the number of fish weighed in since the comp started early this year. Although some good-sized fish have been weighed in, they were not easy to come by. Dart were the predominate fish weighed in at the first three comps for the year. Bob Armstrong and Arienne Hedley, club champions for the past few years are out in front again at this point in the season. Brian McMahon and Greg Nankervis are on equal points in the President’s Handicap. In the heaviest fish categories, the leader board is as follows: flathead: Jo Tudhope 1.885 kg; snapper: Charlie Flynn 3.480 kg; parrot: Mark Dibble 1.765 kg; bream: Bob Armstrong 0.785 kg; dart: Mary Pollard 0.575 kg; sweet lip: Kev Davie 0.500 kg; tailor: Watto 1.6 kg; spotted mackerel: Barry Dunn 1.460 kg. The next round of competition will be on the Queen’s birthday weekend, followed by outings on July 15, 16, 17 and August 26, 27, and 28. Give Watto a call on 34097 075 for more information about the Amity Point Fishing Club.

FISHERS’ PARADISE The new pontoon at the One Mile in Dunwich is showing signs of becoming a fisher’s paradise. Mangrove jack, trevally and cod have been caught at regular intervals off the pontoon during the past few

months. I happened to see one young fisherman using very light gear to hook onto a cod that would have come in at around 6 kg, with a mouth as big as Paul Keating’s during an attack on the opposition. The fish was way too big to land without a gaff and as a consequence the line broke and the fish got away. It is against local law to fish from the pontoon; as is smiling, smoking, eating, talking too loud, or farting in a public place. If you do, the Fun Police will get you and put you in a corner at council headquarters and make you frown for a whole day. If you do it really well, a job application will follow.

SAFE BEACH DRIVING I read with trepidation the comments of an influential local who said that there were too many vehicles driving on the beaches during holiday periods. It was intimated that banning vehicles could be the answer. At a time when the Island needs as much economic growth as we can muster, these comments do nothing to promote Straddie as a family-friendly place to have a holiday. Although I do agree that something needs to be done to slow people down and encourage them to use our beaches in a responsible, safe manner. Banning, however, is not the answer. There are better ways to tackle the problem. Educating drivers about beach etiquette and safety would be a start. Putting in place road rules that relate to four wheel driving on beaches, taught as part of the driving licence test, would go

Georgina Rudken bags out in the March comp; the first junior to do so in the Amity Point Fishing Club’s history.

further. Flinders Beach has a problem with irresponsible drivers on any given day. It can be easily dealt with; make vehicles slow down to 15 kph within 50 metres of any vehicle, or person or animal on the beach. The net effect would be that in any given busy period, where parked beachgoers are spaced about 50 metres apart, no vehicle would be legally able to go faster than 15 kph at any point along Flinders Beach. Maybe this answer is just too simple for the boffins. If I had added a few forward focuses, working families, proactives, reactives, core values, absolutely, primary aims, ‘make no apologies for that’ or ‘end of the days’ they would have thought that I was real clever like them.

GREEN SMOKESCREEN Ever wondered what it would be like to live on Bribie Island? They say Bribie would be a great place to live if there weren’t so many people there. Just imagine what could be on the cards for this Island if the Bligh gov-

ernment decided to sell off huge chunks of land around the three townships to the developers? There wouldn’t be enough barges to give the new population access to the mainland. The big problem would be to find a way to get a bridge to the Island while the mining company still held leases. If the leases were relinquished earlier than projected, attaining land for the bridge would be simplified. With the downturn in the local economy due to the mine closures, building a bridge and developing the available land would justify their actions. The smokescreen of being green would help garnish votes from disaffected mainlanders and not many would be the wiser. Sadly, for most who have lived here for a long time and still need to work, the bridge and all it brings will be the only way to bring any economic stability. The ‘think green’ idea is a strategy to smokescreen the real intent. If you join the dots, the picture becomes a whole lot clearer.

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3409 9252 30 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN

WINTER 2011

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PHOTO: DARREN SIMONDSON / SURFIN SNAPPS

SURFING

Straddie surfers have been at the pointy end of a series of close finishes recently. Point Lookout’s Tim MacDonald (pictured above) finished third at the 10th Anniversary MP Classic at Duranbah on the Gold Coast, just one point behind Snapper Rocks surfer Nick Vasicek. The MP Classic, named for iconic Queensland surfer Michael Peterson, was the first of four events in the $32,000 Queensland Championship Circuit (QCC). On the world circuit, Straddie-raised pro surfer Bede Durbidge, who was ranked nine in the world as SIN went to print, tied for third place with Point Lookout’s Lincoln Taylor (above right), in the Burton Toyota Pro. The Burton Pro is a 4star event on the Association of Surfing Professionals’ World Tour. Previously known as the World Qualifying Series (WQS), in which surfers compete to gain access to the World Title Race, events are now known as Prime and Star events, rated in importance from 1-star to 6-star. The Burton Pro, held over 12 days at Merewether Beach, Newcastle, was in its 26th year and featured more than 800 competitors from across the globe. Lincoln also recently achieved a personal best, placing fifth in a Prime event in Brazil, the Saquarema Prime at Itaúna Beach, 90 minutes north of Rio de Janeiro. Linc’s dad Murray runs the local surf school. www.northstradbrokeislandsurfschool.com.au

Linc Taylor, Newcastle

Tim MacDonald, Burleigh Heads PHOTO: DARREN SIMONDSON / SURFIN SNAPPS

WINTER 2011

10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN — STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 31

SIN_Winter2011_v3_SIN_Winter2011_v3 20/06/11 11:16 AM Page 32

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