Straddie Island News
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WINTER 2012
AT NEWSAGENTS & SELECTED OUTLETS
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
DRAWING
THE LINES
The LINES in the SAND Contemporary Arts festival is fast gaining a reputation as one of the best reasons to visit Straddie during the June school holidays. See page 2.
Ochre and Sand art by Craig Tapp. PHOTO: JO KASPARI
LETTER TO THE EDITOR ARE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES now permitted to access the Amity Point beach to the west of the 4WD access track at the Amity end of Flinders Beach? I ask this because at Easter break scores of 4WD vehicles were driving all around the beach at South Bank, and down the Amity Point beach as far as and beyond the end of Ballow Street. As an Amity home owner for over 12 years, and lover of this stretch of beach, I am very disappointed that families, and dog walkers, cannot enjoy the quiet amenity of this beach without dodging vehicles, and climbing up and down car tracks. It seems to me that Council, Police, DERM, and the four-wheel drivers of course, show disregard for this piece of beach and those who (legally) enjoy it. This is not a new occurrence. This type of beach incursion occurs every Easter and
OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD Christmas particularly: this Easter break seemed worse than most. Given it is legal to drive on beaches, I do not condemn others for doing so (albeit do not personally agree with the practice). I do however object to people driving where they shouldn’t. After approaching some fourwheel drivers, I get the feeling that some think that their $37 buys them a permit to drive wherever they like. I wonder if these same people drive around their local parks and playgrounds? To be fair, I also think that some drivers simply do not know where the limits are. It appears they are not helped, to any great extent, by the Redland City Council. Council’s brochure Four Wheel Driving on North Stradbroke Island doesn’t include a map of allowable beach driving zones, or any written description of same. — David Swain, Amity Point
... from page 1
DRAWING THE LINES
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et down for four days in the second week of holidays, from June 27 to 30, the LINES in the SAND festival fatures a packed program of performances, installations, artist residencies and workshops, each with nature at their heart. Workshops will include weaving, kite making and printmaking using objects found in nature such as leaves, dead insects and feathers. For the duration of the festival Minjerribah will become the canvas for artists who will create ephemeral installations along the Point Lookout gorge walk and beaches. Local artist Craig Tapp, or Tappy, whose stunning sand and ochre artwork, Coming Together, which appears on our cover, will hold ochre and sand workshops, teaching children how to tell their stories in the sand. Artist Tony Rice will run kite making workshops. Tappy’s beach artwork was a “spontaneous happening” that took place on
Cylinder Beach during the 2011 festival. He created the ephemeral artwork in the same week that the Australian High Court recognised the Quandamooka People as Traditional Owners of Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island), Peel and Goat islands, and surrounding waters. The circle in the centre of the sand painting represents the circle of the Aboriginal flag. The centre of that typifies the broken earth. Outside the circle are strong scratchings that represent male and female pointing (heading) towards the circle. The underlining statement was that people need to unite to preserve and care for the earth. Use the LINES in the SAND twitter address twitter.com/#!/LINESintheSAND1 to make sure you don’t miss out on events like Tappy’s spontaneous beach art work at this year’s event. Or visit www.linesinthesand.com.au or “like” the event on Facebook: www.facebook. com/pages/Lines-in-the-Sand-NorthStradbroke-Island
Straddie Island News
STRADDIE RECENTLY LOST A TRUE Island hero. And it was fitting that a huge crowd turned out to farewell Terry Green, much loved father of Peta and Dane, and husband to prominent real estate agent, Rae Green. I will always remember Terry as an avid surfer, sailor and fisherman, a generous and friendly man who loved the Island almost as much as he loved his family. When he wasn't off to train firies or put out a bush-fire, he would be rigging his prized fishing tinnie with the latest gear ready for his regular trips north to some of his “best kept secret” fishing spots along the Queensland coast. Terry always had time for you. Something a lot of people these days don't seem to have enough of. It wasn't that he had less to do than anyone, simply that he cared enough about Island time and Island courtesy to have a yarn. Terry died after a battle with motor neurone disease. His diagnosis came as a terrible shock to everyone as he had just retired having had 21 years as a firefighter, and 16 as captain of the Point Lookout Fire Station. When Terry retired, his colleague and friend of almost 30 years, Bill Ewing, told SIN the words ‘dedication and commitment’ accurately described how Terry fulfilled his role. “In those 21 years there were an enormous number of people who came and went through the fire 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,” Bill said. “Terry's knowledge and experience are a sad loss.” Following in his father’s footsteps, Dane joined the QFRS as an auxiliary fire fighter in 2007. Father and son worked side-byside at the Point Lookout fire station for almost four years before Terry’s retirement in May 2011. 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. Vale Terry Green. — Trish Lake
$3.00 AT NEWSAGENTS
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WINTER 2012
E W S PA P E R RO K E I S L A N D ’ S C O M M U N I T Y N MINJERRIBAH/NORTH STRADB
DRAWING
THE LINES
Arts The LINES in the SAND Contemporary as one festival is fast gaining a reputation during of the best reasons to visit Straddie 2. the June school holidays. See page Ochre and Sand art by Craig Tapp. PHOTO:
2 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
EDITOR Kate Johnston editor@straddienews.com MANAGING EDITOR Trish Lake REPORTERS Maria Tan, Liz Johnston LAYOUT Mr T ADVERTISING 3252 4551 FOLLOW SIN ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/straddienews ISSN 1839-5716 CONTRIBUTORS Editorial contributions are warmly welcomed. Articles are edited for purposes of style and space. We cannot print anonymous material. PRINTER Printcraft PUBLISHER Freshwater Productions PO Box 86 Point Lookout Qld 4183
JO KASPARI
WINTER 2012
NEWS
Looking back, moving forward BY GHEEBELUM, NGUGI ELDER, DR ROBERT V ANDERSON OAM
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uandamooka People’s Native Title Rights were recognised on this historic day, the July 4, 2011, at Dunwich Hall, Goompee, Minjerribah. The echoes of the families’ joy, cries and tears will always be poignant images for our family and community Elders, who cleared the pathway for us to travel and arrive at this page of our history. Family stories pre- and postcolonisation show that, whatever the change, as a people, we have always maintained our cultural identity and our cultural integrity. Our respect for others, our involvement in the saving of lives is clearly expressed by the action of our Uncles who rushed into the surf to save survivors off the ship, Sovereign, wrecked on March 11, 1847; 46 people drowned, 10 people saved. The story of the cedar timber cutters began on the March 21, 1823 when Parsons, Finnegan and Pamphlet left Sydney. Wild weather forced them northward and washed them onto our shores. Our community people assisted them, feeding and sheltering them, sharing our resources to those in need and arranging their travel to areas on the mainland. Today, three streets in Dunwich bear their names. These actions clearly show how much we value human life. This was also demonstrated by our community women who assisted all women during sickness and childbirth. Since Native Title, the peak body representing Quandamooka Peoples is Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) on which all Quandamooka families have representation. QYAC has responsibility to conduct all matters with state government organisations and also Redland City Council, meeting all legal requirements working with other organisations and residents who share the same philosophy: love, nurturing the land, seaways and the profusion of lakes and streams that provide sustenance to maintain our lives and strengthen our Spirits.
One year on from the historic Native Title determination, Uncle Bob Anderson is positive about the future for Minjerribah, Moorgumpin and the Quandamooka people.
WINTER 2012
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 3
NEWS
Salt Water Murris on show at Cairns art fair
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tradbroke Island artists Salt Water Murris – Quandamooka Inc. will travel north for the third time to exhibit at the 2012 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) in August. CIAF is Australia’s premier Indigenous art fair and a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. In 2011 more than 13,000 people attended CIAF at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal. In three years the event has sold more than $1.8 million in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artwork. The Salt Water Murris Quandamooka Inc. (SWMQ) will be one of 24 four galleries and Indigenous art centres to exhibit at CIAF 2012. SWMQ art co-ordinator Steve Johnson says CIAF provides an excellent opportunity for the centre’s artists to showcase their works to a national and international market. “We have been invited to exhibit at CIAF for the past three years and we believe the event is getting bigger and better each year,” he said. “We will exhibit works by local artists including Belinda Close, Talisha Edwards, Robyn Gray, Martin Karklis, Craig Tapp, and Joshua Walker. “Last year’s CIAF was spectacular. It was
Salt Water Murris Craig Tapp, Caszuo Conlon and Talisah Edwards at CIAF 2011. fantastic to see the variety, quality and scope of artworks and it proved a brilliant platform for Indigenous artists to market and showcase their art to the world,” he said. CIAF is a key part of the Backing Indigenous Arts funding program, a $13.2
Narrated by Ryan Reynolds
The true story of Luna, a young, wild killer whale who tries to befriend people on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island.
OPENING NIGHT 7pm Thursday June 28 Join us for the AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE of The Whale and live entertainment to celebrate the inaugrual winter program of Straddie Stardust’s Community Cinema. Buffet Dinner available. BYO chairs.
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million, four-year program to strengthen and support Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. It is supported by the Queensland Government through Events Queensland. For more information visit www.ciaf.com.au.
Outdoor cinema sprinkles stardust over Straddie een too busy to see the latest films? Grab a chair and a blanket and head down to the Point Lookout oval for the outdoor cinema these holidays. Organisers of the Straddie Stardust Community Cinema have once more pulled together an impressive line up of films, from the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a rom-com for the old at heart, to the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris, a rom-com for Francophiles. The stunning Martin Scorsese film, Hugo, which tells the story of an orphaned boy and an innovative film maker, will appeal to all ages, as will Dr Seuss’s The Lorax, brought to the screen in vibrant colours. As well as fabulous films across the nine nights the cinema is running (June 28–July 6), movie goers will be welcomed with nightly performances by local musicians and will be able to warm themselves with drinks from the bar. The Straddie Stardust Community Cinema, which is being run in conjunction with the Taste of Straddie (see page 7) is a satellite event of BIFF, the Brisbane International Film Festival. For nightly screening details check the sign outside the Point Lookout Hall.
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WINTER 2012
NEWS
Strings for cicadas BY LIZ JOHNSTON
Sweet victory for Stradbroke Honey BY MARIA TAN t’s back to business as usual for veteran beekeeper, Charlie Bowman and his family, after a yearlong battle with the former state government to keep their hives on national park lands. Under the new Queensland government the Bowmans have been promised that their beekeeping business will be allowed to continue as it has done for the past 30 years. “As far as I am concerned, my problems are now gone,” Mr Bowman said. The Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing (NPRSR) told SIN that the new state government was considering a range of options to assist North Stradbroke Island residents and businesses, including “providing a more reasonable adjustment period for mining activities and the Island’s overall economy”. “The interests of all relevant parties, including the Bowman family, are being taken into account as a part of this process,” NPRSR Marine general manager, Rebecca Williams said. Beekeeper Bowman also confirmed that planning was still underway and said that the process would take time. “But in the meantime, everything has stopped. All the threats and that have all gone, so we’re happy.” The Bowman family’s beehives were banned from national park lands by the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) in June last year after the Naree Budjong Djara national park was declared. After protest, the Bowmans were given an extension that allowed them to keep their hives on national park lands until 2019, when mining leases were also set to expire. Premier Campbell Newman’s new environment and conservation portfolio has split DERM into three different environment departments, which will separately handle multiple issues including mining and apiary permits on the Island. These new environmental departments are the NPRSR, Environment and Heritage Protection and Natural Resources and Mines.
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omposer Robert Davidson (above) likes to get out of his comfort zone. Though with an impressively long list of works and collaborations under his belt, he may be pushed to find new boundaries to cross. From collaborations with an Indian theatre company on a production of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s The Lady of the Sea, to works with comedians the Kransky Sisters, Davidson has not been shy of setting himself a challenge. For his next act, Davidson – composer, bassist, lecturer, and founder and artistic director of Topology, ensemble-in-residence at the Brisbane Powerhouse – is heading to the beach, where he will premiere a string quintet commissioned to celebrate the fifth birthday of the Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival, July 27–29. Davidson says he has been inspired by Straddie’s cultural and ecological influences on visits to the Island, including appearances with Topology at the 2011 Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival, where the group performed another Stradbroke-inspired composition written by Robert. WINTER 2012
His as yet un-named commission for this year’s festival will be quite different because it is for strings, rather than Topology’s usual instrumental mix of wind, keyboard and strings. “This composition is inspired by the sonic environment of Straddie, a place that has very dear associations for me going back many years. The chorus of cicadas, the wind through the casuarinas, the friarbirds,” Robert told SIN. “That’s not to say the piece will imitate or mimic these sounds, but they will inspire the mood of it. “I travel quite a lot and sometimes you get a smell of eucalypts in California. But it’s not till I’m back here that I hear all these sounds you cannot hear in any other place.” Dr Davidson’s string quintet for the festival was funded by a grant from the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF), a Queensland Government and Redland City Council partnership to support local arts and culture. For Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival tickets, accommodation bookings and the full festival program visit www.stradmusic.org
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 5
PHOTO: STUART “PAW PAW” PATTERSON
Architects come to see Island gems
Architect Justin O’Neill’s renovated Straddie beach shack.
Tourism summit
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ore than 100 people attended a free Tourism Summit at the Little Ship Club in Dunwich, all hoping to glean insights into how to get an edge in the current competitive regional market. And they learned that the region holds an untapped market of people who visit family and friends. In a session covering current market research, summit participants heard that more than 600,000 people visit the Redlands overnight or longer, and half of these stay with friends and family. Travel adventurer and journalist Sorrel Wilby was keynote speaker and MC, and she shared globe trekking adventures
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with participants, around half representing businesses on North Stradbroke Island. A further quarter were from the mainland and other islands while the remaining were from government and business groups. Other workshops held throughout the all-day summit, which was hosted by Redland City Council, were on issues including digital marketing and social media. Motivational speaker Iven Frangi delivered a session on “How to stand out for all the right reasons”. John Henson, owner of Look Café and Bar at Point Lookout, said the summit was worthwhile for local businesses with a tourism focus.
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nternational guests and their Australian hosts visited Point Lookout following the recent Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) Conference in Brisbane, to see firsthand the Island’s architectural gems. A record 1500 delegates attended the conference to hear presentations by celebrated architects from Spain, India, Scotland, Norway, Japan, South Africa, England and Australia. The international keynote speakers, who visited Stradbroke for a wind-down retreat after the conference, marvelled at the views, walked the Gorge and encountered kangaroos, then hit the beaches and revelled in the sunny autumn weather. They also visited houses designed by distinguished Queensland architects (several of whom have island homes): Robert Riddel, Justin O’Neill, Gabriel Poole, Shane Thompson, Brian Donovan and Timothy Hill, as well as homes designed by three professors of architecture living on the Island: Jennifer Taylor, Brit Andresen and Haig Beck. They delighted in the sense of openness, the generous indoor/outdoor living spaces, the relationship of the houses with their gardens and bush settings, and the lightweight building aesthetic expressing a Queensland regional character. The architects also appreciated the Island’s “vernacular” houses, both old and new (vernacular meaning a building style derived from the materials, construction traditions and climatic imperatives of a place). The Point’s “vernacular” is enshrined in the Point Lookout Development Control Plan (DCP) – which was developed with extensive community consultation in the 1990s. The DCP was devised to protect the natural environment, streetscapes and house styles special to Point Lookout. The plan has since guided many architects to produce some of the best houses in Australia, at Point Lookout. — Jackie Cooper
TOWN PLAN OR NOT TOWN PLAN Point Lookout is the only of Straddie’s three townships that has a geographically specific set of planning controls. Local councillor Craig Ogilvie told SIN that “town plans” for Amity and Dunwich were last updated about 20 years ago. He said the ratification of the Indigenous Land Use Agreement in December last year had cleared the way for future land use planning in the townships, but warned: “This will be a massive planning exercise.”
WINTER 2012
EVENTS
Come grab your Taste of Straddie A week-long festival of all things great about the Island is being held these June school holidays, with folk invited to come along and experience a Taste of Straddie, June 23-30.
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he lively week will kick off with breakfast and a free sausage sizzle on the Point Lookout headland where Brisbane radio station 97.3FM will broadcast live from the Captain Cook Monument. A packed week of activities and entertainment will follow – including a dinner dance, a cocktail party, wine tasting, golf, barefoot bowls, yoga, guided heritage walks and Gorge walks guided by a marine biologist. The week will be capped off with a grand finale at the Stradbroke Beach Hotel, with free food platters from 5.00pm, followed by an evening of comedy entertainment and live music. The Sunday Market at the Point Lookout Hall (8am-2pm) will almost be a festival in its own right. As well as the regular stalls, Island cafés and restaurants will be offering culinary delights, there’ll be live entertainment all day, and free kids activities. On the grass next to the Bowls Club there’ll be a
jumping castle and other fun things, and the Island’s tour operators will be offering short, enticing trips. On the final Saturday the Bay Players will combine with Island wedding providers to present their own hilarious enactment of an Island beach wedding. The Taste of Straddie festival is a combined initiative of the Redland City Council Tourism Development Unit and the Straddie Chamber of Commerce. More than 60 businesses are participating, and Transit Systems (Big Red Cat/Stradbroke Ferries) are major sponsors. Through the Taste of Straddie, Island businesses hope to wow visitors with what Straddie has to offer: a rich smorgasbord of holiday experiences. Look for programmes for the week-long festival in local businesses, or online at www.stradbrokeisland.com or call the Visitor Information Centre on 1300 667 386.
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NOR TH STRADBROKE ISLAND
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Venue Hire Weddings Meetings School camps Surf awareness programs
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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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WINTER 2012
items, shells, toys and much much more!
3409 8798 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 7
NEWS
Sin BRIEF NEW SCHOOL PLAY EQUIPMENT Marshalling triathletes at the Straddie Salute was just one way that Dunwich State School parents raised $48,000 to build new, ageappropriate, play equipment for students in Years 4 to7. It is the first play equipment designed for that age group to be installed at the school. P&C president Amy Sheil told SIN that as well as marshaling athletes the parents raised the money running a cake stall at the Island Vibe festival, Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls at the school, and numerous tuckshops and sausage sizzles. The P&C also applied for grants and was successful in winning funding from Sibelco and the Gaming Fund. “It was a great effort and we raised that money in only one year!” Amy said.
ISLAND BEAT By PETER TWORT Officer in Charge, Dunwich Police. 3409 6020
“Drunken, abusive, loud mouth supporters are as out dated as the unlimited tackle rule.”
STRADDIE ROCKSTARS Youthlink has launched a music program for young residents with a burning desire for rock stardom. Straddie Sound Waves is a mentoring program for children aged nine and older. Three professional musicians will work with the kids, helping them to write and record songs, form a band, and get gigs. Straddie Sound Waves will be held in the Point Lookout Hall on Tuesdays from 6.30pm-8.30pm. If being a muso lights your fire, and you’re in the eligible age group, ring 0418 301 000.
SPECIAL VOLUME FOR UNIQUE ISLAND North Stradbroke Island has been profiled in a new volume by the Royal Society of Queensland (RSQ). A Place of Sandhills: Ecology, Hydrogeomorphology and Management of Queensland’s Dune Islands is a 500-page full colour volume that highlights research, conservation and management issues with the unique sand islands of south-east Queensland, from Stradbroke in the south to Fraser Island in the north. The publication includes 31 papers that deal with many aspects of scientific research in four broad themes – water and sand, wildlife and wild plants, mining rehabilitation, and the past, present and future of sand islands. Email rsocqld@gmail.com to order a copy ($100 + postage).
LINES IN THE SAND COLOUR CATALOGUE The former Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management has funded a 40-page colour catalogue of the 2011 LINES in the SAND festival. The catalogue, which has more than 50 images, was launched on World Environment Day, June 5. The catalogue contains artworks by of no less than 15 artists, seven photographers, six additional contributors and the faces of local community members. It not only showcases the 2011 LINES in the SAND project, and it’s ephemeral arts fore runners of 2009 and 2010, but other art and cultural happenings on the Island. The catalogue can be downloaded free from www.linesinthesand.com.au
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from a police stance, but from league management, or if visiting teams and spectators refuse to play here due to the club getting a bad name. Be aware that no alcohol is permitted anywhere around the grounds, this includes the hill area. Duty officials at games have the right to ask spectators to comply with the rules, and can request a referee to suspend or call a game, if spectators fail to comply. I have been involved in rugby league for many years. It is always great to see good and appropriate behaviour from supporters. But drunken, abusive, loud mouth supporters are no longer a part of the game; they are as outdated as the unlimited tackle rule. The days of the “yobbo” are long gone, and will not be tolerated by the League or the law. This also applies to behaviour in and around townships. Anti-social behaviour will be dealt with, and persons are currently before the court on a range of charges resulting from their behaviour.
PROPERTY CRIME
STRADDIE SHARKS FIGHT An ugly incident occurred at the conclusion of the Straddie Sharks Opens home game at Dunwich in May. Due to criminal investigations currently underway I am unable to go into the full details. I can say that the brawl between spectators erupted at the conclusion of the game, and resulted in four persons being hospitalised with a range of injuries from a broken jaw, broken arm, and lacerations. As a result I attended meetings with the management of the Sharks, Wynnum District Police management and the Brisbane Rugby League. These meetings addressed three key issues: public safety at games; the safety of visiting teams; and the safety of officials. These issues were considered from both a proactive and reactive prospective. Joint agreement was reached and a number of recommendations decided upon, and these have been provided to the Straddie Sharks for their consideration. To give adequate time for consideration and implementation, one home game was rescheduled. The one home game that was rescheduled, however, will more than likely be rescheduled in round three as a home game, so in fact, overall, no home games have been lost. A lot of false information has circulated – such as that the Opens had lost all home games for the season and the local police had forced the cancellation of home games – all of which was completely unfounded and false. What is foremost is the sad fact that a few ruin it for the majority. The ones who suffer from the anti-social behaviour are the footy club, the Opens, and the community. Future home games could be lost if such behaviour reoccurs, not
We have seen a reduction in the number of property-related offences over the past couple of months, with increased police patrols, inclusive of static surveillance, foot patrols, and a number of arrests. Unfortunately we cannot be everywhere, so if you see or become aware of suspicious activity, please call us at the time. And please ensure that your residences and vehicles are locked and secure when unattended.
DOB IN A DRUGGIE A big thanks to those who are responding to our calls to “dob in a druggie”. We have received numerous responses that have been acted on (with a number of successful raids recently), or utilised to build our intelligence base. So a big thanks to those prepared to stand up against drugs. I recently heard the view expressed, why don’t we intercept people coming off the boats and shut the drug trade down. If only it were that simple. We need “intel” the old “who, what, when, where and how”. So please, keep the information coming in. You do not have to give your name if you do not wish and all information will be treated in the strictest confidence. You can call us at the station, or via crime stoppers on 1800 333 000.
HOLIDAYS How time flies. Two years since I last took leave. I am about to go on leave, as I do every two years, for three months. In the past rumours galore have circulated the Island as to why I am away; they range from my being sacked, suspended, transferred, through to being divorced – none of which are true. It will be interesting to see what goes around this year. Not wanting to let truth get in the way of a good rumour, but the real reason, which is very boring, is I am simply taking holidays. In my absence S/Const Danny Wruck will be acting as Officer In Charge. Stay safe and see you in September. WINTER 2012
NEWS
Inexperience at the helm
Ogilvie returns with new mayor
Councillor Craig Ogilvie
BY MARIA TAN
F
ormer Capalaba councillor Karen Williams was sworn in as the new mayor of Redland City Council (RCC) during a public ceremony at Cleveland Showground. The new mayor, who received almost 70 per cent of votes from the electorate, told SIN she felt “a huge sense of relief” that election campaigning was finally over. “That’s a fairly tiresome activity and requires 24/7 commitment. I suppose the whole experience has been very humbling and I am certainly very grateful for the level of support that I received and obviously with that comes a huge responsibility and great expectations across the city.” The top three issues on the Mayor’s agenda were council rates, tip fees and establishing a “Red Tape Taskforce”. “I’ll be lobbying my colleagues to support a general rate increase of no more than the CPI or less,” Mayor Williams said. “That’ll be one of the first tasks, as well as abolishing tip fees and getting the red tape taskforce moving to make some of the processes in the organisation more efficient, transparent and fair,” she told SIN.
WINTER 2012
In fact, at her first general meeting as mayor, Cr Williams did abolish tip fees, despite opposition from five councillors, including Straddie’s councillor, Craig Ogilvie. The meeting also voted to set up a taskforce to cut “bureaucratic red tape”. Cr Ogilvie said the average rate-paying household would now have an annual waste levy of more than $305 a year, up from the current $290 annual fee. Division 1 councillor Wendy Boglary, representing Wellington Point and Ormiston, said many residents were unaware the fees would come “off the gates and go on to rates … Why should pensioners who don’t use the dump have to subsidise those who do,” she said. On her first day as mayor Cr Williams had also begun working with the new Newman State Government on the disbanding of water supplier, AllConnex, and told SIN she would not support any government “writing legislation for legislation’s sake”. “I would be encouraging that we actually think through how we deliver on those sorts of outcomes that we’re trying to achieve,” the Mayor said.
Experienced councillors, re-elected in the recent local elections must ensure correct processes are followed in the new council, which will be led by a first time mayor and many first time representatives, Councillor Craig Ogilvie told SIN. “This council will have the responsibility for new Town Plans that are revised every seven years,” Cr Ogilvie said. “Because we have a first time mayor and many first time councillors, it is essential that we ensure that correct processes are followed in planning and also in development approvals. “We need to ensure that Island residents don’t pay higher rates because council gives the go ahead to unnecessary urban sprawl areas that need new roads and sewerage and footpaths and so forth. “The last council won awards for financial planning and it is up to us to continue to push hard to keep the council’s books in order despite the election of a primarily inexperienced council.” Voters elected a new mayor, Karen Williams, who was previously councillor for Capalaba, and seven new councillors. Cr Ogilvie, standing for a third term, defied the mood for change by winning with a narrow margin of 95 votes (50.62 per cent of the vote). “There was a lot of money spent on trying to get rid of all the councillors who didn’t believe in urban sprawl on the mainland,” he said, “I was targeted and I’m proud that a lot of people supported me anyway.” His lowest Island vote was at Dunwich (40.6 per cent) almost identical to the LNP/ALP split at the state election, although Cr Ogilvie is an Independent. Sand mining was a major issue in Dunwich at both elections, although neither Cr Ogilvie nor the previous council opposed mining on the Island. “I think people were in a mood to punish with or without reason,” he said. Point Lookout was the only booth in the Redlands won by outgoing Mayor Melva Hobson, with a vote of 54 per cent. Karen Williams won almost 70 per cent of the total Redland vote. — Liz Johnston.
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 9
NEWS
WHEN WILL IT
There is more consultation ahead as the new Newman State Government re-examines how and when mining on the Island should end. BY MARIA TAN
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ational parks minister and member for Buderim, Steve Dickson, has told SIN he’s committed to expanding and protecting the national park on Straddie, but not “at the cost of jobs for locals. “The Newman Government is committed to a more orderly transition to end sand mining on the Island,” Mr Dickson said. “We have always said there will be an end to sand mining on Stradbroke, but our government will consult with community and other stakeholders to negotiate a fair and sensible wind-down period.” Under the North Stradbroke Island Protection and Sustainability Act 2011, legislation brought in by the Bligh Government in April last year, mining on Straddie is due to be phased out by 2025. That Act will have to be amended by the Newman Government if it decides to make any change to that proposed end date. Friends of Stradbroke Island (FOSI) believe the Newman Government has been given a golden opportunity – to bring forward the end of mining. “It has been known, since the federal government Fraser Island Environmental
10 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
Inquiry 35 years ago, that sand mining on Queensland’s sand islands causes, in the words of the then Prime Minister, ‘major permanent and irreversible damage’,” Sue Ellen Carew, FOSI president, told SIN. “The then federal government ended sand mining on Fraser within weeks of receiving the Inquiry’s report. “Unfortunately, shortsighted Queensland governments continued to bend to mining company demands to keep mining Stradbroke. “Only last year the Queensland government used special legislation to renew key expired leases to allow mining to continue at Enterprise mine until 2020 and at the Vance silica mine until 2025.” Sibelco spokesman Paul Smith says the current legislation will lead to a “premature” end to mining on North Stradbroke. Mr Smith says there are opportunities for “working constructively with the Newman Government on a realistic and practical plan for North Stradbroke Island, that will increase the protected estate alongside Sibelco’s sand mining operations. “Under the previous Bligh Government many Islanders would have certainly lost their livelihoods under a
hastily-written policy that would have prematurely ended sand mining on North Stradbroke Island,” Mr Smith told SIN. He says the mining company is looking forward to a renewed relationship with Redland City Council under the direction of new mayor, Karen Williams. She is a vocal supporter of mining on Straddie and criticised the Bligh Government throughout her own election campaign. Last year Ms Williams unsuccesfully called on the Council to go on the record as being opposed to the national parks legislation. “I made that very clear at the time, that there were lots of holes in what was put forward with no consultation with either myself or local government representatives or even the broader population,” the new Mayor said. “I cannot support state government writing legislation on the run. “If legislation is going to impact our community at any level, either side, it has to be well thought out so there isn’t any question about how it’s going to be delivered.” WINTER 2012
NATIVE TITLE
Year one, challenges ahead Land use planning and dealing with new state government and council members are just some of the challenges the Quandamooka people face after achieving Native Title one year ago, writes Maria Tan.
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ne year on from the historic Native Title determination, Indigenous Elder and chair of the Combined Quandamooka Aboriginal Organisations Forum, Aunty Joan Hendriks, is optimistic about the progress to be made for the Quandamooka people. “It’s the forum that I am heavily involved with and of course being just after the elections, we’re still trying to get meetings and pull things together,” Aunty Joan said. “We should know more very soon.” Mayor Karen Williams hopes to visit the next Quandamooka forum and told SIN
represents North Stradbroke Island, says he is pleased with the agreements that have already been made between the Quandamooka people and the council. “I think the majority of council are pretty comfortable with what we signed up to,” Cr Ogilvie said. He also told SIN that council had no interest in changing the Indigenous Land Use Agreements already in place. “The thing with Native Title is that it’s all bundled up now and it’s essentially no different to a contract,” Cr Ogilvie added. “What’s been decided is essentially a contract between us and the traditional owners’ body corporate.
Mr Smith was part of the legal team that represented the Quandamooka people in their case for Native Title rights, which were recognised at a determination hearing in Dunwich on July 4 last year. “It’s been a long 16-year battle for the Quandamooka people to get their Native Title, but this is really the beginning of a new phase of their existence,” Mr Smith told SIN. “We all live in a modern world and now the Quandamooka have to deal with that modern world while discharging their very important responsibility to be cultural custodians of the land that is so precious to them. “So it’s getting that balance. Obviously
“From my point of view, the fact that we’ve got a change in council isn’t going to effect a lot of the good things that are going to happen on the Island anyway in the next four years. “What isn’t in place are town plans for the three townships and that could dramatically change things in a fairly ugly way if we get it wrong.” For chief executive officer of Queensland South Native Title Services, Kevin Smith, Native Title determination was not an end in itself.
there’s going to be the challenge of balancing cultural protection and ensuring that the culture remains strong and thriving, but also dealing with the challenges of living in a modern world. “Carving out economic opportunities and ensuring that Quandamooka people are able to live on their traditional land are going be really important challenges for them, but they’re a group of very talented, smart people and they’re very motivated. I think they’ve got a very bright future in front of them.”
Mayor Karen Williams and Aunty Joan Hendriks at the Mayor’s swearing in ceremony.
that while a lot of great work and high benchmarks had already been achieved, she believed Native Title was going to be “a huge challenge” for the council. “Although I’ve been part of the journey with that, clearly there will be challenges in the future with planning and all those sorts of things at Redland City Council,” the Mayor said. “I’m keen to build on the already existing good relationship and work with all stakeholders to make sure that it runs as smoothly as possible.” Division 2 councillor Craig Ogilvie, who WINTER 2012
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 11
DON’T FEED THE DOLPHINS
Amity the new Tangalooma? Signs and potential fines of up to $8000 have not stopped locals or tourists from hand feeding dolphins off the jetty at Amity Point, writes Maria Tan.
ocal councillor Craig Ogilvie believes that prohibiting people from feeding dolphins off Amity jetty will prove to be unsuccessful. He has told SIN that introducing a dolphin-feeding program, similar to that run off Tangalooma on Moreton Island, could be an easier way forward. Speaking from his experience as a former Tangalooma resort tour guide, Cr Ogilvie told SIN that the Tangalooma handfeeding program makes sure that dolphins do not get sick from human contact or become dependent on being hand fed. “Tangalooma does a decent job of it and you’d have to think that there’d be a commercial opportunity here for somebody to do it in an environmentally sensitive way and make some kind of feature out of it,” Cr Ogilvie said. “If Tangalooma can do it, why can’t we do it on the Island in an appropriate way and make it something that people want to come and see?” Illegal dolphin feeding off Amity has been going on for years, according to Stradbroke Wildlife Rescue spokesperson, Stell Grimmett. She and other concerned locals have been waging a losing battle trying to stop the activity and protect the wild marine animals. “The major thing really is that jetty, because there are people fishing and people jumping off that jetty all the time while
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12 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
the dolphins are there. Ms Grimmett told SIN. “We worry too about the dolphins being there because we take part in Clean Up Australia Day and we get tonnes of fishing line every year that we pick up; it’s just like a web down there.”
The Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins seen off Amity are not the same species as the Common Bottlenose Dolphins seen off Tangalooma on Moreton Island. While the total Australian population size of Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins is unknown, it is estimated there are between 119 and 163 individuals in Moreton Bay. The Tangalooma dolphinfeeding program is strictly monitored to ensure the animals only receive 10 to 20 per cent of their daily food requirements and must still hunt to survive.
The Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing (NPRSR) told SIN that signage was being developed to “improve public awareness of the impacts feeding can have on dolphin health.” According to NPRSR Marine general manager, Rebecca Williams, the unregulated feeding of dolphins increases their risk of boat strike, entanglement in fishing lines and the ingestion of hooks and lures. “It also disrupts their social structure as they can become dependent on humans for food, and that can result in decreased maternal care of calves,” Ms Williams said. She also emphasised the importance of dolphins only being fed via “specifically authorised dolphin feeding programs”. “It’s not legal to feed the dolphins at Amity Point. Dolphin feeding activities are authorised at only two locations in Queensland: Tangalooma and Tin Can Bay.” Under the Nature Conservation (Whales and Dolphins) Conservation Plan 1997, a person must not intentionally feed a dolphin in the wild unless authorised under a Marine Parks permission, as is the case at Tangalooma. An on-the-spot fine of $300 can be imposed for illegally feeding dolphins in the wild, while a conviction can bring a maximum penalty, for an individual, of $8000.
WINTER 2012
PHOTO: © IFAW/C. LACEY
WILD ISLAND
Watch out – whales about “Whale and dolphin reliance on sound for communicating, foraging and breeding means that exposure to additional noise can be detrimental.” ecreational boaters need a greater understanding of what to do when encountering whales and dolphins according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (www.ifaw.org). The organisation has released a report, The Impact of Recreational boats around Whales and Dolphins in their Australian Habitats, which also said park rangers and enforcement officers need to be better resourced to ensure that current whale watching guidelines and regulations are adequately enforced. “[Nationally] we have around a million boats in our waters and this is due to increase,” IFAW campaigner Matthew Collis said. “While most people are relaxing, enjoying their surroundings, unfortunately there are a few whose lack of knowledge or irresponsible behaviour is putting whales and dolphins at risk. “IFAW is asking people to keep watch for whales and dolphins, keep their distance,
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WINTER 2012
and keep speed and noise down to avoid disturbing these magnificent animals that come to our shores every year,” he said. IFAW says there is growing evidence that the noise made by small vessels could be a threat to whales and dolphins. “Whale and dolphin reliance on sound for communicating, foraging and breeding means that exposure to additional noise can be detrimental. The problem of noise disturbance is not limited to just large ships. Even small boats can reduce the communication range of bottlenose dolphins from 26 to 58% within 50 metres.” The potential problems from disturbance may include disruption of behaviour, displacement from important habitat areas, and reduced breeding success. In its research IFAW found that guidelines and regulations in Australia compared well against world standards, but said there was increasing concern about the inappropriate actions of a few recreational boat owners.
Australian National Guidelines for Whale and Dolphin Watching state: • Boats should not approach a whale any closer than 100 metres. • A dolphin no closer than 50 metres, and • not directly from the rear or the front of the animal. • If a calf is present this “caution” distance extends to: • 150 metres for a dolphin • 300 metres for a whale • Boats should travel at slow speeds with no sudden changes of direction and no more than three vessels should be within the so-called “caution” zone (150m of a dolphin and 300m of a whale) at any one time. (Source: www.IFAW.org).
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 13
NOTICEBOARD
Stradbroke Island
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14 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
WINTER 2012
Weddings
PHOTO: SAM CRAIG VISUAL MOMENTS
a Island
Kylie Howard and Steven Duncan and their guests braved a downpour during their ceremony, but it didn’t spoil their special day, which included a gala celebration at the Stradbroke Island Hotel.
PHOTO: SAM CRAIG VISUAL MOMENTS
Island resident and well-known gelati scooper, Kylie Ballard, has left the Island community to marry Mitch Papworth. Koo and Mitch were married in Casino and celebrated the wedding on their 900-acre property at Baxters Creek, with a few Islanders making the trek to help them celebrate. Koo returns to the Island each holiday season to work at the gelati bar.
PHOTO: SAM CRAIG VISUAL MOMENTS
Neil Page and Cindy Berthelsen were lucky to avoid rain until about midway through their reception on the lawn at the Little Ship Club; then they had to run for shelter.
Specialising in Weddings
Donna Shannon DIRECTOR
Laura Johnson and Glenn Tooley were blessed with perfect conditions for their wedding day. Even a big swell and a high tide on Home Beach didn’t spoil their plans for a spectacular beach wedding, thanks to the expertise of local wedding planner Donna Shannon, of Stradbroke Island Events. WINTER 2012
T 0418.301.000 E info@stradbrokeislandevents.com.au www.stradbrokeislandevents.com.au
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 15
WILD ISLAND
SAVING STRADDIE FLYING FOXES PHOTO: Š WILDEYEVIEW.COM
NO ME, NO TREE. This is the plea of one of our most misunderstood mammals, the flying fox.
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nknown to most, the flying fox is an incredible pollinator, and without them, the eucalypt forest on Straddie might not be as dense, or as varied. But we tend to overlook this, and associate them instead with diseases such as the Hendra virus and Lyssavirus and their rather noisy squabbling at sunset. Flying foxes are mammals and their winged hands are greatly extended bones of their forearms, joined with a soft flexible membrane to form wings. They are marvellous flyers and very manoeuvrable in the air. Flying foxes weigh up to one kilogram and can have a wingspan of up to one metre. They feed on flowers, fruit and the leaves of more than 100 native trees and vines. There are three species of flying fox that visit or live on Straddie; the black flying fox, the grey headed flying fox, listed as a vulnerable species under environmental laws, and the little red flying fox (photographed). They are nomadic and prefer to colonise near water. The little red flying fox shifts camp every one to two months. Flying foxes sometimes fly in from the mainland at dusk to feed and can cover up to 50kms in a night. Being such social animals they have a lot to say and have more than 30 different calls and are most vocal during the mating season. We see flying foxes when they join the commuter rush at dusk, flying against a
16 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
backdrop of fading blue sky when they are off to do their job as forest makers. In their travels, flying foxes disperse seeds in their droppings and carry a dusting of pollen from tree to tree, fertilizing flowers as they feed. Eucalypts rely heavily on these pollinators, and so produce most of their pollen and nectar at night. Without flying foxes there would be less cross-pollination between trees. With their droppings, seed dispersal can be spread over larger distances, not only expanding the gene pool within the forest, but also increasing the chance the see will grow into a strong mature plant, by germinating well away from the parent plant. The flying fox is under serious threat with some species such as the little red flying fox threatened with extinction. And, in fact, the total population of the vulnerable grey headed flying fox has been seen to drop by one third in 10 years. The most serious threats to the flying fox are habitat destruction, land clearing for agriculture and urban development. On Stradbroke Island sand mining continues to destroy flying fox habitat. The 2003 Enterprise mine Environmental Studies Report (ESR), legally required to be completed by the mining company before clearing for mining could go ahead, identified habitats of a number of vulnerable species. The grey headed flying fox is one of the species whose habitat
is threatened by mining, along with island koalas (recently declared vulnerable). Sadly for flying foxes, barbed wire injuries are also common, tearing their fragile wings. Cocos palms are a trap as the flying foxes get entangled and can choke on the seeds. Of course power lines are a big risk, and we regularly see the sad sight of them caught and hanging from the lines. People shoot them too. The future of flying foxes depends on our willingness to share our neighbourhoods with them. Each of us can play a role in ensuring their survival. You can help by planting local native trees, and by stretching nets as tightly as a trampoline over your fruit trees, as loose nets injure wildlife. Consider using white thick knitted net instead of the black thinner net. It is important to note that living close to a colony is not a health risk, unless you are bitten or scratched. If you find an injured flying fox or bat do not handle it. There could be a baby attached. It may bite you if it is frightened and hurt, and may be carrying a disease. If you do find an injured animal call: 24 Hour Emergency Bat Rescue on the Island phone 0488 228 138 or RSPCA hotline 1300 ANIMAL — Angela McLeod, Secretary, Friends of Stradbroke Island (FOSI) with thanks to Emma Lewis, UQ research centre, Dunwich. (This article was first published in the FOSI newsletter).
WINTER 2012
BUSHCARE
Winter is good for the garden BY LIZ JOHNSTON
W
inter is an excellent time to get in the garden and start planting, according to Point Lookout Bushcare co-ordinator Jan Johnman, because roots have time to establish before the growing season. And Point Lookout Bushcare has a new range of plants for sale that are ideal for this season’s gardening. They include Vitex trifolia, a hardy coastal dune plant that can grow from one to four metres in coastal gardens. It blooms with sprays of blue or pale purple flowers from late summer to early autumn. Also in stock for planting now are small Xanthorrhoea (grass trees). These suit patient gardeners as they can take a long time even for a trunk to form. For those impatient planters, Colin Campbell from ABC’s Gardening Australia program suggests watering once a month for two years with a cup of brown sugar in a bucket of water to boost the plant’s growth and help it survive. In response to requests from customers who want to plant banksias, but don’t have room for large trees, Bushcare has three small banksias on offer. B. oblongifolia (dwarf banksia) grows to about one metre and with its lemon-yellow blossoms and candle-shaped cones is similar to Point Lookout’s dominant banksia, B. integrifolia. Loved by honeyeaters, B. spinulosa (golden candlestick banksia) has fiery orange flower spikes and grows to three metres. B. robur (broad-leaved banksia) grows to two metres and has rosettes of large leathery leaves holding electric-green, yellow and tan flower spikes. This is a particular favourite of Bushcare member and talented botanical artist Joan Docwra. Also in stock are well-established midyim plants, low sprawling shrubs to 50 cm that grow in most sites and are useful as understorey plants, on a bank or in a rockery — taste their delicious grey, speckled berries in late summer from bushes along the gorge walk — plus plenty of regular favourites, like Hibbertia scandens.
Botanical drawings by Bushcare volunteer Joan Docwra. Top: Hibbertia scandens. Left to right:Casuarina equisetifolia, Melaleuca pachyphylla, Corymbia intermedia.
WINTER 2012
Buy plants from the Bushcare stall at Point Lookout markets or on Thursdays between 10am and noon at the Bushcare nursery on Kennedy Drive (access from the Point Lookout headland reserve).
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 17
FEATURE
ART THE REMEDY for former Dunwich nurse It was after being reunited with her birth mother, on the day that Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generations, that Jill Jensen’s interest in the Indigenous art scene was sparked. Maria Tan reports. s a member of the Stolen Generations, 53-year-old Jill Jensen says that for decades she was locked in her search for identity and belonging. Now, the former YuluBurri-Ba health worker has found solace in her work with Aboriginal artists. “After I met my mum,” Jill told SIN, “I started to make jewellery and then an artist approached me to sell his sarongs and clothing. That’s how I started, very small, and then other artists started contacting me and I started buying their artwork and would sell that for them. It was while working in Dunwich that Jill began her own business, making jewellery, sarongs and clothing, and this has since expanded into manufacturing clothing, bags and other items, adorned with authentic Indigenous artworks. She now represents multiple Indigenous artists from across Australia, including Ipswich born Colin Jones, who is of Kalkadoon and Nunuckle tribal descent.
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“People want handmade products from our own people and it’s better to promote all of us than get someone overseas making it.” “Everything is made by Australian artists and the idea of the clothing manufacturing business that I’ve just started is to have everything made by Aboriginal people again. We get a lot of tourists that come over and they don’t want anything that hasn’t been made in Australia,” Jill told SIN. She has established the Black Swan Dreaming website (www.blackswandreaming.com) as a space for Indigenous artists to create an online profile and promote their work. “If they’ve got a website, then we put a link to their website, so they have their profile on my website and their contact
18 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
details as well,” Jill said. “There’s also a place for artists to register if they wish to and we also provide jewellery workshops as well as clothing and beading workshops.” She is also calling on friends from Minjerribah, who are interested in sewing, to contact her via the Black Swan Dreaming website. “I know Yulu-Burri-Ba and they’ve got heaps of machines there in the back room
demountable. If they were interested I could provide them with the material and they could start making simple stuff like hair scrunchies, pillow cases and curtains,” the former nurse said. “People want handmade products from our own people and it’s better to promote all of us than get someone overseas making it. It’s far more meaningful if we can do it ourselves and it generates an interest and an income as well as empowerment and confidence.”
WINTER 2012
MARINE DEBRIS
Top: Taking morphological measurements of a deceased Shear Water found on Main Beach. Middle: Marine debris collected by teachers from Main Beach. Right: Teacher Jo-Anne Britt collecting marine debris during a beach sweep on North Stradbroke Island.
Wild teachers spotted on Straddie Picking up rubbish is a detention method favoured by teachers and loathed by students – yet a group of school teachers recently volunteered to visit Straddie to mire themselves in the issue of marine rubbish. By Kate Johnston.
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he group were quickly set to work by Dr Kathy Townsend of the Moreton Bay Research Station, who is undertaking a major study into the impacts of marine debris, in particular its devastating and deadly impact on turtles. “Turtles are often more susceptible than other marine animals to marine rubbish, as they do not have the ability to regurgitate,” Dr Townsend said. “Once a turtle ingests this type of rubbish the gut becomes paralysed and gases build up in the turtle’s stomach, which cause it to float and make it unable to dive for food. It’s a slow, painful death.”
WINTER 2012
Marine debris consists mainly of plastic, glass and fishing nets and affects more than 270 species of animals worldwide. Two groups of teachers have so far taken part in seven-day field trips to Straddie as part of TeachWild, a three-year national marine debris research and education program, developed by Earthwatch Australia and the CSIRO. Teachers work alongside scientists to learn about the issue and take part in hands-on data collection and research. They then communicate what they’ve learnt to their students via an interactive website. Teachers take part in beach cleans, boat
trawl surveys, turtle necropsies (autopsies) and laboratory work. Another group of teachers will come in September. Matt Radburnd, a teacher from Western Australia, said: “I gained valuable knowledge and skills that I can now apply to my lessons and educate students in my school and the local community. “Students have already commenced gathering data at local beaches as part of our specialist marine studies programs. They are entering this data into the national database to assist scientists in their research.” To find out more visit teachwild.org.au
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 19
YIN A photographic display at the North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum will explore the social history of a contemporary Island event; the washing up of a dead humpback whale on Main Beach in October last year. The display will feature photographs from the University of Queensland, SIBELCO and the museum.
Dog mauls wallaby mother wallaby found mauled and near death on Deadmans Beach, was the 23rd macropod to die from dog attack on Straddie since 2009, when the Island’s wildlife rescue group began keeping records. In that time, dogs have also attacked 16 koalas, of which nine died or were euthanised, and numerous native birds. The wallaby was still alive and lying on her side in the sand when Point Lookout resident Michael Hines, winner of this
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20 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
year’s Redland City Council Environment Award, took this photo. Members of the local wildlife rescue group sedated the animal before calling local police to come and put it down. Residents and holidaymakers are urged to keep domestic pets inside at night. “Many holidaymakers come on holidays with their pets and don’t realise that we share this island with lots of wildlife, which must be protected,” Stell Grimmett of the rescue service said. “Wildlife deaths on
roads is also a major problem especially when the number of cars on the Island increases in the holiday period.” Mrs Grimmett said her group had recorded 26 wallaby and kangaroo deaths on Island roads in 2009, 31 in 2010, 22 in 2011 and 10 so far this year. She said her records showed 41 koalas had been hit by cars on the Island since 2009 and 24 of those had died from their injuries. — Kate Johnston WINTER 2012
YANG
Get some Buddhist wisdom on Straddie
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ibetan Buddhist nun Venerable Robina Courtin recently chose Straddie as the perfect place to spend a month in retreat in order to rest and prepare for her busy schedule. Venerable Robina spends 11 months of each year teaching in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia, so it was with great pleasure that she accepted Kathleen Surawski’s kind invitation to spend a month in retreat in Kathleen’s home. Never one to remain idle, Venerable Robina took the opportunity to edit her mentor, Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s, book on death and dying. Venerable Robina belongs to the Gelug Tibetan Buddhist tradition, headed by His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama. Her mentors, Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, together founded The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, which has communities worldwide, including Chenrezig on the Sunshine Coast and Langri Tangpa at Coorparoo. Happily for the Straddie community, Venerable Robina includes a weekend of teachings on the Island whenever she returns to Queensland. We have been lucky to secure three weekends of teachings in the past 18 months but we will not see her now until early next year. Venerable Robina was a long time editor of Wisdom Magazine and founding director of the Liberation Prison Project, which provides hope for prisoners, many of whom are on death row in the USA. Anyone who has heard Venerable Robina speak will well understand how she could prevail over these difficult circumstances despite her tiny stature. Her message is very much about looking into and understanding our own mind in order to become our own therapist, to find happiness and to equip us to more easily help others. — Gail Bell
Surf boat blessed
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he Point Lookout Surf Life Saving Club’s new surf boat has been blessed by Minjerribah Elders, signalling the strong relationship between the club and the local community. Surf club member Jeff Daley said the second-hand boat had been restored by volunteers and painted by his son Kirt. “The club has been at Point Lookout for about 60 years and is built on traditional, sacred land,” Jeff said. “There was also a flag exchanging ceremony. This was the first Indigenous flag the club has received. “It was a very, very special event and signalled a relationship between the club and the traditional owners of the land,” he told the Bayside Bulletin.
WINTER 2012
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 21
NOTICEBOARD
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(ON THE MAIN STREET LOOK FOR THE POTS & FLAGS)
CAROL 0419 727 133 Come and visit u r sure to find that special gift, clothing or the very thing u wanted. Open 10am holidays ring and check (usually every day) non-holidays wed, thurs, sat maybe sun clothes – giftlines – furniture – collectables – the unusual – garden pots plants – sleepers – planters – manchester
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Victor Korzeniewski. Licence No PMT–O–3514. BSA Licence No 743908.
BAY ISLAND VALUATIONS Paul W Mergler AAPI AssocDipBus (Real Property Valuation) Certified Practising Valuer Professional property reporting through service, quality and advice. Phone 3409 8855 Fax 3415 3060 Mobile 0417 786 708 pmergler@bigpond.com www.bayislandvaluations.com
PO Box 300 Point Lookout North Stradbroke Island QLD 4183
Chris
Semple
22 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
WINTER 2012
CRUISIN’
Ahoy there, me hearties! BY MARGARET SHIELDS
T
wenty-four cheery sailors from the Minjerriba Respite Centre in Dunwich set out to sail the high seas to Cairns recently. The Respite Centre is the day respite associated with the Nareeba Moopi-Moopi Pa Aged and Frail Care Hostel, which offers residential care. Being of advancing age, I was eligible to join the group and since my neighbour, Beryl Moore (pictured), was turning 95 on the day of departure, that seemed like a pretty good idea.
The group comprised respite members and carers and we were all very jolly setting off. The first day was a bit harrowing, though, what with lining up to do the boarding paperwork, then heading up to our ordained meeting place for the safety drill. Added to that it was rough and we all had to find our sea legs. Sometime the next afternoon we entered the inner reef to quiet, calm seas – bliss! There were almost 3000 passengers on the P&O Pacific Sun so, at first, it was quite difficult to connect up with each other. But our tour director (and nurse) Michelle Nothling made a dinner booking in the silver-service Bordeaux Restaurant for all 24 of us for the whole week, and pretty soon we got used to everybody’s daily routines and knew where to find one other. The ship stopped at Airlie Beach, where passengers could go ashore for a variety of activities. One of our group visited the outer reef for a snorkelling trip and came back with stars in her eyes, saying it was one of the most magical experiences of her life. Next stop was Cairns where we spent two days and passengers ventured off for shopping expeditions, walks along the foreshore, small flutters in the casino, and trips to Kuranda and Port Douglas. I did the Port Douglas Tour and had a delightful day in great company. After Cairns we did a scenic run past Willis Island, 450 kilometres east of Cairns. Easy to miss: it’s a small coral cay (about 500 metres long) almost completely
surrounded by coral reef. Cyclone Yasi stripped the island of all vegetation, so it appears quite barren from the sea. Then we headed for home, a trip that proved quite rough and saw some of our group succumb to seasickness. Michelle was prepared for that, though, and provided relief for our lot. The trip was yet another successful venture run by the Minjerriba Respite Centre, which dedicates itself to ensuring quality of life for the aged and frail residents of Stradbroke Island. The Centre helps in many and various ways to enrich the lives of its members and to transform what could be a difficult time of life into enjoyment and ease. I have long been an admirer of their work from a distance. Up close, I’m their greatest fan.
Hold on to dreams for if they die life is a broken-winged bird that can not fly hold on to dreams for when dreams go life is a barren field frozen with snow. Jamie Jay White, aged 10, Great-nephew of Margaret Shields
Friendly Service and Best Meat Guaranteed
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WINTER 2012
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 23
NOTICEBOARD
Stradbroke
Auto Repairs Blair Howe
& 3409 9336
PO Box 39 Dunwich QLD 4183 • Full Service and Tuning • Engine Reconditioning • Brakes and Clutches • Suspension and Front End Repairs • Roadworthy/Inspection Certificates
• Manual and Automatic Transmission Repairs • Tyre Repairs • Breakdown Calls • Free Quotes
ing feel
Only a sur fer
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ws
the
NSI Mobile Vet “North Stradbroke Island’s resident vet” Small animal vaccinations and house call consultations by appointment.
Dr Morgan Chance BVSc (Hons). Mobile: 0411 539 067 • Phone : 3415 3340 Email: mchancevet@gmail.com
24 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
WINTER 2012
NOTICEBOARD
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.
4 Meegera Place Point Lookout PH 3409 8255 straddie.qld@raywhite.com www.visitstradbroke.com.au Rae Green 0417 797 885 Alan Carter 0409 873 757
Lee’s Liquid Waste Services EPA Licensed EST. 1984
Lic. No. 50044 Established since 1991 on North Stradbroke Island
27/7 Professional Service
Clean again.
Specialists in Domestic, Commercial and Industrial Installations, Maintenance TV Systems, Lighting, Power, Safety switches, Hot Water systems, Stoves etc. Bill Rhodes 0407 965 699 rholec@bigpond.net.au Dan Rhodes 0409 270 036 rhodeselectrical@hotmail.com Ph. 3415 3083 Fax 3415 3098 PO. Box 186 Point Lookout 4183 For your Local Electrician and Member of the ECA Call Bill or Dan
SEPTIC TANKS SHIPS’ BILGE HOLDING TANKS RECYCLED WATER OILY WATER DELIVERIES TREATMENT PLANTS GREASE TRAPS PORTALOOS • Free quotes and advice • Family owned and operated • • All suburbs inc. Stradbroke and Bay Islands • • Commercial and domestic • www.liquidwaste.com.au • lees@liquidwaste.com.au
3206 4844 Incorporating K.C. Domestic Trap Cleaning & Lee’s Septic Tank Services
WINTER 2012
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 25
ACTIVE ISLAND
Beach yoga tales
D
espite rain, gusty changeable winds, surging tides and marsh fly madness, the spirit of beach yoga on Straddie is never daunted. Whether it’s regular Island weekenders, once-a-year holidaymakers or yoga firsttimers, they bring their good selves onto Home Beach regardless of weather. They all want to feel better by coming to the Island to touch nature and breath out, slow their busy minds, relax their bodies or make a connection. Where there is very little beach, the classes are challenging and funny, with wet or damp sand and casuarina roots exposed by strong incoming or outgoing tides. But the sun is golden and warm on the back and the water clear. Besides, if you get wet, get dry. If you get sandy, get sandier then have a swim. Reactions vary but laughing practice always helps. On an easterly wind, classes are mobile but Home Beach offers great protection during southerlies or a cold sou’wester. Most talked about classes are often those held in inclement weather because people who brave the elements seem to be enthusiastic and determined, ready to laugh and have a crack at practices that move them past their comfort limit.
Linda Rago Linda Rago has been studying yoga and shiatsu healing practices since 1989. She is on the Australian Council for Shiatsu Therapists and is resident teacher of Falls Prevention and Better Breathing at Minjerriba Respite Centre and Nareeba Moopi Moopi Pa. She specialises in recovery from injury through positive attitude, movement and respiration.
Surf lessons for kids
To book lessons call Murray Taylor at the North Stradbroke Island Surf School on 0407 642 616. 26 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
“My name is Oscar Riguet and I did a surf lesson with Murray Taylor and it was very fun. It s’ good because even parents can join in. It s’ a good way to get into the water and get used to going to the beach. It s’ also a good way for everyone to get out of the house and be childish. It’s also a good way to meet Lincoln Taylor, who you’ve probably seen in the SIN, in person.” By Oscar Riguet (8 years) WINTER 2012
ACTIVE ISLAND
Straddie Salute triathlon
Competitors lined up for the start of the 2011 Straddie Salute Triathlon. PHOTO: COURTESY OF PHOTOEVENTS
O
rganisers of the Straddie Salute triathlon, now in its fifth year, are expecting between 700 and 1000 competitors to take part in the event on the weekend of September 15 and 16. From humble beginnings in 2008 the Salute has grown into a three event, two-day sport festival that starts on Saturday with the
Sibelco 1000 Ocean Swim, a one kilometre swim off Cylinder, with a $500 winner’s prize Sunday’s program includes a scenic 8km run or walk around Point Lookout, suitablefor all ages and abilities, and the original Straddie Salute Triathlon, incorporating swimming, running and riding. Competitors now have the option to choose between
the usual 18km off-road mountain bike course or a slightly shorter 15km road bike course. “Cycling is exploding in popularity in Queensland so the new road cycle course opens the door to those with a preference for tarseal over dirt,” said John Guise of Weekend Warrior Events.
For more information or to register visit www.weekendwarriorevents.com.au
Wrecked on Moreton oint Lookout residents James Ryan and Sean Ogilvie pedalled from one end of Moreton Island to the other to take part in the 2.4km “Wrecked” ocean swim at Tangalooma. And after cycling 25kms in soft sand from Kooringal to Tangalooma, for the start of the ocean swim, they were.
P
Nonetheless, the pair recommends the adventure to anyone looking for a mountain bike challenge. “We thought the ocean swim at Tangalooma, which is run by the same group who run the Straddie Salute, would be a great chance to test our ‘swimming mettle’ in a beautiful location,” James said. “While working out the logistics of getting to the race we came up with the hare-brained idea of cycling up the beach track on the western side of Moreton.”
“The ride is tough, but it goes through brush box forest, mangroves and soft sand, with plenty of wild life,” Sean added. “We let our tyres down to around 10psi, and only had to push the bikes a small amount of the way. “It takes about 3-4 hours each way and must be done around low tide. Pushies aren’t a popular way to do Moreton. We met many friendly locals and tourists who were surprised at our mode of transport. But I reckon it’s an epic way to see it. “Caution needs to be taken and you need to be self-sufficient. There is very little mobile coverage and just a few basic shops. The Gutter Bar is a friendly spot to stop in at Kooringal for basic needs, plus a drink and some local oysters.” The Amity Trader can be booked online at www.amitytrader.com and campgrounds can be booked by calling 13 74 68.
WINTER 2012
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 27
FISHY TALES BY JIM CAMPBELL
Scare on the Bay fter three successive competition weekends, each producing good catches, May was a bit of a letdown for the Amity Point Fishing Club. Most had trouble finding fish to weigh in, with the exceptions of Bob and Ben Armstrong with mixed bags of tarwhine, bream and whiting. Bernie Mascord weighed in a similar catch with a bonus flathead weighing in at 1.775kg. Luderick showed up around the rock wall, with two of the Amity float fishermen, Barry Fabricato and Ivan Smyth Kirk, nailing more than a dozen between them before the breeze got up on the final morning of the comp. Barry managed to weigh in a respectable 800g specimen. Again this year the juniors stood out from the crowd with Ben Armstrong performing extremely well in every comp. He is currently running fifth in the club’s point standings. Sasha Steinke’s effort in the February comp to land a 71cm flathead was admirable. Some of the other juniors who have been weighing in their fair share of fish are Georgina Rudken, Dylan and Ryan Hodson and young Jeth Steinke. Watto reckons we should teach the kids to fish correctly today so they will always respect what will be theirs to share in the future.
purpose rod that can easily be transported when space is at a premium (it folds down to a metre). Most telescopic rods have ground blanks, which, while they look good, lose strength. The new Alvey has not been ground and has the strength and feel of a normal 10ft6” one-piece bream rod. It will retail for just under $100.
A
EVASIVE ACTION SAVES LIVES
Ryan Hodson with a tray of whiting. Comp dates for the rest of the year are July 20-22, August 17-19, September 14-16, October 12-14 and November 16-18. Give Watto a call on 3409 7075 for info.
TELESCOPIC ROD Alvey Reels are about to introduce a new telescopic rod onto the market after the success of their introductory 13ft4” model. The 10ft6” model won’t be available before September, but by the look and feel of it, this rod will fit well into the role of the all-
If not for the vigilance of Leyland, captain of the red barge, on a recent Sunday morning departure from Dunwich, lives would have been lost. On the approach to Goat Island a vessel cut across the bow of the red barge from the left, or from the direction of the Southern Bay Islands. The red barge was blowing the horn and slowing but the vessel seemed oblivious to the danger. In the end, the barge was put into reverse and the vessel could not be seen under the drawbridge as it passed. Scary! The person in charge of the other vessel did not acknowledge the red barge captain and continued on their merry way.
SAFE BEACH DRIVING Lots of youngsters are on our beaches in the holiday period. Please, drive slowly and keep your headlights on.
TRAWLER FRESH SEAFOOD Mintee Street, Point Lookout Wed to Sat 10am - 4pm & Sun 10am 3pm Tel: 3415 3436 Local, Fresh Prawns, Bugs, Fish, Oysters, Scallops & more
Mal Starkey’s
SEAFOOD
HOUSE Ph 3409 8353 Mob 0409 618 353 PROVIDING STRADDIE’S FINEST SEAFOOD
FOR OVER 20 YEARS Straddie’s local fisher for quality seafood Cnr Tramican & Donahue Sts, Point Lookout
28 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
NEW PRODUCT LINES . Dog leads and collars . Flea, tick and worm treatments for dogs and cats . Dog beds and replacement mats
OPEN 7 DAYS 18 Bingle Road Dunwich PHONE – FAX
3409 9252 WINTER 2012
PROPERTY
ISLAND PROPERTY By Rae Green
I
thought it might be helpful for owners, tenants and prospective tenants if I set out the responsibilities of both Landlord and Tenant in relation to a permanent rental agreement. There is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there, but hopefully this will help clear up some points.
It is the Landlord’s responsibility (whether using an agent or not) to do the following: • Present the property in a clean and safe manner including carpet cleaning where necessary. • Lodge the Bond with the RTA. • Install smoke alarm or alarms (depending on size of property). • Ensure all light bulbs are operational. • Have the property sprayed for cockroaches etc. prior to
commencement of tenancy. • If the landlord wishes to charge for excess water usage the property must be “water-wised”. • Issue receipts for rent collected showing a paid-to date. • Provide a Condition Report for tenants to complete. • Attend promptly to maintenance issues reported by the tenant. It is the Tenant’s responsibility to: • Complete the Condition Report provided by the Agent or Landlord and return it (keeping a copy for their records). • Pay rent on time and keep it paid two weeks in advance at all times. This is an area where many tenants get confused and it is a breach of their tenancy agreement if not complied with.
• Replace light bulbs and batteries as needed. • Maintain lawns and gardens, unless otherwise stipulated in the tenancy agreement. • Ensure the property is pest controlled annually or on the completion of the tenancy. • Arrange carpet cleaning on the completion of the tenancy. • Report maintenance issues (even if considered minor) to the Agent or Landlord in a timely manner This list is not exhaustive but it may be helpful when considering entering into a rental agreement. Rae Green is principal of Ray White Stradbroke Island and has been selling real estate on Straddie for more than 20 years. www.raywhitestraddie.com
Young & beautiful Local bird watchers were in disagreement as to whether these young birds – snapped on a local deck – were immature Brahminy Kites or immature Osprey. There was no disagreement on their beauty or in the shared delight at living with such natural wonders on our doorstep. Final identification, we are advised, must wait until the nesting parents put in an appearance.
WINTER 2012
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 29
SURFING WITH MURRAY TAYLOR
Autumn waves Autumn provided a solid season for waves at Point Lookout, hopefully a good sign for winter.
Tim MacDonald placed third in the Tahiti Nui Pro Junior in April. PHOTO: ASP/WILL H-S
C
ylinder had a couple of really good easterly swells that seemed to just keep coming. Easter was the first of them with wave heights reaching 4 to 5ft at the peak of the swell; add to that light favourable winds and you had some happy campers. We even had some classic access track when the wind finally changed to the northwest. So there were plenty of smiles from the local crew. This cycle was repeated with another easterly swell that lasted more than a week and produced some great waves at Cylinder and down Main beach. Let’s hope these are good signs for winter. Frenchmans looks like it has some good sand against the wall and in the middle of the bay, but we will have to wait for the first solid southeast ground swell and southwest wind to see if it delivers.
WORLD WAVES Bede Durbidge has been surfing well on the World Championship Tour. His next event, as SIN went to print, was at Cloudbreak in Fiji, which should suit his powerful backhand attack and hopefully deliver a great result. Lincoln Taylor had great results on the Queensland Championship Circuit, winning the MP (Michael Peterson) Classic and the Alley Classic, earning himself second in the series and a place in the Quiksilver Pro Trials at Snapper Rocks, next March. Lincoln didn’t start the year as well as hoped, but with events in classic right hand points like Jefferies Bay South Africa, his strong backhand surfing should stand him in good stead.
SCHOOL SURFERS TO HIT POINT More than 120 surfers from as far away as Mackay will come to Point Lookout for the Sibelco Queensland School Surfing Titles from August 2-5. The local juniors make up the backbone of the Metropolitan East Team and are selling raffle tickets to fund raise for the event, so if you see them please support them and buy some. A big thank you to local sponsors Sibelco, Big Red Cat, Stradbroke Holidays and Anchorage on Straddie for supporting the event.
PRO JUNIORS Tim MacDonald has been putting in the miles on the ASP Pro Junior Series, placing third in Papara, Tahiti and seventh overall in the series. Tim also did well on the Queensland Championship Circuit, finishing the series fifth overall. He’s hoping to go to Europe for World Qualifying Series events in August, to establish a good seeding for his 2013 campaign.
LOCAL RAP The Point Lookout Boardriders held a club round in great waves at Cylinder beach. In the open ages event Curtis Ewing surfed with strength and precision to take first place ahead of Luke Surawski, Chris Semple, Nathan Specht, Brodie Ewing and Rory Symes. The girls placed Molly Pike, Sky Blewitt and Maeve Rose. In the under-18 boys Brooke Gregory won a tight heat from Ethan Ewing, Nat Rose and Leo Rago. In the under-16 boys Clancy Shannon surfed really well to take the win over Ethan and Trey Clough. In the under-14 boys it went Jamahl Clough, Pete Pike and Louis Tobin.
30 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS
HUGO DELIVERS Hugo Prasser (inset, opposite) took home the Post Code Challenge (PCC) champion’s ring (above) and an all expenses paid trip to Tonga staying at the Haatufu Beach Resort. ETs is just a 20-minute boat ride away and on its day would be one of the best right hand reefs in the world. I know Dadee, Wayne, Craig and Danny would all agree. The PCC is hosted by Brisbane surf shop Primitive Surf and held at Sunrise Beach, Noosa. Past PCC winners from Straddie were Nick Vitko, Ash McDonald and Eliie Weinart. WINTER 2012
Hugo Prosser
winter on Lincoln Taylor competing in the Alley Classic, Currumbin Alley. PHOTO: DARREN/SURFIN SNAPPS
My habitat and the habitats of my vulnerable and endangered animal friends are still being destroyed by sand mining on Stradbroke Island!
SAVE STRADDIE.COM N AT I O N A L PA R K - N O T M I N I N G ! WINTER 2012
STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS 31
the back page
Bede Durbidge placed second in round one of the Volcom Fiji Pro. Š ASP/ KIRSTIN