It is 6:10pm here at BANG (Beachmere Area Network Group) and there is nervous tension in the air.

Welcome to Issue 55,  in this issue there is a wide range of articles from politics, promises .  With the election looming next month we have our candidates pledging their commitment to the seat of Pumicestone with Ali King and Fiona Gaske.   Also, some wonderful human interest stories about taking care on the roads for our local resident wildlife, hidden Emeralds for rainy days, and how our Domestic Violence court in Caboolture is run and much more. Issue 55 brings an expansion to the LOCAL News now going into Elimbah and Central Lakes.  We now print 24,000 each issue to cover these areas.  Slowly we will be expanding into Caboolture, Morayfield and Burpengary.  We are extremely excited to

TUES 18/8/20 – Ladies Club Championship Round 3. Single Stroke & Putting – Div 1 Winner: Susie Smith 70. R/U: Jo Malone 75 c/b. 2nd R/U: Ailsa Lauchlan 75. 3rd R/U: Vicki Jones 76 c/b. Div 2 Winner: Myra Dickson 70. R/U: Judith L’Estrange 71. 2nd R/U: Bibby Davies 74 c/b. 3rd R/U: Ingrid Coburn 74. Div 3 Winner: Angela Roberts 74. R/U: Sue Tailford 75 c/b. 2nd R/U: Roslyn Crossley 75. 3rd R/U: Sylvia Kuhbauch 77. Best Putting: Susie Smith 26 Putts. THURS 20/8/20 – Ladies Club Championship Round 4. Single Stroke & Putting- Div 1 Winner: Sandra Power 74. R/U: Linda Urquhart 76 c/b. 2nd R/U: Myra Thomsen 76 c/b. 3rd R/U: Gill Lee 76. Div 2 Winner: Diane Fitzpatrick 74. R/U: Jennifer DeRuyter 76

by Mick O’Brien Spring is here at last; some winter flowering wattles are still in bloom around the district and now many spring flowering plants are bursting into life with their new season’s buds ready to take centre stage. The sudden change of temperatures with cool and windy weather in this first week of spring ensured winter had not quite left us, but spring is definitely in the air now and I am looking forward to the warmer temps ahead. There are lots of dragonflies, butterflies and lizards hanging around the gardens locally (mine included), which is great to witness. I even had a bizarre visit of a black prince cicada last week. I was leaving a property after a maintenance visit at Ba

by Mick O’Brien Dip.Hort (MAIH)- RH-101 Well it has been a while since I wrote an article on my -Soils ain’t Soils- topic, so I thought now with the change of the seasons and especially now that spring has arrived it would be a good time to reiterate some helpful hints on improving our soils here on Bribie Island and local districts once again before the onslaught of summer. I have mentioned previously in other articles, the importance of soil building, which is a continuous process of adding composted organic matter (compost, leaf litter, vermicompost or manures) while managing to keep adequate soil moisture in the soil profile and protecting the job lot with cover layer of mulch - whenever

Thebeautiful Senetti® range, consist of a collection of Pericallis hybrids bred by Suntory Flowers in Japan. Senetti® are essentially small evergreen free flowering plants cross bred from Pericallis cruentusand P.lanata. Senetti® is also trademarked and used as their marketing name. Theycome in array of gorgeous colours with spectacular variations from light blue to magenta, lavender, deep blue, white,bicolour and a glorious salmoncoloured hybrid with a purple wash.Beforereclassification, Senetti®- was known as Cineraria x hybrid, but these new varieties are much more robust.They are marketed in Australia under licence by commercial growers and are easily sourced from retail nurseries. The m

Pandemic politics =The Sludge at the bottom of the barrel. Be aware: this article contains opinions from Cranky Lizard about this pandemic consuming our Nation, no words expressed in this article are meant to reflect upon the superb contribution of the first responders, the nurses, the doctors in dealing with this threat to our community. This article is an opinion expressed about the blundering, clumping, corporate processes displayed by our taxpayer-funded bureaucracy, which tries to do the best it can with what it has… “ The chance of catching COVID-19 in Victoria, at the moment is less than 0.002 per cent. If Victoria were a country, it would be the 90 th least dangerous place on the  pl

Amelia Strazdins Food is perhaps one of the most important parts of culture. It brings people together, is the foundation of many memories and nostalgia. For some it is the comfort of childhood memories, homecooked meals, and for others it is the experience of trying something new and different. But whilst many of us have our favourite dishes, we are so used to this privilege that we do not recognise how lucky we are. World Food Day, the 16th of October, aims to not only recognise the cultural importance of food but also strives to create more sustainable food industries and provide reliable, steady food sources for those who are vulnerable. It is predicted that approximately 1.3 billion ton

U3A Beachmere will continue to offer classes and workshops till the end of 2020 as their Term Four Program launches in early October. Chair, Barb Woodroffe, said the response from students had been wonderful with all classes and workshops in their Mini Term Three program full. “One of our main aims at U3A Beachmere is to combat isolation and loneliness by getting our seniors out of their homes,” Barb said. “We wanted to get our students back into U3A classes and activities and we were fortunate enough to have Tutors who were supportive.  We have some of the very best Tutors in a number of fields.” “We have a wonderful new venue and it just fell into place for us to get started and encourage

Bribie island and surrounds is very lucky to have wildlife living in our midst. One of the great advantages of not living in a city like Brisbane is that these creatures are amongst us all the time and we must respect them to keep it that way. Unfortunately there are many instances of kangaroos and wallabies being hit by cars particularly along Sunderland Drive and Pacific Harbour. One kangaroo death left a joey alone which had to be taken to Australia Zoo to be looked after. The Sunshine Coast Council and the University of the Sunshine Coast began a small trial of virtual road fencing in August 2018, and with community support it has since expanded across the region. The virtual fencing is

By Mozza Attending a relative’s 95th birthday celebration recently I heard a story of all the changes this lady had seen in her life. As a child she saw the Great Depression change her comfortable house into a smaller one. As a teenager she saw Bondi Beach closed and barb wired and heard the thud of Japanese mini subs being destroyed in Sydney Harbour. She learned to drive in a ‘38 Chevy three on the tree and remembers the iceman before refrigeration. Postmen would come on bicycle and soft drinks on the Tristrams truck. Milk on the doorstep homogenised or pasteurised, bread van, butchers wooden stump and washing done in a Copper. Since then the rise of the machines in her life has included t

Nearly forty members of The Probus Club of Bribie Island ventured out last month on a local excursion to the Woongooroo Estate, a vineyard, cellar door and cafe located on Doyle’s Road, about halfway between Woodford and Kilcoy.  Owner Phil Close turned out not only to be a sommelier, but a bush poetry aficionado, his background as a school teacher being obvious in his presentation skills.  He interspersed the introduction of six locally produced wines, ranging from medium dry whites to semi-sweet and sweet red and white wines to a wonderful medium dry Cabernet Sauvignon, with some hilariously funny bush poems.  Phil’s wife Gail was kept busy pouring the wines to be tasted and generally look

People living and travelling through Beachmere will now have better phone service to make calls, browse the internet and stay connected with family and friends. The new small cell mobile base station in Beachmere is on and will significantly improve phone service in the area. Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts the Hon Paul Fletcher MP said the new small cell base station, funded under the Mobile Black Spot Program, reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to further improving connectivity in the regions. “This significant investment, part of the Mobile Black Spot Program, means that people living, working and travelling in Longman will now have better mobile coverage,

Fiona Gaske, LNP candidate for Pumicestone pumicestone@lnpq.org.au    0499 444 921 A major upgrade to Bribie Island Road and design work for a new Bribie bridge have been pledged by the Liberal National Party if elected to government at next month’s elections. The upgrade would target key areas of concern, including major bottlenecks making the road much safer for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.      The work will include traffic modelling and a community consultation process to start within the first 100 days of an LNP state government. LNP leader Deb Frecklington and Pumicestone candidate, Fiona Gaske inspected notorious trouble spots including intersections, and later announced urgen

by Fiona Gaske, LNP candidate for Pumicestone We all hope that the worst of the spreading corona virus here may soon be over. Everyone has been affected in some way – some more seriously than others – and even if a vaccine can be produced, our lifestyles may never be the same. The number of casualties from this awful pandemic is declining, but my thoughts are now focussing on the huge recovery phase and the challenges we face. My biggest fear in the months and even years ahead is for jobs and the economy in general.   There are so many heartbreaking stories of small businesses, many of them “Mum and Dad” investments that have already left families in ruin.    Some are hanging on through dire

by Pumicestone MP Simone Wilson Dominating September headlines were border fights and decisions on quarantine exemptions in what many, including myself, viewed as lacking common sense, consistency and compassion. Whilst I am loathed to add to the myriad commentary around the plight of young Sarah unable to attend her beloved father's funeral, it will be quite a while before the images of this young woman being ushered into the funeral place in hazmat suit to view her deceased father whilst her mother and little sister looked on from afar, will her leave our minds. September was also a month where the struggles of many of our locals facing similar circumstances to Sarah came to my attention. 

By Mozza Caboolture Courthouse is known as the house of pain particularly on Thursdays as this is when all Domestic Violence (DV) matters are heard. As this court takes in Bribie and surrounds it is worth knowing how it all works and what is happening in our community on DV. Local men’s support volunteers report a constant flow of cases from our area and refer many men to the Men Choosing Change program for offenders to try to reverse this trend. The Centre Against Domestic Abuse CADA workers focus on the victims and assist them cope with the many problems associated with abuse such as homelessness, financial stress, legal issues and mental and physical health. Both groups see the effects of

LNP Commitment. Youth crime will be tackled with tough new laws and an overhaul of the state justice system if the Liberal National Party wins government at the state election on October 31. The crackdown on youth crime comes amid a growing number of offences and an alarming increase in repeat offenders. Offences have included a range of violent crimes, breaking into houses and stealing cars.  A recent forum on crime and community safety on Bribie Island considered a range of local issues including measures to clamp down on hooning by young people. LNP candidate for Pumicestone, Fiona Gaske said that while she remained very supportive of rehabilitation programs for young offenders, there was