Feature Story Julienne Richardson
April 2015 / // issue 98
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Welcome to the March edition ofedition Manning-Great Lakes Welcome Welcome to the to the March March edition edition ofthe Manning-Great Manning-Great Lakes Lakes FOCUS. FOCUS. Welcome to the March edition of Manning-Great Lakes FOCUS. ning-Great Lakes FOCUS. Welcome to the Welcome March to March of Manning-Great edition ofFOCUS. Manning-Great FOCUS. Welcome Lakes to FOCUS. the March edition of Manning-Great Lakes FOCUS. Welcome toofthe March edition ofLakes Manning-Great Lakes FOCUS.
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The Manning Valley U3A Silver Tones Week, International Women’s Day …community. community. Manning community. Valley The U3A Manning Silver Tones Valley U3A SilverSilver Tones community. The Manning Valley U3A Silver Tones nity. The Manning Valley U3A Week, Silver International Tones Week, Women’s International Day Women’s Day … Week, International Women’s DayTones … community. The Manning Valley U3A Week, Women’s Day … Singers only entertain theentertain masses, they raise it seems to beittothe month inspiring Singers not onlyonly entertain the masses, they raise itthe seems it seems be the be month the month for inspiring for inspiring not only entertain the masses, they raise Singers not only entertain the masses, they raise itto seems to be for inspiring Singers not Singers the not masses, only entertain they thethe masses, they raise Singers not only entertain the masses, they raise not only entertain masses, seems they to raise befor the month itthe seems for toinspiring be the month for inspiring it only seems toraise be forthey inspiring Singers not entertain themonth masses, raise itmonth seems to beSingers thenot month for inspiring fundsfunds for funds needy charities too. events and people. for needy charities too. events events and people. and people. forfunds needy charities too. funds for needy charities too. events and people. for needy charities funds for too.needy charities too. too. funds for needy charities too. or needy charities too. events and people. events and and people. events and people. funds for needy charities events people. The Great Lakes Art Society host the 33rd WeArt have both a Seniors feature and aand The Great Lakes Society will host the 33rd WeSociety have We We have both both a Seniors aWeek Seniors feature feature aSeniors The Lakes Society will host the 33rd The Great Lakes Art Society will host the 33rd We have both aWeek Seniors Week feature and a Great The Great Lakes Art The Society Great will Lakes host Art the Society willWeek host the 33rd The Great Lakes Art Society will host the 33rd Great Lakes will have host both the 33rd a Week Seniors We have Week both feature aaand Seniors aWeek feature and aArt We have both a33rd Seniors feature The Great Lakes Art Society will host the and 33rda We have both aand Week feature and aArtwill Annual Open Artissue, Competition again this month; inWomen Business Feature inside this issue, soinside Annual Open ArtOpen Competition again this month; Women in Business in Business Feature Feature inside inside this issue, this issue, soissue, soFeature Annual Open ArtOpen Competition this month; Annual Art again Competition thisFeature month; Women inmonth; Business Feature this issue, so Annual Art Annual Open again Art Competition this month; again this this month; Annual Open Art Competition again this month; Open Women Art Competition Women again inthis Business Women Feature ininside Business this Feature so inside this so Women in again Business inside so Annual Open Art Competition again this issue, month; Women in Business inside this issue, so Competition with prize pool of over $5,000, it$5,000, will attract we’llof certainly get to aget wonderful locals awonderful prize pool of over it$5,000, will attract we’ll we’ll certainly certainly get to get meet tofew meet awe’ll few ato wonderful few wonderful locals locals with a few prize pool of $5,000, itprize will attract with a over prize pool of over willover attract we’ll certainly get meet awonderful few wonderful locals with a prize pool ofwith over a $5,000, pool it pool will of itover attract $5,000, willit wonderful attract with a prize pool of over $5,000, it will attract prize pool over $5,000, we’ll certainly itmeet will attract to meet certainly a certainly few get to meet aa few wonderful locals we’ll certainly get to meet ait few with a prize of $5,000, will attractlocals we’ll get to locals meet awith locals some topsome notch entries. And local trio the Tree andentries. read about their achievements. top notch entries. And local trionotch the Tree and read and read about about their their achievements. achievements. some topsome notch entries. And local trionotch the Tree some top notch entries. And local trio theachievements. Tree and read about their achievements. top notch entries. some And top local trio entries. the Tree And locallocal trio the some top notch entries. And local trio the Tree op notch And and local read trio about the Tree their and achievements. read about theirtheir achievements. and read about their some top entries. And trio Tree the Tree and read about achievements. Iin never this was an busy month in the past, but I’ve changed my mind. Woodies, live music lovers and entrepreneurs, are With March still warm month, make the sarch! March! It’s March! I lovers never Ithought never thought this this an especially an especially busy busy month month in the in the past, past, but but I’ve I’ve changed changed my mind. mind. Woodies, live music lovers and entrepreneurs, are With With March March astill warm athought warm month, month, make make the Woodies, live music lovers and entrepreneurs, are It’s March! Iastill never this was an busy month in the past, I’ve changed my mind. Woodies, live music lovers and entrepreneurs, are With March still aespecially warm month, make the month March! the past, I thought never but It’s I’ve March! thought changed Iare never this my was thought mind. an especially this was busy an especially month It’s in March! busy the past, month Iand never but inbut I’ve thought the changed past, this but was my I’ve mind. an changed especially busy mind. month in the past, I’ve changed Woodies, live music Woodies, lovers live entrepreneurs, music lovers and are entrepreneurs, are Woodies, live music lovers andbut entrepreneurs, are my mind. es, liveIt’s music and With entrepreneurs, March still awas warm With March month, still make athe warm the month, make the With March still amy warm month, make thearemymy It’s March! Iwas never thought this was an especially busy month in the past, but I’ve changed mind. Woodies, live music lovers and entrepreneurs, With March still aespecially warm month, make the hosting an awesome music The Descent, mostmost ofmusic itmost andmost head down Beach Bums to hosting an awesome music event, The Descent, of itevent, and of itmost head and head down down to Beach to Beach Bums to to hosting an awesome event, The Descent, Welcome the April edition of Manning-Great Lakes FOCUS. hosting anevent, awesome music The Descent, of itto and head to Beach Bums hosting an awesome hosting music an event, awesome The Descent, music event, Descent, hosting an awesome music event, The Descent, an awesome of The it and Descent, head most down ofdown to itBums and Beach head Bums down todown toto Beach Bums to most of itawesome and head down toThe Beach to hosting anevent, music event, The Bums Descent, most of itto and head to Beach Bums tomusic ove Tuesday Pancake Day, families. Great Lakes Viking Challenge, hrove rove hrove rove Tuesday Tuesday (or (or Pancake Day, families. families. Great Great Lakes Lakes Viking Viking Challenge, Challenge, which which the Lakes onWinery March 14. The enjoy a (or coffee or aenjoy lovely meal overlooking Main hrove Tuesday (or Pancake Day, families. Great Lakes Viking Challenge, which atGreat the Great Lakes on March 14. The enjoy enjoy arove coffee aPancake coffee ahrove lovely aThe meal meal overlooking Main Main atGreat the Lakes Winery on March 14. The hrove rove Great Tuesday Lakes (or Viking Pancake rove Tuesday Challenge, (or Pancake which Day, families. hrove rove Tuesday Great Lakes (or Pancake Viking Great Challenge, Day, Lakes families. Viking which Challenge, Great Lakes 14. Viking atWinery the Great Lakes Winery on March 14. The aor coffee orDay, aoverlooking lovely meal overlooking Main hrove rove Tuesday (or Day, families. Great Lakes Viking at the Great Lakes at Winery the Great on March 14. Winery The on March 14. The atwhich the Great Lakes Winery on March The Challenge, which Great Lakes Winery on enjoy March aor coffee 14. orlovely aDay, enjoy lovely ameal coffee overlooking orPancake a or lovely Main meal overlooking Main enjoy aLakes coffee or a which lovely meal overlooking Main which at the Great Lakes Winery on March 14. The Challenge, enjoy afamilies. coffee aatlovely meal overlooking Main we like to call it in Australia), ON THE COVER is set to take place on March 8 and 9. as we as like we to like call to it call in it Australia), in Australia), ON THE ON THE COVER COVER is set is to set take to take place place on March on March 8 and 8 and 9. 9. headline act is Cheap Fakes -supplied aasisFakes one-of-a-kind Cheers! as we like toCheers! call it like in Australia), ON THE COVER isatocall set take on March 8place and 9. March headline act isCOVER Cheap aFakes one-of-a-kind Beach.... Beach.... Cheers! 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Day, Seniors Week Living life to full are the vibrant, For all you soccer fans out there –all don’t St Patrick’s StIf Patrick’s Day, Day, Seniors Seniors Week Week Living Living life to life the to full the are full the are vibrant, the vibrant, For all For you all soccer you soccer fans fans out there out there –or don’t – Living don’t Brisbane If life you like rock, funk, soul, pop or ON THE COVER St Patrick’s Day, Seniors Week Living toband. the full are the vibrant, For all you soccer fans out there – don’t Brisbane band. Ifto you like rock, funk, soul, pop or ONPatrick’s THE ON THE COVER COVER Brisbane band. IfOwers you like rock, funk, soul, pop other people’s this month, Kirk Owers from Kirk Photography. so her photo of the stunning Crowdy vibrant, St For allDay, you Seniors soccer St Patrick’s fans Week out Day, there Seniors Living –the don’t Week life tolife the full Living are the to vibrant, the St Patrick’s are For the all vibrant, Day, you Seniors soccer For Week fans out you there soccer –soul, don’t fans life out toorthe there full –Brisbane are don’t vibrant, For all you fansorout there – don’t Brisbane band. Iflike you like rock, funk, soul, pop ON THE COVER Brisbane band. Iffull you Brisbane rock, band. funk, If you soul, like pop rock, or funk, soul, pop or band. If you like rock, funk,soccer soul, pop eePatrick’s band. you like rock, ON THE funk, COVER soul, ON or THE COVER ON THE COVER Stpop Patrick’s Day, Seniors Week Living life the full are the vibrant, For all you soccer fans out there – the don’t Brisbane band. Ifor you like rock, funk, pop ON THE COVER …gUkulele and this is in addition to colourful and talented Silver Ukulele miss this six a side, fast paced action! …between, and …I mentioned and this is this inIevent is addition in addition to to and and talented talented Silver Silver Ukulele Ukulele miss miss this six this a side, asix side, fast paced fast paced action! anything in between, this event isand athis must-see. inspiring and here are just anything in between, this event aUkulele must-see. mentioned mentioned inspiring inspiring women, women, and here and here are just are just anything in between, this event isSilver aevent … and is in addition to colourful and talented Silver Ukulele miss six amiss side, fast paced action! naturally turn towards Thank you Kirk, for allowing us to use Head at the top of page. … I and miss this isthis in six addition … awomen, side, and fast this to is paced in colourful action! to and talented colourful Silver and Ukulele talented … Silver miss this Ukulele this issix in addition aisfeatures side, to fast this paced six colourful action! fast and paced talented action! 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This friendly bunch of movies, and performances happening in inspired this month our locals are amazing! in Business Feature … We’re proud of our local ace around the Manning-Great Lakes Lakes this month. this month. This This friendly friendly bunch bunch movies, and and performances performances happening happening inamazing! inspired this month -locals our locals are amazing! inManning-Great Business inmovies, Business Feature Feature … We’re … We’re proud proud of our oflocal our local inspired this month -local our are amazing! remembering and commemorating the INSIDE THIS ISSUE pics: jo@focusmag.com.au if you’d like to happening place around the Manning-Great this month. This friendly bunch of movies, and performances happening inhappening inspired this month -in our locals are amazing! in Business Feature … We’re proud of our local nch place of around the Manning-Great and around performances the Lakes Manning-Great happening this month. in This friendly this month. bunch place This of friendly around bunch the movies, Manning-Great of and performances movies, Lakes and happening this performances month. inlocal This friendly bunch in this and performances happening in inspired this month inspired -movies, our locals this month are - our are amazing! inspired locals are amazing! daround this month -the our locals inplace Business are amazing! Feature in … Business We’re proud Feature ofLakes … our We’re local proud ofof our local Business Feature … We’re proud ofin our place around the Manning-Great Lakes this month. 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We couldn’t fi t the EDITOR’S PHOTO Forster-Tuncurry bridge was shot by Brian Gymer. and they’re and they’re part of part the of reason the reason our area our area is such is such a a Forster-Tuncurry bridge was shot by Brian Gymer. uns his year this year from from -part 15 23 -of March, 23 March, of the of Third the Third Age). Age). We couldn’t We couldn’t fi t the fi t the EDITOR’S EDITOR’S PHOTO PHOTO centenary of the ANZACs landing at of the annual Art in the Vale exhibition need to be taken locally, they don’t need Forster-Tuncurry bridge was shot by Brian Gymer. and they’re part of the reason our area is such a runs this year from 15 23 March, of the Third Age). We couldn’t fi t the EDITOR’S PHOTO Forster-Tuncurry bridge Forster-Tuncurry was shot by bridge Brian Gymer. was shot by Brian Gymer. Forster-Tuncurry bridge was shot by Brian Gymer. Tuncurry bridge was and shot they’re by Brian part Gymer. of and the they’re reason our part area of is such reason a our area is such a and they’re part of the reason our area is such a n’t runs fi t the this year EDITOR’S from runs 15 this 23 PHOTO year March, from 15 23 of March, the Third Age). of We the couldn’t Third runs Age). fi t this the We year couldn’t from EDITOR’S 15 fi t the 23 PHOTO March, EDITOR’S PHOTO of the Third Age). We couldn’t fi t the EDITOR’S PHOTO Forster-Tuncurry bridge was shot by Brian Gymer. and they’re part of the reason our area is such a runs this year from 15 - 23 March, of the Third Age). We couldn’t fit the EDITOR’S PHOTO The bridge features in many photos, as it’s such special to live. oted quite ainplace few pages inplace entire group on our cover, as there are Shane Chalker is well known for The bridge features in many photos, as it’s such special special place place to live. to live. The bridge features in many photos, as it’s such e’ve devoted devoted quite quite aShane few aphotos, few pages pages in entire entire group group on our on cover, our cover, as there as there are are Shane Shane Chalker Chalker is well is well known known for for Gallipoli -special it’s hard to imagine how our at Hannam Vale, while 15 year old Lucy to be a landscape. Why not look outside The bridge features in many photos, as it’s such special place to live. we’ve devoted quite ainpages few pages in entire group on our cover, as there are Shane Chalker is well known for The bridge features The in many bridge photos, features as in it’s many such photos, as it’s such The bridge features in many photos, as it’s such known for features many as it’s to live. such special place to live. special place to live. sdge there we’ve are devoted quite we’ve Chalker awe’ve few devoted is well quite in known a few for entire pages group in on our entire cover, group as we’ve there on our devoted are cover, Shane as quite there a Chalker few are pages is Shane well in known Chalker entire for is well group known on our for cover, as there are Shane Chalker is well The bridge features in many photos, as it’s such special place to live. devoted quite a few pages in entire group on our cover, as there are Shane Chalker is well known for a40 classic landmark, but Iproducing can’t say I’ve seen too to all the women who were involved our cover -can’t to some 40 of them, so you’ll have to go amzing images and this a classic landmark, but I can’t say I’ve seen too to all to the all women the women who who were were involved involved a classic landmark, but I can’t say I’ve seen too soldiers were feeling at that particular Hardyman showcases her exceptional eye the square and snap some shots that his sue issue - to and -Thanks and our cover our cover -celebrate to celebrate to celebrate some some 40 of 40 them, of them, so you’ll so you’ll have have to go to go producing producing amzing amzing images images and and this this a classic landmark, but I can’t say I’ve seen too Thanks to all the women who were involved this issue - Thanks and our cover to celebrate some of them, so you’ll have to go producing amzing images and this a classic landmark, a but classic I can’t landmark, say I’ve seen but I too can’t say I’ve seen too a classic landmark, but I can’t say I’ve seen too c and landmark, but Iproducing Thanks say I’ve to seen all the too women Thanks who to all were the women involved who were involved Thanks to all the women who were involved have this issue go - Thanks and our this cover issue amzing to and celebrate images our cover and some to this celebrate 40 of them, some so you’ll 40 of have this them, issue to go so you’ll and producing our have cover to go amzing to celebrate producing images and amzing some this 40 images of them, and so this you’ll have to go producing amzing images - and this a classic landmark, but I can’t say I’ve seen too Thanks to all the women who were involved this issue - and our cover - to celebrate some 40 of them, so you’ll have to go producing amzing images - and this many pics of itBryant taken atitmeet night. Well done, Brian -photo this and to Linda Bryant for the important members of our to their interview page to meet the rest month’s Editor’s letter is no many pics of taken at night. Well done, Brian with with this this feature, and to and Linda to Linda Bryant Bryant for the for the many pics of it taken at night. Well done, Brian moment -feature, which changed the course of for beauty behind the lens. showcase some local people, or a local hese very very important important members members of our of our to their to their interview interview page page to meet to meet the rest the rest month’s month’s Editor’s Editor’s letter letter photo photo is no is no many pics of it taken at night. Well done, Brian with this feature, and to Linda Bryant for the these very important members of our to their interview page to the rest month’s Editor’s letter photo is no many pics of it taken many at night. pics of Well it taken done, at Brian night. Well done, Brian many pics of it taken at night. Well done, Brian -photo is no ics of itwith taken atfeature, night. with Well this done, feature, Brian and with to this Linda feature, Bryant and for to the Linda Bryant for the with this feature, and to Linda Bryant for the eet these the rest very important month’s these members Editor’s very important letter of our photo members is to no their of our interview to page their to interview meet these the very page rest important to meet month’s the members Editor’s rest of letter month’s our photo Editor’s to is no their letter interview photo is page no to meet the rest month’s Editor’s letter many pics of it taken at night. Well done, Brian with this feature, and to Linda for the these very important members of our to their interview page to meet the rest month’s Editor’s letter photo is no greatNicoll shot! stunning photography. great shot! stunning stunning photography. photography. great shot! y. of them. exception. history forever. Rex shows us his wonderful array event? I’ll look forward to seeing what ommunity. unity. of them. of them. exception. exception. great shot! stunning photography. great shot! great shot! great shot! hot! stunning photography. stunning photography. stunning photography. community. of them. exception. community. exception. community. of them. of them. community. exception. exception. of them. exception. great shot! stunning photography. community. of them. exception. Don’t forget to email your local photos to jo@ INSIDE THIS ISSUE Don’t forget to email your local photos to jo@ INSIDE INSIDE THIS THIS ISSUE ISSUE Don’t forget to email your local photos to jo@ e!’ isfrom the catchcry for Seniors Many thanks to Linda Bryant from Don’t forget to send your images to Iisinterviewed Frank Brady from the Forof collectibles in our Collectors Corner you can come up with ... Don’t to email your local photos to jo@ INSIDE THIS ISSUE e Life!’ Life!’ isto‘Live the catchcry the catchcry for Seniors for Seniors Many Many thanks thanks to Linda to Linda Bryant Bryant from from Don’t Don’t forget forget to send toforget send your your images images to to Don’t forget to email Don’t your forget local to photos email to your jo@ local photos to your local photos to jo@ t‘Live forget email your INSIDE photos THIS ISSUE toSeniors jo@ INSIDE THIS ISSUE INSIDE THIS ISSUE Life!’ islocal the catchcry for Seniors Many thanks to Linda Bryant from Don’t to send your images tojo@ ant ‘Live Life!’ isDon’t the catchcry ‘Live forget Life!’ tofor send is the your catchcry images for Many toSeniors thanks to Linda Many Bryant thanks ‘Live from toforget Linda Life!’ is Bryant Don’t the catchcry from forget to for send Seniors Don’t your forget images to Many send to thanks your images to Linda toDon’t Bryant fromto email Don’t forget to send your images to Don’t forget to email your local photos to INSIDE THIS ISSUE ‘Live Life!’ is the catchcry for Seniors Many thanks to Linda Bryant from Don’t forget tojo@ send your images to forget focusmag.com.au ifmonth’s you’d like to see them in This month we catch up with Kirby and Carl focusmag.com.au ifand you’d like to see them in This month This month we catch we catch up with up with Kirby Kirby and Carl and Carl focusmag.com.au ifjo@focusmag.com.au you’d like to see them intoifthem ster Tuncurry RSL Sub-Branch and World interview, and Roger Marmion has conFINAL SAY dag.com.au we certainly have an Photography by Linda for this month’s focusmag.com.au if you’d like see them in This month we catch up with Kirby and Carl Week, and we certainly we certainly have have an an Photography Photography by Linda by Linda for this for month’s this jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au focusmag.com.au if focusmag.com.au you’d like to see you’d in like to see them in focusmag.com.au if you’d like to see them in if you’d like This to see month them we in catch This up month with Kirby we catch and Carl up with Kirby and Carl This month we catch up with Kirby and Carl Week, and we certainly have an Photography by Linda for this month’s jo@focusmag.com.au focusmag.com.au if you’d like to see them in This month we catch up with Kirby and Carl sand Week, month’s and we jo@focusmag.com.au certainly Week, have and we an certainly have Photography an by Linda Photography for this Week, month’s by Linda for we this jo@focusmag.com.au certainly month’s have an jo@focusmag.com.au Photography by Linda for this month’s jo@focusmag.com.au Week, and we certainly have an Photography by Linda for this month’s jo@focusmag.com.au FOCUS. from the Saltwater Boardriders Club ahead of the from from the Saltwater the Saltwater Boardriders Boardriders Club Club ahead ahead ofClub the of the FOCUS. War IIof veteran Arthur Napper inof this issue, tributed anstunning editorial about local author “Remember allSAY the SAY men have roup of locals doing just that! stunning cover image. FINAL SAY FOCUS. from the Saltwater Boardriders ahead ofFOCUS. the mazing ng group group of locals locals doing doing just that! just that! stunning stunning cover cover image. image. FINAL SAY SAY FOCUS. FOCUS. from the Saltwater from Boardriders the Saltwater Club ahead Boardriders of the Club ahead ofcover the from the Saltwater Boardriders Clubwho ahead of the amazing group of locals doing just that! stunning cover image. FINAL SAY just FOCUS. from the Saltwater Boardriders Club ahead of FINAL the amazing group FINAL of amazing locals SAY doing group just of that! locals doing stunning just that! cover image. cover amazing image. group FINAL of locals SAY doing FINAL that! stunning cover image.FOCUS. FINAL SAY amazing group locals doing just that! stunning image. FINAL FINAL SAY club’s 50th anniversary -of amazing achievement, FINAL SAY club’s club’s 50th 50th anniversary anniversary amazing amazing achievement, achievement, FINAL SAY who tell us about just one of the special Joan Stanfi eld. died. Remember all the battles fought. oduce you to members of the INSIDE THIS ISSUE “You can’t help getting older, but FINAL SAY club’s 50th anniversary amazing achievement, introduce WeWe introduce you to you members to members the of the INSIDE INSIDE THIS THIS ISSUE ISSUE “You “You can’t can’t help help getting getting older, older, but but FINAL SAY FINAL SAY FINAL SAY club’s 50th anniversary club’s amazing 50th anniversary achievement, amazing achievement, club’s 50th anniversary amazing achievement, We introduce you to members of the INSIDE THIS ISSUE “You can’t help getting older, but FINAL SAY club’s 50th anniversary amazing achievement, introduce “You youWe to can’t introduce members help getting of youthe toolder, members but of THIS the THISTHIS ISSUE We ISSUE introduce you “You tocan’t members help getting of “You the can’t older, INSIDE help but getting THIS ISSUE older, but “You can’t help getting older, but We introduce you toINSIDE members of ISSUE theINSIDE INSIDE “You can’t help getting older, butSAY “Anyone who stops learning islearning old, whether guys! We also interview Sean Page and Sam “Anyone who is old, whether guys! guys! We also We interview also interview Sean Sean Page Page and Sam and Sam “Anyone who stops learning isyou old, whether services planned for our area on April 25. “Get out to Gloucester” isstops our special all the families cried. “Anyone who stops learning isto old, whether guys! We also interview Sean Page and Sam Valley Quota Club, Wendy We haven’t forgotten the younger you don’t have to get old” -to George “Anyone who stops “Anyone learning who isRemember old, stops whether learning old, whether “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether one who stops learning guys! isManning We old, also whether interview guys! Sean We also Page interview and Sam Sean Page and Sam guys! We also interview Sean and Manning ng Valley Valley Quota Quota Club, Club, Wendy Wendy We We haven’t forgotten forgotten the younger the younger you don’t you don’t have have to get old” get old” -to George -istears George Manning Valley Quota Club, Wendy We haven’t forgotten the younger you don’t have get old” -to George “Anyone who stops learning isPage old, whether guys! We also interview Sean Page and Sam younger Manning Valley you Quota Manning don’t Club, have Valley Wendy to get Quota old” Club, - haven’t George We Wendy haven’t forgotten We haven’t the younger Manning forgotten Valley the Quota younger don’t Club, have Wendy you get don’t old” -have George We haven’t get old” - George the younger you don’t have to get old” - George Valley Quota Club, Wendy We haven’t forgotten the younger you don’t have toSam get forgotten old” - George attwo twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning Thomson, as these two talented teenagers have at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning Thomson, Thomson, as these as these two talented two talented teenagers teenagers have have at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning Lest we forget ... feature this month. Such a pretty town, Remember it was freedom the soldiers at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning Thomson, as these two talented teenagers have merris the Forster Private Hospital members of our community either! Burns. at twenty or eighty. at Anyone twenty who or eighty. keeps Anyone learning who keeps learning at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning ty or eighty. Anyone Thomson, who keeps as these learning Thomson, two talented as these teenagers two talented have teenagers have Thomson, as these two talented teenagers have from from the Forster the Forster Private Private Hospital Hospital members members of our of community our community either! either! Burns. Burns. at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning Thomson, as these talented teenagers have Ferris from the Forster Private Hospital members of our community either! Burns. either! Ferris from theBurns. Forster Ferris Private fromfrom the Hospital Forster Private members Hospital of our community members ofeither! Ferris our community from the Burns. Forster either! Private Hospital Burns. Burns. Ferris the Forster Private Hospital members of our community either! Burns. members of our community either! stays young. The greatest thing in life is toin been chosen to represent Australia as ainterviewed part of stays young. The greatest thing life isgreatest to keep been been chosen chosen to represent tochosen represent Australia Australia as afantastic part as aEmma part ofPolson stays young. The greatest thing inyoung. life iskeep to keep ON THE COVER with scenery an amazing brought.” Unknown. stays young. The greatest thing inisto life is- thing tonew keep been to represent Australia as astunning part of out some of the fantastic new We interviewed from stays young. The greatest stays thing The in life to keep inAustralia lifein islife to young. The greatest thing in life is to keep oung. The greatest thing been in chosen life is to represent keep been chosen Australia tointerviewed represent asof arepresent part of Australia as ainterviewed part of been chosen represent as a part sn llsabout us about some some of the of fantastic the fantastic new new We We interviewed Emma Emma Polson Polson from from stays young. The greatest thing iskeep to keepof Emmastays been to Australia as aand part of tells us about some of the fantastic new We interviewed Emma Polson from tells from us about some tells of us the about fantastic some new of the We new Emma We interviewed Polson tells from us Emma about Polson some from of the fantastic We interviewed Polson from tells us about some ofchosen the fantastic new We Emma Polson from your mind young.” -young.” Henry Ford. theavailable Australian Auroras Under 16 dragon boat your mind Henry Ford. the Australian the Australian Auroras Auroras Under Under 16 dragon 16 dragon boat boat your mind young.” Henry Ford. We’re still in the middle of wedding array of individual, stylish and eclectic your mind young.” Henry Ford. the Australian Auroras Under 16 dragon boat available in the hospital’s new Manning Dairy Youth a very proactive your mind young.” your Henry mind Ford. young.” Henry Ford. your mind young.” nd young.” Henry the Ford. Australian Auroras the Australian Under 16 dragon Auroras boat Under 16 dragon boat the Australian Auroras Under 16 dragon boat ams rograms available in the in hospital’s the hospital’s new new Manning Manning Dairy Dairy Youth Youth a very a very proactive proactive your mind young.” Henry Ford. the Australian Auroras Under 16 dragon boat programs available the hospital’s new Manning Dairy Youth -Dairy aprograms very proactive y programs proactive available programs inprograms theinhospital’s available new in the Manning new Dairy Youth Manning - a very proactive Youth available - a very proactive in the hospital’s new Manning Dairy Youth - a very proactive - Henry Ford. available in hospital’s the hospital’s new Manning Dairy Youth - a very proactive crew later this year. Well done, Sean and Sam -year. crew crew later later this year. this year. Well Well done, done, Sean Sean and Sam and Sam season, and inside these pages you’ll businesses! If you haven’t made the trip crew later this year. Well done, Sean and Sam crew later this year. crew Well later done, this Sean and Well Sam done, Sean and Sam crew later this year. Well done, Sean and Sam - group of young people apy pool, and Phil Webster and enthusiastic group of young people therapy ydrotherapy pool, pool, and and Phil Webster Phil Webster and and enthusiastic enthusiastic group group of young of young people people crew later this year. Well done, Sean and Sam hydrotherapy pool, and Webster Phil Webster and enthusiastic group of young people ung hydrotherapy people pool, hydrotherapy and Phil pool, and and Phil and Webster enthusiastic group and and enthusiastic ofenthusiastic young hydrotherapy people group ofpool, young and people Phil Webster and enthusiastic hydrotherapy pool, Phil Webster group of young people do us proud! do us do proud! us proud! fi nd some terrifi c businesses and services for a while, why not plan to drive out do us proud! do us proud! do us proud! do us proud! odham from the Great Lakes who are determined to see the dairy nd hil Rodham Phil Rodham from from the Great the Great Lakes Lakes who who are determined are determined to see to the see dairy the dairy do us proud! and Rodham Phil Rodham from the Great Lakes are determined to see the heand dairy Phil and from Phil thePhil Rodham Great Lakes from thewho Great are Lakes determined who to are determined and dairy Phildairy Rodham to see from dairy Great Lakes who are determined to see the dairy and Rodham from the who Great who are determined to the see thethe dairy JoLakes Atkins –JoEditor Jo Atkins Atkins – see Editor –the Editor Jo Atkins –weekend! Editor s – Editor And Jo Atkins –this Editor Jo Atkins –JoEditor Jo Atkins – Editor on the other endhelp of the spectrum, we Atkins –JoEditor Jo Atkins –on And on And the on other the other end of end the of spectrum, the spectrum, we we JoEditor Atkins Atkins – Editor – Editor available locally to our beautiful along the Bucketts Way And on the other end of the spectrum, we Jo Atkins Editor And on the other end And of on the the spectrum, other end we of the spectrum, we And the other end the–industry spectrum, we Jo Atkins –impact Editor Jo Atkins –ofEditor Jo Atkins – Editor Jo Atkins – Editor pport Group share the impact industry continue to thrive in the Valley, And on the other end of the spectrum, we rsmag.com.au Support Support Group Group share share the impact the impact industry industry continue continue to thrive to thrive inthrive the in Valley, the Valley, Jo Atkins – Editor Cancer Support Group share the industry continue to thrive in the Valley, jo@focusmag.com.au nancer the Cancer Valley, Support Group Cancer share Support the impact Group share industry the impact continue industry to continue in Cancer the Valley, to Support thrive in Group the Valley, share the impact continue to thrive in the Valley, jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au Cancer Support Group share the impact industry continue to thrive in the Valley, jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.aujo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au jo@focusmag.com.au brides-to-be. EDITOR’S PHOTO e has on men and their and Jerrad Allen fi lls us in about the his sease disease has has men on on men and and their their and Jerrad Jerrad Allen Allen fills us fills infiand us about in about the this on disease has on men and their and Jerrad Allen fi lls us in about Jo Atkins Editor Allen fills us in about the out this the disease has this men disease and their has has on men and and their Jerrad Allen lls us Jerrad inthe about Allen this the disease fills the us inusabout on men theand and–Jerrad this disease on and men and their and Jerrad Allen fillshas in about the their Our cover photo (and our wedding feaLucy Hardyman’s skill with a camera rejo@focusmag.com.au
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chrissy@focusmag.com.au chrissy@focusmag.com.au kyle@focusmag.com.au kyle@focusmag.com.au ADDRESS: Suite 2 / 42 Wharf, Street,jeff@focusmag.com.au Forster 2428 jeff@focusmag.com.au jeff@focusmag.com.au dylan@focusmag.com.au chrissy@focusmag.com.au chrissy@focusmag.com.au chrissy@focusmag.com.au kyle@focusmag.com.au jeff@focusmag.com.au Michael Marchment kyle@focusmag.com.au kyle@focusmag.com.au kyle@focusmag.com.au chrissy@focusmag.com.au kyle@focusmag.com.au elisabeth@focusmag.com.au CTOR: Jay Beaumont DIRECTOR: ARTART DIRECTOR: JayDIRECTOR: Beaumont Jay DIRECTOR: Beaumont ART Jay Beaumont ART DIRECTOR: Jay Beaumont DIRECTOR: Jay ART Beaumont DIRECTOR: JayBeaumont Beaumont ART DIRECTOR: JayLinda Beaumont ART ART DIRECTOR: JayDIRECTOR: Beaumont JayADVERTISING Beaumont michael@focusmag.com.au PHOTOGRAPHER: Linda Bryant ART Jay Beaumont ART DIRECTOR: Jay Beaumont PHOTOGRAPHER: PHOTOGRAPHER: Linda Bryant Bryant ART DIRECTOR: Jay ART DIRECTOR: Jay Beaumont ART DIRECTOR: JayBryant Beaumont ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER: PHONE: (02) 6555 3381 PHOTOGRAPHER: Linda ART DIRECTOR: Jay Beaumont ADVERTISING SALES ADVERTISING SALES SALES MANAGER: MANAGER: PHOTOGRAPHER: Linda Bryant PHOTOGRAPHER: Linda PHOTOGRAPHER: Bryant Linda Bryant ADVERTISING ADVERTISING SALES SALES COPY EDITOR: Reg Brookhouse ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER: g.com.au COPY COPY EDITOR: EDITOR: Reg Brookhouse Reg Brookhouse PHOTOGRAPHER: Linda Bryant ADVERTISING SALES ADVERTISING SALES ADVERTISING MANAGER: SALES MANAGER: ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER: ay@focusmag.com.au cusmag.com.au ADVERTISING SALES ADVERTISING SALES SALES COPY EDITOR: Reg Brookhouse jay@focusmag.com.au ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER: jay@focusmag.com.au COPY EDITOR: Reg Brookhouse COPY EDITOR: RegCOPY Brookhouse EDITOR: Reg Brookhouse ADVERTISING SALES jay@focusmag.com.au jay@focusmag.com.au jay@focusmag.com.au jay@focusmag.com.au jay@focusmag.com.au ADVERTISING COPY EDITOR: RegADVERTISING Brookhouse jay@focusmag.com.au jay@focusmag.com.au jay@focusmag.com.au jay@focusmag.com.au jay@focusmag.com.au Photography by Linda Photography Photography by Linda by Linda jay@focusmag.com.au Photography byPhotography Linda Louise Beaumont Louise Beaumont MANAGER: reg@focusmag.com.au Photography by7338 Linda Photography by Linda byLouise Linda Louise Louise Beaumont Beaumont Louise Louise Beaumont Beaumont MANAGER: MANAGER: reg@focusmag.com.au reg@focusmag.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Joey Dable Louise Beaumont Photography by Linda Louise Beaumont MANAGER: FAX: (02) 6555 reg@focusmag.com.au Louise Beaumont Louise Beaumont Beaumont ont Louise Beaumont Louise Beaumont MANAGER: MANAGER: MANAGER: Louise Beaumont reg@focusmag.com.au reg@focusmag.com.au reg@focusmag.com.au Louise Beaumont Louise Beaumont MANAGER: WEB DESIGNER: reg@focusmag.com.au GRAPHIC HIC / WEB /GRAPHIC WEB DESIGNER: DESIGNER: /GRAPHIC WEB DESIGNER: GRAPHIC / WEB DESIGNER: GRAPHIC / WEB / WEB DESIGNER: DESIGNER: 02 6551 2353 Mob: 0416 073 902 CONSULTANT/WRITER: GRAPHIC / WEB DESIGNER: GRAPHIC / WEB DESIGNER: GRAPHIC / WEB DESIGNER: 02 6551 02 2353 6551 Mob: 2353 0416 Mob: 073 0416 902 073 902 GRAPHIC / WEB DESIGNER: louise@focusmag.com.au GRAPHIC /louise@focusmag.com.au WEB DESIGNER: GRAPHIC / WEB DESIGNER: GRAPHIC /073 WEB DESIGNER: 022353 6551 23530416 Mob: 0416 902 GRAPHIC WEB DESIGNER: louise@focusmag.com.au louise@focusmag.com.au louise@focusmag.com.au 02 6551 2353 Mob: 0416 073 902/louise@focusmag.com.au 02 6551 Mob: 02 6551 902 2353 Mob: 0416 louise@focusmag.com.au GRAPHIC / WEB DESIGNER: joey@focusmag.com.au louise@focusmag.com.au louise@focusmag.com.au louise@focusmag.com.au louise@focusmag.com.au 02073 6551 2353 Mob: 073 0416902 073 902 louise@focusmag.com.au louise@focusmag.com.au louise@focusmag.com.au louise@focusmag.com.au louise@focusmag.com.au archment EMAIL: jo@focusmag.com.au Michael Marchment Michael el Marchment Marchment PHOTOGRAPHER: Craig Mason, Michael Michael Marchment Marchment www.photographybylinda.com.au Michael Marchment PHOTOGRAPHER: PHOTOGRAPHER: Craig Craig Mason, Mason, Michael Marchment www.photographybylinda.com.au www.photographybylinda.com.au Chrissy Jones Michael Marchment Michael Marchment Michael Marchment PHOTOGRAPHER: Craig Mason, CraigCraig Michael Marchment Michael Marchment Michael Marchment www.photographybylinda.com.au PHOTOGRAPHER: Craig Mason, PHOTOGRAPHER: Craig PHOTOGRAPHER: Mason, Mason, Michael Marchment www.photographybylinda.com.au www.photographybylinda.com.au www.photographybylinda.com.au Michael Marchment PHOTOGRAPHER: Mason, www.photographybylinda.com.au ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: michael@focusmag.com.au usmag.com.au ADVERTISING ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: CONSULTANT: ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: michael@focusmag.com.au michael@focusmag.com.au michael@focusmag.com.au l@focusmag.com.au ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: ADVERTISING ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: CONSULTANT: michael@focusmag.com.au michael@focusmag.com.au NT: ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: michael@focusmag.com.au michael@focusmag.com.au michael@focusmag.com.au michael@focusmag.com.au michael@focusmag.com.au michael@focusmag.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Jeff Cowan East Coast Photography ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: chrissy@focusmag.com.au WEB: www.focusmag.com.au East Coast EastEast Coast Photography Photography michael@focusmag.com.au michael@focusmag.com.au ADVERTISING CONSULTANT: East Coast Photography East Coast Photography Coast Photography East East Coast Photography Annette Wannell Coast Photography Annette Annette Wannell Wannell Annette Wannell Jasmine McQuillan Annette Wannell Annette Wannell Annette Wannell Jasmine Jasmine McQuillan McQuillan Annette Wannell jeff@focusmag.com.au DESIGNER: Joey Dable Jasmine McQuillan GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Joey Dable GRAPHIC HICGRAPHIC DESIGNER: DESIGNER: Joey Dable Joey Dable Jasmine McQuillan Jasmine McQuillan Jasmine McQuillan 02 6554 9703 / 0411 846 084 GRAPHIC GRAPHIC DESIGNER: DESIGNER: Joey Dable Joey Dable 02 6554 02DESIGNER: 9703 6554 /9703 0411 / 846 0411 084 846 084 GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Joey Dable Jasmine McQuillan GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Joey Dable DESIGNER: GRAPHIC Joey Dable DESIGNER: Joey Dable GRAPHIC Joey Dable 02 6554 9703 / 0411 846 084 annette@focusmag.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGNER: GRAPHIC Joey Dable DESIGNER: Joey Dable GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Joey Dable 02 6554 9703 / GRAPHIC 0411 846 084 02 6554 9703 / 0411 846 02 084 6554 9703 / 0411 846 084 annette@focusmag.com.au annette@focusmag.com.au DESIGNER: Joey Dable TV: www.focustv.com.au PHOTOGRAPHER: The Photography Hub GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Joey Dable 02 6554 9703 / 0411 846 084 annette@focusmag.com.au annette@focusmag.com.au annette@focusmag.com.au annette@focusmag.com.au jasmine.m@focusmag.com.au jasmine.m@focusmag.com.au jasmine.m@focusmag.com.au annette@focusmag.com.au ag.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au jasmine.m@focusmag.com.au oey@focusmag.com.au ocusmag.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au www.eastcoastphotography.com.au jasmine.m@focusmag.com.au jasmine.m@focusmag.com.au www.eastcoastphotography.com.au www.eastcoastphotography.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au jasmine.m@focusmag.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au www.eastcoastphotography.com.au www.eastcoastphotography.com.au www.eastcoastphotography.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au joey@focusmag.com.au jasmine.m@focusmag.com.au 02 6551www.eastcoastphotography.com.au 2353www.eastcoastphotography.com.au Mob: 0416 073 902 GRAPHIC DESIGNER:joey@focusmag.com.au Kyle Rathbone FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com kyle@focusmag.com.au
chrissy@focusmag.com.au
PHOTOGRAPHER: Bryant COPY EDITOR:Linda Reg Brookhouse Photography by Linda reg@focusmag.com.au 02 6551 2353 Mob: 0416 073 902 PHOTOGRAPHER: Craig www.photographybylinda.com.au
Mason,
East Coast Photography 02 6554 9703 / 0411 846 084 www.eastcoastphotography.com.au
www.photographybylinda.com.au
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focusinterview.
JULIENNE RICHARDSON A R T I N T H E V A L E Hannam Vale based artist Julienne Richardson is just one of the inspirational creatives who’ll be exhibiting in this year’s Art in the Vale exhibition, to be held
over the Easter long weekend in the Hannam Vale Hall. Julienne is inspired by nature and describes her work as verging on the abstract, with photographs she’s taken during her travels the method with which she fires her imagination … i Julienne. What’s your back story ... when we last spoke, you called Hannam Vale home. Is this still the case? I have lived in Hannam Vale for 22 years and have been involved with the community hall and other local groups within that time. I moved here from a pocket handkerchief in Sydney to the wide open spaces and feel truly at home here. I had relatives in the area and had spent many childhood holidays at Port Macquarie, Wauchope and Lake Cathie, so it seemed appropriate to make my home here amongst many happy memories of lazing around Lake Cathie and fishing in the lake. Where and when did your passion for art begin? I was passionate about art in school, even volunteering to prepare the weekly school hall flowers, as they were done in the art room. I just couldn’t get enough of the atmosphere that the room evoked. When I left school, I continued to dabble in art and tried everything in the creative field, including clay, textiles, jewellery or painting. When I left school “life” took over, and art took a back seat. However, in the last 10 years or so I have taken up the brush again and endeavoured to paint as much as possible, attending workshops and groups to fine tune my processes and to be amongst similar creative people. Describe your art for us ... would you say your style is abstract? Textured? Emotive, or giving a sense of place, perhaps? My artwork mainly reflects the natural world. I verge on the abstract, taking elements from various photos I have taken in my travels around this region and beyond. It is not unusual to see me hanging out the car on the side of 4
manning-great lakes focus.
the road to take pictures of cloud formations, to enter? my particular favourite subject to paint. Art in the Vale is held every Easter in the Over the years I have taken many art courses Hannam Vale Hall. There is a small entry fee and been involved in various local groups. This of $8 per painting (maximum three works). has allowed me to try different mediums and We have an opening night on Friday 3rd April techniques, all of which can be reflected in my with all artists, family and friends welcome to work. I started in Sydney with watercolours attend. The cost of entry is $7, which includes and have since moved into painting in some wine and nibblies. It is a great night acrylics and, more lately, I am and very well attended by the lotrying my hand at oils. cals as a place to meet up with I like to create pictures the wider community. ing that touch people emoWorks can be viewed As well as provid l a venue for loca tionally, looking to find on Saturday 4th April ised go peace through looking and Sunday 5th April artists , monies ra le H all Va to the Hannam at my artwork. I think from 10 am to 4 pm. A le Hall fund . Hannam Va d and there is too much gold coin donation to ne is community ow ts such negative emotion in the Hall is the entrance en therefore uses ev g the world, and my in fee. nn ru as this to cover view is that art should Tell us more about Art ll.” ha e th r fo s st co be something that gives in the Vale ... What’s pleasure in a person’s home. the aim of the exhibition? I like to paint with colours Is there a common theme that reflect the subject and give a or thread that will tie exhibited sense of connection for the person that it works together? appeals to. Art in the Vale was developed some years How much does nature influence your ago by Sheree Stumm and Di Studdert. There creativity? was a hiatus of a few years until a group of As I live in a beautiful part of the country us local artists decided to resurrect the show, surrounded by an overabundance of green which has now been running three years. I trees, grass and wildlife, nature definitely is my work with Tessa Chudy, Linda Chudy and connection to my art. I love to paint clouds and representatives from the Hannam Vale Hall different light effects on either water or hills. committee, supported by various community The skies here are so large and so interesting members to showcase our many talented creat different times of the day and in different ative people from Hannam Vale and the wider weathers, that I find an endless source for my community on the North Coast. Artworks paintings. I have tried other subjects, such as come from a wide ranging area, including Port painting friends’ beloved pets and portraits; Macquarie, Wingham and Forster and all small however, painting nature is definitely my love. communities within that area. You’ll be one of the talented artists There is no theme for the works, which are showcasing their work in the Art in the not judged by a panel. Prizes are awarded Vale exhibition. When and where will this based on the results of the viewers’ choice exhibition take place, and is there a cost nominations. This year first prize is $200 and
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second prize is $100. All artworks are for sale. As well as providing a venue for local artists, monies raised go to the Hannam Vale Hall fund. Hannam Vale Hall is community owned and therefore uses events such as this to cover running costs for the hall. Who are some of the other artists that’ll have their work on display? Local painters such as Sally Horton, Harold Le Jeune and Judy Bray will exhibit. We will also have a range of photographs, and this year there is talk of a few surprises of works in 3D! What are your plans for the next 12 months after Art in the Vale has finished? Do you have any other upcoming exhibitions or projects planned? I currently have an exhibition at Bean Bar Café in Taree. I work with Brushes with Life, a group run through Richmond PRA providing workshops and an annual exhibition for people with a lived experience of mental illness. The aim is to assist with the destigmatisation of mental illness, to allow people with these issues to become empowered by accessing their creative strengths and, as a result, promote wellness through the creative process. I will continue to paint and find venues for my work to be displayed across the region. Where can readers see more of your work, or find out further details about Art in the Vale? I exhibit in local cafés such as Rosie’s Café at Johns River, Café Mediterranean in Taree and Hannam Vale Café. If anyone would like further information, they can contact me on 0413 007 765 or email julesofcolour@bigpond.com. I would be happy to answer any questions about the exhibition or my work. Thanks Julienne.
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King of the Krater. It’s on again! For all the best scooter, skate and BMX action, get down to Tuncurry Skate Park on April 11 for the King of the Krater event. Abbey Engel - Youth Events Coordinator with Homebase Services - fills us in on the finer details …
Issue 98 - April 2015
ANZAC Day 2015.
usual suspects.
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As we approach the ANZAC centenary, our thoughts naturally turn to the commemoration and remembrance of our service men and women.
the
11. What’s On for April 20. eat featuring local restaurants 47. Star Guide with Terri 52. Tourism Update with Donna Hudson
No matter where you are in the world, read Focus for free online every month @
24.
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360 All-Stars. 360 All Stars are hitting the stage at the Manning Entertainment Centre with their dynamic performers, collaborating to create a circus experience like no other….
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focuseditorial. with Roger Marmion
JOAN Stanfield
LONG-TIME GREAT LAKES AND MANNING RESIDENT, JOAN STANFIELD, RECENTLY LAUNCHED HER SECOND SELF-PUBLISHED NOVEL, JENNINGS QUEST: THE RIDDLE OF THE NOTEBOOK.
ith her third manuscript already submitted and two more to be finalised, the former teacher, journalist, historian and travel agent remains busy in retirement. Roger Marmion asked about her latest novel and her quest to share her many stories. Her first paid writing was as a country journalist for ABC Radio, Newcastle. Joan wrote scripts for news stories and documentaries, filmed around the Manning, by cameraman husband Lynn for ABC television and Channel 3. She moved on to teaching for 17 years in the Art department of Chatham High, before taking on a career change, as an international travel agent, when she and her husband Lynn became owners of Taree Travel and Great Lakes Travel in Forster. Throughout her life, Joan has been an avid reader and researcher and has been strongly influenced by historical personages and situations. “History is often referred to as ‘His-story’... it depends who tells it. “The writer’s craft is to take specific historical events and characters, to weave fact and fiction together and to take the reader on a journey of discovery”. In writing Jennings Quest, Joan has woven the story around the life and circumstances of an 18th Century wealthy English gentleman, William Jennings, often referred to as the “richest commoner in England”,
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photocopies were posted to her. whose unsigned Will resulted in his deceased This resulted in a research trip of some estate, worth millions of pounds sterling, months to the UK in 2005 to locate further being in jeopardy. This wealth was amassed information and visits to Birmingham, where through his family’s iron and steel foundries the Jenning’s wealth was created and to in Birmingham and his astute business locate the Jennings memorial tomb, in dealings, in stocks, shares and finance. Suffolk. The highlight for Joan was to view Claimants came from far and wide, to the magnificent classical Tuscan marble contest his estate in a Judicial Court Case, sculpture of William’s parents, which became the longest in British Robert and Anne Jennings, legal history (117 years) and above the crypt. “This was known as “The Great marble came from the Jennings Case”. The same quarries, as used story exposes high by Michelangelo.” levels of intrigue, RY H ISTO Joan followed up chicanery and EN FT O IS IS ‘H S A TO with further research, fraudulent dealings. ED R R EF ER EN D S EP D IT ... ’ including reading Charles Dickens RY O ST .” many copies of the made reference to the W H O TE LL S IT London Times printed Great Jennings Case in during the 1800s, to his novel Bleak House, build the background satirising the avaricious on the life and times of claimants and members of William Jennings. It soon the legal fraternity. became apparent, he had led a Joan Stanfield, many years ago, fortuitous life. William was the son of was handed a simple black notebook Robert Jennings, Aide-de-Camp to the great to read. The custodian of this notebook military strategist John Churchill, Duke of was her husband Lynn’s grandmother. Marlborough. It was the substance of a great The book, written by her mother Ann Harriet story. Jennings Pratt, in 1917, revealed details of The Riddle of the Notebook was further the Great Jennings Case and the money held deepened by the knowledge, the Jennings in Chancery, enough to pique Joan’s interest seal, used to press into wax to identify and subliminally demand further factual documents, had been passed down to research. Ann Harriet by her grandmother, Susannah Over twenty years passed, but the Jennings. To Ann Harriet the seal seemed a whereabouts of the notebook remained precious keepsake, but the significance of it a mystery until information surfaced and
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for the Jennings family was, unfortunately, not understood. Joan’s first book, A Patchwork Quilt, published in 2011, grew from her genealogical research into a network of interrelated families in the Colony from 1788. Much to her amazement, she discovered a family line, the Gills of the Lower Manning. A number of families married to the Gills were - Emertons, Eggins, Lamberts, Whatsons, Drurys, Unicombs and Shoesmiths. She had not realised, many of their descendants had been students in her classes at Chatham High. Her third publication, Border Pioneers The Pastoralists, is soon to be released. This is an Australian history of personalities and pastoral properties. Many of these settlers moved from the Hawkesbury and Upper Hunter exploring virgin territory, leasing and purchasing land in the rich Clarence and Richmond river valleys, as well as over the Border Ranges into Southern Queensland. Joan is a self-published author, meaning she produces each book from cover to cover and her Australian publisher, Bookpal, prints and distributes from Brisbane but also has an affiliation with Amazon overseas and the book Depository Co of Gloucester UK. E-book copies are also available. Books are printed “on demand” and are available for purchase online at www.bookpal.com.au.
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IT’S ON AGAIN! FOR ALL THE BEST SCOOTER, SKATE AND BMX ACTION, GET DOWN TO TUNCURRY SKATE PARK ON APRIL 11 FOR THE KING OF THE KRATER EVENT. ABBEY ENGEL - YOUTH EVENTS COORDINATOR WITH HOMEBASE SERVICES - FILLS US IN ON THE FINER DETAILS …
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Hi Abbey. What’s your role at Homebase Services, and what’s involved with this position? I am a youth events coordinator at Homebase Services. My role is to organise and run events for the youth in the local area. My aim is to not only have the youth as participants in these events, but have them make these events their own and be a major part of the planning and execution. What’s the most rewarding thing for you personally about working with our local youth? For me the most rewarding thing is watching the
youth involved in these sort of events set goals and expectations and not only meet them, but kick them out of the ballpark! The eagerness of so many young people to not only compete in King of the Krater but to judge, promote and organise it shows us that events like these are just what the local community wants and needs. The King of the Krater event will once again be held at Tuncurry Skate Park this year. What date will this event be held, and what time will action kick off? King of the Krater is being held on Saturday 11th April,
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King of the Krater is an event that aims to engage and ing to have even more donations on the way to add to the promote the youth of the local area. We want to empower prize pool for our competitors. the local youth by giving them the opportunity to run the Why do you feel events such as King of the Krater are kind of event that they want to be involved in. We are hopso important for the local community? ing that with the youth’s involvement in organising King of Events like King of the Krater bring the community the Krater, they are able to develop skills that will assist them together and give people an opportunity to promote what in their future study and work lives. We are also hoping that they love. The youth involved with King of the Krater have this event helps to bring together different groups of the so much passion for their sport, and this event allows them community, so that we can all support each other to continto show off their insane athletic abilities and their desire to ue to grow and learn off each other. share their sport with the wider community. Who would you like to thank - any The most important thing about these sorts sponsors/volunteers etc. who have of events is that the bring people together made organising the event so to have a great time celebrating the much easier? skills of the people in the local comas p ly King of the Krater has grown munity. al I feel re t ou into such a successful event over Who will be some of the standab sionate s the years due to the continout BMX/scooter/skate stars om teaching the gr st ued involvement of so many to look out for at this year’s ju t that surfing isn’ t rs fi local businesses and commuevent? g in about ego, com g nity members. We have been We have had a strong interest in tt in comps and ge lucky this year to have TAFE in the event so far, with many past .” drunk at parties involved with the design of the competitors and winners intendposter, which has been a massive ing to compete again! The opens support. TAFE student Dianne Smith competition in all categories is always designed the poster, although we rea standout, with all competitors pushing ceived many other submissions that were each other to do crazier stunts each time just as skillful and appealing. they perform. Ted Bickford, Graffiti Buster and representative What’s the closing date for our youth to enter the of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, has again event - and how do they go about registering? been a driving force in organising this event. He has We are giving competitors the option to preregister beorganised all of the donations and sponsorship and has been fore the event this year, and forms can be found at either an irreplaceable source of knowledge and support. Jungle Surf Tuncurry or Homebase Services. All competitors The youth who have volunteered their time and knowlhave to do on the day if they choose this option is to check edge to this event make it what it is. From competitors to in between 8:30 and 10am to let us know they have arrived. judges to volunteers, these guys and girls have made the Registration is also available on the day at the skate park competition grow and improve. between 8:30 and 10am. The cost for registration is a gold This event would just not be possible without the local coin donation, with all proceeds going towards the Westpac sponsors, who have continued their generous support this Helicopter Rescue Service. year. We would like to thank Great Lakes Council, JR RichWhere can readers find out more info? ards, Tuncurry Post Office, Club Forster, Jungle Surf, NCAC, For more information, contact Abbey Engel at Homebase Saltwater Wine, Yarads Menswear, Forster Bike Shop, Forster Services on 6555 5622. You can also like our page on FaceSport and Tackle, PJ’s Cheaper Choice, Elliott’s Pharmacy book, “King of the Krater 2015” to get the latest updates. Tuncurry and Great Lakes Tackle and Camping. We are hopThanks Abbey.
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which is the first weekend of Youth Week and the school holidays. Registration and check in are open from 8:30am to 10am, with the competition running from 10am until 4pm. What are the various categories that will be held at this year’s event? There are three events: skate, scooter and BMX, with three categories in each event: 12 and under, 17 and under, and Opens. In the past, all events have been strong, and we are expecting that the competition will be fierce again this year. What are the aims of the King of the Krater event?
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Club FORSTER
Matters.
Australian Fleetwood Mac Show - Easter Sunday, 5th April ‘15 | 8pm
[ w it h A l a n T i ck le ]
Matters. Matters.
The music of Fleetwood Mac is long etched into history - a band that began in the early ‘60s and are still touring the world today. This truly major concert production has been drawing capacity crowds in all venues over the past four years, with amazing audience response.
[ w it h Ala n T ick le ]
Dear Alan, My wife and I receive close to a full aged pension. We both have account based pensions and $100,000 in bank accounts and fixed deposits.
A live 7 piece band incorporating some of Sydney’s top session musicians teamed with the extraordinary vocal delivery of Ursula Cain authentically reproduces the part of Stevie Nicks when she was at her artistic best. Drumstruck | Saturday 11th April '15 | 8pm The show was billed as the first interactive drumtheatre experience, and has won over audiences world-wide with its exhilarating presentation of African beats and explosive energy. This one of a kind show provides every audience member with a drum to play along with the on stage performers. Playing to sold out houses worldwide and receiving standing ovations at every venue, this unique phenomenon, rooted in African culture, is a thoroughly engaging spectacle that provides the audience with an experience of pure interactive fun and entertainment that is perfect for the whole family. Lilts, Laughs & Larrikins | Friday 24th April '15 | 7:30pm. Starring Toni Stevens, Al Showman and Thomas & Moore.
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Are there other options to consider with Dear Alan, respect to age under pension? RW tests with We arethe caught the assets
[ wit h A la n T ickle ] actuarial life expectancy when the account based pension commenced. Based on the 2005-07 Australian Life Tables, males aged 65 currently have a further life expectancy of 18.54 years. Females of the same age have a 21.62-year life expectancy. a couple.
The result of this calculation is called your Gifting of money pension's deductible amount or DA.
total of $350,000 inBE assessed assets. At RISKThere is no gift duty or taxBE onAVOIDED. gifting money DearaRW, FOOTBALLERS AWARE ... THE OF INJURY CAN’T IfFUTURE the commencing balance for a you newlike. account age 70 and in good health, we still have THE GAMBLE ON YOUR FINANCIAL IS A BIG RISK TO TAKE. and you can give away whatever “A lighthearted show dedicated to 100 years of You have told me that you are not receiving a based or allocated pension is $200,000, the some years ahead of us but as you have WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU: YOUR BELOVED GAME OF However, amounts in excess of $10,000 per full pension, which means that you either have ANZAC through song and laughter.” DA is $10,787 if you're male and $9,250 FOOTY OR YOUR FAMILY WHO RELY ON YOU? pointed out in an earlier column, the single financial year up to a maximum of $30,000ifin More recently dubbed “a female Max Bygraves”,assessed assets in excess $279,000 or have female. pension will be tough, when one of us five years, will count as an asset. income. Toni arrived in Australia in 1972, via South Africaexcess assessedhat scenario is reality and one that in his role as a financial planner not only did he dies. If Revalue more than those amounts personal assets are drawn, the It is suggested that request Centrelink to and Rhodesia, with an impressive record of inyou themore mind on of parents, wives arrange excellent cover for himself, he organised Should wesits spend our house to extra amount is counted as assessed income. It is worth keeping Centrelink up to date with of yourbut income rave reviews from TV, Club and Cabaret venues provide a statement and partners, is too and oftenasset cover for some of his team mates. get the assets down? the realistic market value of your vehicles and The older a person is when the account based assessment andignored you should thenwho review by players hopethe that Within weeks of arranging cover, two went on worldwide. We never miss reading your column and personal assets, because they decline in value pension commenced, the higher the DA, as accuracy of theluck amounts recorded. will mean that they are not one claim after breaking bones in a game that had Over the years, Toni has supported some of the always find it interesting, thank you. PS. every year. Your home contents need only be lifeoff expectancy is less. of the ones who cop an injury or worse, a serious the them work for some time. A common worlds brightest stars: Tom Jones, Englebert Dear PS,mistake is overstating the value of value a second hand dealer would give you, mishap of the type that has changed the lives of Bythe At the start of last season, Jonathon played transferring the existing account based and nancialpension assets Humperdinck, Morcambe & Wise, The Seekers, homeIf contents a couple on theother agednon-fi or disability not the insured value. the likes of Alex McKinnon. a pre-season match in Newcastle for his Sydney as motor vehicles, boats. then pension to a new one, the current age of the Lulu, Diana Dors, Val Doonican, Dave Allen, Paulsuch have assessed assets caravans more thanand $286,500 I’ve seen the arguments and worry from young pensioner club side and brokewhich a boneresults near hisinknee as well Superannuation is used, a more Hogan etc, and from the USA Bill Haley, Billy their pension is at reduced by $1.50 forvalue, every Furniture is valued the her second hand mothers, knowing that partner and mate asA tearing the ligament, resultingage in acan fullhold knee person not yet age pension favourable outcome under the income test. Eckstein, Jose Feliciano and country legends Bucknot loves $1,000 in excess that amount. replacement cost, and vehicles at the his footy, but of she remains fearful for herself reconstruction. money in superannuation, and this is not Owens, Ferlin Husky, Hank Williams Jnr., Hank realistic However, youwholesale have rightly pointed trade-in or value. and the kidsaswho are reliant on him. out, this New HeRules was able to go under a specialist who has
T
Snow and many more.
hurts even more on theyour single pension, where Even if you are single, life can be changed Because the pension is reduced by $1.50 there is a reduction when assessed assets in an instant and fi nancial security jeopardised. per thousand of excess assets, if the asset exceed $202,000. Insurance ishow reallymuch aboutpension shifting the financial test determines is paid, risk from yourself to someone else and you Should there be a review? legitimately reducing the assessed assets by paying money toitthem for doing so.interest when I don’t believe is in the national $10,000 for example, saves $15 in pension.
4/10/2014 4:27 pm
That money the insurance interest rates is are the lowest inpremium. living memory,
That extra pension is like earning 3.9% per I sponsor couple ofthe footy sides and despite that either aspending money, or needlessly annum interest on $10,000 putting the message out there, there is a slack carrying out improvements on the home,
attitude when it comes getting the house in There are other means oftoreducing assets actually results in more net income. order before strapping on a boot. legitimately, but the message is that the asset If a person affected by the asset test reduces The consequences of not being able to work test certainly impacts. assessed assets by spending money, this are catastrophic in some cases but where an
What if theproduces income the testequivalent determines the actually of 3.9%pa injury is serious, not only does it affect future pension amount by virtue of thepaid? extra pension paid, which is
earning capacity and financial security, it means more than what is being earnedinvested on most fixed If the $100,000 the money that being ableis to getonly insurance in the future is deposits or savings accounts. apart from the account based pensions, and jeopardised. What are some to reduce if assessed assets are measures less than $279,000, A young footballer showed me what he assessed assets? it is had likely theinsurance income for received from setthat up for a review and was Funeral bonds where you invest ahim lump that his cover only gave 12sum, the astounded allocated pension is set well above the means deductible that youcover. earn compounding interest on months income Centrelink amount. the deposit but the capital not assessed “What happens if you can’tis work again?” as I an Under current rules, Centrelink (or Veterans asked. asset. (I can arrange such products.) Affairs, if you're a veteran) takes your “I’m screwed!” was to hisaresponse. Placing $7,000 each funeral bond results pension's purchase price and divides it by the Jonathon, his footy and for inMy anson, additional $21also per loves fortnight pension
counted as an asset.
treated many top2014 level footballers, andbased Jonathon After December new account Estate Planning is back onwill thenot paddock this season. pensions have the benefi t of a DA Having money held in single names or as Withoutassessed insuranceincome cover, he really would to reduce and they will have be tenants in common, will enable transferring been up against it fi nancially and accessing a assessed in similar way to bank accounts. top
some of the money to the next generation in a specialist would have been out of the question.
Commencing account based pensions before will. assessed assets, and TheThis typereduces of serious injury sustained onitais not then should be considered even if retirement is counted as a gift. football field comes under the definition of an some off. This time canand be useful in cases theyou do not accident specified injury,where because survivor otherwise Centrelink Reviewing thewith structure oflose existing account take the fimight eld the intent of all being injured. Insurance is not footy risk. based pensions is just alsoabout worthcovering considering, if entitlements. Regardless of whether or ed notinvestment you are playing the income test impacting or likely to impact Finally, having aisdiversifi portfolio footy, taking out reliance quality insurance while you on future Centrelink payments. takes away the on interest rates.
are young and locking in level premiums saves a
are only about three occasions It There must also be remembered that theover dropan fortune. average 20 year period that cash and fi xed in pension when there is a death and the It is therefore worth getting expert advice interest is the leading asset performer. survivor is left to manage on a single pension, while you are young. is Diminishing signifi cant. assets to increase the pension is I was saddened to hear this week of another a recipe that for trouble if taken of to the extreme, Ensuring the structure young parent battling cancer. account based and having a portfolio that actually Life canisbe a lottery,to soaccount shifting the risk pensions reviewed forgrows thatthat isin value and increases income over time puts the your number might come up, allows you to get important. Centrelink wherebetter it should be; that on with the pension job of getting without the is,
The opportunity won’t be there from 2015, as a safety net tohardship. support people who need worry of financial so there is six months from now available to owe to yourself, as well as yourfor loved it You while stillthat retaining enough incentives consider those options.
ones. people to fund themselves as much as possible.
This information and advice is of a general nature only and no reliance should be placed on the information before seeking individual advice This information and advice ageneral generalto nature only and noreliance relianceshould should placedcircumstances. onthe theinformation information before seeking individual advice information and advice isisofofaAdviser nature only and no bebeplaced on individual advice from aThis Financial Planner and Taxation ensure the appropriateness to individual Alanbefore Tickleseeking and Your Heritage fromaaFinancial FinancialPlanner andTaxation TaxationAdviser Advisertotoensure ensurethe theappropriateness appropriatenesstotoindividual circumstances.Alan AlanTickle Tickleand andYour YourHeritage Heritage from and circumstances. Financial Planning are Planner both authorised representatives of Securitor Financial Groupindividual AFSL 240687 ABN 48009189495. FinancialPlanning Planningare areboth bothauthorised authorisedrepresentatives representativesofofSecuritor SecuritorFinancial FinancialGroup GroupAFSL AFSL240687 240687ABN ABN48009189495. 48009189495. Financial
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ANZAC day 2015
6am - Dawn Service at the Tuncurry Centotaph; then at 10:15am the march will assemble, proceed along Manning St., Tuncurry to the cenotaph for the 11am service. Breakfast will be provided at Club Forster for all those who attend the Dawn Service displaying their medals. When Saturday, April 25.
Great Lakes 33rd Open Art Exhibition View entries from this year’s exhibition, with artworks including oils, acrylics, watercolours, pastels, drawings and abstracts, as well as a “small painting” section. When Daily from 10am to 4pm, until Sunday 12th April. Where Lake Street Gallery, Forster. www.glas.org.au
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PECHA KUCHA Vol 4 20X20 It’s back ... A great community event that highlights local artists, photographers, story tellers and activists. Each presenter shows 20 slides of their work or story and has 20 seconds per slide to speak. Tarryn Jade Choma, Tanayah Tooze, Mat Dunk, Ian Cercombe, Sam Milham and John Osmonde are part of the exciting line up. When 22 April 2015. Where LANEWAY at Forster (food and drink available). Tickets $15 from Banks and Dade Chiropractors, 6557 6333.
Manning Valley Quilt Exhibition Where Taree Craft Cottage, Cnr High & Pulteney Sts, Taree. When 10th to 18th April,10am to 3pm daily. Closed Sunday 12th April. Show closes 1pm on final Saturday, 18th April. Cost Admission $3 per person. Delicious morning teas & light lunches available. Contact Taree Craft Centre 6551 5777.
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focusinterview. A S W E A P P ROAC H T H E A N Z AC C E N T E NA RY, O U R T H O U G H T S NAT U R A L LY T U R N T O T H E C O M M E M O R AT I O N A N D R E M E M B R A N C E O F O U R S E RV I C E M E N A N D WO M E N. A N Z AC DAY C E R E M O N I E S W I L L TA K E P L AC E AC RO S S O U R R E G I O N O N A P R I L 2 5, A N D F R A N K B R A DY F RO M T H E F O R S T E R T U N C U R RY R S L S U B -B R A N C H A N D W W I I V E T E R A N A RT H U R NA P P E R S H A R E T H E I R T H O U G H T S I N T H E L E A D U P T O T H E S P E C I A L S E RV I C E P L A N N E D AT L O N E P I N E M E M O R I A L PA R K I N T U N C U R RY – A S I T E W H I C H H A S R E C E N T LY U N D E RG O N E A L O T O F WO R K , T H A N K S T O M A N Y L O C A L C O M M U N I T Y G RO U P S …
ANZAC DAY 2015
LONE PINE MEMORIAL PARK Frank Brady – Forster Tuncurry RSL Sub-Branch i Frank. How long have you been a member of the Forster Tuncurry RSL sub-branch? I initially joined the RSL in 1970 and transferred to the Forster Tuncurry sub-branch in 1993, when I retired from the Army. Initially, there was some discussion locally about whether to upgrade the memorial site at Forster, or the one at Tuncurry. Why was it ultimately decided to upgrade the Tuncurry site? Back in 2013, the RSL, who have the great honour of conducting the Commemoration Services for the Great Lakes Forster Tuncurry Community, first started thinking about the 2015 Centenary of ANZAC. Numerous areas had to be addressed, so an Appreciation Report was written and this pointed out the envisaged problems along with a choice of solutions. The major problem identified were the numbers expected to attend the ANZAC Day ceremonies and the logistic problems this would create. To minimize this aspect it was decided to use only one site for both the Dawn and the Main Services. Now we had to decide Forster or Tuncurry? At that time Forster had the better memorial; however, its location presented problems. The restrictions imposed by the Breckenridge Channel to its rear, and Little Street to its front, would mean that road closures would have to be implemented from early morning until early afternoon. The Tuncurry memorial being situated in a park did not have any of these problems. However, the memorial itself was badly 12
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situated facing onto Point Road, and the whole structure was in need of refurbishment. Tuncurry had the space and provided a solution with minimum inconvenience all round. Making this decision was how the RSL’s Centenary of ANZAC Project came into being. It was decided that we would refurbish, relocate and redesign the Tuncurry memorial. We were very fortunate in that Tuncurry’s Memorial Park as it was then known, already had a Gallipoli Lone Pine which had been planted by the local Vietnam Veterans and Rotary on Wallis members back in 2007. This we decided would become the theme of our project “The Battle of Lone Pine”. The concept that we now had in mind was proposed to council (of whom I might add, the whole community should be very proud of) because they have been involved and supporting the RSL throughout every single stage of this project. The funds required were determined, and then we applied for various grants, without these grants we could not begin. Our acknowledgement and sincere thanks go to:• The Federal Government “Saluting their Service Grant” and the “Centenary of ANZAC Grant”. • The NSW State Government “Memorial Restoration Grant” and • The Great Lakes Council “Community Grant”. I trust that each of these Grant Authorities agree that the monies they provided have been well spent. Describe the Forster Tuncurry RSL’s
Centenary of ANZAC project ... what were the project’s aims? To provide a major impact on the community’s awareness of the upcoming Centenary of ANZAC, by providing a venue for Commemoration and Remembrance that would cater to the growing numbers attending these special days. To be achieved by: • The redesign, relocation and refurbishment of the existing Tuncurry Memorial; • Adding improvements to the park that would commemorate the service men and women who have served Australia over the last 100 years; and • To involve our local students at all levels, giving them a sense of ownership of the park and its surrounds and providing the inspiration to take part in future projects. Why has Memorial Park in Tuncurry since been renamed “Lone Pine Memorial park”? To highlight the significance of our very own Lone Pine, our living link with that historic battle and the events of 100 years ago. The original park had no signage and many locals and certainly our visitors were not aware of the Lone Pine’s presence. The new signage proudly displays the park’s new name and is very visible to everyone who traverses our “linking bridge”. You’ve been very fortunate to receive tremendous local support for the project. Please explain how Great Lakes College and St Alban’s Church have contributed ... The Great Lakes College were approached to take on a complimentary project “To design and construct Information Boards to line the access pathway to the memorial”. These boards were to showcase the seven Victoria Cross
recipients from the Battle of Lone Pine. The college accepted the offer with enthusiasm, and their finished work has provided an outstanding asset to the overall project. This complimentary project encompassed both the Forster and the Tuncurry campus students involving research, history, artwork, and various trade inputs. The RSL were so delighted with what they had produced, they presented them with the “Spirit Award” for the College’s Trophy Cabinet. The “Poppy Ladies” from Saint Albans Craft Group came to us with their initial project of 5,000 Poppies, which they later amended to 10,000 Poppies (and this is still growing). These poppies are either knitted, crocheted or made from felt. They were used to line the access pathway and the memorial plus a backdrop blanket of poppies - an absolutely stunning display. In addition, they have distributed their poppies to other memorials throughout the local areas for their ANZAC Day Services. What a magnificent community effort these ladies have provided, enhancing the memorial and its surrounds with this visual act of Remembrance. What time will ANZAC Day ceremonies commence at the now refurbished Lone Pine Memorial Park this year? 6am: Dawn Service, Lone Pine Memorial Park 6:45am: Breakfast (medal wearers/families only), Club Forster. 10:15am: March form up, cnr Beach & Parkes St Tuncurry 10:30am: March commences 11am: Commemoration and Wreath Laying Ceremony, Lone Pine Memorial Park Thanks Frank.
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Arthur Napper – WWII Veteran i Arthur. How long have you been a local, and what originally brought you to the area? I first bought land here in Forster 53 years ago in a Crown Land Auction. I built a holiday house, and we came here every year for our holidays. I moved up here permanently in 2000 after my wife died, as my family now lives in Forster. Please tell us briefly about your time serving with the Australian Army I enlisted in 1940 and did my initial training as a Rifleman. I embarked for Palestine later that year, where I joined up with the 2/32 Australian Infantry Battalion. This Battalion had been formed up in England, and we made up D Company, bringing them to full strength. Then we went into action at Tobruk from Apr 41 to Sep 41. After this we were moved to Lebanon and Syria until June ’42, when we were hurried back to North Africa for the Battle of El Alemain, which lasted until November ‘42. This, without doubt, was the fiercest battle of my war; the artillery barrages were beyond belief. Things were now hotting up back home with the Japanese; we were loaded onto the Queen Mary and headed for Australia. Once there, we were given two weeks leave, then up to the Atherton Tablelands for jungle training, before heading for New Guinea. Other Battalions had been sent to Kokoda; we went further north to Lae, then it was one battle after another: Finshafen, Scarlet Beach, Satelborg, Katika, Pabu Hill and Xmas Hill.
It was now January ’44. I got home to Australia for some leave, during which time I got married, then it was back to the war. This time Morotai, after which we spent five days on landing barges as we made our way to Labuan in Borneo, where we remained until the war finished. Then the cruel part: we had to wait months for a boat to take us home. By the time we got there, everything was over - no parades, nothing. I was discharged just before Christmas 1946. My duty was done. How do you feel about the improvements which have been made recently at Lone Pine Memorial Park? I give great credit to the sub-branch for what they have done to bring the history of the original ANZACs to the fore. I have had strong feelings since I was a boy, because I had three uncles in World War I. One was killed in action, another died of wounds, and the third was gassed and seriously wounded. They gave their all for Australia. As we approach the ANZAC centenary, what are your thoughts/reflections on your time serving your country and also about our ANZAC tradition in general? I felt it was my duty. Loyalty was ingrained within us. I was at the recruiting office the day they opened. I had my 19th birthday in Palestine. As for my thoughts and reflections, I have a feeling of sadness, because apart from myself there is only one other surviving member of my Battalion in NSW. His name is Jack Calder. Thanks Arthur. Images courtesy of David Kernick. manning-great lakes focus.
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SteveAttkins.
from Great Lakes Winery
watch. steve attkins Selma (M) Fay’s Twin Cinema, 6:45pm Monday 20th April
L
O a k a n d wine
WHY DO SO MANY WINEMAKERS CHOOSE TO USE OAK TO ENHANCE THEIR WINE, AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT OAK THAT MAKES SUCH A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE?
ike many wonderful discoveries, characteristics. (Oak is also sourced from it was by accident that oak was countries including Germany, Russia, Slovakia found to enhance the flavour and Hungary.) French oak is highly prized and and structure of wine after being gives a subtle, gentle flavour, while American stored in oak barrels. The barrels is much bolder with stronger, spicier flavours. were originally used for storage of liquids, as it When a barrel is new, the flavours can be quite was found that the tight grain of oak was leakstrong, so it is the skill of the winemaker that proof and the shape of the barrel allowed for decides how long the wine is stored in oak easy movement, even when they are full. and what the combination of new and old oak It was soon discovered that is to be used for the particular wine after the wine had been variety. stored in these barrels, There are alternatives to that the flavour had oak barrels in an attempt been enhanced. to achieve the same y, er Since this discov But how? flavour profiles, barrel-making It is well known without the expense e th (cooperage) for aking that wine em of the barrels. If purpose of win it as t, ar e fin a e oxidises when you have quality has becom , com bined exposed to fruit, typically you takes great skill ality, sl ow oxygen, and it would invest in the with access to qu eate a cr grown, old oak to is to be avoided. barrels, but for lesser t.” uc quality prod However, during quality fruit and mass barrel storage wine produced product, it is exposed to very is more cost effective to low levels of oxygen, use the alternatives, which which has proved to add include oak staves being secured structure to the wine. This, to the side of tanks holding the wine combined with the flavours imparted and more common, the use of oak chips from the oak itself, took the flavour which are submersed into the wine similar to profile of the wine to a whole new level a tea bag, where the wine is infused with the of complexity. oak flavour from the chips. Since this discovery, barrel-making (cooperage) So have a thought for that half barrel you for the purpose of winemaking has become a have in the garden filled with herbs ... it may fine art, as it takes great skill, combined with well have an interesting history you never access to quality, slow grown, old oak to create considered! a quality product. At the high end of the barrel market, the oak comes from forests aged upcoming event! between 150 to 200 years old. This quality oak is used for the best wines in the world “Back paddock music’” at Great including Australian wines. Lakes Paddocks (winery) Easter The oak staves are shaped using steam, and Sunday, April 5th, with Circus Mule. the finished product is “toasted” to create 1pm to 4pm - gate $15 under charring of the inside of the staves. The 15 free. charring is referred to as toasting and imparts For bookings & picnic box flavours such as vanillin and spices. The two orders, call 4997 7255 or email: predominant types of oak used for this process info@greatlakeswines.com.au are French oak and American oak, both of
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which are quite distinctive in their flavour 14
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ELMA is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic struggle to secure voting rights for African-Americans - a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated in the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama that galvanised American public opinion and persuaded President Johnson to introduce the Voting Rights Act in 1965. 2015 is the 50th anniversary of this pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. By focusing on specific events in the lead up to the change of America’s voting rights act in 1965, director Ava DuVernay’s powerful drama about Martin Luther King Jnr. has maximum clout. Paul Webb’s screenplay begins with King’s acceptance of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize and concentrates on the subsequent 12 months in which the historic march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery takes place, forcing change from the White House in the form of the 1965
Voting Rights act. It’s a role of a lifetime for classically trained English actor David Oyelowo, whose distinguished performance ably embodies the physicality and essence of the pastor, humanitarian and human rights activist. The devastation of police brutality through the first protest march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge is hard to watch, as the Troopers turn on the peaceful protesters. “There are no words to soothe you; God was the first to cry for your boy,” King tells a grieving father whose son has been brutally shot. Tom Wilkinson is formidable as President Lyndon Johnson. This is a powerful drama that allows us to relive and understand important events that changed the world. It’s a fascinating insight. Tickets are $16. For further information or membership, please find the film society at the food table in the foyer, or visit www. tareefilmsociety.org.au or phone 6552 3476.
with Horticulturalist Neville Donovan - Greenpatch Organic Seeds
WH
AT ’ S I N
Growing peas is fun; they are a fast growing crop that produces abundant crunchy peas over a long period. Peas are ideal for children to grow, since their large seed makes them easy to handle and plant. The delightful part is picking and eating the pods garden fresh! The Sugar Snap Pea is a small compact bushy grower - good cropper. Space and back saving Climbing Snow Peas have good flavour and texture. Add some colour to salads with the Golden Podded and Purple Flowering Peas best used fresh, stir-fry, frozen, shelled or dried for use in soups and flour. Peas can be started from April - August on the Mid North Coast, except in heavy frost areas. Seeds are covered with 2 - 3cm of soil, planted direct in the garden in rows, in moist soil. Seeds require a minimum of watering to germinate, as they are prone to rot. Peas enjoy a sunny position, free draining soil
Peas
with the addition of lime or dolomite - medium fertiliser requirements. Overly rich soil will encourage soft, spindly growth at the expense of pod production. Climbing Peas will need a wire trellis to 1.5 metres high and should be tied with string for extra support, at the same time providing protection from strong winds. The bush varieties are well suited to container gardening. Peas have few pests and diseases and by including good cultural practices, will reduce most problems. Space plants well to avoid overcrowding, hence this will improve air circulation, reduce fungal diseases and encourage more pod set. To help reduce the risk of powdery mildew and leaf spot diseases, water deeply and less frequently. Reduce snail and slug numbers prior to planting with ducks and chooks. While plants are growing, beer traps or pet friendly snail pellets keep these critters under control.
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McGUIGAN
BMW
Photography - Matthew Attard Fairfax Media Photographer/Sports Journalist
NATIONAL DEALER OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP ON THE MID NORTH COAST - McGUIGAN BMW. DEALER PRINCIPAL SHANE McGUIGAN TELLS US ABOUT THE PRESTIGIOUS WIN.
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ongratulations on your 3rd our BMW Sales Manager, is almost up to 10 years year in a row as BMW Rural now and is the driver of our success: 7 trophies from Dealer of the Year. Tell us a 8 years speaks volumes and if you don’t sell the little about the night ... cars, this wouldn’t happen. To complement this we BMW consider the Trophy have our Service Department experts, Carl Evans and Dinner the most important event Michael Murray; both have been in our McGuigan of the year; it was a black tie affair, so I had to dust team for over 10 years and have the highest customoff the dinner suit and find my bow tie. We were er satisfaction in the county. Countless customers in Melbourne at the top of the Myer Centre in the have purchased cars simply due to their service expeMural Hall, a room that dates back decades rience with us. Rounding off our small in history, so the setting was very team, Ros McDonald is always BMW-esque. smiling out front and willing to I sat next to my good friend assist, whilst Owen Boyd has from Tamworth, whom I knew learnt the BMW way over Sales are around was my prime competition. the past few years in our t half the score ou When they called his name first, Workshop. Cusof 100; however in I realised we had won three Overall you were ion tomer Satisfact in a row - an achievement we crowned the National a e gets Sales and Serv ic started work on 12 months Dealer of the Year for all ” large weighting. earlier. BMW Dealerships from Three years in a row certainly four categories - how do is a credit to your dealership they score and award this and shows a great amount of prestigious title? consistency. To what do you credit this BMW have a formula that enables ongoing success? them to measure all size dealers in the In running a business you can have all the right same way, called a balanced scorecard. intentions and work long hours; this helps, but Sales are around half the score out of 100; unless you have the right people, you will always be however, Customer Satisfaction in Sales and Service average. gets a large weighting. The balance is made up of We are lucky to have a long standing team at Parts Targets, Used Car Performance and Workshop McGuigan BMW who have passion and care for our Efficiencies. customers and for our Dealership. Shaun Ferguson, This was the award that personally I always aspire
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to; being recognised amongst your peers as the Best Dealer for the previous 12 months is very satisfying. In almost 40 years as a BMW Dealer, this is only the second time we have been awarded number 1. So what's new for BMW this year? There is always something new to talk about when it comes to BMW. Recently we have launched the All New BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, a small car with lots of space. We expect to see very soon the revised 1 series hatch - a car I’m excited about, as it appeals to many of our local customers. Our Flagship 7 series will be all new later this year; this is significant, as many of the innovations and technologies that we see in our smaller cars come direct from this new model. Do you plan to celebrate your achievement on a local level? Yes, we are trying to get the word out and have our Annual McGuigan BMW Raceday coming up at the end of the month, where we will highlight almost all of BMW’s current model cars; but we won’t get too carried away, as we know that selling cars and service to happy customers is what brings us continued success. Thanks Shane.
MCGUIGAN BMW. 2014 BMW DEALER OF THE YEAR.
McGuigan BMW
Sales Finance Service Parts
As BMW 2014 Dealer of the year, our commitment to excellence in professionalism, presentation and performance is second to none. With over 30 years of local community knowledge and our dedication to detail, we continue to deliver the experience the Ultimate Driving Machine is known for. Visit our team at McGuigan BMW today. McGuigan BMW 140 Hastings River Drive, Port Macquarie. Ph 6588 8500. www.mcguiganbmw.com.au DL7571
2014
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Billabong zoo Wow! Billabong Zoo can’t wait for the start of another school holidays. Shrek the monster croc has made himself quite at home and has been thrilling crowds with his feeding shows at 12:30 daily. Our gorgeous "Happy Feet" Little Penguins star in their own daily feeding routine at 10am, and not to be missed are our beautiful red panda sisters, Rato and Tito, who enjoy their dinner at 2:30pm daily. The latest arrivals are our two mischievous meerkats, Bido and Pongo, who are on the go nearly all day, digging, taking turns
For a $25 yearly subscription, receive special offers and exclusive discounts only for members, including: Six seeds packets of your choice, one free packet of Red Noodle Snake Bean, one Greenpatch Catalogue, one Free pH Test of your soil. 10% discount off all books and plants for the period chosen, spring, summer, autumn and winter, newsletter via email.
why not grab a bite yourself from the zoo café; our new chefs
It’s an ideal time to plant garlic, including Italian white, Rocambole, Giant Russian and Purple. Garlic grows best with a sunny position in fertile soil; keep moist and feed plants through the growing season. The next few months are a wonderful time to plant and establish winter vegetables, flowers and herbs. We carry a good range of heirloom vegetable seedlings and of course, there is a large range of seeds in stock.
are sure to have something to tempt the tastebuds, with fresh
SPECIAL OFFER
ground coffee, homemade scones and biscuits, burgers, wraps
A new magazine, Organic Life, will be given free to every customer who spends $20 or more. The magazine is a rounded view on the organic lifestyle covering gardening, lifestyle, health and beauty. Organic Life: www.organiclifemagazine. com.au
to act as the sentry and of course, munching down on as many bugs and worms as possible. Our special animal encounters are a great way to get even closer than you think and feature our pythons, koalas, snow leopards, penguins, meerkats and red pandas. Prices, times and experiences vary, and bookings are essential. If watching the animals eat is making you feel hungry,
and sandwiches made to order. Take home a special memento from our huge gift shop and remember, Billabong Zoo is the place for you! Enquire about our catering for group functions and children’s birthday parties. Visit our website www. billabongkoala.com.au and like us on Facebook for the up to the moment goings on around the zoo.
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greenpatch membership
Ph: 6551 4240 or email: enquiries@greenpatchseeds.com.au or visit www.greenpatchseeds.com
Great Lakes Hospice Auxiliary Great Lakes Hospice Auxiliary are holding a Fundraising Morning tea at Club Forster Strand St, Forster at 10:30am on Thursday, May 7th. Guest speaker Is Wendy Borchers A.M, who will talk about her love of Australian History, which was cemented after working in the Archives of the ABC. Wendy grew up in the Hunter Valley, and her first position in 1963 after she left school was with NBN 3 in Newcastle. She was a newsroom secretary and she started NBN’s News Library. In 1967 after a period of travel, Wendy took a job at radio Current Affairs at ABC Broadcast House in Sydney. Her love of TV saw her return to it. Many of the programmes Wendy has worked on have been shaped around a piece of historical footage she has unearthed. She worked on series such as Beyond The Fatal Shore, Bohemian Rhapsody and The Blainey View. Between 1988 and 1991 Wendy worked as a freelance TV producer. A brief to find anything
and everything that the ABC had ever filmed on Aboriginal Culture and heritage since TV began in 1956 was a wonderful challenge ... Wendy received her A.M. for ”significant service to the film and TV industry as a researcher, producer and archivist and to the preservation of Indigenous heritage”. Wendy has worked on Weekend Magazine, Australian Story, Four Corners and This Day Tonight. The book to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the ABC, called The ABC of our Lives, Wendy co-authored with Tim Bowden in 2006. Tim Bowden will be introducing Wendy at the morning tea. All monies raised will go to the Great Lakes Hospice to continue work in Palliative Care. Tickets for the morning tea are $13 each and are available at Pivot fashion, Wharf St Forster or by phoning Roz on 6554 7643 or Margaret on 6555 9255.
Meet the team from
Evermore living
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oyne Graham CEO/Director, Colleen Moat Care Manager R.N, Gillian Evans Sales and Marketing Manager and Mal Kukas Director, are ready and waiting to answer any questions you may have and take you through what is Evermore Living. More Care - More Freedom - More Choice - More Independence. Evermore truly caters for all your day-to-day needs, while respecting your independence and privacy. Your own home in the heart of town, easy access to the Forster CBD and local attractions, without the hassle of maintenance, repairs, lawns and gardens. Add to all this the countless enjoyable lifestyle choices that await you here: new
friendships, easy shopping, beautiful beaches, cafés, the RSL and bowling club, restaurants and more - and you’re engaging in countless activities you can enjoy to whatever extent you prefer. You will be living in your very own spacious 1 or 2 bedroom luxury apartment, knowing that with supported living at Evermore, qualified help is close by if you need it and that you are close to Medical Specialists and the neighbouring Forster Private Hospital. The best way to evaluate everything Evermore Retirement Living offers is to call in for a closer look, so you can see just how Evermore delivers more than you ever expected. Visit us today at 40 Short St, Forster.
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1/2 a dozen oysters from the bistro seasalt harrington.
download our eat. dining guide for iPhone & Android www.focusmag.com.au/eat
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Flow cafÉ. restaurant. bar. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so be sure to start your day the right way! Pop in and try our scrumptious breaky menu Tuesday Sunday. Wake up with a good coffee, fresh juice, a delectable Avo Bruschetta w’ roasted tomatoes, Persian feta, spinach, grilled mushrooms, Eggs Benne w’ cold smoked salmon or treat yourself to a Crème Brulee French toast w’ banana, whipped mascarpone, toasted pecans, bacon, vanilla bean verjuice. Ticketed Events Sunday 12 April: The Audreys, Adelaide folk-rock band 2015 tour. Lunch from 11:30am and show from 1:30pm $40. Visit www.dramatix.com.au or PH 02 6557 4224 to purchase tickets.
The Sicilian is the perfect place for a relaxed lunch, and it’s now open in two great locations in Taree and Forster. Do lunch the Sicilian way with our traditional menu and our $10 express lunch. Try our Amanti coffee, home style pizzas, pastas, salads and much more - all made with fresh local ingredients and a touch of love. Dine in or takeaway 7 days a week at The Sicilian - The Dorsal Hotel, Forster and Victoria Street, Taree.
31 David St, Old Bar, Beach 6557 4224 Tuesday - Sunday: breakfast & lunch 8am - 3pm. Thurs - Sat: dinner from 6pm. Please see facebook.com/flowcafe for happy hour, weekly live music and menus
Taree: 139 Victoria St Forster: The Dorsal Hotel, 1 West St 6557 8689 6555 0116 www.thesicilianrestaurant.com.au Open 7 days. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Breaky Roll with bacon, egg and caramelised onion.
Bistro SeaSalt
BRASS BELL DELI
Showcasing some of the region’s finest local producers and suppliers, including Bago Wines, Black Duck beers, Brighton Oysters plus local and Australian seafood.
Brass Bell Deli is a regional foods store serving local products in a relaxed, air conditioned environment. We serve a super smooth blend of coffee roasted for us by our friends at Coffee Galleria, which you can enjoy with soy or almond milk if you like. Also, our second blend, “the Killer Coffee”, which is three times stronger than usual blends but without the acidic bitterness of most strong coffees. We serve salads and sandwiches with ingredients from our shelves and fridges, which you can have in store or grab for a lunch on the run.
Bistro SeaSalt offers amazing views, wonderful food, great coffee and a relaxed dining experience. Now fully licensed and open for breakfast on weekends.
21 Beach St, Harrington 6556 1700 Open Wednesday - Sunday. Lunch from 12pm and dinner from 6pm. Breakfast on Saturday and Sunday only from 8am.
Owner & Chef Ben Hansen
Owner Andy Smith
Forster Arcade Wharf St, Forster 6554 5333 Open 6 days, breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.
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beach Bums Sunsets are so overrated! How many sunrises have you witnessed this year? Whilst the weather is still warm, add a little sunrise magic to your mornings at Forster Main Beach #goodmorningforster. Join us at Beach Bums for friendly service, great food and espresso, just five steps from the sand. Don’t forget to check out the specials board before you order. Follow us on Facebook for more daily info on specials and events ... Open 7 days from 6:30am.
WILL LUTE
HEAD CHEF ROADIES CAFÉ GLOUCESTER
Owners Kate and Darrin.
North & Beach St, Forster Main Beach. 6555 2840 beachbumscafe.com.au 7 days from 6:30am.
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ow have things been at fantastic coffee and our mouthwatering meals ! Roadies Café in Gloucester? Oh and the motorbikes for something different Tourism has been picking up to look at. and things look like they are on What are some of you favourite ingredients track for a fantastic Easter to cook with and why? , we have had some much needed Fresh seafood , coming rain so that has helped boost from Qld and working in the local economy , with predominately seafood OD, FR ES H SE A FO more people coming out restaurants I have a CO M IN G FROM G N and about in town. good knowledge of KI QL D A N D WOR ELY AT IN Can you tell us all things seafood OM IN PR ED OD FO what is new on the and enjoy creating A SE I H AV E RE STAU RA N TS DG E menu this season at different dishes LE A GO OD KN OW Roadies? and flavour OF A LL TH IN GS JOY EN D We have a fantastic Combinations N SE A FO OD A ER EN T fresh new dinner and What is the best CR EATI N G DI FF OU R AV FL D DI SH ES A N pizza menu , utilising seller on the menu? S” CO M BI NATI ON as much local produce as It would be a toss possible , a favourite on our up between our Roadies new dinner menu is the pan Beef Burger and the Roadies fried blue eye travella , roasted kipfler Big Breakfast or our classic fish and potatoes , asparagus, pickled fennel finished chips with fresh gazpacho , or our herb crusted Can you tell us what you have in store Lamb cutlets , parsnip and garlic mash, for Roadies over the next few months? dressed watercress and mustard jus lie, or our Over the next few months we have lots on. nacho pizza, corn chips, ground beef , salsa, Easter and the school holidays will be a busy sour cream , avocado and mozzarella ! YUM time, hopefully bringing lots of tourists to visit What is it about Roadies that keeps bring our lovely town, a new autum/ winter menu people through the door? will be starting in May with all your winter It would have to be our friendly staff , favourites.
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kembali cafÉ Embracing the chilled out lifestyle of Blueys Beach. Our new autumn dinner menu is now available. Featuring beautiful fresh ingredients infused with flavours from Indonesia and Australasia. Also new are our healthy raw slices and bliss balls - perfect to combine with a cup of Gusto coffee, a fresh juice, smoothie or one of our famous fruit crush drinks. We are open for breakfast and lunch 7 days a week from 7am (dine in or take away). Dinner Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights from 6pm. Find our new dinner menu on Facebook – Kembali Café & Instagram kembalicafe
2/188 Boomerang Drive, Blueys Beach 6554 0889 Open 7 days, breakfast and lunch. Dinner Thurs, Fri and Saturday from 6pm.
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Chefs Ceiron Bartz & Kane Donkin.
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gabrieldarzi
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Founder/Executive Chef of The Sicilian
Swapping the city for the country
swapped the city, for the country; and I’m heading straight to the source ... Join me, Gabriel Darzi, as we map out the northern regions of New South Wales and their rich food heritage. The Food Hunter - a brand new article in FOCUS. One of the most important things in people's lives is food. We experience it on a daily basis. As Italians say, you are what you eat. My job as an Executive Chef, which has included working with celebrity chefs around the world and having a 5-Star hotel history, has allowed me to search for the sources, which has led to me to this beautiful region known as the Manning Valley. I am hunting. For a place. A town. A farmer. A person, who has the best to offer and who has most probably never been heard of. My mission is to help the people who desire to find food for joy. As I mentioned in the Sydney Morning Herald once before, there are two types of people who dine out. The first group dine out to fill their gut. The second, knows that dining out means experiencing a different kind of food from a different culture. I cook for the latter. Their palate identifies good from bad. When I first arrived in Australia in 1996, there was an extremely heavy Italian culture present. Most people didn’t know what polenta was and hardly ever ate garlic. I think the fact that Australia’s restaurant culture has grown so much since those days to where it is now has influenced people’s knowledge and understanding of food and is a big part of why there are now such diverse ingredients available in our supermarkets. My own cooking style has changed over the years too. When I began, I strived to make sense of my Italian food here in Australia and tried to find ways to work other cultural culinary influences into my dishes. More recently, I’ve gone
back to my roots to revisit older recipes, and dining. A lot of shows, such as My because as I’ve grown older, my tastes Kitchen Rules, Master Chef and gourmet have become simpler. chef shows such as Jamie Oliver, have But why I cook, and the desire I felt to increased customer knowledge of proper open The Sicilian, hasn’t changed since I cuisine. Most diners these days are first wanted my own restaurant all those learned and educated. Restaurateurs years ago. I’ve been travelling throughout cannot fool them anymore. They know regional NSW meeting beef, olive oil, whether the seafood is local or not, wine, cheese and oyster producers, and whether cakes are frozen or whether tasting their food. your potato mash is pre-packed. There is such a vast It makes our job as a variation in the way professional chef more people from satisfactory when different regions our customer in the think and understands As I mentioned Herald Sydney Morning o types approach what they are e are tw food, putting in once before , ther out. The ne of people who di t to fill their and the their mouths. ou first group dine at habits and I started th s ow kn , gut. The second ncing rie languages the hunt last pe ex ns ea m dining out od from a fo are week when of nd ki nt re a diffe . I cook for the re completely ltu I was invited cu nt re ffe di te id entifies different. by a friend latter. Their pala ” As a chef, of mine from good from bad. it offers a Port Macquarie broad palette to visit a restaurant. to work with and I had heard about this makes Italian cuisine very restaurant a lot but had accessible. never had the chance to go I’m endlessly inspired by the there. The restaurant was called beautiful produce that growers The Stunned Mullet. We ordered the and fishermen provide, and I get traditional entree, main and dessert, vicarious pleasure from my restaurants. and I am surprised by this restaurant's I have a completely different experience ability to source the best of the best local compared to my guests; where produce in a small, regional area. When something is just hard work for me in the I walked out of the restaurant, I brought kitchen, by viewing it through their eyes, I out a good lesson. Wherever you are, no can see how happy my restaurants make matter what opportunity you're given, people. It’s the same when you have a be the best you can be. As an authentic dinner party at home - it’s hard work, Italian chef, we learn how to create but there’s nothing better than people excellence from the simplest ingredients, enjoying it and thanking you for your like the humble tomato ... food. Feeding people makes them happy, My mission is to introduce the best and that’s my reward. that Manning Valley has to offer with my As we move on, the cuisines meld with passion for food. local produce and take on a simplified Let's Rock, version. One of the changes that I've seen Gabriel Omid Darzi from the 20 years I've been in Australia Founder/Executive Chef of The Sicilian is the growth in understanding of cuisine omid76d@yahoo.com
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ALL STARS
360 ALL STARS ARE HITTING THE STAGE AT THE MANNING ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE WITH THEIR DYNAMIC PERFORMERS, COLLABORATING TO CREATE A CIRCUS EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER. GENE PETERSON, DRUMMER AND DIRECTOR OF THE GROUP, CHATS TO FOCUS...
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eing a group of so many different talents and from all corners of the globe, how was this collaboration born? Well, the concept of the show is to reinvent the circus by replacing stereotype circus art forms with contemporary urban performance styles. So, instead of acrobats we have breakdancers, instead of a juggler we have a basketball freestyler, and instead of a unicyclist we have a BMX rider! Throughout the whole creation process we tried to apply as few limitations as possible and allow ourselves to dream big, and casting the artists for the show was no exception. We decided to put together an international all-star cast, and the selection process was literally researching and hand picking each of the guys, regardless of where they came from! We’ve ended up with artists from UK, Europe, America, Australia and NZ, and they’ve all been flown in specifically for the tour. How does the name ‘360 Allstars’ represent you? All of the art forms in the show feature rotation, hence 360, and all the artists are quite literally the best in the world at their given art forms, hence ALLSTARS! Introduce us to the performers and their 24
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roles… There’s a spectacular lighting design, a stunning Peter Sore is our BMX Flatlander and is the AV design projected across three large video two-time World Champion from Hungary! screens, and the whole show is backed by a Bboy Kareem is a World killer live sound track, so it’s definitely Champion breakdancer from as aurally exciting as it is visually San Francisco. astounding. At the end of the Bboy Leerok is another day though, I think the key t All of the ar World Champion word is fun! We have a ow sh e th forms in breakdancer from New fantastic time on stage e nc he n, tio feature rota ts Zealand. performing each night, tis ar e th l al 360, and e th Rashaun Daniels, and the audiences have a ly al er lit ite are qu at their ld AKA Basketballman, great time with us. or w e th in st be hence is one of the world’s biggest highlight for given art forms, greatest basketball 360 Allstars to date? ALLSTARS! ” freestylers, and he comes We’re lucky to have from New York. performed right around the Rhys Miller is a phenomenally world over the past few years, talented roue cyr artist from but I’d have to say a highlight was Brisbane. a 3 week season on Broadway in New Sam Perry is an incredible live looping York, which was at the end of our North vocalist and beatboxer, hailing from the UK. American tour late last year. We played 24 shows And I’m the drummer! at the New Victory Theater, which is right on What kind of experience can we expect Times Square, and that was a really fantastic from the performances? experience. It’s definitely an exciting show, and a feast What advice would you give to young for the senses. We have an unbelievable cast people inspired by 360 Allstars wanting to of world champion and world renowned follow in your paths? performers collaborating on stage and building It’s pretty cliche, but it’s definitely true: the relationships between their unique art forms. more you put in the more you get out. Each of
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the artists in the show are absolutely incredible at what they do, and it all comes down to the fact that they’ve all spent thousands of hours perfecting their skills and always seeking to push themselves to the next level. If you want to take anything seriously then you have to be prepared to put in the hard yards, and eventually opportunities will just start to roll in! looking to the future, what’s on the horizon? Australia is actually the first leg of our World Tour and we’re on tour around Oz until the end of June. After that we head over to Europe for the second half of the year, and then over to North America and Asia in 2016. Plenty of shows ahead of us! Thanks Gene.
the plug! See the 360 Allstars on Saturday, April 18th at the Manning Entertainment Centre. Adult $40 Pensioner/ Concession $36 Student/ Under 21 $25 Group 8+/ VIP $32 hemec.com.au/w
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meet the
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ETER SORE (Hungary) Two Time World Champion BMX Flatlander Born in Hungary, Peter Sore is an elite BMX Flatland rider. In 2003 Peter was crowned world champion in Portugal, and he followed up with a second world title victory in Germany in 2004! Peter is also a professional Roue Cyr artist, and together with his BMX skills he has travelled the world as a freelance professional performing artist, touring in theatre productions, as well as working with companies such as Mountain Dew and Nike. B-BOY KAREEM (USA) World Champion Break-Dancer B-Boy Kareem has been dancing for 17 years and is renowned for his creative power moves. He is a World Champion break dancer, and has won many of the biggest B-Boy competitions, including the UK Bboy World Championship, Arka World Championship, Break The Floor, ILLEST Bboy Championship, The Real B-Boy Championship, World Bboy Classic, and the Hip Hop International, to name just a few. He is also a professional performer/ artist, and has previously worked with Cirque Du Soleil for two years in their award-winning Beatles show, LOVE. Kareem maintains a
strong passion for his art, and his Man has travelled the world goal is to show the world his wowing audiences with continued, expanding talent his incredible tricks. A as a B-Boy. powerful and exciting a He is also al B-BOY LEEROK (New performer, Basketball on si profes d an t is rt Zealand) - World Man has featured at /a er perform ked or w ly us io Champion Breakmany festivals, made ev pr has Soleil u D ue rq Ci Dancer several TV appearances, ith w their B-Boy Leerok performed at countless for two years in Beatles award-winning has garnered a basketball games, and show, LOVE.” strong reputation has delivered over 4,000 for astonishingly quick performances across footwork, effortless powerAmerica, Korea, Japan, moves and explosive acrobatics. Europe, Philippines, Australia, Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, Canada, and New Zealand! Leerok has become entrenched in the RHYS MILLER (Australia) NZ breakdance scene. He is one of the Internationally Renowned Roue Cyr Artist founding members of "Common Ground Rhys miller is a seasoned performing artist, Crew" and is also a dancer in the Christchurch who in 2004 found his passion and love for based Hip Hop collective, "The Box of O". the Roue Cyr Wheel. By 2007 he was working A fierce competitor, in 2010 Leerok was the for internationally renowned Australian winner of the Hip Hop International 3-on-3 Circus company, C!RCA, as both a trainer B-Boy World Battles in Las Vegas. and performer. He has since featured in many RASHAUN DANIELS (USA) festivals in both Australia and UK, and has also World Renowned Basketball Freestyler used his wealth of performance capabilities to Rashaun Daniels, A.K.A. Basketball Man, work for the Starlight Children’s Foundation is one of the world's leading basketball as a Captain Starlight, performing in hospitals freestylers. With side splitting humour and nation-wide. unparalleled skills that rival even the best SAM PERRY (UK) of the Harlem Globetrotters, Basketball #1 Triple J, Chart Topping Artist.
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Armed with a guitar effects pedal, a loop station and a microphone, Sam Perry has established a reputation as a vocal wizard. Combining intricate beat-boxing, with earthshattering bass lines, and ethereal harmonies using only his voice, Sam Perry’s innovative approach to live music performance has taken the industry by storm. A Triple J #1 charttopping artist, Perry has had his music featured on Quicksilver surfing videos and Channel Ten Network’s Totally Wild and has performed at esteemed Australian music festivals Parklife, Summadayze, and Laneway Festival. GENE PETERSON (Australia) Multi Award Winning Drummer and Composer Gene Peterson has fast established himself as one of Australia’s leading musicians. He is a phenomenal percussionist, a prolific composer, and an exceptional pianist. As a drummer he has toured extensively across Australia, Europe, Asia, America and The Middle East, and has won numerous awards and competitions, including “The Billy Hyde’s National Drum Play Offs”. Aside from his successes as a touring artist, Gene is also a renowned producer and composer, having been commissioned to create the scores for symphony orchestras right through to productions on Broadway. Thanks guys. manning-great lakes focus.
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Clayton Donovan
Matt Zarb
Simon and Clay
Wingham Show
Wingham Show
Annie Sloan Class
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happened to open up my page for April 2009, where I wrote about the fabulous support that this region gave to the people affected by the Victorian Bushfires. This disaster was far too close to home, and our community rallied together with concerts and fundraisers to help those in need. Now we are giving help to those devastated by the cyclone in Vanuatu. There are so many volunteers out there who go above and beyond to help others. As a business owner, I am asked each day to give to a local charity. But I am only asked because someone cares enough to ask, and these people are volunteers giving up their own time to raise funds for others. Local artist Donna Rankin is one amazing local who founded “Heart to Heart”, an initiative that aims to change the lives of young women who have been challenged by life. Heart to Heart has already healed many hearts with humanitarian trips to Vietnam and Thailand to conduct art classes in an orphanage and interact with the children and offer the students insight, perspective and a new outlook on life. A white themed Heart to Heart Beach Ball was held at the newly renovated Cape Hawke Surf Life Saving Club on Saturday, March 14. More than 200 people enjoyed a night out to raise funds towards towards financing a humanitarian trip for ten local girls from Great Lakes College to the Vung Tau Orphanage in southern Vietnam. The girls, aged 13 to 17, will visit the orphanage to donate funds and pass on the skills they’ve learned in this arts based self-esteem building programme. Congratulations, Donna and crew. On the first of March, Matt Zarb played morning melodies in the backyard of the café and as the morning progressed, it got mighty
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with Donna Carrier from Bent on Food.
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After writing this column for so many years, I sometimes look back on what I was doing the same time last year, just to reassure myself that life is moving along nicely.
Congratulations to the show society for a hot outdoors, but Matt still played and great event. people enjoyed listening. A few weeks later, I enjoyed a lovely evening at the launch we were fortunate to attend Matt Zarb’s of The Photography Hub. After 10 years 50th combined with Minne Mark’s 21st of Photography by Linda, the business has bash at Harrington Hotel. It was a beautiful evolved from a small home based business evening, with some great people and that was then a one woman show, to an fabulous music. I managed to get Grahame exciting place for Rod, Danni, Linda and to do quite a lot of dancing; I love dancing, other casual contracting photographers. and always judge a party by the The team prides themselves on amount of dancing I do. Happy delivering customers with birthday, Matt and Minnie, more than just photos; they and thanks for the invite. Wild Kitchen provide an experience, Wingham Show follows with extra services and was a huge success, Indigenous chef as fabulous memories. with numbers up on Clayton D onovan the The launch was the previous year. h he travels throug s just as the team Organised by the rm region visiting fa to desired, a night of Wingham Show and providores st fun and frivolity with Society, the three source the freshe his zany photos, sugary day event was an ingredients for s.” pe ci re us io delic sweets, funnyman Adam outstanding success. Stevenson as MC and lots A bit of rain on Friday of families enjoying a night didn’t dampen the spirits of out. Thanks, Linda, for a fun night, the show jumping and dressage entrants in the Main Arena. The skies cleared and good luck with the next chapter of your business. for Saturday and Sunday events, and this March Women in Business was held at encouraged visitors to join in the fun. I went along to watch my niece in the horse events; Artisans on the Hill, with around 19 local I love seeing horse and rider coming together business ladies enjoying a peaceful dinner on “the hill”. Guest speaker was Ingrid so perfectly in these events and was only Weissmann, Vice President of Hastings sorry that I missed the jumping, one of my Business Women’s Network. Ingrid has been favourite events. Shows bring back many running her own business for the last 23 memories of my riding days, and I really years in the local area. enjoyed watching the sporting events and She enjoys speaking on a topic dear to her the team penning. We grew up with horses, heart - her long-term interest is in natural and it is one of the reasons why living in and wholistic health. the country is such a perfect lifestyle. The On the same night I was conducting one demolition derby attracted a great crow, of my popular chalk paint classes with a and Sunday’s rodeo was a huge success. group of six lovely ladies, who had a great Campdrafting entry placements filled in night and have now joined me in becoming one day. Popular exhibits in the Hall and the Annie Sloan converts. poultry sections both had a great response.
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On the 6th March, The Travelling Teardrops was a sellout event, with over 50 people enjoying the awesome sounds of this band. People often ask me what style of music they play; it’s acoustic blues, it’s a little bit of bluegrass, mixing it up with folk, and so many instruments - guitar, mandolin, dobro, resonator, accordion. harmonica and double bass all meld together to provide listeners with a great experience. On 7th March we had ABC Television Wild Kitchen host Clayton Donovan in the house cooking up a storm with our own head chef, Simon Livingston. This was a seriously wonderful event featuring an entrée of Citrus cured crocodile wonton stack, fingerlimes & wasabi crème fraiche, followed by a main of part smoked kangaroo with a tasty chocolate jus, finishing off with a dessert of Strawberry gum & white chocolate mousse with quandong and pepperberry coulis. I match all the courses to an accompanying wine, thanks to wine sponsors Samuel Smith and Son. Wild Kitchen follows Indigenous chef Clayton Donovan as he travels through the region visiting farms and providores to source the freshest ingredients for his delicious recipes. This ABC television programme is such a success, that it was recently accepted on to the airwaves of Qantas. We are fortunate to be involved in one episode where Clayton cooks local venison and kangaroo along with some bush tucker found nearby in the Manning and in our very own kitchen garden. I was featured with Clayton on the same episode; it was great to see him back in Wingham. I would love to hear from you if you have any social events, weddings, parties anything! Send pics and info to donna.carrier@bigpond.com. Cheers D
socialscene
MEC 2015 Season Launch Margie Kirkness, Jeremy Miller & Paul De Szell
MEC 2015 Season Launch Jane Ree, Leonie McKinnon, Megan Cooper and Helen Knight
Forster Tuncurry XXXX Gold Cup Day Mal Kukas and Coyne Graham
Forster Tuncurry XXXX Gold Cup Day Julie Evens, Jan Williams and Kim Green
Forster Tuncurry XXXX Gold Cup Day 2015 Junior Race Goer Finalists
Forster Tuncurry XXXX Gold Cup Day 2015 Best Dressed Male Finalists
Women In Business dinner at Artisans on the Hill
Women In Business dinner at Artisans on the Hill
MEC 2015 Season Launch Pamela Brown, Valeria Audet, Robin Middleton and Sue Trippett
Forster Tuncurry XXXX Gold Cup Day David Little and Rowena Francis
Forster Tuncurry XXXX Gold Cup Day FOCUS Fashions on the Field 2015 Judges
Women In Business dinner at Artisans on the Hill
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LUCY
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i Lucy. Tell us a bit about yourself ... Hi! I am 15 years old and am currently in Year 11. My family is based in Taree; however, I go to a boarding school in Sydney called Loreto Normanhurst during the school term. What are your passions/interests? I know you love photography (and we’ll get to that in just a moment!) but what else do you like to do? Apart from photography, I have a passion for music and enjoy keeping active. During the week I take part in netball, touch football and I also do boxing classes for fun with friends. When I am not doing sport or out taking photos, I will be at the beach. What kinds of things inspire you to pick up a camera and start shooting? I am inspired by anything really; a beautiful sunset, a cloudy day, a special moment. The thing I love about photography is that the moment you have captured will never change, even though the person or memory may have. The thing that inspires me to continue taking photos is seeing the reaction when someone looks at the results from a photoshoot – it is an amazing feeling knowing that you have created a memory for someone that they can treasure forever. 28
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Describe some of the favourite photos you’ve taken so far ... what is it about them that you like? (Note: perhaps email me a couple of the shots you talk about, so we can use them with the interview.) I think one of my favourite photos would be from when I visited New York on a visual arts tour in 2013 with my school, and I captured a man who was waiting for someone at his horse and carriage. The look on his face just made me really curious and left me wanting to know his story. I also love the vibrant colours of New York. Another one of my favourites is a picture I took of Jasmine Barbour, a very talented dancer and family friend from Sydney. We were down at the beach one afternoon, and she is just so talented it was easy to photograph her! It also helped that it was an amazing sunset, giving some really effective silhouettes. I also did a special shoot with another talented dancer, Charlotte Reece. It was so special because I tried to incorporate her mother’s wedding veil into the photos. The weather was so unpredictable and some of the shots were taken right before a storm hit and I only had a few minutes of sunlight to shoot in - it was very rushed! I think it’s really important to try and make each photoshoot different, either by including a different prop or searching for new locations.
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For example, I did a small photoshoot for a class at St Joseph’s Primary School and I wanted to incorporate something that represented childhood and spirit, so I got every child to blow up a balloon and run down the hill with them. As well as being effective, it was enjoyable; and I think that is really important when you are doing a photoshoot because it is also about the experience, not just the end result. Where are some of your favourite locations/spots to take photos? I love trying to find new locations for a photoshoot and I have been lucky to find some great locations! Some of my favourite spots locally would be Crowdy Head Back Beach, the board-walk along the Manning River, Burgess Beach at Forster, and my family’s property. I also love taking photos at the beach because every day is different, especially at sunset and sunrise. The shape of the waves and the way they break changes every time I go out there – and I love capturing the different ways light hits the water at different times of the day. I also love finding a location that you usually wouldn’t think is “pretty” and making it look really cool. For example, in the holidays I was doing a photoshoot for a dancer and we used the shed at my house as a background - I loved the rustic feel it gave the image and the contrast between the elegance of the dancer and the unstable, dirty walls.
As well as the Manning Valley, I love taking photos in Sydney, because there is just so much variety and each different location has its own special characteristics. I’ve also been really lucky and had the opportunity to photograph overseas in New York – which was absolutely amazing! If you were given a brief to go out and take some photos that truly captured the essence of the Manning Valley/Great Lakes area, how would you go about this task? Where would you go to take the photos? I would probably go to all my favourite spots first: Crowdy Head Back Beach and the lighthouse, One Mile beach at Forster (there is a “secret” beach behind the rocks which is beautiful to photograph). I would also go down to the boardwalk along the Manning River, because I think it is a beautiful spot and great for skiing in summer - I also love it when I come home and see the dolphins! I also think that the performing arts and our eisteddfod is a huge characteristic of our town, so I would also include some images of the Taree Eisteddfod in action. To show a different facet of the Manning Valley/Great Lakes area I would try and capture a dairy farm or property to show the agricultural aspect of our area, which is equally as beautiful as our beaches and river. As well as documenting the essence of the Manning Valley/Great Lakes area in photo-
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has also shown interest), and has also been commissioned graphs, I would make a short video that truly captures our amazing area so it could be used for promotion or even just by some of the most prestige brands in the world e.g. general awareness. Chanel, Burberry, Dolce and Gabbana and the list goes What type of camera do you use at the moment? on. It would be such an amazing experience to work with I am very lucky to be using a Canon 5D Mark him and get to meet all the amazing people that III - I love it! he does, and also to have all the incredible What’s something/who’s someone experiences that come with the job. I you’d like to photograph somea ow sh To love the fact that he does not only do day given the chance? different face t of photography, he also incorporates lley/ That is such a hard question - I the Manning Va the videography side as well, which I have too many things I would Great Lakes area ure a I am equally as interested in. The pt love to photograph! But if I would try and ca erty op way he puts a scene together is so had to choose two, I would iry farm or pr
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cultu creative and it would be a dream love to photograph the Austrato show the agri , ea ar r ou of mine to work beside him. aspect of lian Ballet or do work experias which is equally aches ence with Mario Testino (Fashion What’s your ultimate dream ... be r ou as ul tif beau Photographer/Videographer). I any definite plans for what you’d and river.” think photographing the Australian like to do once you finish school? Ballet would be so amazing, because My ultimate dream is to do what I love I would be able to capture the elegance and be happy. At the moment, that would be that truly defines ballet and the amazing to work for a magazine such as Vogue, Harper’s stories that are told through dance. The costumes Bazaar or The Collective, or work in the advertising deand the whole way it is produced is such an amazing partment. I love the diversity of the work of Mario Testino, process and I would love to capture that - both in as mentioned before, and I think it would be great to never photographs and video. know what is going to come next - I love the spontaneity of I would also love to work with Mario Testino. He is dethe job! scribed as “the world’s most prolific magazine and fashion Anything that involves travel would also be incredible. I trade photographer”, and I completely agree with this! don’t really have any definite plans once I finish school, but I Some of his major achievements include being a regular certainly want to travel and go to university. photographer for Vogue, he has photographed Madonna and the late princess Diana (recently the current royal family
Thanks Lucy. manning-great lakes focus.
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Jennifer Ashton Celebrant
Beverleys Bridal Boutique
Ceremonies give us permission to speak from the heart and truly honour the most significant people in our lives. We invite our closest family and friends, because we want them to celebrate with us. That’s what ceremonies are about; that is why we have them.
Beverleys Bridal Boutique Laurieton has been created for you, the Bride to Be.
There is such power in the spoken word. When words come from the heart, they have the ability to engage family and friends in a deep and personal manner. Your ceremony comes alive when your words reflect your individual passions. I am excited to be able to work with couples to create wonderful memories of their wedding day. It’s all about having fun and enjoying your wedding and creating a ceremony, designed around your wishes, dreams and imagination. It is always a privilege to be invited and trusted to assist in the planning of a key event in someone else’s life. I take this role very seriously and will gladly guide you through the necessary paperwork, rehearsals and planning for your special day. I am available for advice or assistance, to ensure that your day is as stress free as possible, so that you enjoy this very special occasion.
Photos by Jonah Westen
wedding feature.
Choose your gown in the comfort and privacy of a quiet showroom, displaying gowns from leading designers and manufacturers. You don’t need to travel far, and parking is at the front door. Quality gowns at affordable prices. Choose from floorstock, or order in the gown of your choice in size and colour. Bridesmaid, School Formal, Flowergirl, Special Occasion, Veils, Headpieces, Charms, Cushions and more. Beverley is a seamstress of gowns with over 40 years’ experience. Beverley offers in store alterations when required. Yes, you may say Beverleys Bridal Boutique is new; however, Beverley has managed leading bridal stores in Sydney and has a passion for beautiful gowns and fitting you correctly, to have you looking extra special on your perfect day. Beverley travelled to Sydney to the Bridal Expo on 15th and 16th February to source what’s new in bridal fashion for 2015 & 2016. Visit the showroom of Beverleys Bridal Boutique Laurieton. Open weekdays 9:30am to 4:30pm. Saturdays from 9am.
Leaha’s Hair Studio Leaha’s Hair Studio is a professional hair and makeup salon. We have two beautiful salons in the Manning Valley; one salon is located in Tuncurry and one in Old bar, should you wish to come into one of our salons on your wedding day - otherwise, we offer a free mobile service. Our first class hair styling and professional bridal makeup will help ease the stress out of any bride’s wedding day. We offer a free mobile service to weddings in the Manning Valley, which eliminates travel time, allowing the bride and her bridal party to sit back and relax in the comfort of their own home or accommodation. The team at Leaha’s Hair studio are constantly kept up to date with the most current trends, and have the experience, passion and knowledge to create the perfect look for any occasion. Whether you like your look classic, natural, modern or want the wow factor, our stylists are fully qualified and have the skills to tailor the perfect look for you and your bridal party.
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Florist and Event Stylist Although we’re called Gingermegs Floral Creations, we don’t just style flowers and floral gifts … We specialise in wedding planning and styling, so we imagine, plan, style and create truly unforgettable days. You name it, or even if you can’t, we’ll come up with amazing themes and unique concepts for your wedding. We’re excitable and quirky gatekeepers to a veritable wonderland of ideas, themes, unusual hire items and handmade products that are carefully selected, crafted and thoughtfully detailed. Your event doesn’t have to be styled on a grand scale - you’ll be amazed at the little details that can turn your special day into one of those memories that people treasure forever. Based on the Mid North Coast and servicing areas from Forster to Coffs Harbour and surrounds, Gingermegs specialises in wedding event planning and styling, as well as wedding coordination and hire. Gingermeg’s leading lady, Megan Ince, is happiest knee deep in flowers, creating something beautiful. A total bloomaholic, she loves everything floral. What’s behind the name, you ask? Well, this dynamic duo is made up up of Pete, who is what some may affectionately call a “ginger” and of course, Megan’s nickname is Megs. So Gingermegs it was! And it’s a match made in heaven. Together they have patience, fun, energy, love, passion, enthusiasm and creativity, and this is what Gingermegs is all about.
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Weddings By Blues
Divine Bridal & Formalwear Cups and Cakes My inspiration to do what I have always wanted to do came from my sister, Coral, who had a full heart transplant in May 2014. This made me do what I have always wanted to do - bake and decorate cakes; the quaint little coffee shop just happened. I have been decorating cakes for 35 years. A dear lady called Mrs Peggy Green was my teacher at the CWA rooms in Gloucester. My love for cake decorating has now become my business. I can bake and decorate your cake for any occasion, be it an afternoon tea, birthday, wedding, anniversary, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter or even Christmas. We also cater for any occasion. At Cups and Cakes Made for You we have a lovely indoor/outdoor seating area, where you can come inside and have high tea for the ladies - or even the younger ladies who don’t want a birthday party but would like to have a few friends join them for a lovely afternoon or morning. They could have milkshakes or iced chocolate, instead of tea. We also offer wraps and sandwiches, dine in or takeaway. We look forward to meeting you soon. Don’t be a stranger.
Divine Bridal and Formalwear is a NEW and EXCLUSIVE bridal boutique servicing the entire Mid North Coast and beyond to those who seek a distinctively modern take on traditional bridal and formalwear. We offer FREE consultations and fittings in the comfort of your own home for your convenience and for an experience to remember for a lifetime. Divine Bridal and Formalwear presents a wide variety of quality designer gowns from Australian designers, as well as our very own Divine Design Collection at an affordable price. We present to you a specialisation of modern special occasion clothing, jewellery and accessories to make you feel and look beautiful at any event! If we don’t have the gown for you or for those who want their very own customised designs, our wedding consultant can help you design your dream gown and create a masterpiece to be proud of, or simply customise one of our designs. Our aim at Divine Bridal and Formalwear is to give you the time and attention to detail you deserve, to create invaluable memories that will last a lifetime. From exquisite adornments to more simple pieces for the bride who wants to look stunning and divine on her special day, book a FREE consultation today to arrange to view our 2015 bridal and formalwear collections and accessories.
What services does your business offer to soon-to-be brides and grooms? We provide all decor for wedding receptions and ceremonies, customised to suit almost any taste, including table centrepieces, wedding arbours and bamboo hutches. We supply linen, including table cloths, linen napkins, table skirting, ceiling draping and backdrops. Furniture, including timber chairs, white folding American chairs, ottomans, coffee tables, timber tables and even market umbrellas - We’ll soon be offering white ottomans and coffee tables with some stunning white cane chairs and tables. How many years have you been in business? I purchased this business in March of 2009. What do you find is your most popular service? Beach and park ceremonies are becoming more popular. Outdoor furniture and timber chairs still remain our biggest seller, reflecting the current vintage/rustic wedding trends which have been very popular of late. Do you do events other than weddings? We also offer items for events such as milestone birthdays, engagement parties, corporate events, school formals, baby showers, and last month we assisted “The Turtles” and Donna Rankin with the Heart to Heart White Ball, held at the Cape Hawke Surf Club, which was an amazing event to be a part of. We’ve even assisted in the set up of a proposal! What areas do you service? We’ve travelled as far up as Coffs Harbour and more recently we have been receiving enquires from the Tea Gardens/ Hawks Nest areas. How far in advance should people book and plan for their event? The sooner you book us in, the better - to save disappointment! Like any service in this industry, we are already taking deposits for 2017; so don’t leave it too late!
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wedding feature.
Wedding of the Month
DANNI & DAVID HARRISON
W
hen and where did you guys first meet? We first met each other back in 2003, when we were both at school; over the years we became good friends. We were and are still complete opposites, but you know what they say: opposites attract. It wasn’t until 2005 that Dave worked up the courage to ask me out. We have been inseparable since and are still best friends 11 years down the track. What was you overall theme for your wedding? I always imagined that I would have a country antique themed wedding set in a rural space with rustic old furniture, vintage accessories, and a chandelier. We searched high and low in our local area for the perfect props and location and were extremely happy with the end result of our country antique themed wedding. Whereabouts was your reception, and who did the decorating? We had both our ceremony and reception at the Great Lakes Winery, which is just south of here at Wootton. This place had plenty of space and filled that rural setting criteria that we were after. They did the catering, sorted the alcohol and gave me a blank canvas to work with, allowing us to set the space up how we envisioned. We wanted to maintain some sort of a budget so we decided that we would do all the decorating and planning ourselves. It was a lot of extra work, but so worth it in the end. I got a lot of ideas off Pinterest and then showed these ideas to my parents in law, Mark and Jane Harrison, who then worked their magic and created what was the base of our wedding theme. From there, 34
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we just added all the extra little pieces until it all came together. Who were your bridesmaids and groomsmen? We decided to each have two of our best friends, who have been there for our whole journey, stand alongside us on our sausage rolls and prawn special day. It sounds rather skewers. For mains, It was such a clichéd, but the salmon and slow t this privilege to have everything abou cooked beef ribs, which tely these guys be day was absolu were sourced locally amazing; it was a part of our mt ea dr e from the winery itself, w ng hi yt ever big day, along ” e. or were served along m d an of with all our other with some fresh winter close friends and vegetables. They were family. also great in dealing with My bridesmaids specific dietary requirements were Jasmine Murphy and for individual guests. The food was Lindsay Bowland; these girls did to die for, and all guests had nothing but an amazing job in spoiling me in the lead positive feedback for all meals. up to my big day and helped me squeeze into Did you find it easy to source everything my ridiculously tight dress. you needed locally? Dave had two of his best mates, Brendan It was actually something I tried very hard King and Jake Lee as his groomsmen; they to do. Most of the services and products we have both seen us from start to now, so it was used for our wedding were easy to find locally. fitting to have them alongside Dave. We purchased a lot of antique style furniture What was on the menu for your guests to and odd bits leading up to the wedding from enjoy? local antique stores and second hand shops We had plenty of amazing options to choose around the area; it’s amazing the treasures from out there at Great Lakes Winery; there you can find when you really look. The things was something to cater for every person’s we couldn’t source to buy, we hired from two tastes. We decided to go with a stand-up local wedding suppliers, Ginger Megs and The entrée and a sit-down main, with our amazing Lovely Project, who were great to deal with. I choc/caramel mudcake for dessert. Once our purchased my wedding dress and bridesmaids’ ceremony concluded, some fresh breads and dresses from To Love and to Honour in Forster, dukkha were served to take the edge off our where my mother also purchased her mother hungry guests. For our stand up entree, a of the bride dress. We had the most amazing couple of different types of bruschetta were florist, Delwyn Thomas, who not only did our served, along with some homemade spicy bouquets, but also put the finishing touches
“
on the venue - which brought it all together. Obviously our venue, Great Lakes Winery and the food were all local as well. The bridal party all had their hair done by Sara Maynard from Clippers Hair Salon in Taree, and makeup was done by the lovely and talented Marg Leigh from Forster Beauty Therapy. Photography was one of our main priorities, as I feel that the photos taken on your special day are what you will look at and reflect on in many years to come; therefore, I wanted someone I could trust to capture my big day. That’s why I chose Linda Bryant from The Photography Hub. So, yes, we have plenty of talented people in our local area who all worked together and made our day special. What was the favourite part of your wedding day? It sounds rather clichéd, but everything about this day was absolutely amazing; it was everything we dreamt of and more. To have all our close family and friends by our side to witness me marry my best friend was such a memorable moment. Being 45 minutes late because we got lost was definitely not my highlight, but added some amusement for our guests and husband to be. The ceremony itself was probably my favourite part of our wedding. It was such an intense emotional roller coaster, and the words that were shared between us are something we will both cherish forever. Thanks Danni.
wedding feature.
Kirk Owers Photography “We couldn’t recommend Kirk Owers Photography highly enough. We were thrilled with our photos and rated them 10/10. Kirk was incredibly competent, professional, relaxed and delivers an amazing service. He is very easy to work with but most importantly, captures the moment. The photos and picture book he put together of our wedding day are first class. We have the most incredible memories of the day and can’t thank Kirk enough!” - Angela Gorick. Testimonials from happy clients give me a lot of satisfaction. A wedding is such a big occasion, and there is a weight of expectation on the photographer to get it right. For me, that involves a mix of technical prowess, artistic sensibility and people skills. Every wedding is unique, and I hope my photography captures its essence, with real personalities, true emotions and the genuine atmosphere of the day. I do direct shots, but I strive to make them look like they’re not set ups. I avoid cheese. My style is shaped by my background in magazines and photojournalism. I started out working for a newspaper and have had my work published in well over twenty titles,
including: The Vogue Entertaining + Travel, Audi, Australian Photography, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Vacations and Travel, Tracks, Waves, Surf Europe, Surfer, Paper Plane, and Powderhound. Freelancing has taken me all over the world and given me some amazing opportunities. The Editorial and Events page on my website gives you a feel for my assignment work in India, Hawaii, Europe, South America, and New York. While the magazine stuff is great fun, I can honestly say that nothing is as challenging and rewarding as photographing a wedding. I established my photography business in 2003 and have made weddings my main focus ever since. I’m based in Pacific Palms and feel lucky to be able to work across the beautiful Great Lakes region. We have so many cool spots that attract people from all over the state: The Green Cathedral, One Mile Beach, Seal Rocks, Blackhead and Gloucester. I also get down to the Hunter Valley and Newcastle and have been known to accept bookings for Byron, Bali and beyond.
Everybody Shines at Dress Up Wingham could be soon known as the wedding town, with the introduction of a new formal and bridal area to Wingham’s very own Dress Up boutique.
A bridal dress can start at $139.95 for a
Shirley Clarke, the proud owner of Dress Up Wingham, started her business four years ago with a casual and savvy look for all ages and occasions. Realising quickly that there was a genuine need for formal and bridal wear within the Manning Valley, an exciting bridal range allowing for the bride, mother of the bride and guests was introduced.
$550. Sizing is available from a 6 to a 30.
The inclusion of labels from leading Sydney suppliers along with her own personal touch, the creation of silk bouquets and flowers for the entire wedding party, has ensured that Shirley has seen her bridal range grow from one rack in store to now having a dedicated lounge area and bridal room.
simple yet stunning creation from Miss Anne to a fully beaded Jadore designer dress under $1000, average price point being $350 to An alternation service is available by referral, so customers can receive a further personal touch. The importance of a wedding to everyone involved is recognised, and all staff share a joy for the day by ensuring everyone involved looks and feels the best they can. At Dress Up, they love what they do. To be able to share in two people declaring love for each other on their special day knowing that they have made the bride, her family and her guests look and feel the best they can is the reason Shirley and staff do what they do.
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HEALTH By Renae Taylor from CPS
A S T H M A
By Erinn, from Saxbys Pharmacy
M
any of us will experience a panic attack in our lifetime. Racing heart, difficulty breathing, dizziness,
sweating, chest pain, tingling in fingers/toes/
ASTHMA IS A CONDITION IN WHICH SUFFERERS HAVE NARROWED AIRWAYS CAUSING INFLAMMATION, INCREASED MUCUS (STICKY FLUID) AND MUSCLE SPASMS WHICH LEAD TO DIFFICULTY BREATHING.
lips, nausea … these symptoms can be very frightening. Panic attacks are accompanied by the emotion FEAR. Panic attacks can come out of nowhere, but they often visit when we have been pushing ourselves beyond our physical and emotional capacity for too long.
1 in 10 people suffer the disease, which can affect anyone at any age. If you suspect you have asthma, you should book an appointment with your doctor. Asthma can be triggered by many things such as the change of season, things around the home and pollens. Stress, depression and smoking can also have a major impact on your asthma symptoms. Having a healthy diet and an active lifestyle is one of the first steps you can take to help improve your asthma symptoms. Up to 90% of asthma patients use their
inhalers incorrectly, leading to increased and worsened symptoms. Saxbys Pharmacy are running an asthma health promotion during the month of April. During a short consultation, we can make sure you are using your puffer correctly and we can discuss your individual asthma action plan.
Panic attacks can happen to anyone. Their
If you are an asthma patient and use an inhaler, please call Saxbys Pharmacy on (02) 6552 1662, or come in and see our friendly staff for your free consultation.
the primary emotion experienced. The grip of
Your pharmacists, Ian, Shari and Erinn.
good thing about anxiety is you can learn
By Elsa Perdedjian from Anoush Beauty
CORNEOTHERAPY
INTERNATIONAL SKINCARE EXPERTS AGREE, CORNEOTHERAPY IS THE WAY OF THE FUTURE. 36
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frequency can quickly escalate as a cycle of panic develops. When in this cycle, the fear of having a panic attack is enough to trigger a panic attack. Life becomes very small, as people try to avoid all situations where a panic attack might occur and fear becomes panic is strong, and prompt treatment is very important. With prompt treatment, people can usually avoid needing medication. The to better manage your body, your thinking
I
n November last year, owner of Anoush Beauty, Elsa Perdedjian, attended the 3rd International Corneotherapy Symposium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Here, skincare experts from around the world gathered to share the latest scientific findings and share their experiences of caring for the skin using the principles of corneotherapy. It was a fascinating and inspirational symposium. Drawing together experts from all the different fields of Corneotherapy from physics, chemistry, dermatology and skin treatment practices, experts in their field provided keen insights into these forms of advanced science. Overall, the lectures made it very clear that it’s simple - skin therapists need to maintain the integrity of the barrier of our skin, and the best way of doing this is by adopting corneceocutical skincare regimes. Anoush Beauty works with skincare brand dermaviduals, whose mission very much aligns with principles of corneotherapy. Corneoceutical skincare must be free from harmful emulsifiers that pair up with water and wash away the skin’s barrier and destroy liposomes. Further criteria requires it to be free from fragrance, which is a volatile substance easily able to penetrate the
and life demands in order to experience less anxiety. Interestingly, many people who present with depression have had unmanaged anxiety for a long time and just kept pushing themselves. The good news is panic is quite straightforward to treat. The first step to treatment is understanding what is happening in your body and learning how to manage the physical aspects of panic. Physically, strict breathing control is the cornerstone, learning how to physically relax, stopping all caffeine use, getting adequate sleep, eating well and doing cardiovascular exercise all help too. Once a client has control over the physical panic reaction, they are well on the road to recovery. Psychologists also help a person to understand the role of their thinking in the panic cycle. Once a person is skilled-up and confident, we gently reintroduce them to the situations they have been avoiding and get them back to their normal life!
stratum corneum, thereby reaching, and damaging, the living cells. Further, with no mineral oils, preservatives or colours, Corneotherapy leads the way in the offering efficacious and safe skin care systems. dermaviduals meets every one of these criteria. Our skin is a living organism that fights to defend itself against everyday environmental and physical damage. Why give it more to fight than is absolutely necessary? The field of Corneotherapy will only strengthen. Dr Hans Lautenschläger, chief scientist at dermaviduals, closed the symposium, concluding that the future of corneotherapy needs to be driven by science, and not marketing gimmicks. Elsa says, “Unfortunately, many consumers are driven by pretty packaging and marketing ploys. Here at Anoush Beauty, the products I stock must be able to be proven scientifically. dermaviduals and Corneotherapy is where science meets beauty; there is no hype, just results”. Everyone wants radiant skin. Elsa has the tools, skills, knowledge and products to make this a reality for everyone. Call now to book in for an advanced skin analysis and a bespoke treatment plan.
MAYO
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nabiac hair and beauty
LOVE OVER TIME In a recent study, people in a happy relationship were questioned about what made it work. Communication was a key factor, but talking generally about all sorts of things, big and small, not just problems. And when the couple talk, they are genuinely interested in what each other has to say. They speak respectfully and positively, emphasising support and agreement, rather than nit-picking. The happy couples also did frequent acts of kindness for each other, such as making each other a cup of coffee, and they thank each other often. They frequently pay each other genuine compliments, just for being who they are. Sex was important to many happy couples, but as much for the sense of connection as the physical pleasure. Small acts of intimacy such as holding hands or sitting together companionably watching TV were just as important. When your hear that you have to work to make your relationship thrive, the rules are pretty basic: be kind to each other, talk often, treat each other with respect, work as a team, focus more on what is right than what is wrong - in short, treat your partner as you would like to be treated. Dr Sandra Pertot, Clinical Psychologist.
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My name is Sharon Mullen, but many know me as “Shaz”. My career started with a very talented Hairdresser, “Nellie”, in Taree. Nabiac Hair and Beauty will be celebrating three wonderful years in business this April. Our team consists of a great group of talented and friendly girls. They are ... Fiona, who is a talented senior Hairdresser with many years’ experience and has owned her own salon in the Northern Beaches in Sydney for 13 years. Fiona has been a real asset to the business. Cathy is our newest senior hair stylist member and has worked in London, Sydney and is formerly from Hallidays Point. Jane is our wonderful “Aromatherapist” and has worked in the salon for a number of years and has many years’ experience with aromatherapy and Reiki healing. Our newest team members are the wonderful professional Beauty Therapists who come from “Lorellin Day Spa” at Hallidays point. Casey, “owner”, gives her wonderful staff Meagan, Ashlee and Alicia the opportunity to come to the salon and offer their services by appointment only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at this stage. Connie is our new remedial massage therapist, who has 15 years’ experience in deep tissue, Chinese, Thai, Swedish and relaxation.massage Nabiac Hair & Beauty offers a friendly, relaxing and fun atmosphere to have all your latest hair and beauty services performed in the same salon - no need to go to town. We also offer free mobile hairdressing services for the customers who can’t come to us.
OLD BAR Wellness Centre Our goal is to bring more natural therapies to Old Bar, starting with remedial massage. Jennifer Richardson (owner previously of Aloha Remedial Massage) has more than 10 years in the wellness industry, stemming from her athletics background in nutrition and on to remedial massage. Jennifer is originally Canadian but after falling in love with Australia on a student work abroad programme, she changed her plans and studied Sports Therapies and Remedial Massage in Sydney for nearly four years. She then travelled the globe working in different clinics and spas all over the world. She has now settled in Old Bar with her family and looks forward to giving people an alternative to mainstream medical treatment. She also has a keen interest in the emotional relationship to chronic pain and disease in the body and has undertaken intensive study in Myofascial Release Therapy. We also have Cassandra Dark, who has just completed her Cert 4 in Remedial Massage and has studied Reiki and lymphatic drainage. Both practitioners are registered with the ATMS, and Jennifer can provide full health rebates, with HICAPS and EFTPOS available for easy claiming. Remedial massage can help with anxiety, chronic pain, headaches, stress, muscular imbalance and aids in recovery after an injury. Come see us at shop 5/50 Old Bar Road, Old Bar and relax! Call 0427 461 903.
focushealth
with Dr Linda Dade - Chiropractor
ARTHRITIS
Linda Dade
Going natural to reduce the risk of drug side effects and taking control of your health and vitality ... Arthritis is common, it hurts, and there are many different types that can affect people of all ages. In fact, it is the main cause of disability among people over 55 years of age (from industrialised nations). Rheumatoid Arthritis is less common and can also sadly affect young children under the age of 16. So what causes it? Arthritis affects the musculoskeletal system, specifically the joints. The word arthritis comes from the Greek arthron meaning “joint” and the Latin itis meaning “inflammation”. So inflamed joints! Osteoarthritis is degeneration of the joints, caused by mechanical stress and chemical stress. Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes your body to break itself down - your immune system starts attacking your joints, leading to pain, deformities and a substantial loss of mobility.
How do we best treat it? Rather than relying on pain killers and antinflammatories with nasty side effects and the very aggressive and often dangerous drugs used for RA, let’s look at a natural approach. Bring down the inflammation in your body through quality nutrition and supplements like Vitamin D, turmeric, boswelia, ginger, krill oil. Support your gut using specific probiotics, fermented foods. For RA and other autoimmune diseases, the use of Naltrexone looks promising! Regular gentle exercise. A fully functioning nervous system. See your favourite chiropractor regularly! You don’t get arthritis just because you are old, and you can make progress by taking control of your health naturally!
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The PHOTOGRAPHY hub
Rebecca ryan Registered psychologist on autism It is estimated that 1 person in every 100 has an Autism Spectrum Disorder. When you look at the number of people in your year at school, how many would that be? It is likely that everyone would know someone with Autism. What is Autism? You can’t catch it, and there is good evidence now to suggest that you are born with it. It is a name given when a person presents with difficulties in social skills, communication skills and other areas associated with flexible thinking. Sensory sensitives are typically seen and when this cluster of symptoms appears together, you may be diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The word "spectrum" suggests that there is a range of severity of symptoms, which is the case. Have you seen an episode of Big Bang Theory and laughed at Sheldon’s social skills or lack of, his preference for routine, and special interest in physics? If so, then you are well aware of the strengths and challenges a person with Autism has and their need to have a good friend like Leonard. Signs of an Autism Spectrum Disorder can present early in life and early intervention, diagnosis and education can help to minimise the negative impact on a person’s whole-of-life activities.
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Homebase SERVICES Homebase is a dedicated youth service that assists disadvantaged young people to develop economic and social livelihoods for themselves. Providing early intervention programs, case management and accommodation support to “at risk” young people and assist youth of the area to access activities to positively contribute to the community. Homebase Youth Service has provided service to the young people of the Great Lakes area for the past 25 years. We enjoy established relationships with a network of local services, government departments and schools to provide support and assistance to our most disadvantaged young people. Youth Week events this year will include the Aannual King of the Krater event held at Tuncurry Skate Park to showcase the unique talent of young people in Scooter, Skate and BMX competitions. Our Aboriginal Youth Worker, for the third year running, will assist with organising a touch football competition at Cabarita between young people, the Police, school teachers and community workers, where we hope the attendance will be increased from 120 last year.
It’s been a huge month here at the Photography Hub. We’ve had all of our Easter shoots, our launch party, as well as a new website, new brand and new look! The Hub Club has welcomed many new members, and we’re thrilled that so many others agree with us that the concept is fantastic. Just $9.95 a week, and members get a full family shoot plus two themed shoots each year and all of the photos from each. The difference with this concept compared to other studios, is that others try to offer something for "free" or low priced up front, then add on lots of expensive prints and options afterwards. Clients end up spending far more than they anticipated. We hear of it over and over again. But our members don’t pay ANYTHING extra! All of the files are included from each session. The Hub Club is by far the best value family photography in the area. The Hub Club also supports an orphanage in Bali, with 1 in 20 memberships going directly to buying food and clothing there. It’s part of our commitment to giving back. So thank you to all of our members, new and old. The Hub Club - it’s the place to be!
BREAST REDUCTION S U R G E R Y
Breast hypertrophy (enlargement) can be an early problem for a woman or a gradual increase in size over the years, causing neck, shoulder and back pain , restriction in mobility and exercise and significant difficulty in getting well fitting clothes including brassieres.
P
rinciples of surgery Surgery involves reduction of skin and breast tissue (which is made up of glandular tissue and fat ) and also the elevation of the
nipple-aerola complex. The method of choice While there are many methods to reduce the breast,
of shape takes up to 6 months. However, the initial three weeks is a key period in the healing process , during which there are many restrictions on the activities permitted. A specially designed compression garment is also used for the first three months. Time off work, including at home and looking after
the vertical mammaplasty, initially described by the
young children, for at least the first three weeks after
French surgeon Dr. Daniel Marchack, later popularised
surgery helps in the recovery from surgery.
by Prof Madeline LeJour of the University of Brussels in Belgium and now fine tuned by Dr. Elisabeth Hall-Findlay of Banff in Canada, is a very sound technique. It gives an excellent reduction of breast size, good nipple-aereola
Breast droop ( Ptosis ) is also well-corrected, with a very similar technique, the vertical masto-pexy. There are a number of operations, for correction of ptosis, which use skin-tightening techniques.
complex elevation, minimal scarring and excellent long-
While technically simpler and less time-consuming,
term results, with maintenance of shape and position.
the improvement is short lived, due to the restretching
Postoperatively restrictions
of the tightened skin.
The surgery is done under general anaesthesia, usually as an inpatient in hospital. While surface healing takes place rapidly, internal healing , the regaining of strength, and the restoration
The vertical masto-pexy, is quite similar to the vertical mammaplasty, but with a very small reduction of breast tissue, and with an excellent lift of the breasts and nipple-aerola complex, and with long-lasting results.
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DOLPHINS OOSH CARE Now open, Dolphins OOSH Care. In keeping with the Dolphins tradition, quality childcare in a nurturing, family environment, we are proud to announce the opening of our new service, Dolphins OOSH Care, specifically catering for primary school age children.
An opportunity For quality education Choosing the right school for your child is the first step to success. Regardless of where life takes them, a positive attitude towards learning and growing will be crucial. At Manning Valley Anglican College, education is as much about the journey as it is the destination, as we work to open up pathways for each child to be the best that they can be. In 2014 our graduating students achieved great success, with more than 93 per cent being accepted into university. Our graduates are currently studying fields as diverse as Pharmacy, Law, Nursing, Animal Science and Information Technology, at institutions such as Newcastle, Macquarie and the Queensland University of Technology. Others are pursuing careers in music, sport and the Defence Force to complement their tertiary studies.
As school resumes following Youth Week we are giving students from across the Manning and Great Lakes the opportunity to take the first steps on their journey to success. Our scholarships provide opportunities for talented students to let their light shine in a nurturing learning environment. Students who achieve highly on the general aptitude test may be eligible for an Academic Scholarship, while students who can demonstrate a commitment to excellence and personal improvement in creative and sporting pursuits may be eligible for limited All-Rounder Scholarships.
We provide: After school and vacation care. Pupil free day care (conditions apply). Nutritious afternoon tea provided. Homework supervision. A home away from home. Professional, fully qualified childcare educators implementing the National Quality Framework and «My Time Our Place» School Aged Framework. Specific age appropriate programs for 5 - 8s and 9+ children. We also provide: Opportunities for meeting new friends, enjoying a stimulating and exciting range of activities. Choices for children and time to have fun and play ... and just be kids. Peace of mind for parents, knowing that their children are not only well cared for, but having fun too.
April 22. Contact the College for more
Caring environment with lots of fun activities. Activities to be offered in the afterschool care programme will include:
information or to begin applying.
Arts/crafts;
Scholarship exams will be held on Wednesday,
Scrapbooking; Beading/jewellery making Cooking/cake decorating Great outdoor activities, ball games, gardening Additional fun activities to be offered in the Vacation Care Programme will include: Excursions to the movies, putt putt golf; Kite making/flying; “My Kitchen Rules”; “Talent Show/Dress-up Day”; Tie-dying; Art with Steph, our resident artist. Limited spaces available, so for more information on Dolphins OOSH Care, please call Dolphins Director, Jo, on 6555 3266 or drop in to “The Loop”, 9 South St. Tuncurry. Mondays to Fridays, 3pm - 6pm.
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Focus on Health
BIGGEST BUTT BEST. NSW State Forest’s visitor attraction, Old Bottlebutt, a grand and ancient Red Bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera) tree located in Burrawan State Forest, is officially the best new tourism destination in NSW. Old Bottlebutt won the Gold Award for New Tourism Development at the NSW Tourism Awards held in December 2014 at Darling Harbour, Sydney. Old Bottlebutt is an AusOld Bottlebutt is e tralian Tourism Award the main featur 0m finalist, with winners on a beautiful 60 k, ac tr ng ki al w announced mid-April loop ding en d beginning an 2015. ic
“
at the Burrawan
Old Bottlebutt is area” the main feature on a beautiful 600m loop walking track, beginning and ending at the Burrawan picnic area (shelter, tables, car park, toilets). The walk is an easy grade track, featuring remnant rainforest studded with Bangalay palms, small creek crossings and a viewing deck with seating – allowing you to appreciate this grand old tree. Old Bottlebutt is unique in its shape, its large flared “butt” having a massive girth of over 16m, the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere.
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picn
To visit Old Bottlebutt: From Wauchope travel south on the Bago Road 10km, turn left onto Internal Break Road and follow the signs. From Port Macquarie, follow the Pacific Highway south and take the Bago Road exit. It is open 24 hours/day, 7 days/week and is free. Find out more: www.forestrycorporation.com.au www.facebook.com/forestplayground Twitter: @visitnswforests Instagram: #visitnswforests
Changing habits Once we have learned to ride a bike we do it automatically or with very little thinking effort. We don’t have to consciously remember to move each leg one after the other. Most of the time we live our life in the same way, taking a vast number of decisions every day. People may over-eat; underexercise or smoke, drink or use drugs. They may sweat the small stuff, constantly regret past matters or continue destructive ways of dealing with others in their lives. If we are to improve our lives and rid ourselves of unhealthy physical or psychological habits we may need to make new choices. Making a small change now may make an enormous difference down the track. While our freedom to change may be a fundamental need, for many of us this is hard to do. Change is rarely easy and may involve risks. Here are some questions that may help us make decisions: What is the problem? What is my goal? What are the things preventing me reaching my goal? How difficult will these things be to change? What are the advantages of this change for me, my family, or my workplace? How important is it for me to move towards my goal? What possible options could I take? (no matter how unlikely they initially may sound)
Which is the best option of these? How could I take the first little step towards reaching this option? Asking other’s opinions about a potential decision may be either a help or a hindrance. Others can help us best by listening and helping us better consider our options, rather than just giving advice. We don’t want to know what decisions they would make as we are different to them. GPs may be able to help people make a decision by such active listening, helping people think for themselves, recognise their own courage, and by encouraging people to mobilise their inner strengths in order to make a change and take a new path. Writing down the pros and the cons of each option may stimulate our thinking. However the “right” decision may not always be the one with the longer list of positives and the shortest list of negatives. This will give us information to make a decision with our heads. We also need to be aware of our inner feelings towards accepting or rejecting a possible course of action. This is decision making with our hearts. Some analysts describe this as feminine decision making or masculine decision making; or even right brain and left brain decision processes. Ultimately we have to use both our heads and our hearts to make decisions and recognise keeping bad habits is as much a decision as trying to improve our physical, mental or social well-being.
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Dr Zobaida Akhter Dr Alex Kana MEET THE NEW DOCTORS AT ALBERT STREET MEDICAL CENTRE IN TAREE AND HARRINGTON, DR ALEX & DR ZOBAIDA.
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an you please introduce yourself to us and your new role at ASMC? I recently joined the family of Albert Street Medical Centre as a General Practitioner. I am working three days in town and two days in Harrington Medical Centre. Tell us a bit more about yourself ... I am a general practice registrar under Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and I am planning to complete the Fellowship by the beginning of next year. I am living in Taree with my very supportive family. My husband and I have two kids, aged 18 months and 9 years. Being a mum managing kids in practice becomes easier, as I interact with them as if I am talking to my own kids. Overall, the easygoing nature of most Taree people makes it quite easy to enjoy seeing my patients. Now that I am an Australian Citizen and this is my home, I feel a strong connection with the majority of my patients. Even with my busy career, I never forget to enjoy life. I love to travel and I like cooking, gardening, watching movies, reading novels and reciting poems. And of course, I am totally in love with the Aussie beaches. Medicine is my passion, rather than just my job. My greatest satisfaction is my patients’ smiling faces. Where did you grow up and complete your studies? I’m from Bangladesh, the country of the Royal Bengal Tiger, the longest beach in the world and the country of the largest mangrove forest in the world. Dare I mention, it is the country that recently smashed the English cricket team in the World Cup.! I was born and grew up in the capital city, Dhaka, and graduated in medicine there. I also finished a Diploma Degree in Health Economics at the University of Dhaka. But my passion for actual practicing medicine dragged me back to clinical study again. What made you to decide to move to Taree? I worked in Taree three years ago as a resident medical officer for the Mental Health Unit at Manning Hospital. At that time, I decided that I would come back. Taree’s natural beauty and the friendly and welcoming people made all my family want to come back, so here we are. What areas of health do you specialise in? I am working towards my Fellowship in General Practice with the Valley to Coast training group. It is based in Newcastle, but provides training for
GPs from the Mid North Coast and the Hunter to the Central Coast. Just before moving to Taree, I finished my six months extended skills training under Royal Australian College of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Maitland Hospital as a senior resident. I also completed a Diploma in Child Health at Westmead and have plans to do more in these areas to help me with special skills for women’s health. As a 21 Century GP, to get diverse experience, st
I am currently doing a certificate course in Family Planning and Sexual Health. I am already able to insert Mirena IUDs (Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Devices). With the increasing rate of skin cancer in Australia and after some experience of doing skin cancer surgery, I am interested in completing a Diploma in Skin Cancer in the near future. What experience and previous work knowledge are you bringing with you to Albert Street Medical? Before Albert Street, I worked in a Wingham general practice for six months. I had to pass the Australian Medical Council Exam to get registration. I guess I am a John Hunter Girl. I have worked most of my career at the John Hunter Hospital as an Intern and RMO. Sometimes I had to work at the Calvary Mater Hospital in Waratah too. I did rotations in medicine, surgery, emergency, paediatrics, psychiatry, acute medicine and infectious disease. Before completing my AMC exam, I was awarded a Scholarship for International Medical Graduates granted by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Out of a total of 1,300 applicants, I was one of 60 successful candidates and was loaded with heaps of exam training in procedural skills, Aboriginal health, cross cultural skills, mental health and emergency medicine. I was also attached to Monash Hospital, Melbourne for five months as a part of my exam training. I worked as a nurse when I first came to Australia to make some money. I worked in an aged care facility and loved working with the elderly. I look forward to getting to know and providing care to my older patients. My diverse range of clinical skills and experience makes me comfortable in the General Practice arena. The welcoming, positive attitude of the members of Albert Street Medical along with their target of quality care makes me feel as if it is my second home. Thanks Zobaida.
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an you please introduce yourself to us and your new role at ASMC? I have worked as a General Practitioner in many countries, including Sri Lanka, Seychelles and Australia. My initial training was in Sri Lanka, and I subsequently worked in both rural and metropolitan areas. My initial interest was in paediatric medicine. I was trained by a French paediatrician in Seychelles. I have learned so much from the paediatric ward, labour room, postnatal ward, neonatal unit and operation theatre. At the same time, I also worked as a General Practitioner in Seychelles. My new role in Taree is very exciting. Where I was in Tasmania previously, I did not see many skin cancer problems. But here, it is a frequent occurrence. I did lots of skin surgery in Taree and Harrington for lesions that turned out to be skin cancer. I also have come across many Diabetic patients here who are not on medications or have not been diagnosed. When in Tasmania, I worked in the age care centre and with disabled residents. I feel I have my finger on the pulse of aged care and have visited many residential aged care patients in Taree and managed quite complex situations. Tell us bit about yourself ... I was born in the Northern part of Sri Lanka, where I had my primary and secondary education. When I was preparing for my advanced level examination, there was an ongoing civil war in that part of Sri Lanka. Though the war interfered with my studies, with the support of my parents and some dedicated teachers, I succeeded in entering university. I was born in a rural area, where there was no electricity or water supply. People depended on kerosene lamps for lighting and on wells for their water. When I was a small boy, I used to see a small rural hospital where only one doctor had to do many roles at a time. Many people died from simple infection and poisoning, and I was deeply concerned. I often wondered why these innocent people died, and this inspired me to become a doctor. After completion of my medical degree, I was appointed at this very same hospital in that demanding medical role. I took care of cases ranging from children to the elderly, some with severe ailments.
Some challenging situations I can never forget. One day an 8 year old girl was admitted unconscious after snake bite. No one believed that she would survive. I had to resuscitate and transfer her using a bag and mask ventilation to the tertiary hospital, which was located 75 km away. She survived without any serious problems. Where did you grow up and complete your studies? I grew up in a beautiful northern part of Sri Lanka. I studied my primary and secondary degree at the same school. Then I went to the medical university in the same area. Many times I was separated from my parents due to war, and I was displaced many times during my studies in the university. In 2007, I went to Seychelles to work as a GP, after being selected from many interviewees. Initially, it was challenging for me to adapt to African culture and the language. Interestingly, they speak three languages, including Creole, French and English. I stayed there for two years, even though it was isolated from many things. What made you decide to move to Taree? Moving from one place to another place is not an easy task. Before I moved here, I was working in Longford in Tasmania. Longford is a small town, located 20 km from Launceston. After obtaining rural experience in Tasmania, I decided to move to a similar place with friendly people. I’ve always enjoyed nature. When I do early morning walking along the Manning River, I enjoy the surroundings. I have found so far that Taree is a wonderland, where you can escape from the busy and noisy city. I feel lucky to be here with my family and spend time with its nice people. What areas of health do you specialise in? I have worked with children, elderly and women’s health for many years. Now I am interested in skin, chronic disease like Diabetes, hypertension and adolescence health and addiction medicine. I hope that my broad experience will be helpful for my patients in Taree. Finally, I feel a General Practitioner is an important gate keeper and first contact and coordinator for the health system, as well as many other roles in the rural practice. I feel privileged to take on this duty of care to the people of Taree and Harrington. Thanks Alex. manning-great lakes focus.
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LJ HOOKER HEAD2HEAD
Ocean Classic
focusinterview.
PACIFIC PALMS REAL ESTATE
Rock2Rock Ocean Swim
INTERVIEW WITH JERRAD ALLEN i Peter. Tell us about the L.J. Hooker Black Head Head2Head Ocean Classic, including what date/time it will it be held this
the ocean and beach a safer place to swim. The event will be a chance for members of the local community and visitors to enjoy the ocean and
to have fun. Our event is known throughout the year ... state and is well attended by the ocean swimming Black Head Surf Life Saving Club, in fraternity because of the welcoming community conjunction with the wider Hallidays spirit, great organisation and friendly Point community, has conducted hospitality provided in a family the Head2Head Ocean Classic atmosphere. over recent years, with the Is the event open to e inaugural event held in Anyone over th anyone – i.e. are there is age of 12 who January 2010. This year age categories for the g in m capable of swim the event will be held on to le race, and what level ab the distance is Sunday, April 19th, which be ill w of swimming skill is enter. Prizes will be the last day of the al du vi di in in d required? awarde school holidays. The first Anyone over the age of 12 age groups .” of two ocean swim races who is capable of swimming will commence at 9:15am. the distance is able to enter. Prizes The day will conclude with a will be awarded in individual age BBQ and presentations from around groups. 12 noon. What is the cost to enter the event, and Describe the course - where is the start/ where can readers find out more info? meeting point, and what distance is the Pre-registration is encouraged online at swim? www.oceanswims.com or entry forms can be The starting point will be in front of the Black downloaded from www.blackheadslsc.com.au Head Surf Club. There will be two swims - a 700 and mailed to the club at P.O. Box 55, Hallidays metre swim commencing at 9:15am and a 1,500 Point 2430. Cost for pre-registration is $25 for the metre swim starting at 10:30am. The actual
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course will be determined by conditions on the day, but in general will head north towards the Red Head headland and then return back to the Black Head end of the beach. What’s the aim of the event? All money raised will go towards the Black Head Surf Club’s continued mission to make 46
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700 metre swim ($55 for a family of 4), $30 for the 1,500 metre swim ($60 for a family of 4) and $40 for both swims ($70 family of 4). Late entries on the day (from 7am) will be accepted for an additional $10. For more information, email info@ blackheadslsc.org.au or phone 6559 2737. Thanks Peter.
i Jerrad. Tell us about the Pacific than last year. Real Estate Rock2Rock Ocean Is the event open to anyone – i.e. are there Swim, including what date/time age categories for the race, and what level it will it be held this year... of swimming skill is required? The R2R is a 1.5 km Ocean Swim started 13 Entry is open to all competent swimmers years ago, held every year on Easter Sunday. This from age 10 upwards and will set you back year it is on 5th April 2015. $10 for the 600 m swim and $30 for the 1.5 Describe the course - where is the start/ km swim (or $35 for both swims) if you meeting point, and what distance enter by 5pm on Easter Saturday is the swim? - this includes race entry, free The course has the setting swim cap and also a BBQ of a picture postcard, with sandwich after the event. The aim of the the backdrop of Elizabeth For those who would in event is to swim Beach. The 1.5 km course rather check out the surf g in tt se the picturesque consists of basically 2.5 laps on the day first, late h, ac of Elizabeth Be er st Ea of Elizabeth Beach, starting entries on Easter Sunday on s Pacific Palm y jo on the eastern end of the will be taken up until en d Sunday an beach, so it’s a sand start, 10am and will cost $15 ” lf. yourse and the finish is on the beach. for the 600 m, $40 for the This year we are holding 1.5 km and $45 for both. a smaller course for the not so Where can readers find out confident in the ocean. This course is more info? 600 m, with the same start and finish as its Entries can be made online at www. big sister. oceanswims.com We take entries up until 10am on Easter Entries will also be taken on Easter Saturday Sunday Morning, at the Pacific Palms SLSC, at the Blueys Shops, Boomerang Drive, Pacific the hosts of the event. The swim briefing is Palms, from 8:30am - 1pm, and at the Pacific 10:30am at the Club House, with the Mini Rock Palms SLSC club house, Lakeside Crescent, swimming at 11am, then the main event the Pacific Palms, from 1:30 - 5pm. Last chance for R2R (Rock to Rock) swimming at 12 (Midday). late entries is on the morning of the race from What’s the aim of the event? 8:30am - 10am. The aim of the event is to swim in the Full details are on the club’s website, www. picturesque setting of Elizabeth Beach, Pacific pacificpalmssurfclub.com and timed certificates Palms on Easter Sunday and enjoy yourself. will be available for downloading after the Those who come every year come for the fun event. with family and friends and just try to do better Thanks Jerrad.
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with Clairvoyant Terri Hall Phone. 0424 818 343
APRIL 2015
with Terri
AQUARIUS. January 21 - February 19
Relationships are likely to be on the main agenda this month. Be open with your communication to avoid any misunderstanding and know which insecurities belong to you and which ones don’t. Kyanite helps build inner bridges, so we can literally get over things.
PISCES.
February 20 - March 20
You are about to embark on a journey. For some this will be literal, for others, an inward journey of self-discovery. During this time, you will make new friends and acquaintances who will mirror your lessons in life perfectly. To gain the most out of this, remove all judgement and look for the outcome. Seraphinite allows us to heal passed hurts from a subconscious plane.
ARIES.
March 21 - April 20
Lighten up your energy by taking life less seriously. You are capable of exuding much joy and happiness, yet at present you are often mopey. Re-evaluate the person you are showing the world and give yourself the gift of positive change. Azurite is wonderful for insight.
TA U R U S . April 21 - May 21
You so desperately want a change in direction, but this is challenging your rules and boundaries in life. At present, your personal strength is being tested, which also may make it harder to pursue your desires. Ask yourself how badly do you want change? Let this motivate you. Set your sights and then give yourself permission to receive. Phenacite helps us to release other people’s worries from our energies.
GEMINI. May 22 - June 22
Time for change is at hand, perhaps a change in career or a new position at work. You have exhausted the cycle you have been in and your itchy feet are a result of still sitting idle and perhaps waiting for change to come to you. Make a choice and take action. Garnet is wonderful for prosperity in thought as well as outcome.
CANCER. June 23 - July 23
Soon you will have the opportunity to feel ownership of your life, rather than surviving your circumstance. Set some immediate goals and keep your mind positively busy. Be aware of your fears so you can take control of them and change them. Speak openly and honestly to free yourself from binding situations and enjoy your personal power. Lapis lazuli connects us to our purpose and destiny.
LEO.
July 24 - August 23
July brings endings of frustrating repetitive influences, as well as discovery of new talents, and new friends to satisfy your social needs. You can anticipate a busy agenda with an uplifting feeling. Carnelian helps us to embrace new experiences joyfully.
VIRGO.
August 24 - September 23
Patience is required just for a few weeks, as you are fast approaching change to your circumstances. Your biggest vulnerability is your fear. This can potentially change your outcome, so be aware of this. Selenite connects us to our higher self and our divine purpose.
LIBRA.
September 24 - October 23 Your new sense of personal power has recently shifted and you are vulnerable to being domineered if you don’t stand your ground. You are such a wonderful, gentle example of love personified; this is your strength. Good luck will come through work soon. Carnelian can evoke creative energy quicker than many other crystals.
SCORPIO.
October 24 - November 22
Fears and insecurities will surface but if you claim them and heal them, nothing will hinder your progress. If you treat them light heartedly, they will be transformed into new strengths. Calcite Brings spontaneity into the picture.
S A G I T TA R I U S . November 23 - December 21
You may be feeling a little “up-rooted” lately, but don’t forget how badly you wished for change to come into the picture. The reason you may be feeling this way is because your outcome is not quite here yet. Try a little new goal setting, as this will assist in a happier outlook. Ruby or Garnet will help you feel grounded, taking away some of the dilemma.
CAPRICORN. December 22 - January 20
Some direction is needed now so you will be ready for the perfect opportunity. Deep inside you have your own answers; trust in your sensitivity and psychic ability, as this is never wrong. Labradorite brings magical energy into the picture for manifestation.
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GETTOOUT
GLOUCESTER
GET OUT TO GLOUCESTER
LEISURETIME. Hi Amanda. Tell us a bit about your shop, Leisure Time. Leisuretime is a lifestyle store offering the latest trends in fashion and accessories for women, men, teens and children. We also have a superbly tantalising gift range for all occasions and home decor to decorate your abode in any on trend colour and style. Fabulous cushions and throws from Madras Link in the latest autumn colours to simply change your look or mood from your lounge to the bedroom. Get the look and style: Hamptons, Urban Chic, Industrial, City Beach, Country, French Provincial, all at reasonable prices. We offer an extensive range of custom made window coverings, internal and external, awnings, curtains, blinds and shutters, to complete your look. What are some of the brands you sell? For our lifestyle women we have Ping Pong, Indigo & Co, Yarra Trail, Firefly, Holiday, Talisman, Gitane, Gabriella Frattini, Azure, Sunny Girl, Refuge, Filo, Redberry, Everybody Talks, Billabong, Quiksilver, Havaianas. For our men and boys we have Billabong, Von Zipper, Jetpilot, Globe, Levis, Quiksilver. Where can our readers find you, and what times are you open? After an hour’s picturesque drive from the coast, you will find us at 41 Church Street, Gloucester - across the road from the Roundabout Inn, next door to the chemist. Opening hours: Mon - Friday, 9:30am - 5pm, Saturdays 9:30am - 1pm, Sundays 10am - 1pm.
ROADIESCAFÉ. Roadies Café is a licensed café open seven days, serving breakfast and lunch, and Friday and Saturday nights for dinner. Roadies are now serving fresh pizzas all day, so why not pop in and enjoy one of our many to choose from. Roadies is oh so relaxed, and with a wood fired oven and some seriously lovely motorcycles to look at, it’s kind of different too. Those who don’t see themselves as motorcycle “affectionados” can settle into the couch with a glass of wine or a Belaroma coffee, and some colouring in for the kids and hardly notice the motorcycles at all! A warm wood fire in winter and air conditioning in summer also makes it a very comfortable place to spend some time. We were thrilled to win the Restaurant and Catering Association’s Best New Restaurant Award 2011 for the Northern NSW region, and we were finalists in three categories last year. It’s a tribute to our chef, who produces such great approachable food, and our staff who make Roadies such a nice place to be. We will be open Easter long weekend, from 7:30am 3pm, excluding Easter Sunday.
MAC’S BOOTS. Hi Jacqui. How long Mac’s Boots has been in Gloucester? Mac’s Boots opened on the 15th July 2013. Where did the name come from? Our name was made from from a combination of our surname and some of the prouducts that we sell. Can you tell us what you specialise in? We have in our shop men’s, ladies, and children’s clothes. We sell work wear, work boots, hats, caps, gloves, belts, wallets, handbags, belts, buckles, hankies, iPad covers, bamboo underwear, socks etc. What brands do you have in your shop? Mongrel Boots, Blundstone boots, Redback boots, Rossi boots and socks, Twisted X western boots, Thomas Cook boots, Akubra hats, Squashy hats, Buckeroo belts, RM Williams stockyard clothing, shoes and belts, Wrangler clothing, bags, wallets, belts, DNC work gear, Bisley clothing, Cruel Girl perfumes and caps, Cinch pocket knives, Running Bare sports wear, bamboo textiles. Pop in and say hello today; we look forward to meeting you!
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GET OUT TO GLOUCESTER
GETTOOUT
GLOUCESTER
PERENTI.
HUNTERSPECIALVEHICLES. IF YOU APPRECIATE A QUALITY VEHICLE! We can look after your needs. Hunter Special Vehicles is a family owned and operated dealership with over 21 years' experience supporting your local community. We currently have thirty 4x4 commercials in stock for your inspection. At Hunter Special Vehicles we have been supplying quality ex-government 4x4s and commercial vehicles for the past 20 years. With an excellent reputation and strong industry contacts, you can be confident when buying your next car from Hunter Special Vehicles. We source our vehicles from
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Government and Council Departments from inland NSW. Our cars are low km, regularly serviced and generally one owner/driver units, meaning we can sell to you with confidence. Finance is available, helping you get into your next car faster! Justin guarantees you personalised and professional service every time. All vehicles are inspected by trained technicians. An unlimited km warranty is available with nation wide coverage. Competitive finance also available, and trade ins are welcome.
Welcome to Perenti. Perenti is situated in the main street of Gloucester, and new owners Anna and Peter invite you to pop in, say hi, and enjoy their wonderful meals, friendly service and nice relaxing atmosphere. The breakfast and lunch menu is interesting and varied, focusing on fresh ingredients and local produce. Dishes from the lunch menu include smoked "Gloucester gold" chicken salad with lemon garlic dressing, asparagus and feta pie, lime and chilli chicken curry and Thai fish cakes with “Perenti” sweet chilli sauce. The cake display is always full of tempting and decadent sweet treats. From petit strawberry tarts, almond croissants, to lime and coconut cake, hazelnut torte and the very popular passionfruit cheesecake, it's hard to choose just one! Perenti has gluten free, dairy free and vege-
tarian options on both lunch and sweets menu, which are becoming very popular. They include two nut muffins, berry friands and coconut macaroons. Freshly prepared fruit juices and frappes are also on offer. Perenti produces a wide range of handmade chutneys, confitures and dressings. The range is "ever-expanding" to include fruits and vegetables that come into season (mulberry, mango, cumquat) as well as satisfying the requests of customers. Perenti has a range of gourmet meat rubs and dukkahs. These small jars pack a punch, with great combinations of herbs and spices to liven up your meat dishes. Products are available at the caféé or by ordering over the phone: (02) 6558 9219. Café Hours: Mon - Fri: 8am - 5pm. Sat - Sun : 8:30am - 3:30pm.
GET OUT TO GLOUCESTER
GETTOOUT
GLOUCESTER
GLOUCESTERGALLERY. Denison St, Gloucester. Mar 24 - Apr 20, Wendy Fraser and John Andrews with guest artist Kylie Rose-McLean.
THE FOX DEN. Along the main street in Gloucester, tucked away is a quiet little place called The Fox Den. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving the most amazing meals that will keep you coming back again and again. The Fox Den is a café, wine bar and tapas bar, serving amazing Pablo & Rusty coffee and delicious meals and desserts! Why not come and join us for morning or afternoon tea; Miss Clavel’s sweet treats are sure to hit the right note for that sweet tooth. Try a white chocolate and raspberry cupcake or perhaps the new passionfruit baked cheesecake! So
Wendy’s series of conceptual abstract photographic images are inspired by studies of Abstract Expressionist works of the 1950s. John Andrews is an abstract landscape painter, who for this exhibition takes his inspiration from the forests near Gloucester. Apr 21 - May 18, David Hjorth. David is an artist who does not like to inhabit a closely circumscribed niche, preferring a broader conceptual context. His diversity of form and expression leave the work open to the interpretation of the viewer. Works in watercolour, oils and acrylics. May 19 - June 15 Primary Schools and Youth Week. Annual exhibition of works by Primary School students from the Bucketts Way Group of Primary Schools and young artists in partnership with the Youth Centre.
tainment. We also cater for off site functions, as small as
Jun 16 - July 13, “Pix from the Stix” Black & White Photography Competition. Annual photography competition focusing on images of the local area. There are junior and senior categories, with $1,500 in prize money.
picnic baskets for two up to formal functions of 500.
Jul 14 - Aug 10, Chris Steele.
The Fox Den also provides delicious fresh sandwiches to grab
Local artist & visual arts teacher, Chris continues his exploration of digital media. His process involves photographing his drawings & paintings & combining them digitally to create digital paintings.
much to choose from and so delicious! We have live entertainment Thursday and Saturday evenings, with local artists brought to you by Mid North Coast Enter-
and go; pop in now and take your lunch to work today! Like us on Facebook!
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CUPS & CAKES MADE 4U. Come in and sample our unique styled cup cakes. Sit down and enjoy a coffee or your beverage of choice while glancing at Gloucester’s beautiful Bucketts. You will be welcomed by Gail, who can supply you with all your specialty cake needs, from birthday cakes to wedding cakes or just an afternoon tea cake. If you’re not such a sweet tooth, come in and sample our home made pies and sausage rolls, or have a sandwich for lunch. There’s something for everyone to try, and the setting is so quaint and relaxing, you’ll be coming back for more. Our hours are Tuesday to Friday, 8am - 4pm and Saturday 8am - 2pm. We are situated at 16 Queen Street, Gloucester, just up from the vault on Queen Street across from the post office. Call in today and say hello.
focusTourism. Donna Hudson - Manning Valley Tourism
Tourism Donna Hudson WHAT A BEAUTIFUL TIME OF YEAR IT IS IN THE MANNING VALLEY!
T
he weather is still warm, yet there is just a nip to let us know a new season is at hand, and the leaves on the trees are starting to transform with hues of red, orange and yellow - during a family discussion, we agreed it was time to once again explore our National Parks. But which one? We are spoilt for choice in our region, as we play host to nine unique and equally stunning National Parks and Reserves and, as we discovered, they conceal some of our best kept secrets. We decided Tapin Tops out past Wingham was the pick of the day, as it ticked all of the boxes with walking trails, lookouts, a waterfall and swimming hole, and gave us the opportunity to burn off some energy. So, with a picnic packed, water bottles filled and hats on, we were ready to see what the day had in store. We love the drive through the farm area, seeing beef and dairy cattle grazing in open paddocks. This, combined with the rural fencing, tells you this is a clean, fresh and natural environment, and sets the scene for the day ahead. Then onto dirt roads, winding up into the National Park. As we arrived at Tapin Tops Rest Area, we noticed other families had the same idea to enjoy the facilities our National Parks have to offer. There were families cooking, camping, kids playing ball games and everyone obviously enjoying the great outdoors, which was fabulous to see, but we were ready to explore. We decided to challenge ourselves and do the more strenuous walk to find Rowleys Peak lookout, which was tough but incredibly rewarding. WOW! The amazing view is worth it. We sat, caught our breath and soaked up
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the 360-degree views all the way out to the ocean. With tummies starting to grumble, we made our way down to Potoroo Picnic Area, located on Little Run Creek. This is a relaxing scenic lunch spot with sheltered tables, BBQs and toilets, perfect for our home made goodies. After all the walking and eating, we were sitting quietly and noticed something in the water. Taking a closer look, we realised - it was a platypus! How lucky were we! The challenge was now set to see what else we could find. We then started strolling (and splashing) upstream, heading for the spectacular Potoroo Falls. We walked by an enormous watergum tree, which we later found out is the largest of its kind in NSW, and then discovered little glow worms in the rocks before taking a quick and refreshing dip in the swimming hole. An amazing day so close to home, and this is just one of our National Parks. No doubt there will be more adventures like these sooner rather than later. The Easter holidays are almost here. Why not pack a picnic and experience what the Manning Valley has to offer! Highlights include fishing at Crowdy Bay National Park, views from Flat Rock lookout at Coorabakh National Park, Cattai Wetlands, Ellenborough Falls, Wingham Brush Nature Reserve and the 300 year old, 69 m high bird tree in Middle Brother National Park (to name a few). For more school holiday ideas, visit www. manningvalley.info, like us @facebook.com/ manningvalley.info, phone 1800 182 733 or pop in to the Visitor Information Centre on Manning River Drive. We look forward to seeing you out and about in the Manning Valley.
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ABORIGINAL YOUTH WORKER
Jennifer Rumbel
DRIVING Change Jennifer Rumbel is Aboriginal Youth Worker with Driving Change - a special project that aims to assist young Aboriginal people aged 17 -25 years to obtain their driver’s licence. The project has been a terrific success so far in Taree, with plans to expand its reach into the Great Lakes, Gloucester and Port Macquarie areas …
W
hat is The George Institute, and what is your role with the organisation? The mission of The George Institute for Global Health is to improve the health of millions of people worldwide. With projects in more than 50 countries, it has raised over 450 million for global health research since 1999 and has been ranked among the top 10 research institutions in the world for scientific impact. Explain the concept of Driving Change … why was it initiated by The George Institute in the first place? Here in Australia, Driving Change while recognising our current NSW Driver Licencing system is world’s best practice, understands that our young Aboriginal people, who currently experience significant disadvantage in our society, are also further disadvantaged by this system. This has in the past contributed to the over representation of young Aboriginal people in our courts on unlicensed driving offences, resulting in further restrictions, financial burdens and at times incarceration. Driving Change aims to break this cycle by delivering support to our young Aboriginal people between the ages of 17 - 25 years, in a flexible and needs based manner, to achieve their driver licence. We are able to support applications for birth certificates, assist with fines and restrictions through the State Debt Recovery Office, prepare pre-learners to undertake the Learner Driver Knowledge Test and when they have achieved their Learner Licence, provide supportive mentors to assist with the 120 hours of driving experienced required prior to their driving test. How long has Driving Change been established, and what areas of Australia does it currently operate in?
The Driving Change programme is in its second year and exists in twelve sites across NSW. Taree was established in February 2014 and under the current funding arrangement will have another year to run. (Additional funding has been sought to extend this even further). Taree also services the area of Forster- Tuncurry, Gloucester, and Port Macquarie. Driving Change is described online as a community driven project. What does this mean? In Taree we have a locally established steering committee; this group came together (prior to my appointment) due to their concerns about the impact on community, and to address this lack of access to licencing opportunities. Aboriginal Legal Services field officer Lou Stanton, who channels young clients through the Driving Change programme, said the Driving Change programme was part of a holistic approach from the community in the promotion and education of young road users to be safe and responsible drivers. Our steering committee includes members from the Aboriginal Legal Services, Hunter New England Health, Greater Taree City Council, Taree Rotary, Taree Indigenous Development & Trade, Aboriginal Ability Links, NSW Police Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers, Aboriginal Learning Circle - Mid North Coast TAFE and Biripi AMS. Our learners have been supported with professional lessons from the Manning Driving School. How many young people has Driving Change been able to assist locally so far? Taree is fortunate to have 19 mentors for our learners; all are passionate about driving and giving to community through supporting these young people. In the last six months of 2014 our learners gained four sets of Ps, 6 sets of Ls, 5 birth certificates and attended 20 keys2drive lessons. Through an additional grant we have
been able to provide 65 professional driving lessons. Currently we have 62 learners registered with our program in various stages of the licencing pathway. I believe there are plans to expand the project? Our greatest need at is to find additional passionate mentors in the areas of Forster, Gloucester and Port Macquarie. All costs will be covered for the required police checks, along with training; we simply ask for a commitment to a couple of hours each week for driving. Taree was the recipient of a Hyundai i30, which was generously donated to The George Institute by the NRMA. An additional car for the other areas would certainly make my job easier, but more importantly, would allow us to better assist the growing numbers of learners in these areas. Share some of the project’s success stories so far … Two of our wonderful success stories have been Chantell and Adam. Chantell is a 25 year old mother of three young children. She was very excited to be part of this programme; in fact, she was up at 5:30am to be organised to get to her first drive with the mentor programme. At the end of the drive she was all smiles, eager to learn more, and clearly her selfconfidence had received a significant boost. Chantell initially heard about the programme through a social worker at Hunter New England Health and is now eagerly spreading the word to others who may benefit. To gain her licence Chantell believes: “would open opportunities for employment and it would make life easier with things like shopping and appointments”. In December 2014, I accompanied Chantell to the RMS to undertake her driving test; she was close to tears when she received the news she had gained her driver licence. Chantell was
extremely grateful to programme for the support she had received, including the driving lessons, the mentor programme and the use of the car for the driving test. Adam is a 26 year old father, who is keen, enthusiastic and determined to make positive changes in his life in order to create a better future not just for himself, but his partner and child. He had in the past made numerous attempts to complete the learner driver knowledge test (in excess of 10 times) and failed. Discouraged by this, Adam simply chose to drive whilst unlicensed. This led to Adam being charged three times. At his last court appearance, the magistrate issued him with a time frame and an ultimatum: “Get your licence or go to gaol”. He has since negotiated a payment system for his outstanding fines, passed his Ls and has had several professional lessons. Adam concedes: “It’s hard to be a passenger and public transport is difficult with a young child in a stroller and in wet weather. Not having a driver’s licence makes you feel isolated; also there are a lot of day to day difficulties, like grocery shopping, family events and appointments”. To his credit, Adam took his driving test in August 2014 and achieved his P1 licence. For me, it has been an absolute privilege to walk this journey with our young learners, to share their joy, excitement and achievement, I have learnt, shared and grown so much. Where can readers find out more info? Should people like to find out more - have a chat, drop in, or drop me a line. Or perhaps donate a car or your time! I am based in the office of TIDE at 30 Pultney St, Taree, working: Tuesday - Thursday (8am 4pm). Mob: 0410 589 223; email jrumbel@ georgeinstitute.org.au Thanks Jenn. manning-great lakes focus.
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focusinterview. with Linda Bryant from The Photography Hub
LEAHA •STEPHENS•
THE BUSINESS FEATURE THIS MONTH IS LEAHA STEPHENS, WHOM I’VE WATCHED AND NOTICED IN WOMEN IN BUSINESS COLUMNS, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE AS A YOUNG BUSINESS OWNER, WITH TWO BUSINESSES AND A FAMILY, I ADMIRE WHAT SHE HAS CREATED.
L
eaha is inspirational with the businesses she’s grown, and it’s great to see someone who has such a positive attitude and makes it look so effortless, even though I know she has put in
rapport with our clients. My staff are very supportive and hardworking; we are more like a family. Our Tuncurry salon is open Monday to
diversity with our industry; no day is the same. I
The Old Bar shop was always in the back of my
don’t just love one thing; I really love my job.
would open up my second salon there.
When you first started, did you
We had a lot of clients from Taree, Old Bar and Harrington who used to travel
think of it more as a “job”?
to our salon in Tuncurry, so
I started hairdressing
the owner decided to sell and it was offered to
when I was 16 years
me. I was pregnant with my first child at the
old. I was put on as
time, so it was a big decision. The salon was
an apprentice in a
well established by the time I went off to have
salon in Tuncurry. I
my baby. It had existing staff who worked there
always wanted to
while I was off.
be a hairdresser and
Can you tell us more about Leaha’s Hair
when I finally found an
Studios?
apprenticeship, I was so excited, as they are not
having the salon in Old Bar
We train monthly, te which helps crea ch oa pr a fresh ap n and keeps the fu e ar e W n. lo sa r in ou w ne ng always learni ng yi tr d an es techniqu .” ts uc od new pr
“
has made it easier for our clients. We use the same
travelled as far as Amsterdam to learn new techniques and try new products. I have a huge colour clientele. What do you believe are the most important ingredients in a successful business? In our industry, customer service is just as
The stylists work in both
important as doing great hair. It’s important to
salons, so that helps
build a great rapport with our clients, being
our clients too.
helpful and listening to what our clients want,
We have recently moved our Tuncurry salon into a bigger shop
easy come by. Hairdressing
cutting, colouring, foiling, ballayage, perming,
is what I wanted to do, so I
tape hair extensions, Keratin straightening,
never thought of it as just a job. In our
deluxe hair treatments, blow dries, sets, head
industry (I say this to my apprentices now)
massages, spray tans, facial waxing, facial
hairdressing is not just a job - you have to
tinting and bridal hair and makeup; we offer
want it. We work long hours on our feet all
five days a week and I have two children,
a FREE mobile service to weddings in the
day, and you really have to have a passion for
so life does get hectic - especially when my
Manning Valley.
the industry, otherwise you won’t survive.
husband is away a lot with his job. We have
When I started, it was a four year
I personally am a colour specialist. I’ve
products in both salons.
hairdressing salons. We specialise in creative
The girls and I are constantly doing training
smile on their face is enough for me. I love the
times, but it just wasn’t the right time for me.
Our Old bar salon is open Tuesday to Saturday,
When did you start in business?
Leaha’s Hair Studios are professional
I love making clients feel good; seeing a
We had been offered the Old Bar salon a few
mind, and I knew when the time was right I
with late nights by appointment.
I was working in the salon in Tuncurry, when
businesses?
Saturday, with late nights by appointment, and
the hard yards!
I started Leaha’s Hair Studio in April 2009.
Business
and absolutely love our new salon, and so do our clients. Is creating a work/life balance a challenge for you? I am a very organised person. I work
our set routine, and my boys are great. I have
and always being professional. It is our aim to always create a great image that our clients are happy with and make our clients feel comfortable. We make it a priority to listen to our clients ask them if they would like something new, and give them some options that we think may suit. Everybody likes to have a change now and then. We train monthly, which helps create a fresh approach and keeps the fun in our salon. We are always learning new techniques and trying new products.
in and out of the salon, to make sure we are
apprenticeship and two years, one day a week
fantastic staff, so it makes my life a lot more
up to date with the latest trends. We are off to
training at port Macquarie TAFE. Hairdressing
manageable; I couldn’t do it without my girls
Sydney in June this year to attend the 2015 Day
isn’t an industry you can learn overnight; you
in the salons. I get a lot of support from family
job and have a passion for the industry is hard
with Keune and the Sydney Hair Expo, where
need to put in a lot of hard work and time. Our
too, so that helps me more than they know.
to find. I have one of the best teams I have had
we will see new products and techniques to
industry is constantly changing, with different
bring back to our salons for our clients.
trends and looks.
What do you enjoy the most about your
Thanks so much, Leaha, and all the best
How have you transitioned to owning two
job?
with your businesses in the coming years!
Our salons are fun to be in. We have a great 54
manning-great lakes focus.
We also take family holidays each year.
Having a great team who are good at their
in years.
How can I be part of the chat? Become an ‘Our Water Our Future’ correspondent
Sign up at www.midcoastwater.com.au/ourwaterourfuture to receive regular updates in your inbox and to receive invitations to share your thoughts at various stages throughout the process.
Talking about our water future What are MidCoast Water doing? We are undertaking a major review of our long term plans for ensuring sustainable water resources for our community. We don’t just supply water and sewage services to our community, we have a vital role to play in managing our water resources sustainably to make sure it is available for future generations. The Our Water Our Future strategy is our 30 year rolling plan and outlines how we will work to manage resources for generations to come.
What have we already achieved? Since 2008 our community has been using less water, with consumption under targets in homes and industrial areas.
Have your say
Tell us what you value about water, and what you think is important for water in our region by going to our website and follow the ‘have your say’ link - if you like you can sign up to be a correspondent at the same time.
Invite us along to your group
We are happy to come along to your interest group meeting and talk about our strategy, where we are up to and what we are considering - and collect your thoughts. This can be organised by emailing community@midcoastwater.com.au or phoning 6592 4803.
Let us know what you think
Via Twitter or facebook - just use #midcoastwater or message us via our facebook page and we will make sure your thoughts count.
Large investments have been made in recycled water schemes with $22 million spent on schemes at Bulahdelah, Harrington, Hawks Nest and Tuncurry. We have also invested more than $2.2 million in on-ground catchment improvements in the last four years to protect the sources of our drinking water.
Want to know more? Go to our website www.midcoastwater.com.au/ourwaterourfuture and keep up to date with our progress. There are also links to more info, and access to documents outlining what we have been doing and more detail on the strategy review process.
What do you think is important for water in our region? Join the water conversation MidCoast Water is currently working on a long term water resource management strategy - and we want you to join us in talking about our water future. Have your say and sign up for regular updates at
www.midcoastwater.com.au/ourwaterourfuture
HOW DO VALUE IT? For more details go to www.midcoastwater.com.au or call 1300 133 455
manning-great lakes focus.
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focusbusiness. with Jeremy Thornton from Manning Valley Business Chamber
It’s Easter! For many, a very special and spiritual time. With the speed of the first quarter of this year, it’s also a chance for a quick breather and recharge for the run into June 30.
B
usiness has been buoyant in various areas, after what was a solid Christmas season for most, although after January life gets back to some normality and it slows down a little. It’s these times that we need to be prepared for and looking at innovation to keep us ticking along, without having to rely on traditional peak seasons. With tourism being a major driver, finding ways to keep people coming back is always something being worked on, and it does require a collective effort. A lot of small business keep pushing and pushing for new opportunities, but they are only a small voice in a packed room. The collective business voice of The Manning-Great Lakes needs to speak louder and together for results to be forthcoming. We saw good examples of this over the past
month with the State Election. Both Forster Tuncurry and Manning Valley Business Chambers worked together to promote the plight of our ailing Public Health System, with two forums being held in both Forster and Taree. Over 100 community members attended and heard from leading health workers and our local politicians. Much robust discussion was had at both, but it showed that the community simply won’t put up with mediocre anymore. The Electorate is much savvier after the goings on in politics of the past 7 - 8 years and are now paying more attention than ever before. We need our representatives to not only consider the little community groups that are so important, but take time to work on major infrastructure projects that have a long and vital impact on the growing community. When you look at neighbouring regions and the funding
being poured into them, we in The ManningGreat Lakes need to speak as a collective and demand better services and infrastructure. We will continue to work closely with our elected representatives at all levels on positive outcomes for the region. The Chamber is working closely with new investors in the area that will see between 150 - 400 jobs created. Commercial sensitivity surrounds this at present, but we are extremely close to finalising this project. After a number of years seeing job losses and closing doors, it is so exciting to now be involved on a potential turnaround in industry for The Manning-Great Lakes. What this will do is not only provide an array of new jobs, it lifts the entire economy and wealth of the region. The more people in work, the better it is for the broader community. Keep
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manning-great lakes focus.
JeremyThornton watching this space, as we continue to work with the investor and Greater Taree City Council on a solution. We are also now preparing for the annual Manning Great Lakes Gloucester Business Awards. Yes, it’s that time again! We need people from the region to put their hand up to be on the organising committee. We had a fantastic night last year and crowned Golf Club Motor Inn Wingham as Business of The Year, but it’s a new year and plenty of businesses are doing different things to innovate and grow. Time to celebrate this and benchmark yourself against your peers. More details about the awards will be shortly available, and we encourage everyone to get involved. If you do wish to become involved, please contact Cindy in the office and be part of the team.
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focusinterview.
R NE COR
REX NICOLL REX NICOLL IS A LOCAL COLLECTOR AND A MEMBER OF TAREE COLLECTORS CLUB. ONE OF REX’S PASSIONS IS AUSTRALIANA, BUT THERE ARE MANY VARIED ITEMS IN HIS COLLECTION … JUST AS THERE’LL BE A HUGE VARIETY OF ITEMS ON DISPLAY AT THE TAREE COLLECTORS CLUB’S TWO DAY FAIR, TO BE HELD ON MAY 9 AND 10 …
H
i Rex. Whereabouts in the Manning-Great Lakes region do you call home, and what originally brought you to the area? Hello Jo. Home for Jenny (my wife) and I is beautiful downtown Tinonee. We moved here, from Newcastle, in 1987, although we were both locals as kids. Jenny did her schooling at Wingham and me at Nabiac and then Taree High School. We both trained as primary teachers and when our parents’ health was deteriorating, we decided to transfer back into the area. We have no regrets, as the Manning has been a great place to raise our three kids. I understand you’re an avid collector ... What exactly do you most like to collect? I have been collecting antique memorabilia for about 30 years now and have enjoyed every moment. It is a great hobby that can continue into retirement, as with Jen and I. My collection is very wide ranging and diverse. I particularly enjoy Australiana - items relating to Australian history, Australian pottery, advertising items and old shop items. By no means is this our only area of collection. We have changed directions on a regular basis over many years. When and where did your interest in “Australiana” type objects begin – do you remember the first piece you ever collected? My Mum, Joy, was always into old interesting pieces. When Mum and Dad retired, Mum helped run a Paddy’s Market. She often invited us out to look at toys and clothing for our kids. On one of these occasions I found an old vase and asked Mum how much it would be. “That ugly thing. No one will want that - 50 cents, if you really
We do a lot of travelling and on our way seek want it." out garage sales, markets, auctions, antique The deal was done, and the vase found a new shops, classified advertisements in newspapers, home at Tinonee. I knew nothing of the piece and community notice boards and all manner of word decided, after a few months, to take it into Taree, of mouth tips. to a lady, Val Trigger, who had an Antique shop in The best finds come when you least expect Manning Street. I asked her if she knew the mark them. on the base. She told me it was Australian pottery What collectors club/s are you a member of? by Remued and asked if I wanted to sell it; she I am a member of Taree Collectors Club. We would give me $60. I declined the offer, and the are a group of like-minded people who share a piece is still in pride of position in our display case. passion for collecting a wide range of different A new hobby was found and thoughts of an items. We are always seeking new extra Superannuation travelling fund members, so if anyone out there developed! is interested, our meetings What would you say is the This year are the second Monday most unusual or reour annual of each month at the markable piece in your be ill Collectors Fair w ay Church of Christ Hall, collection ... perhaps a D r’s held on Mothe h 9t in Victoria Street (near favourite piece? ay rd tu weekend , Sa th 10 Camera House), at One of my favourite ay nd Su d May an Tare e is e 2pm. If anyone would pieces relates to Austranu ve e Th . May Youth s en like more information, lian history. It was made tiz Ci e lic Po mmerce Di, our President, would in 1938 by the Royal DoulClub hall at 95 Co be pleased to help. Phone: ton company of England. Street , Taree.” 6500 5803. It is a limited edition pottery The club will be hosting Loving Cup depicting Captain its annual Collectors Fair on May Arthur Philip proclaiming the new 9 and 10. Where will this be held, colony of New South Wales in 1788. The and what time will the fair be open to cup was made for the 150 year celebrations. the public? Only 350 were ever made, and each is individThis year our annual Collectors Fair will be ually numbered. held on Mother’s Day weekend, Saturday 9th I also have another interesting Australian May and Sunday 10th May. The venue is Taree history item. It is a piece of very early Australian Police Citizens Youth Club hall at 95 Commerce horn scrimshaw. The horn depicts three scenes - a Street, Taree. The venue will be open to the public traditional Aboriginal hunting scene, a squatter’s from 9am each day. sheep farm scene and a depiction of Australian We are hoping lots of families will bring Mum animals. Indications are of this dating back to the on an outing for this special weekend. mid-1800s. What are some of the items you expect will Where do you find is the best place to source be on display? new additions for your collection?
“
There will be lots of items for sale, as well as each year our members put on a wonderful display of items from their collections. The selection is varied, from antiques of all kinds, tin collections, jewellery, coloured glass, carnival glass, tools, music boxes, sporting memorabilia, silver items, uranium glass, old books … The list is endless, as each year sees new items come out of the woodwork. But, each year it surprises me what people do collect - wonderful old items from yesteryear, vintage, and some not so old. Apart from exhibits, what other activities will happen at the fair There will be a large variety of selling stalls from local and invited sellers. Each will set up an area for their antique and collectable goods to be sold. There will be refreshments available. A free valuation service, during afternoon sessions, will be available to those who would like more information about their precious items. We try to limit items to 1 – 3, so everyone gets a chance. Also, our collectors love discussing their displays - so there will be lots of people to talk to. How much will entry to the fair be, and where can people find out more info? Entry this year will be $5 and free for children under 12 accompanied by an adult. We hope lots of mums and families will come and join us for a very entertaining two day Fair. There will be lots of advertising, with flyers, newspaper (Extra - Manning and Great Lakes), posters and general word of mouth, so please tell all your friends. Don, our Fair Manager, would be able to answer any inquiries - Phone - 6551 4902. Di, whose number was mentioned previously and I (Rex) phone - 6553 1086 can also assist. Thanks Rex. manning-great lakes focus.
57
Real Estate f e a t u r e
58
manning-great lakes focus.
REAL ESTATE EXPERTS FEATURE
Real Estate f e a t u r e
Taylor Byrne Buying a home for your family, planning to build or invest, it makes good sense to get independent property advice to ensure you are maximising your investment potential. Taylor Byrne Taree offers a wide range of services, providing valuations for residential, commercial, industrial and rural property. Our local team consists of Damien Burley, Damian Daczko and Amy Frankel, all Associates of the Australian Property Institute and Certified Practising Valuers. The Taree team have gone through rigorous training and continue to update their professional knowledge. This, combined with years of handson experience, means you don’t have to rely on statistics or “gut feel” alone. Taylor Byrne has a professional approach, working with wellestablished processes and standards to produce valuations that are reliable and independent. Damien Burley, with over 20 years’ experience, is responsible for Going Concern and Specialist commercial valuations throughout all NSW branches. He also heads up the Commercial team
L.J Hooker Taree here on the Mid North Coast.
As you can see, at L J Hooker Taree we
our large property portfolio we have the
do have a large Property Management
luxury of specialist team members: a licensed
Team to look after and service our
tradesperson to organise our maintenance
landlords and tenants. With experience
and liaise between landlords, tradespeople
ranging from our school based trainee, our
and tenants, dedicated Trust Account
Senior Property Manager with over 12 years’
Manager to ensure compliance and accounts
experience to myself and my husband with
and landlords are paid on time, dedicated
19 years’ experience in the industry, there
arrears (debt) manager that our tenants
is an abundance of knowledge, back up
know mean business and experienced
and support within our office. The role of
property managers who can confidently
the property manager is changing, and we
handle just about all situations that do arise
are feeling the pressure to be experienced
in property management. An investment
in so many areas - building, maintenance,
property is just like any other investment;
This wealth of local knowledge is supported by over 50 years’ experience within the Taylor Byrne Group, consisting of 22 offices throughout Queensland and New South Wales.
smoke alarms, OH&S compliance, glass
there is always an element of risk. Our office
and pool compliance, balconies, window
invests heavily in technology to streamline
heights etc. The Residential Tenancies Laws
our procedures and ensure every detail is
are constantly changing and always lean
captured should the worst case scenario
Whatever the size or scope of your property or investment activities, our team will be able to provide you with the best possible information to help in your decision making.
towards the tenants. We are continuously
occur, so in the event that does happen, we
looking at ways to protect our landlords
are well prepared for it and our experience
from litigation, whilst ensuring we are
will come to the forefront to mitigate the
maximising their investment income. With
loss for our landlord.
Damian Daczko has over 15 years of valuation service in the Manning, Great Lakes and Gloucester areas. He’s experienced in all facets of property valuation and undertakes valuations for all purposes, including mortgage, acquisition, taxation and litigation. Amy Frankel specialises in commercial property valuations, including retail shops, office buildings, industrial premises, childcare centres, motels, hotels and caravan parks. She also undertakes valuations for mortgage security purposes, along with stamp duty and estate matters.
A real point of difference Earning Qantas Frequent Flyer points with LJ Hooker Taree
Since 2002 we’ve enjoyed an exclusive partnership with Qantas Frequent Flyer, Australia’s largest loyalty program. So we’re the only real estate agency that really can take you further than you think. It’s our way of making sure the benets of your property extend far beyond your front door.*
LJ Hooker Ofce 02 6552 1133 Victoria Street, Taree
For more details log on to ljhooker.com.au
* Please visit ljhooker.com.au/qantasconditions for terms and conditions. © LJ Hooker Limited 2012 - S0179-LAM-Qantas-PIM-NQP-130x185.indd - 250315
manning-great lakes focus.
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REAL ESTATE EXPERTS FEATURE
Real Estate f e a t u r e
The Professionals Forster Buying or selling Real Estate Then Manning Valley Legal & Conveyancing (MVLC®) is your choice in the ManningGreat Lakes. With competitive fixed fee conveyancing and able to assist on all manner of conveyancing matters, MVLC has the expertise and experience to smoothly finalise your conveyancing transaction, whether it is buying or selling, leasing, subdividing, strata or community title, simple transfers or transmission applications, and whether such transactions be residential, rural or commercial. Kristie Dawes is our mainstay conveyancer. In 2008 she graduated from the Macquarie University course required for licensed conveyancers (the same class as Sam (below)). She also has a Diploma of Business (Legal Services). She has worked for three years in a conveyancing firm, and six years in a law firm before joining the team at MVLC.
60 manning-great lakes focus.
We also have the benefit, where necessary, of drawing upon the further wealth of experience of our consultant conveyancer, Mrs Sam Clarke. Sam was a senior licensed conveyancer for many years in a major conveyancing practice before joining MVLC, but from this year her main interest is now in her dress making business and art history studies. Quentin Schneider is the solicitor-principal of the law practice, and brings 25 years of experience working in the law. He has both a Bachelor and Master of Laws from the University of NSW, and is the fifth generation of a local farming family. Two other experienced and qualified support staff make up the full team of friendly faces ready to lend their expertise to make your next real estate transaction as smooth as possible. We look forward to meeting you.
Please introduce us to the team at The Professionals Forster ... Our Forster Accommodation Centre team is led by Nicole Sanki, who has a wealth of hospitality experience. Supporting her we have a team of four hospitality officers, Marie Rankin, Kerry Morante, Cathy Manning and Carolyn Wislon, all of whom have extensive holiday accommodation/ guest service exerience and training. Our team is ably supported by our Office Manager Lyn Minard and finally, Sam Roche looks after all our social media, website design and functionality. Our recent success winning the 2014 REINSW Award for Excellence in holiday management is a testament to this wonderful hospitality team, who genuinely love their roles, work so hard and display such commitment. What is your business vision for 2015? Business growth is our vision, as we look for more owners to exerience our business model and we know they won’t be disappointed. Ultimaltely, we strive to have the Forster Accommdation Centre recognised as the “one-stop shop” for all your holiday needs, capturing the
lion’s share of the market - a big challenge, but an exciting vision to strive for. Continuous improvement is always a driver, and back to back Real Estate Institute Awards would be a nice bonus! What other forms of real estate do you and your team look after? Whislt we have intentionally build the accommodation arm of our business as a stand alone hospitality business, giving us a tremendous competitive advantage, our office is also a busy robust real estate office. With an exceptional sales team of seven people, an extremely professional permanent property management team and a wealth of expertise in retail/commercial/industrial real estate, there is never a dull moment. We couldnt be happier the way this year has started, and our results reflect this. There is a spark in the market, and we are most definitely looking for more property to sell. Goes without saying, but we are always seeking great property to manage, and our owners will testify just how well we do it. We take our name “Professionals” very seriously in everything we do.
focusrealestate.
with Amanda Tate - L.J Hooker
M RKET REVIEW
ISN’T IT AMAZING HOW THE GREAT LAKES/MANNING VALLEY COME ALIVE OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PERIOD.
T
he huge influx of tourists and supply, and what is listed is selling within visitors to our area allow our the first few weeks of marketing and at over community to showcase our agent expectations. Could this be the start of a wares - sometimes pointing out repeat from the 2003, 2004 boom? to us locals the beauty that is Hot markets - Forster anything under right under our nose that far too often we $500,000, Old Bar anything under $350,000, take for granted. Taree, anything under $300,000, Wingham Central Coast and Sydney seem to be our anything under $400,000 and Harrington, well main customers, with investors arriving in the they seem to be selling everything that comes droves and sourcing bargains that give them to market. Units and duplexes are still in high the high rental yields that their home towns demand, and buyers are waiting to see what do not offer. All areas have comes on the market. We have seen a experienced numerous sales few sales just under the magic to investors, and yet million, especially around still our vacancy rate Pacific Palms, Diamond g Buildin ld ou sh for the Mid North Beach and Forster ns io at ic appl ith w se ea Coast, according Beach. Crowdy Head cr in e be on th at es as le re to the Real topped the north nd la new arly Estate Institute end at $860,000. Wallabi Point ne rdable fo sold out - very af ng of NSW, is The commercial lli smaller blocks se wing sitting at 1.6%, market is well in $139,000, allo om fr extremely recovery, with l to the a great entry leve me strong. another two ho st fir r market fo r ei th Building $1,000,000 plus sales ild bu to buyers .” es m applications in Taree’s industrial ho m drea should be on the area. Three properties increase, with new in the Taree CBD changed land releases at Wallabi hands, with the highest at Point nearly sold out - very $2,000,000. The iconic old Bunnings affordable smaller blocks selling from Warehouse building has just come to $139,000, allowing a great entry level market, with immediate strong interest from to the market for first home buyers local buyers. to build their dream homes. Harrington has Rural property is still steady, with increased also experienced an increase in not only land interest in the high end market, with a few sales, but pricing, with blocks jumping from sales over the $600,000 - interestingly, with $130,000 six months ago to a recent sale local buyers. at $160,000, a positive sign for our market. Most agents have reported their busiest Another residential development block sold on quarter ever leading up to Christmas and are the outskirts of Old Bar for just under the $2 noticing the increase in inquiry from the “grey million price tag. This should ensure continual nomads” wishing to retire in our Valley. This is growth and competition in this area. all positive news for growth in our area, now All markets are advising the number of we just need to wait and see what our State residential homes in the towns are in short elections brings us …
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REAL ESTATE EXPERTS FEATURE
Real Estate f e a t u r e
A Rain E lectrical
Professionals Hallidays Point
Tony Inglis
When it comes to land sales in the Hallidays Point/ Diamond Beach area, Professionals Hallidays Point/ Diamond Beach are your local experts.
If you are considering buying a home or commercial property, you may want to go direct to your bank. Your bank may approve the loan and give you a good deal. Another option is to use the services of a finance broker. Why? Because a finance broker can check the interest rates and fees of a range of suitable banks and lenders, and these lower fees could save you plenty over the loan term. These are potential savings that you would not even know exist if you take the loan from your bank, without first shopping around. My service is free to you; you have nothing to lose.
Hallidays Point is a residential area that is growing at a higher percentage rate in population than the major towns of Forster/Tuncurry and Taree due to its close proximity between the two, its obvious beauty, pristine beaches and sought after coastal lifestyle. Forecasting by GTCC has predicted that Hallidays Point will continue to enjoy steady growth in both capital gains and population in the years to come. This can be contributed to the considerable land development that has occurred in the area, with generous sized blocks, availability and affordability a key factor. Locals Kim and Greg from Professionals Hallidays Point/ Diamond Beach have been marketing and selling land for over 10 years, with great success. We are also the Exclusive Agent for the award winning and stunning “Seascape Village” ocean front land development. Contact our office and let us help guide you with our expertise and advice to secure your ultimate and affordable sea change.
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I recently sat down with a young couple buying their first home in Taree. In the first 10 minutes, I was able to show them a lower rate home loan with another lender, saving them $85 every month. I met a couple in their forties who wanted to buy an investment property using their superannuation. A little bit more complex, but I explained the whole process, and they have just purchased an investment property at One Mile Beach in Forster. I arranged everything through them and their accountant, and they mentioned how good it was that they didn’t even need to go to the bank! The moral of the story - call me first! Tony Inglis 0412 655 201.
What services do you offer? We offer all electrical work, both domestic and commercial. We specialise in lighting design for residential and commercial retail spaces and are qualified to conduct energy audits, which focus on energy usage reduction. We are also qualified to design and install solar energy systems. What sets you apart from your competitors? Every job is the most important job, and our clients are very important to us. We want to do the very best for them, showing up on time and delivering quality work at a fair price. Do you provide any innovative or energy saving services? Apart from being a fully licensed electrician, we are qualified in solar design and install, coaxial cabling and open registration. I am also a qualified Eco electrician, which allows us to conduct energy audits, quantifying real savings and implementing improvements to electrical systems. Which areas do you service? I service the Mid North Coast. Have you done any interesting work in local businesses lately? We have just completed a full renovation of Flow Café and the Boogie Woogie Beach House in Old Bar, which involved a complete electrical upgrade and allowed us to work with the owners on the creative design and install of lighting, power and security systems - which will look really cool in the end.
BuilderCert Consultants Innovative building certification service now available for local builds, renovations and developments.
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Transparency in reporting, including live updates on the status of approvals. send occupational certificates via email or SMS at the time of inspection. With over 100 years of collective experience within the business, BuildCert understand the implications of costs and delays often associated with the Council building approval and certificasuperior service on time every time. Starting a development shouldn’t be a nightmare. When you’re next in need of building certification services, choose the latest option in building certification and arrange your own private building certifier from BuildCert. For more information on BuildCert’s private building certification services - contact one of the team today (02) 6554 7648 or admin@buildcertconsultants.com.au
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Forster / Shop 1 The Marina, Wallis St / Forster NSW 2428 / P: 02 6554 7648 Newcastle / 481 Pacific Hwy / Belmont NSW 2550 / P: 02 4947 7422 Hunter Valley / Unit 7A / 26, Balook Dr / Beresfield NSW 2322 / P: 02 4947 7422 Sapphire Coast / 53 Bega St / Tathra NSW 2550 / P: 02 6494 4494
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