new england
September 2018. issue 136
Charlie
Feature Story Topper's Mountain Wines
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focus_ team.
team From the
R
Welcome to the September edition of New England FOCUS.
esilience … The capacity to recover quickly. It’s a term that rings true as the start of a new season begins. Where once the leaves fell, they again begin to grow. The New England region is indeed resilient. That strong persistence to push through the icy indecency of winter, the capacity to support our locals in time of drought, to continue to celebrate what good fortune we do have. We’re a pretty strong bunch! We’re equally excited this month to have pushed through a tough few months over winter, and see the smiling sunshine welcome us to spring and this bumper edition. In the next few months you’ll see exciting changes take shape in our pages. We’ll start this month by introducing our newest contributor - The Armidale Chamber of Commerce. Anthony Fox, President of the Chamber, will be bringing you an informative column each month about the local business scene. Thank you to the board for taking up this opportunity to engage with local business and all that you do, through FOCUS. Feeling social? Having a function? Then the FOCUS Social Scene is the place to
contacts.
be seen! Our team would love to hear from you if you’re having an event, or you can email us your own photos! And each month we’ll select a few to showcase our active Social Scene here in the New England. (Emails can be sent to info@ focusmag.com.au with a short description) Meet Jo! You’ve probably heard along the grapevine that our wordsmith Jo Robinson is relocating from our sister office in Port Macquarie to take up the lead editorial role here in Armidale. Jo loves a local yarn, hero/local champion story, and uncovering the gems of our region and putting their story in FOCUS … So be sure to hit her up with your ideas! Our mission is to fill these pages with the good stuff - people you care about, love and want to shine a light on. Jo’s email address is jo@focusmag.com.au - be sure to drop her a line! Inside this edition. Our cover star this month is young up and coming Country Music star Charlie Fittler. This is a guy to watch! Charlie is hoping to play a few gigs around our area, so keep an eye out for him. Charlie’s photo was taken by amazingly talented local photographer James Russell. Mark Kirby from Topper’s Mountain
Tracy Le Messurier
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jeff Cowan
louise@focusmag.com.au
ADVERTISING SALES Matthew Korodi matthew.korodi@fairfaxmedia.com.au
MANAGING EDITOR Jay Beaumont ART DIRECTOR Dylan Gaul dylan@focusmag.com.au
SENIOR EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTOR Jo Robinson
Ascent provides general assistance with daily life and activities to enable you to live inclusively within your local community. Our support is designed to meet your individual needs and to maximise your independence.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Joey Dable
SALES MANAGER Louise Beaumont
Housing and Supported Living
EDITION CO-ORDINATOR ADVERTISING SALES tracy@focusmag.com.au
ADDRESS 5/164 Beardy Street, Armidale PHONE 02 6771 5551 FAX: 02 6772 5551 WEB www.focusmag.com.au FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/ne.focus IG focus.mag E info@focusmag.com.au
Wines shared with us the beauty of his property and the philosophy behind his winemaking. If you haven’t tried his wines, we suggest you do! They are simply divine! We’ll see a unique new event in Armidale this month, with the Duval Dam Buster set to take place on the 23rd. Runners will converge on Armidale from everywhere to take on the trails around Dumaresq Dam and Mount Duval. This is a family friendly event - kids are welcome to race too! The celebration of our local Business Awards took place on August 10 and was the start of the winter woollies being tossed aside and the glitz and glamour taking their place. The Awards are a true celebration of ALL local business; for the work they do locally, the people they employ and the community they support. Well done to all the nominees, finalists and winners - you can read about some of them from page 43!
joey@focusmag.com.au
Ascent can provide support with daily life and activities designed around your NDIS plan. Support can be provided on an outreach basis, where staff can assist you in your own home. Higher intensity accommodation support can be provided for up to 24 hours per day within small group home residences.
jeff@focusmag.com.au
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kyle Rathbone kyle@focusmag.com.au
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Michael Marchment michael@focusmag.com.au
COPY EDITING Rite ‘n’ Rong Media Services rnrmedia@bigpond.com
PHOTOGRAPHER/EDITORIAL James Brooks james@focusmag.com.au
jo@focusmag.com.au
Comments and opinions of our contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinion or view of the Publishers. All reasonable efforts have been made to trace copyright holders. Information appearing in Focus is believed to be correct at the time of going to press, however no liability will be held for inaccurate information approved or supplied by advertisers or contributors. While all care is taken it is recommended that readers confirm material including advice with individual businesses and industry professionals. Articles marked as 'Interview or Contributor' are non-sponsored content. Greater Port Macquarie Focus is published by Creative House Publications PTY LTD ABN: 621 287 8600 5. Material in Focus is Copyright © Creative House Publications PTY LTD 2018 and may not be reproduced whole or in part, in any form, without permission of the Publisher. All rights reserved. FOCUS is printed by Fairfax Media Print & Logistics North Richmond. Our paper is FFC and PEFC certified and meets with ISO14001 accreditation. FOCUS delivery bags can be REDcycled at your local Coles Supermarkets and the paper through normal recycling methods.
Want to learn more?
02 6776 8977 ascentgroup.org.au
New England focus. 3
contents Issue 136 - September 2018
focusinterviews
08
feature a special
HOME AND GARDEN
Charlie Fittler
54
Having graduated from the CMAA Junior Academy of Country Music in Tamworth, Year 9 O’Connor Catholic School student Charlie Fittler has some big dreams!
10
Teddy Tahu Rhodes. Teddy Tahu Rhodes is one of Australia’s leading opera performers, in demand on opera and concert stages world wide. This month he will perform in two concerts, organised by Opera North West in Armidale and Inverell on September 21 and 22.
16
Topper's Mountain. At the top or the world you can find Topper’s Mountain - a scenic paradise that is home to some of the most amazing wines New England has to offer. Mark Kirby introduces us to Topper’s Mountain Wine ...
42
Peter Baines.
Visiting Armidale this month is Peter Baines OAM, who will be one of the keynote speakers for the New England North West Leadership Conference - an event centred about Workplace Culture and fundraiser for the local organisation BackTrack.
4 New England focus.
the Usual
32
Suspects
12. WHAT’S ON SEPTEMBER 22. ICING ON THE CAKE WITH SUSIE DUNN 41. STAR GUIDE WITH TERRI 50. TOURISM WITH KATRINA GEORGE 52. BUSINESS MINDS WITH INGRID ROTHE
follow us on
www.facebook.com/mgl.focus/
No matter where you are in the world, read FOCUS for free online every month @ www.focusmag.com.au
Park
Newling Gardens
Barn ey S t
The Armidale School Stay connected at Tayl or S t
Mars h St
Lyn & Lynn, RetireAustralia residents
Newling Gardens offers:
Newling Gardens this year Enjoy a more connected and supported lifestyle when you make the move to the warm and welcoming community at Newling Gardens Retirement Village.
Kent ucky Call Jeremy on 0401 508 801 or Christine on 0409 273 077St It’s easy to make the most of every day with maintenance-free living, a range of activities and events, refurbished facilities and the security of village life close to shops, medical centres and public transport.
to book your tour
• • • •
Refurbished community centre Heated indoor pool Pet-friendly Gym, library & more!
WE ARE OPEN Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm Brand-new villas selling now!
173 Taylor Street, Armidale
FEATURE PROPERTIES OF THE MONTH PLUS
PLUS
Oak Tree Retire ment Villag e
$15,000*
$15,000*
Limited time only
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CASH BACK GIFT
CASH BACK GIFT
ng Gardens
Central Park
Newling Gardens
The Armidale School
• Spacious, open plan living
2
• Newly built villa
• 2 bedrooms + study
2
INDEPENDENT LIVING
Villa 174
2
• Newly built villa
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• 2 bedrooms + study • No stairs
RETIREMENT VILLAGE $392,000
• Double garage
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• Plenty cupboard space
1
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INDEPENDENT LIVING
Barn ey S t
Kent ucky St
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O Retire ak Tree ment Villag e
Newling Gardens 173 Taylor Street, Armidale
Call Jeremy on 0401 508 801 or Christine on 0409 273 077 for an appointment
retireaustralia.com.au/newlinggardens
r 90-day settling-in period expires.
RETIREMENT VILLAGE
173 Taylor Street, Armidale
*Terms and conditions apply. Available on selected properties, see our website for details. Cashback gift payable via cash cheque after 90-day settling-in period expires.
IS TH IS OL CO
20 Years of Uralla’s Thunderbolt Festival in 2018
AWARD WINNING AUSSIE GAME Disconnect. Reconnect. And have some good old fashioned fun with this award winning Australian game! The ToDo Game is a boxed collection of 30 different activities designed to help families spend more quality time together free from smart-phones, laptops and the TV. Whilst there is an educational element that has been woven throughout, the focus is primarily on creativity, imagination and the fostering of meaningful conversations between parents and their kids. You don’t need to be lucky or talented to play, and there’s no right or wrong answers. It’s about having a go, laughing and learning. Together. As a family. Available now at Things With A Difference, 153 Beardy Street, Armidale.
focustea
WITH ROSS FROM D A I LY R I T U A L A R M I D A L E
Blend
month of the
A HELPING HAND
This drought has become personal - and we can make a difference! Daily Ritual, in conjunction with the Armidale AM Rotary Club, is offering a helping hand to the our drought stricken rural community by offering a buy a bag of "Friendship Brew" tea as a fundraiser.
food hampers being sent out to the struggling rural communities.
"Friendship Brew Tea".
ALL proceeds from our “Friendship Brew" will go directly to where it is most needed via the Armidale AM Rotary Club.
Vivid Thinking,
We are also putting the "Friendship Brew" into
So, please support this initiative and enjoy the
Daily Ritual.
Where
We would like to thank New England FOCUS, Ashleigh Rote Design, Pine Tea & Coffee, UNIPrint, Armidale AM Rotary Club, Cost only $20 per bag
Find out more about other quality blends at www.dailyritual.com.au
6 New England focus.
Saturday 27th October, Thunderbolt’s Festival will come alive with the street parade themed “There’s no place like Uralla” at 10:30am, featuring: Oxley Riders Bail Up Poker Run, street performers Circus Challenge, Hot Rods and Customs, Capt Thunderbolt, antique machinery, The Fairy Lady, fire engines, schools and community groups. There will be Market Stalls amongst the shady trees in Alma Park and it’s only $2 for kids to use all the rides, including: rock climb wall, mini jeeps, giant slide, merrygo-round, a huge jumping castle and a smaller one for littlies. Live music by the Jug Addicts plus local up and coming band, Paws Up dog high jump exhibition, official opening by Mr Adam Marshall MP, billycart derby, hula hoop competition. Food will be provided by Friends of McMaughs, local schools’ BBQs, Lions Club
fairyfloss, Rocky River homebaked goodies. With Uralla Shire Council as the major sponsor and the Rotary Club of Uralla as the auspicing organisation, this year’s Thunderbolt’s Festival looks to be the biggest event yet! Fleet Warbird Adventures are once again providing the major raffle prize, with tickets available at the street stall in Uralla during the second week of October and on the day of the festival. Other activities in Uralla include a 30th anniversary dinner for Thunderbolt Statue on Friday 26th October at McCrossin’s Mill, local businesses best dressed window competition, Thunderbolt’s Bullride Classic and the Rotary Antique and Collectables Fair in November. Thunderbolt’s Festival; something for everyone in Uralla! Thunderboltsfestival.com.au
Armidale Central Collection Point for farmers.
Armidale Central has partnered with Rural Aid Australia, the Buy a Bale campaign and Woolworths Armidale to be a collection point for local farmers in need. Customers who would like to donate can leave non-perishable groceries, pet food or cash at Armidale Central Woolworths.
With two chances to play, there’s twice the fun!
Amanda Frost, Retail Manager Armidale
enough to buy a small bale of hay, and food
chance to shop
Central said, “We’re bringing the community
donations can be delivered to the families who
and win, with a
together for those who are doing it tough; we
are being tested through one of the driest
Toyota Yaris to
want to raise $9,500 - enough to send a semi-
periods our state has ever seen,” Ms Frost said.
be driven away
trailer load of hay to our struggling farmers on
What Armidale Central Buy a Bale campaign
with $1,000 of
behalf of Armidale Central.
fundraiser.
groceries, plus
“We’re kicking off the campaign with a $1,000
Where Armidale Central, Woolworths,
the chance at
donation,” she said.
225 Beardy Street , Armidale NSW 2350.
instant gift card
Buy a Bale is a branch of Rural Aid which
When 6am - 10pm Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri and
giveaways.
works to support rural communities across
Sat. 7am - 10pm Thur and 8am - 8pm Sun.
Every customer will
Australia during times of natural disasters, and
Win a car full of groceries just by
be given a game
when our communities need a helping hand.
shopping?
card to enter them in the national draw, each
“Everyone has the opportunity to make a
Yes please!
time they make a purchase - it doesn’t matter
Plus, the Sand Art Workshops will be on in week two from 10am to 4pm - all free.
difference with a small contribution. $20 is
This spring we’re giving our customers a
how big or small.
See you at Armidale Central!
Buy a Bale is a branch of Rural Aid which works to support rural communities across Australia during times of natural disasters, and when our communities need a helping hand.
Visit armidalecentral.com.au Join us for our OCTOBER School Holidays colouring in competition, featuring Christopher Robin for over sevens and under sevens to win a family pass to Belgrave Cinema.
WIN A CAR
FULL OF GROCERIES* PLUS WIN YOUR SHARE OF $15,000 IN GIFT CARDS INSTANTLY* SIMPLY MAKE A PURCHASE AT ARMIDALE CENTRAL TO COLLECT YOUR GAME CARD. ENTRIES CLOSE 5PM, SUNDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2018 ARMIDALECENTRAL.COM.AU | 225 BEARDY ST, ARMIDALE NSW 2350 | P 02 6772 3661
*TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY. MAJOR PRIZE DRAWN 10AM MONDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2018. MAJOR PRIZE WINNER WILL WIN A TOYOTA YARIS AND A $1,000 GIFT CARD TO SPEND ON GROCERIES. WINNER WILL BE NOTIFIED BY PHONE. AUTHORISED UNDER NSW LTPS/18/25172 AND SA T18/1012.
New England focus. 7
focusinterview.
Charlie Fittler
Having graduated from the CMAA Junior Academy of Country Music in Tamworth, Year 9 O’Connor Catholic College student Charlie Fittler has some big dreams! Charlie’s no stranger to busking and also performs some gigs around the local area ... you can see him next at the Armidale Relay for Life on September 29. Keep your eyes out for this rising Country Music star; he has his sights set on a Golden Guitar!
H
i Charlie. Please introduce yourself to our readers … I’m currently in Year 9 at O’Connor Catholic College. I’m the youngest in the family - the oldest is Tom; he is 22 and he works together with my dad in his plumbing business. My sister, Madeline, is 20 and is a hairdresser living in Newcastle. My mum is probably where I got my love of music. She runs our Bed and Breakfast and has a beautiful singing voice. When I am not playing the guitar on weekends, I play polocrosse for Guyra on my horse “Socks”, or I am working on the farm with my dad. How long has Armidale been your home - and what do you most like about living here? I was born and bred in Armidale. We live on a Merino wool farm on the outskirts of town. The property has been in the Fittler family since 1880, and I am the fifth generation. What I love about living in Armidale is that we have so many great teachers here on our doorstep. Students from the Country Music Academy were telling me that they spend hours getting to their lessons every week. You were exposed to music at an early age - I believe your siblings both went to NECOM - but what’s your earliest memory of attending a concert or gig? There was definitely no escaping music in my house! Tom has had singing lessons from Jennifer Warnock from early in primary school until the end of high school, and both Maddi and Tom went through NECOM choirs from Mini-singers 8 New England focus.
I like all Country Music, from traditional Australian to old school Country Rock. At the
‘til The New England bits of wisdom: “Don’t be Singers. Maddi was also another ordinary guitarist! moment I like what Luke involved in the Gondwana Play your mind, know your Combs is coming out with; Choir and is also a stuff, know your theory”. his music tells a story and has a performing artist. One of the most beat you can dance to. My earliest memory exciting achievements of singing or performing must have been would be randomly graduating from CMAA busking in Peel Street, not Junior Academy of during the festival! I was probably aged five. I Country Music in Tamworth. How were you put my cowboy hat out, and a lady gave me two selected for this opportunity? dollars. I had previously applied for the Academy and When I eventually returned to Tamworth to was unsuccessful, so I decided to concentrate busk in Peel Street when the festival was really on my musicianship and my performance, and on, I had such a great experience! I was hooked! it paid off. There are a lot of talented kids out I returned the following year and made it to the there wanting a place in the Academy; there is no Busking Championships. Busking really helps other course for Country Music like it in Australia. you develop as a performer. It’s so raw; just you It’s an intensive course, with most days being 12 standing in front of people belting out your song. hour ones. You soon get to know what works and what What were some of the highlights of your doesn't. time at the Academy? Where did your interest in Country Music Working with so many like-minded people and begin, and who are some of your favourite making lifelong friendships. There were so many singers? great moments, but co-writing a song with Travis When I was given my first guitar is when my Collins is definitely high on the list! interest in Country Music began. I couldn't play There were only 23 kids selected from across it - I just pretended to. Australia, and one even travelled from New I like all Country Music, from traditional Zealand! Being taken out of my comfort zone Australian to old school Country Rock. At the with Jayne Denham (my group leader and moment I like what Luke Combs is coming out mentor) really worked. with; his music tells a story and has a beat you Our timetable was very busy, with talks can dance to. from Amber Lawrence, Lyn Bowtell and Aleyce You’ve been playing guitar since you Simmonds, just to name a few. Mum also got to were eight, under the guidance of teacher attend the parents’ course, aimed to help parents Stephen Tafra. How has Stephen helped you understand the music industry. develop as an artist? And the final concert playing with the band I have been lucky enough to have Stephen as was so cool. my teacher and friend; he always imparts his little What are your future goals and dreams?
I would like to play at more venues; I love the energy of a crowd and I enjoy playing with my talented friends, Jack on the acoustic and electric guitar, Billy on drums, and my next-door neighbour Banjo on the banjo. I would like to write and record some of my own songs and maybe have a Golden Guitar of my own one day. Whom would you like to thank for helping you on your journey so far? Firstly, I would like to thank my family; they are so supportive. Tom and Dad work hard to ensure I am able to have great equipment and take time off work to drive me around and load and unload the car. I would also like to thank the Armidale Decorative and Fine Arts and Rotary Club of Armidale for their generous grant to help support my enrolment to the Academy. I started at Open Mic at the Grapevine when I was at primary school. Rick Cuthel, Brendan Mooney and James Cross were always encouraging me. FOCUS, for the opportunity to tell my story so far. And all the people who listen to my music and go to my gigs - thank you! And … not forgetting my Grandma; she is always in the front row, cheering me on. Where can we hear you play or find out more about you? My next gig is at the Armidale Relay for Life on 29th September. You can go to my website: www.charliefittler.com.au and my Facebook page: Charlie Fittler Music. Thanks Charlie. Interview: Jo Robinson. Photo top right courtesy of James Russell.
New England focus. 9
focusinterview.
Teddy Teddy Tahu Rhodes is one of Australia’s leading opera performers, in demand on opera and concert stages world wide. THIS MONTH HE WILL PERFORM IN TWO CONCERTS, ORGANISED BY OPERA NORTH WEST IN ARMIDALE AND INVERELL ON SEPTEMBER 21 AND 22. We asked Teddy what he enjoys most about being part of events like this.
W
hy did you become an opera singer? I was brought up with classical music and always had a deep love for it. It was really a progression from singing in my school choir. When I auditioned for the New Zealand National Youth Choir, I was required to take singing lessons, which I continued while I was at university. After graduating, I was working as an accountant when I was noticed and began my journey down that path. How did it come about? It wasn’t something I searched for; I just fell in love with that genre of music. It really came about because of the people who recognised a talent in me that gave me the opportunity to expand on and explore opera. They are truly beautiful people who did it for no benefit for themselves, apart from wanting to see someone achieve their dream. I hope I can do the same. What parts do you enjoy performing the most? I love a lot of the modern operas I have done, in particular the role of Joe in Dead Man Walking. I love playing Don Giovanni and Mephistopheles. How do you approach playing darker characters? It’s interesting playing a character like Mephistopheles, because you don’t necessarily have to play the evil. Evil can manifest from the ways the other characters perceive and respond to it. Sometimes it comes through charm. You have performed internationally - tell us about some of the highlights. I have been lucky enough to sing at some 10 New England focus.
incredible opera houses around the world. Quite purpose. As a result, I was ready when someone frankly, the highlight is that I am still asked to asked me. perform. I have just performed in Bangalow at Do you think the filming of opera by a beautiful festival. Highlights don’t necessarily companies like the Met in New York can come from performing in major opera houses, capture the magic? Should this become more but can come from any musical experiences. They widespread, with Australian and other opera are all special. companies following suit, to increase access What advice would you give young singers to great opera productions - particularly in who want to make singing a career? regional areas? When I was back in my home town of I have performed in a couple of the Met Christchurch and was working as an accountant, broadcasts, as well as being broadcast by Opera when the opportunity Australia. I don’t think came, I was prepared. you can beat the live Even though I felt experience, which is like I had no prospects visceral. The response I of becoming an opera receive from people It’s often more intimate in singer, I lived on around the world who the regional centres. THE hope. Living on hope have seen the filmed VENUES AREN’T AS meant that I would go performances is that they LARGE, SO THERE’S home and practice. would not be able to A WONDERFUL I continued with access the performances INTIMACY ABOUT singing lessons and otherwise, so I do think IT. Because there’s not as practiced at home, it’s important - more so in much access to it, it creates a regardless of whether this day and age, where great sense of event that you I felt I had any immediate access is so don’t often get in the big cities. prospects, because important. you never know I always thought it could when the opportunity be a great social event, is going to present particularly in some of the itself. You have to be ready for the opportunity. regional areas. It could be treated as a "Night at You can’t take an opportunity that’s given to you, the Opera". unless you’ve done the work in the first place. What’s the best thing about performing to People often talk about lucky breaks. I was very regional audiences? fortunate in getting a lucky break, but I wouldn’t I always say that it doesn’t matter where you have got it if I hadn’t have been ready to take the perform; the audiences are there because they opportunity. I spent hours and hours and hours in love the music and the experience. It’s often the practice room, just because I loved doing it. I more intimate in the regional centres. The venues was learning pieces that seemed to have no end aren’t as large, so there’s a wonderful intimacy
about it. Because there’s not as much access to it, it creates a great sense of event that you don’t often get in the big cities. Whether I perform to one person or 1,000 people, the performance has to be the same. Every performance is equally important. When you last performed at Opera in the Paddock in 2016, you appeared on stage with tenor Bradley Daley wearing black tie with shorts and Blundstones. Can we expect to see a repeat of this sartorial extravagance? I don’t think the audience wants to see these old legs again! The legs will be well and truly hidden, unless there is a special request. While it was a lot of fun and appropriate for the paddock, I think there’s a more sophisticated sense of style that we will adhere to for the Town Halls. You have performed previously with Opera North West. What are you looking forward to when you return in September? I’m very much looking forward to performing the comic duet from the Elixir of Love with local opera star Peta Blyth, as well as performing with Ruth Strutt and Henry Choo. Henry is a beautiful singer and very entertaining. I think the Inverell and Armidale audiences are in for a treat. I’m very much aware of the challenges people are facing dealing with the drought. It is a pleasure to be able to allow people to feel and bring them some enjoyment. It’s a bit like trying to imagine the world without birds. If we didn’t have the birds and the beautiful sound they create, a great beauty in life would be gone. I think that’s what music’s like. Imagine the void that would be left if we didn’t have the magic of music in the world. Thanks Teddy.
FOCUS distributes 12,000 copies every month across the New England - via our home delivery and direct to businesses. If you happen to miss out on one at home, or are visiting from out of town, then please visit one of our outlets by the 10th of the month to grab your free copy. OUR OUTLETS • • • •
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Kentucky Public School Explore the potential of enrolling your student at an exceptional local primary school. Kentucky Public Schools offers a wide range of outstanding learning programs and experiences, including: • Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program involving students cultivating, harvesting, preparing and eating their own food; • The State Small Schools Marimba Ensemble, of which the school is the base school, provides students with the opportunity to perform at high quality venues, including the Sydney Opera House and annual Schools Spectacular; • Music instrumental tuition programs; • Quality sports program, including attendance at Summer and Winter Sports Centres, involving activities such as sailing, downhill skiing and rock climbing; • Regular high standard achieved in external testing, supported by regular and extracurricular teaching and learning programs; • Promotion of student leadership opportunities; • Emphasis on providing students with a solid base in Literacy and Numeracy skills; • Cross Country and BMX track with weekly bike-education program; • Subsidised excursion program through ownership of a school bus; • Annual stage musical involving all students; • Fruit and soup program provided each week before school; • High levels of applied technology, including extensive robotics and coding resources, regularly accessed by students; • Small Schools networking opportunities; • Active and committed P&C, promoting high levels of parent and community involvement in school life.
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New England focus. 11
focus_What’s On New England
First Saturday chats
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Our next First Saturday chats will be hosted by Elizabeth Stahlut (Solicitor) from 10am to 1pm at the Legal Minds offices at 157 Beardy Street, The Mall, Armidale, on Saturday 1st September 2018. As this is a popular programme, bookings are essential on (02) 6788 1100.
S E P T E M B E R
What’s
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Banquet a Musical Feast
The Shakers of North America Their Beliefs, Architecture and Artefacts - 6th September 2018 (Michael Hoskins Centre, TAS) with John Ericson (NADFAS Lecturer). John was formerly a lecturer at the University of Bath, where he was Director of Studies in the School of Education with responsibility for the professional development of teachers. He has worked extensively overseas as an educational consultant, and this has given him the opportunity to give lectures and presentations at conferences all over the world. Bookings www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=346046&
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Walcha Sculpture Symposium Finale
Public Guided Tours of Open Air Gallery, 1 - 2pm. Concluding Show and BBQ, Walcha Showground, 2:30 - 4:30pm. When Sat 15th September. More info walchansw.com.au/whats-on/ or phone Walcha Tourism on 6774 2460.
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Open Mic night
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Wednesday 12th September. Head down to The Red Grapevine and enjoy some music - or maybe make a little. When 7pm - close.
Internationally acclaimed bass baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes returns for two GALA CONCERTS in Armidale and Inverell. Joining Teddy will be one of Australia’s finest lyric coloratura tenors, Henry Choo with Opera Australia rising star, mezzo soprano Ruth Strutt, and soprano Peta Blyth. Opera North West is proud to introduce fine pianist Rhodri Clarke in an evening of music not to be missed! September 21, 7:30pm, Armidale Town Hall. September 22, 7:30pm, Inverell Town Hall. Bookings open May 24. Booking for both events through TryBooking.com Bookings essential, as seating will be limited.
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Walcha Farmers’ Market Fresh produce, gourmet food, espresso coffee, homemade milkshakes and lemonade, plants, beautiful body products and more ... When Third Saturday of the month (excluding winter) - Saturday 15th September, 8:30am - 12:30pm. Where McHattan Park, Cnr Fitzroy and South Streets, Walcha. More info at http://walchafarmersmarket.org.au
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Spring Markets
This month it’s spring time, and the markets are excited to celebrate September in style, as we move towards the warmer part of the year. Our stallholders can’t wait to show what’s on offer, as we are lucky to have five Sundays in September, meaning a bigger and better market for all. Come on down on Sunday 30th September to celebrate the September Markets in the Mall!
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Cocker T H E M A N and his M U S I C
Music-lovers and UNE graduates have a unique opportunity to relive the worldrenowned sound of Joe Cocker with a truly fantastic tribute show, “Cocker - the Man and his Music” presented by Red, White & Sticky in association with Whyworry Wines on Saturday 27th October at the Whyworry vineyard, 376 Kingstown Road, Uralla. Gates open at 1pm.
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OCKER - the Man and his Music - celebrates Joe Cocker’s classic hits and unique sound from his 1969 Mad Dogs and Englishmen Tour to his later hits, including Cry Me A River, Feelin’ Alright, With a Little Help from My Friends, Delta Lady, Unchain My Heart, Many Rivers to Cross, You are So Beautiful, Leave your Hat On, She Came in through the Bathroom Window and many more. The 7-piece band consists of enthusiastic and talented musicians from across the Blues and Rock scene in South East Queensland, led by singer Bruce Bird (widely regarded as having a Joe Cocker voice like no other) Paul Rea (Keyboard) and including Mal Zego (Lead Guitar), Rachael Hale (Vocalist), Anna Quale (Vocalist) and Andrew Enquirda (Percussion/Drums). “Joe Cocker erupted into a musical career which spanned five decades, a truly remarkable achievement for a singer who left nothing in the tank at every performance,” said Bruce Bird. “He performed and re-interpreted classic Pop songs which he made his own, and he
became a household name. He toured with some of the world’s best musicians and delivered spectacular high energy shows. In later life, Joe lived happily on his farm in Colorado for many years. Sadly, he succumbed to lung cancer in December 2014. “Everyone in the band grew up as huge fans of Joe Cocker’s gritty sound and passion, and we view him as one of the most iconic musicians in rock history” said Bruce Bird. “We’ve worked very hard to create a show that celebrates this passion and honours Joe Cocker’s legacy.” Paul Rea, who replicates Leon Russell keyboards in the tribute show, had an opportunity to experience music with the man himself when Cocker toured Brisbane in 1981. “Joe Cocker stayed at the Park Royal Hotel on his Australian tour in the early eighties, where I was the resident pianist in the Walnut Room,” Paul Rea said. “He and his entourage were in the Walnut Room one night having a few drinks whilst I was playing, and before I knew it, Joe came up behind me and started singing along. People started gathering around from all over - it was a night I’ll
never forget.” Cocker - the Man and his Music will also be supported throughout the afternoon by local musicians/bands, including Devo Devrim, Sherona Rose Trio, Slim & Sheila Knacquers and Crooked Tree. On site catering will be supplied by Ayush Shrestha and Ukesh Prajapati of Armidale’s Black Jacks Beer and Burger Bar, with Whyworry Wines and New England Brewery supplying beverages on site. The Rural Fire Service will be providing soft drinks. Tickets for the concert can be purchased at www.trybooking.com/VKJR or at the offices of Legal Minds, 157 Beardy Street (Mall), Armidale or by phone on 1300 642 166. Further details can also be found at www.redwhitesticky.com. au - adults $38.50, students $33.00, children $28.50 and family (2x adults and 2 x children) $110.00 Edwards Bus service will leave from the tourist information centre in Armidale and UNE at various intervals during the afternoon to transport patrons to and from the concert for $10.00 return and from Uralla for $5.00 return. Bring your own chair! New England focus. 13
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It’s been a whirlwind few years for the dynamic Brisbane band Sheppard. FOCUS spoke with front man George about their latest album and their huge regional tour!
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n 2018 who completes the Sheppard line up? harmonies, reverbed guitars anything that was big and fun The current lineup of Sheppard is, Amy my sister and exciting. We just did our best to draw from all of the with Blue hair, Emma my other sister on bass awesome experiences that we had on the first tour and with Blond hair, Jason Davino, who is one of the write big songs. principle song writers with Amy and me. And we When it comes to musicality, what or who inspires have Michael Butler on lead guitar, Ian Gordon on the you personally? drums, and myself. Theres always somebody different, but the band I always Earlier this year you released come back to for me personally is ‘Watching the Sky’ which has Coldplay, I think they’re one of the best been really well received, how bands in the world. For what they’ve did you find the witting and been able to do over the course of Big singalongs are production process of this album their career and the way that they keep what you can expect. as opposed to your earlier album reinventing themselves, how universally We just put so much ‘Bombs Away’? emotional their music is, I think its just, energy and effort into I think when we were doing they’re really a huge inspiration for every single show we Bombs Away, we didn’t really have me, I remember going to a Coldplay do; the crowd always any idea of the kind of venues we’f concert, I think it was ‘Viva La Vida’ picks up on that and be playing and the kind of audiences and I watched Chris Martin captivate gives it back to us; it’s we’d playing to so we were just an entire audience, an entire arena full like a magnifying effect. writing whatever we felt like, and of people, with just him and his voice when we got to these big arenas on the piano, and everyone was just and walked into 100,000 people I on the edge of their seat watching this think we felt that a couple of the guy do his thing, ands that was the songs were too folky acoustic and it just didn’t feel right initial moment for me where I could see myself doing that to be playing such big arenas with this kind of music. So as a job. What do you love most about working alongside your we went back to the drawing board and we built this sisters Emma and Amy? album from the ground up to be played in big venues, we Well I think the best part about it is you can be wanted to make sure that we were thinking about the live completely honest with each other, and actually have the show the entire time.There was a lot of focus on making fights and not worry about breaking up the band. In a anthemic pumping drums, anthemic choruses, soaring
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creative relationship its so important to be authentic and honest with one and other and I guess we don’t ever have to tread on eggshells or worry about whatever we say. Tell us about the tour, what can we expect? Big singalongs is what you can expect, we just put so much energy and effort into every single show that we do, the crowd always picks up on that and gives it back to us, its like a magnifying effect. It compounds. By the end of it I feel like everybody is on a really big high, we have such a good time up on stage and we give it our all, whats been really interesting for us is we’ve been playing these songs from ‘Watching the Sky’ for about a year now and its always awkward for a band to play music that hasn’t been released yet, or nobody knows. People just want to hear the old stuff, but I think in this instance the audience are all trying to sing along before they know the songs, so we are really excited to get out there now and play these songs to people who’ve ha a chance to buy and listen to the album. After the show, fans have the opportunity to meet you guys… After every show on this tour, we set up a table and we can meet with fans and sign merch. Thanks George
plug! Don’t miss Sheppard, West Tamworth Leagues Club, Tamworth. Saturday 15th September. www.wearesheppard.com
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Four well known local artists, Emily Simson, Robyn Jackson, Anna Henderson and Stuart Boggs, will be showcasing their new works in an exhibition at Gallery 126.
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he four artists are all landscape painters; however, they approach and interpret the landscape in very different ways. The exhibition opens on Friday 14th September, with the artists in the gallery from 5pm - 7pm to meet and chat about their works. Here’s a little of what they have to say about their new works and their approach to artmaking. Artist - Emily Simson I am making artworks using images and memories of trees in the local nature reserves and natural remnants seen on the roadside between towns in the New England and North West. Fascinated by the striking shadows made by tree trunks and glimmering light and dark speckled through the leaves, I take photos, make drawings in black and white, then paint or make lino prints. To paint I use acrylic paints on board or canvas, building and covering layers as the image changes. The lino blocks are carved, inked, then transferred to paper like a monotype,
allowing me to add drawing elements, tone and blend colours. Artist - Robyn Jackson My paintings for this exhibition have been taken from drawings done on field trips around the New England area and then developed back in my studio. My aim is to evoke emotion and a sense of place, through years of familiarity with the area, constant viewing, and teasing out the connotations that lie within, using colour, movement, depth and form. New England Granite 50 x 50 cm acrylic on paper - a warm blast of orange evening light over a large flat granite rock, juxtapose the mayhem surrounding the native bush. This is painted with the memory of the smells of the eucalypt and dryness underfoot during many summertime hikes in this area for me. Artist - Anna Henderson I live in a fairly isolated area about 33 kilometres on the eastern side of Guyra. My shed, at the moment, is a bit off a challenge rather chilly! I have been making art now for a lot of years. I paint, using mixed media on
THE EXHIBITION OPENS ON FRIDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER AT 5PM AT GALLERY 126, 126 JESSIE ST, ARMIDALE AND RUNS UNTIL SATURDAY 20TH OCTOBER. 14TH SEPTEMBER - 20TH OCTOBER.
wood, creating semi abstract landscapes with lots of texture and many layers. I like to be able to walk into my paintings exploring, feeling and finding so many different places and shadows. The houses, so many more stories. The paintings are complemented with low fired hand built and wheel throw pots that are raku, sawdust or saggar fired. Artist - Stuart Boggs My paintings are all new works on paper and canvas combining the influence of two very different landscapes, which are both affected by water or lack thereof. The first of these is the Liverpool Plains, where I recently spent a week drawing and painting en plein air with a group of other artists at Little Kickerbell
near Quirindi. The second influence is the New England landscape, which I keep coming back to. I am a contemporary landscape painter; however, there is usually something recognisable in my paintings. They are influenced by memories of light and colour, giving an emotional response. The exhibition opens on Friday 14th September at 5pm at Gallery 126, 126 Jessie St, TONY SEVIL Armidale and runs until Saturday 20th October. 14th September - 20th October.
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MARK KIRBY
Topper’s MOUNTAIN
At the top or the world you can find Topper’s Mountain … A SCENIC PARADISE THAT IS HOME TO SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING WINES NEW ENGLAND HAS TO OFFER … MARK KIRBY INTRODUCES US TO TOPPER’S MOUNTAIN WINES; with 14 (soon to be 18!)varieties of grapes grown on site, there’s bound to be a wine that suits your palate. Give the team at Topper’s a heads up before you visit, so they’ll be on hand to provide you with a wine tasting and fabulous charcuterie plate at the cellar door …
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i Mark. Where did your history/interest in the wine industry begin? From the “draining the bottle” end of the industry, my involvement began at uni, but this time wasn’t a very cerebral approach to the wonders of the world of wine! My involvement from the “filling the bottle” end, i.e. the viticulture and oenology end of the industry, began in the late 1990s, when we bought Topper’s Mountain. Prior to this, a partnership from Moree of my two brothers’ families and Peter and Jenni Birch decided in the early 1990s to shift focus from annual broadacre crops such as cotton and wheat on the Moree Plains to horticulture - Gwydir Grove was the first blossoming of this move, and Topper’s Mountain the second. But my family’s history in the NENW goes back a long way before this - our great grandfather moved to Moree in the 1860s, and my brother and I still own his son’s original selection, Glen Prairie, from 1874. When did you establish Topper's Mountain Vineyard - and why did you choose this location? The partnership mentioned above was the Thunderbolt’s Rock Partnership, and it purchased Topper’s Mountain in 1998. 16 New England focus.
Peter Birch is an agronomist who consulted happening this coming spring. all over the NSW North West, and he also has Of the wide variety of grapes grown at his own light ‘plane. From his bird’s-eye view your vineyard, there are some our readers while in the air, Peter knew all the good bits of may never have heard about! Why is your dirt in the region. He knew Topper’s Mountain vineyard particularly suited to growing is a degraded basalt cap and that such soils are such a large selection? excellent deep, freeIt’s not so much that draining horticultural Topper’s is suited to soils. When Topper’s growing such a large Mountain came on selection of varieties, The wines and blends we the market in early as I’ve found it hard to make come from a fusion 1998, on Peter’s separate those really of Mike’s decades of recommendation we kicking goals from those experience making all had a look at it and merely doing well. wines, in emerging bought it. It has taken the varieties, knowledge Describe the property Europeans and other and local markets ... how many hectares old world wine regions and my penchant to do do you currently have centuries to home in on things differently ... planted with grapes, the few varieties that are and what's the best suited to each of their overall terrain like? regions, so this process Topper’s is on the requires time, patience and north side Tingha at the very viticulturally loving attention to detail. cool-climate altitude of 900 m. It is open Having said that, it is quite remarkable that and undulating Tablelands rangeland with a Topper’s can produce excellent and acclaimed wonderful view on the watershed between the wines from such a range of varieties. For Gwydir and MacIntyre Rivers. instance, early ripening Gewurztraminer hails The vineyard is 10 Ha and nurtures far too from Alto Adige in north-eastern Italy and many grape varieties - the count is currently Alsace in France, and late ripening Nebbiolo 14 and about to rise to 18, with more grafting comes from much warmer Piemonte in western
Italy - these two varieties would and could never be found in the same vineyard in the old world. Who is responsible for making your wines, and how do they come up with new blends? Mike Hayes is our winemaker - he’s based in Stanthorpe in our neighbouring wine region, The Granite Belt. Mike was the 2017 ASVO Winemaker of the Year. This is the plus side of being where we are - a young winery in an unknown wine region. This allows us to do what we like, unconstrained by history. The wines and blends we make come from a fusion of Mike’s decades of experience making wines, in emerging varieties, knowledge and local markets and my penchant to do things differently - mostly sitting around the winery tasting bench with a table full of samples in front of us! My family says, “Why do things the easy way, when you can do them the Kirkby way?” Recently a young fella, Jan Taborsky, has joined the team, and he’s moving us into some new wine styles influenced by his European heritage - he’s Czech - including a skin contact Gewurz, a traditional Portuguese blend of Touriga, Tinta Cao and Tinta Roriz fermented in Georgian qvervi (large earthenware vessels
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that are buried in the ground to control temperature) and a Pet Nat (Petillant Naturale the original winemaking technique that results in lightly sparkling wines). What's your wine making philosophy? Mike and I focus on making wines that sing of their home and heritage - their unique Topper’s terroir. We do this by unrelenting focus on quality in the vineyard, use of wild yeast from the vineyard for fermentation and minimal winemaking adjustments and additions. Your wines have won so many awards, it'd be impossible to list them all here. You were also a finalist in this year's Armidale Regional Business Awards for Customer Service - Hospitality. What does it mean to you and your team to be acknowledged in this way? It makes us proud and humbled in equal measure. We were only involved in the Regional Business Awards because some of our
In fact, we are due to give the vines a little drink in the next few days to start to help prepare them up for spring - which is going to be upon us before we know, it I suspect. Budburst will be about the Probably our biggest third week of September, but fear resulting from the we can get frosts into customers nominated dry period is the increased late October or even us for the awards, so likelihood of spring frost, early November, so a it’s very comforting to which can be devastating lot of pondering BOM know that our efforts for grapes. Budburst will forecasts and our weather to show cellar door be about the third week station output is on the cards visitors an enjoyable of September, but we can until mid-November! and instructive peek get frosts into late October into the production end or even early November, of the wine industry are so a lot of pondering appreciated and hitting BOM forecasts and our their intended mark. weather station output is on the cards until Terrible drought has affected so many mid-November! areas of our country this year. Has your What's the best way for us to try your area been largely affected - and what wines? impact has this had (if any) on your The best way to try our wines are production? • Local outlets such as the Royal, White Bull, The drought is terrible in our little corner of Railway and St. Kilda Hotels, Red Grapevine heaven and the broader region at the moment. and Charlie’s Last Stand in Armidale, However, our vines are dormant now and have • The Visitors’ Info Centre, the General low soil moisture requirements. Additionally, Merchant, the Inverell Club and the Australian we have plenty of water from a large dam and Hotel in Inverell a very productive underground bore.
• The Rest Point Motor Inn and Great Central Hotel in Glen Innes • New England Brewing in Uralla We’d love to see you at our Cellar Door for tastings with a charcuterie plate. Being off the beaten track, it’s only open by appointment call Colin 0420 902 554 or Mark 0411 880 580 or visit www.toppers.com.au for details. Our website www.toppers.com.au is also where you can join our Top100 Wine Club, to make sure you don’t run out! I'm sure you love all your wines ... but if you had to recommend something special that's ready to drink now, and also something that would be terrific to cellar for a few years - what would be your top picks? Ready to enjoy now: • 2015 Gewurztraminer, fantastic with Asian curries while it’s still cool, then with Asian stirfries, fruity salads and strong cheeses once the weather warms. One to cellar: • 2016 wild ferment Petit Manseng - a white wine that thinks it’s a red as it relaxes into middle age. Great with chicken stews, duck and pork dishes. Thanks Mark. Interview: Jo Robinson.
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Phone repairs Armidale
It’s no surprise that in today’s world of smartphones and 24/7 digital connectivity that a growing market is the mobile phone repairs business.
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rmidale is lucky to have a fantastic business that does just that - and the Markets team is excited to have Bruce Graham of Armidale Phone Repairs as a supporter and stallholder. Bruce Graham has been fixing phones since 2013 and started his business when a group of friends asked him to fix their broken phone screens. Bruce is a trained
you’re looking for that next birthday or Christmas gift, look no further than Bruce. As a local employer and being passionate about the community, Armidale Phone Repairs is your one stop shop for that pesky broken screen or dodgy home button on your smartphone. You can find Bruce in the Mall arcade on 30th September 2018.
qualified electronics technician, trained through Amalgamated Wireless Australia (“AWA”) and has been fixing all means of electronics for many years. Armidale Phone Repairs offers a unique service with a guarantee that they fix all brands of phones and tablets and offer expert same day service. Bruce also buys and sells phones and tablets, so if
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e Don’t miss thional NENW Reg ummit Leadership Sinner and Gala D tember on 13th Sep 2018.
summit NENW
Regional Leadership
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mazing International Leadership Speakers • James Kerr, best selling author and high-performance expert • Elka Whalan, Olympian, wife, mother, TV personality, • Peter Baines, OAM, author, founder of Hands Across the Water Australia Regional Speakers • BackTrack Panel: Zac, Marcus, Bailie and Megan • Regional Women in Leadership Panel: Kasey Patterson (Invest Blue), Becky Smouha (Rag & Trader Store) and Shannan Feneley (Greater Bank) • Chris Rose: Crest Performance • Diane Gray: Change Play Pty Ltd • CHAIR - Tim Coates: Joblink Plus
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AND GALA DINNER
STOP: • Workplace silos • Avoiding the tough conversations • Hiring the wrong people BUILD: • A place of CONSCIOUS GIVING - THE HEART OF WORKPLACE CULTURE • Your purpose to attract the right people • Your leadership skills - a never-ending legacy for our future generations Proceeds go to support BACKTRACK, a regional organisation working with young people (aged mostly between 12 - 18) who are having a hard time, and who would otherwise fall through the cracks. BackTrack have three jobs ... keep kids alive, keep kids out of gaol, and help them chase their hopes and
dreams. With support from business and community leaders, BackTrack can do more for more young people ... this is often their last chance at living a decent life, so be a difference maker. Early bird tickets and group discounts available at https://changeplay.com.au/ summit/ Proudly supported by: Armidale Regional Council Joblink Plus Hands Across the Water NENW Business Chamber Welders Dog FOCUS Quality Hotel Powerhouse And many more …
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love
JAMBOREE Currently on show at NERAM is a whimsical ceramic sculpture exhibition entitled “Love Jamboree”, which is a celebration of the joys of everyday life.
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hese fine porcelain ceramic artworks have been created by Walcha artist Myf Gullifer. Although Myf has only been crafting these marvellous creations for twelve years, she displays an extraordinary understanding of the medium she uses and it is astounding that each of these intricate and often delicate works are created from one block of clay.
with a fertile imagination.
the theme of each sculpture.
These objects range from skeins of wool, to drinking straws to record players to caravans and can literally include the kitchen sink.
This is Myf’s sixth exhibition, her first at NERAM, and it is on until the end of September.
Myf’s inspiration comes from the everyday objects round her, which she manages to transform into works of art using her sense of humour, combined
The situations Myf places them in are zany and funny and the works usually include a caption, almost like a punchline, which gives extra insight into
The central character in most of Myf’s works is a voluptuous blonde clad in fishnet stockings and red high heels, and her side kick is a dog called Lucky, who wears only a Zoro mask.
Her seventh exhibition will open in Sydney in mid September. Love Jamboree - NERAM, 17th August to 30th September. Domestique - King Street Gallery on William, Sydney, 11th September to 6th October. Photo: Darrel Whan. For further information, visit www.neram.com.au
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LOCALS 4 LOCALS
Winners every month! It’s easy to see Locals 4 Locals love giving cash and prizes to you and me - August being no exception! Winning cold, hard cash has never been easier; all you need to do is shop and enter at your favourite shops. The more times you enter, the more entries you have to win.
The lucky winners include Don Porter, who
All these winners each won $100 in Locals 4
ing dollars in the community too! That’s a
gets high quality gear from MyCar Sound
Locals Gift Cards in the Draw. Locals 4 Locals
winner for everyone.
& Communications; Emma Hooper, feeding
are always ready to support local businesses
When you spend your hard earned dollars,
the family well at Jacksons Quality Meats;
and the local community by continuing
why not spend them where it matters? Look
Geraldine Perkins picked up some goodies
this amazing service of finding five lucky
for the Locals 4 Locals sign in the shopfront
for the home at Things With a Difference;
winners.
of your favourite stores. Register your entry
Ian Simpson looks after his animal friends by
With so many Locals 4 Locals members
at the counter. That’s it! You have one entry
shopping at Armidale Pet Shop & Aquarium;
located in town, you’d be hard pressed to
in the L4L price pool. The more times you
and Liz O’Brien rests easy, knowing Rapid-
shop anywhere else! Not only does it boost
shop at participating businesses, the higher
Clean is on the job!
our local economy but businesses spend-
your chances to win! New England focus. 19
focusinterview.
NECOM presents its biennial choral concerts on Sunday 21st October. Stand by for another award-winning choral spectacular that will put Armidale in the national spotlight.
I
magine hearing 800 K - Year 12 students from over 30 regional schools and an 80-piece orchestra performing a breathtaking program of Australian music, including two specially written commissions from composers Dan Walker and Felix Riebl. Sound like a huge undertaking? Not
In the lead-up to this I've been working with the wonderful choirs of the New England Conservatorium, as well as the combined schools choir, rehearsing the music and explaining the relevance of the thematic material to the singers.
for the New England Conservatorium and AMTA (Armidale Music Teachers Association), who have been presenting this choral spectacular every two years 20 New England focus.
since 2010, each one bigger and better than the last. Preparations for New England Sings! are now in full swing, and it’s already looking to exceed the high bar that was set by New England Sings! that in the past has won the national APRA/ AMCOS Awards for Excellence in Music Education and Excellence in Regional Music. Felix Riebl is a singer, songwriter and composer of the internationally acclaimed band The Cat Empire, with a significant number of platinum albums under their belt. He has also composed music for the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony (2006), Australia Day Spectacular (2013) and Gondwana Choirs. Felix will be attending the final weekend of rehearsals and will perform with the mass choir/orchestra at the New England Sings! concerts. Sydney composer, conductor and performer Dan Walker is one of Australia’s most in-demand choral specialists. He has been composer-inresidence for the Moorambilla Festival for the past six years. Dan is an active arranger and regularly produces work for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
and record label ABC Classics. His work for television includes the iconic 2009 I Still Call Australia Home advertising campaign for Qantas. Dan has composed three pieces for this year’s New England Sings! specifically for the primary choirs. As the primary choirs' commissioned composer, what is your background? I've been something of a choral music specialist for the last 15 or so years, writing a lot of music for choirs of all ages, as well as singing as a chorister and soloist myself and conducting various choirs. I particularly enjoy writing music for young singers; there is an energy and an earnest quality to their voices I find particularly inspiring. I also find they are really receptive to performing new music and take command of the responsibility and sense of ownership that goes with premiering a newly commissioned work. What is your connection to New England? This is my second New England Sings! as composer-in-residence for the primary choirs, but my connection
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Sings! 2018 NEW ENGLAND
to New England is several generations older than that. Both my mother's and father's families are from Glen Innes (my grandparents lived three houses away from each other in the same street, which made visits very convenient!) and I have always had a close affinity with the history and landscape of the area. How are you involved in New England Sings! this year? This year I have written a series of three short works for the combined primary school choir called Fire and Light, which I will be fortunate enough to conduct the premiere of, alongside some other fabulous pieces, in the concert. In the lead-up to this I've been working with the wonderful choirs of the New England Conservatorium, as well as the combined schools choir, rehearsing the music and explaining the relevance of the thematic material to the singers. It has been written especially for them after all! You mentioned your composition for the combined primary choirs is called Fire and Light - what can audiences expect to hear? My main aim when composing for singers is that the music should be just as fun and engaging for the performers as it is for the audience. My musical influences are pretty
In addition to a choir of hundreds, the Armidale Youth Orchestra is heavily This year I have written a involved in the event. series of three short works Russell Bauer is the CEO diverse, but there are for the combined primary of the New England elements of pop, film and school choir called 'Fire Conservatorium of classical music in these and Light', which I will be Music and is the three works. I wanted to fortunate enough to conduct the current conductor of explore the idea of light premiere of, alongside some other the Armidale Youth and fire as not only a fabulous pieces, in the concert. Orchestra (AYO). destructive force, but one Mr Bauer, it’s been a of inspiration and hope. big year already for As a result, the themes the AYO; can you tell range from the effect of bushfires to the idea us about how they’re involved this time of looking towards the stars for knowledge around? and innovation. Quite the gamut of emotions! The timing of AYO’s programs this year could What’s it like hearing your music in an not be better. We started the year with a camp event like this one? to introduce students to their new repertoire, As a composer, we never tire of hearing which was then played at the annual Garden our own music performed for the first time. Party and the local Eisteddfod. The orchestra’s For me, the New England Sings! experience is 50th birthday was celebrated in mid-August not only a chance for these young singers to with a huge celebration concert. With New perform interesting and evocative repertoire England Sings! in October, it means that the with a large number of like-minded individuals, students still have seven weeks to now prepare but also a chance for us as composers to for the largest regional choral festival in meaningfully contribute to the Australian Australia. musical landscape. The pieces commissioned For students who have already performed over the years for this festival have been in a previous New England Sings!, they seem written with inclusiveness, accessibility and particularly excited about the opportunity enjoyment at their core, which means they to perform original works by Australian continue to be performed and be enjoyed by composers. It’s almost as though the first young choristers both here and overseas long rehearsal of the commissioned work is like a past their premiere.
special unveiling. After just two rehearsals of Riebl’s Angel, the students are already excited about this year’s performance. This is your first New England Sings! since arriving in Armidale. What is it about this event that stands out to you? What I appreciate most about this festival is that it has youth music as its focus. It is inclusive, which means that children in small rural schools have the chance to perform massed choral and instrumental works. For me personally, I’m also thrilled that New England Sings! is a showcase of Australian composition. The New England Conservatorium will present New England Sings! in two concerts on Sunday 21st October at 11am and 2:30pm. The concerts feature many well known songs, as well as the new commissions for Combined Primary Schools Choirs and for the Combined Secondary Choir and Armidale Youth Orchestra. Tickets have been selling like hotcakes, with over 700 of the 1,100 tickets across the two concerts already sold at the time of publication. Make sure to book early to avoid disappointment!
New England Sings! Sunday 21st October, Lazenby Hall, UNE at 11am AND 2:30pm. www.trybooking.com/WXRS Adults $25 (no concessions), FT students $15. Seating is limited, so book your tickets now. NECOM www.necom.org.au Tel: 6788 2137. New England focus. 21
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focusinterview.
WITH SUSIE DUNN
Icing ON
CAKE
Alice Cairns and Justine Kavanagh
HEAVENS TO 2 The often-quoted economist Keynes famously said, "When the facts change I change my mind. What do you do?" I’d begun my column, then realised the continuing drought had changed things. And, I found a 2008 photographic publication from Canberra’s Old Parliament House called "Beyond Reasonable Drought".
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his current apparently endless, grinding drought matters, and it’s the people, the animals and the hopes being tested beyond the limits in so many places. Now is not the time to be apportioning blame or radically reorganising. Some of us will change our minds about management for the future, but that’s for then, not now. People are tested in all sorts of ways. Four years ago, the Yazidi people suffered a genocidal massacre at the hands of Isis and thousands were trapped on a barren mountain with no food or water. Thousands killed and thousands fled. Armidale has welcomed 24 Yazidi families, and on August 3 they organised a commemorative ceremony, inviting the community to be with them. At the City Church Hall they folded us into a shared understanding of terrible events. Then, through translators, said how much they wanted to become part of our community, contributing to the region. Their lives changed in unimaginable ways and now they look to a different future. The excited smiles of their children can give us hope. Modern Australia is built on migrants and refugees, following the early settlers, and above all, on the First Nations here. The future is with us - coming ready or not. Some of the horror stories involving smart devices are simply creepy - a hospital dishwasher garnering patient details, a toothbrush wanting to know your exact whereabouts, a vacuum cleaner wanting to record on your mobile phone … gosh! School children will hopefully learn to deal with these things. I hope they’ll also learn a wider understanding e.g. what if the power grid fails, or is hacked and turned off? Life can function in multiple ways. Thoughtful, questioning, flexible citizens are what we hope our educational system produces. State Government has picked us to trial a fully-automated driverless shuttle vehicle, operating firstly at UNE this year, then in town. This one doesn’t fly. Yet? Lots of practical questions, but we’ll accommodate and move on if the vehicles prove themselves.
22 New England focus.
One of the big questions for us is how rural media will find its future place. I’m proud of the range and purpose of Focus, but we also need mediated regional information, plus ensuring the Bush takes the battle to communicate with the cities right up to them. Cities need our food, fibre and population spread. We definitely need new, better strategies to promote ourselves. Congratulations Guyra’s James Jackson, elected president of NSW Farmers at its annual conference. May he fight the good fight. A UNE appointment catching my eye was Professor David Lamb’s as Chief Scientist of the Food Agility CRC. An interesting concept. Now: the curious range of Armidale’s café zoo culture. Paper Tiger and The Fat Hare have joined Fat Goose Crossing and 2 Goats and a Baa. Best wishes to them all. Who knows where the next culinary animal will graze? Plus, good to see where Courtneys traded for so long now with mother and daughter team, Anne and Belle, opening their "eclectic" store mixing old, new and local. Got to the fundraiser for the ACCKP sponsorship of Bevan Quinlin’s Rotary Study Exchange to Denmark. Say "hullo" to Princess Mary for us, Bevan! Glad to have been here for NERAM’s opening of Myf Gullifer’s clever, fun, naughty sculptures. Catch them if you can! Sadly, there are lists of events I’ve missed because of others … I particularly regret ADMS’s Heathers, as well as the wonderful International Film Festival at the Belgrave. It’s truly impossible to see everything. I got to the Business Chamber Awards night though! Promoting positive, switched-on approaches to business conditions, this year’s Awards were notable for the predominance of young people. Business of the Year was Meralli Solar. Armidale’s Sustainable House tour is September 8/9, with a range of offerings. Guyra’s Passion on the Platform Degustation (plus Train!) is September 15. Susie Dunn.
TARYN BRUMFITT Taryn Brumfitt is the fiercely passionate thought leader behind The Body Image Movement and the director of the inspiring social-change documentary "Embrace".
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mbrace was supported by nearly The post went viral and caused a sensation glob9,000 Kickstarter pledgers and went ally. Taryn now unashamedly loves her body and on to reach millions of viewers in has made it her life mission for women around Australia and internationally. the world to feel that same joy. Taryn’s global crusade to end In Embrace Yourself, Taryn shares her story and the body dissatisfaction epidemic has seen her offers practical ways for readers to embrace their recognised by the United Nations Women, bodies, and live happier and healthier lives. She Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls and the Geena Davis has also collected honest, funny and affirming Institute. Named alongside Beyonce and Emma contributions from body image activists such as Watson in Brigitte magazine’s "Women of the actor Teresa Palmer, former Australian ParalymYear", Taryn’s positively infectious voice and pian Jessica Smith, photographer Jade Beall, PhD powerful message has reached over 200 million Researcher Dr Linda Bacon and founder of the people. Sydney Skinny Nigel Marsh. Embrace Yourself is Do you hate your body the ultimate "how-to" and want to learn how to guide to loving your let go of the unhappiness body at every shape it brings? Do you just want To celebrate the launch of and size by director to reach a greater-sense ‘Embrace’ Taryn is travelling of award-winning of body-loving nirvana? If across Australia on a really big documentary Embrace the answer is yes, then this bus, bringing 7 jam-packed and fiercely passionate book might just change girls’ night out events to champion of women, your life 7 towns in 7 days. Taryn Brumfitt. To celebrate the launch An antidote to the of Embrace, Taryn is travglobal body-shaming elling across Australia on a and body-hating epidemic, Taryn’s message is really big bus, bringing seven jam-packed girls’ urgent, critical and incredibly inspiring. Learn to night out events to seven towns in seven days. accept your body for all the wonderful gifts it Taryn will inspire you to LOVE your body, birdsbrings you and reject the destructive fake images nest will entertain you with a fashion show for we are bombarded with every day. everyBODY and MC comedian Ellen Briggs will It’s time to say "f**k it" to getting "bikini make you laugh so hard you might wet your body ready". To recognise the body-shaming acpants! tivities that so many of us are guilty of, and then Be entertained by Taryn’s lifechanging tips tackle them. To have sex with the lights on. To to embrace yourself, enjoy in-depth chats with throw away the scales and stop supporting Ausspecial body lovin’ guests and laugh the night tralia’s $7billion weight loss industry. To recognise away. After the show, get your hands on Taryn’s that the highlight reel ain’t real. To bust a move NEW book, Embrace Yourself, exclusive embrace and dance like noone is watching! packs, and for expert tips to rock what you’ve Taryn Brumfitt is living proof that embracing got, visit the birdsnest pop-up shop. There’s plenyour body works. After the birth of her third ty of time before the show to enjoy a glass of child, she became obsessed with regaining a bubbles, snap a photo with your best friends and pre-pregnancy figure and began a punishing go in the running for some fabulous prizes. weight-loss and exercise regime that culminated in competing in a bodybuilding contest. But despite having what society would claim was the perfect figure, she was deperately unhappy and Embrace Yourself girls' night out in decided to return to a more relaxed regime. Armidale. Embrace Yourself Tour with Taryn One day she posted an online before-and-after Brumfitt - Armidale DATE AND TIME: Tuesday picture, with a twist. The before picture was her 25th September, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm. Add to at her thinnest, the happy after shot was Brumfitt your calendar! LOCATION: Armidale SerVies. as she was, carrying a few pounds yet content. bodyimagemovement.com/events
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DORRIGO
Festival Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival is an acoustic weekend of concerts, workshops, jamming, dancing and more, focused primarily on Old-Time, Bluegrass and Folk traditions. FESTIVAL DIRECTOR BRIDGET REES TELLS US MORE ABOUT THE EVENT ...
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ur seventeenth festival is just across a wide range of musical genres. around the corner, and if you The festival has for many years made efforts have never made the trip up to become environmentally friendly; the “Keep to the Plateau to experience Cup” scheme has helped to reduce disposable this internationally recognised drinking cups, and in 2018 we aim to have zero acoustic music festival, then takeaway containers and coffee cups which are we urge you to mark the dates down on your not biodegradable or recyclable, plastic bottles, calendar right away. This is one of the must cans and plastic straws. We have Rubbish Rooms do major events held on the Mid North Coast run by some of our amazing volunteers, who are and has something for the whole family to get there to help patrons place their rubbish into the involved in. Bringing to the region incredible correct bin. This year we are focusing on reducing international, national and local performers, we green waste. put together a three day programme filled with Held at the picturesque Dorrigo Showgrounds, inspiring performances, where camping is dance, poetry and available, there are seven workshops covering venues and two workshop the finest traditional, areas. All are under cover contemporary and and within a short walking HELD AT THE PICTURESQUE acoustic music. distance of each other. The DORRIGO SHOWGROUNDS, Recognising how town itself hosts café and WHERE CAMPING IS important it is to bring poet’s breakfasts. AVAILABLE, THERE ARE to our patrons the very For the complete SEVEN VENUES AND TWO best of our favoured lists of performers and WORKSHOP AREAS. genres of Bluegrass, Folk information regarding and Old-Time music, ticket sales, camping and we have some stellar the Music School, please acts coming for the visit our website. weekend to weave their skills in concerts, dances, Tickets are available from the website and will workshops and around the jam sessions. Dorrigo be available on site over the whole weekend. has always been about sharing, inclusiveness There are many different options, and all and making the music available to all ages and workshops are included. You can even just come levels of musicianship, and we endeavour to along for the famed Friday night Hoe-Down or create an atmosphere that is family friendly and Saturday afternoon Ceilidh - great fun for all the encouraging. family. After a great success last year, we are running Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Inc. would like our second Dorrigo Old-Time Music School to acknowledge that this festival is held on the before the festival, engaging tutors from North traditional lands of the Gumbaynggirr people. Carolina and Tennessee with the knowledge, heritage and respect of the genre to pass on the important traditions of Old-Time music. The school runs for three days and provides 26th, 27th, 28th October, opportunities for learning and playing alongside Dorrigo Showgrounds. award winning Old-Time musicians. There are Tickets available from www. many skills taught at the camp that are applicable dorrigofolkbluegrass.com.au New England focus. 23
Mamanta focusinterview.
Journey to the Tiwi Islands with
A moving performance honouring the past and celebrating the future.
B
uilding on their international touring acclaim, B2M (Bathurst to Melville), are embarking on their first major national tour. This seven-piece band from the Tiwi Islands will showcase their unique blend of contemporary and traditional sound in a new performance that reveals the full breadth of Tiwi culture and identity! Mamanta - meaning "friend" in Tiwi - is a vibrant cultural experience told through a mix of music, multi-media and song. In an historic show of support from the Tiwi Elders, B2M have permission to use traditional Tiwi chants and blend them with modern musical elements. Combined with vivid multimedia imagery of contemporary arts and cultural practices, Mamanta brings the Tiwi Islands to life. We talk with Jeffrey 'Yello' Simon about B2M. How would you describe the music you make? RnB with a traditional Tiwi twist to it. We are strong Tiwi men who write, record and perform music that transcends cultural, social and geographic boundaries. We draw on a strong tapestry of stories, including our own songlines that have never left the Tiwi Islands before. Mamanta is unlike anything ever seen. We have never created a show that shares our experience this fully. How did B2M come together? We started in 2004 in our home community on Bathurst Island. Back then, the Tiwi Islands had the highest rate of suicide per capita in the world, so it was a very hard time for our elders and on the whole, for our people. Our people don’t have a word for suicide, so we decided to use music as a vehicle to curb the issue and try and help where we could and sing music and try and pass on messages about drug and alcohol abuse … to try to encourage change wherever we went. RnB and traditional chants seem so 24 New England focus.
If you’ve never had an
different from one another, yet they both seem very percussion heavy with a strong beat. Is there any similarity there? Is that why it worked? Yeah, definitely; the main similarity is that there’s an inner rhythm that you feel when you’re participating in corrobboree and in ceremonies. You feel it, but you don’t hear it. This rhythm hasn’t got a sound; you must feel it first. You’ll be driving to work and you are almost dancing in a way, you know? So to find that similarity with RnB and our culture is really unique. What inspires you to make music? We understand that music is the universal language of the world and singing in our language gives us a sense of pride, but it also gives us an opportunity - a platform where we can pass on messages to the next generation coming through. That has been the driving force behind this band. I think we’ll be doing this for a long time yet. Like the paintings that reflect the depiction of country, our songlines demonstrate our journeys, our history and our community. How much of a role does the identity and culture of Tiwi Islands play? I guess the Tiwi Islands are at the centre of B2M. We always say that B2M has grown into something that’s bigger than us now, and we’re just driving this vehicle. At the centre is a precious cargo - the Tiwi Islands and its culture, its stories, its tradition and its customs. We carry that forward, and we deliver that wherever we go. We get cultural advice from our elders, little things like pronunciation of certain words, the correct stories, song lines, traditional chants. Describe B2M’s song writing process? It’s very non-traditional. The way songs come about is that someone has an idea. We talk about it, someone picks up a guitar, and we sing and there’s a lot of debate. There’s a lot of harmonising. I think we’ve never sat down
as a group and made a That’s a commitment opportunity to travel to the song. It’s been like two we’ve made a long time Tiwi Islands before, B2M or three of us come up ago, and we’ve been are sure to take you with an idea, we work doing it ever since. on an illuminating on it, and then we take What do you hope journey. From ancient it into the studio. If we people feel or take stories to life today, Mamanta like it enough, we get to away from your honours the past and record it. performance? celebrates the future. The creative process I hope they feel our is always there when culture. Our culture is we get together. We very secretive. It took us talk about this idea of a new song, then we ten years to get permission from our elders go ahead. There’s a strong chemistry between to use our traditional chants. Tiwi people are the boys. We’re all related. We’re all family. proud people with strong culture. When we We bounce off each other. There’s also a lot had this idea of a tour, we wanted to go out of humour, which helps the creative process. and help bring the nation together, to create a Writing music becomes easier when you’re positive conversation between black and white having fun. and the idea of moving forward together. If Tell us about the national tour. Where are there’s anything people take away from our you playing? show … the key word is share. We love to It’s finally happening! We’ve dreamt about share. We just hope the audience enjoy the this for such a long time. We’re going to be stories and the humour. The music, that’s the lucky enough to travel this beautiful country of most important thing, and creating a positive ours, meet beautiful people, have fun, share. conversation around certain issues. If you’ve never had an opportunity to B2M - Mamanta kicks off on in Port Pirie, travel to the Tiwi Islands before, B2M are South Australia, followed by a three-month sure to take you on an illuminating journey. tour to 30 venues. From ancient stories to life today, Mamanta I understand you also present workshops honours the past and celebrates the future. for youth? Directed by Gail Evans and produced by For us, the message that B2M shares is the Artback NT and Skinnyfish Music, Mamanta is most important facet of our music. Steering a rare gift to audiences - a captivating, moving clear of catchy love songs, we focus on bigger and upbeat work that shares Tiwi history, issues, like drug and alcohol abuse. We made a culture and identity with the nation. commitment a long time ago to sit down with B2M Musicians: people and share stories and talk about issues. Shelton Murray, Greg Orsto, Fabian Kantilla, We understand that everyone has different Daniel Cunningham, Damien Narul, Darren problems, everyone’s unique in their own way, but we wanted to help out the next generation, Narul, Jeffrey Simon. making sure we have a positive impact on youth and making them aware that sometimes you do lose your way in life, but there’s always a brighter day. There's always a next step, and Capitol Theatre, Tamworth. keeping positive is the main thing. There’s Wednesday 19th September, 8pm. always room and time for a change. Tickets: www.capitoltheatretamworth.com.au
Proudly Presents The New England Conservatorium and Armidale Music Teachers Association are proud to present the largest choral showcase in the New England region, celebrating the joy of singing and Australian music. It features 800 students from over 30 regional schools, Armidale Youth Orchestra, and community musicians, and premieres two choral commissions specially written for the Combined Primary Schools Choirs and the Combined Secondary Choir & Orchestra by acclaimed composers Dan Walker and Felix Riebl.
Sunday 21 October Two Concerts: 11am and 2:30pm Lazenby Hall UNE Adults $25, Students $15
www.trybooking.com/WXRS New England focus. 25
H
ow long have you been in the region? My parents bought the farm in 1978, we moved here in 1996, and we’ve lived here happily
ever since!
now we are trying to work out a way we can bring vibrancy back into the Mall; whether it be outdoor seating or holding little events, no matter what happens we want to bring back the Mall. It’s such an awesome strip that just needs a little love.
How did you come to be at the Tatts?
Dad was working at the
What’s a typical day in the life of John Cassidy?
university at the time
Every day I leave the
when the sale came up, and a friend of his decided to buy the place. Immediately he had seconds thoughts, due to the concern of just how run down it was and the expenses involved,
Meet in the Mall
JOHN CASSIDY TATTE RS AL L S IN T HE M ALL
FOCUS introduces John Cassidy, a farmer’s son from Kingstown, now running the pub at the Tattersalls in the Mall …
26 New England focus.
so Dad decided to jump in and take over. We decided several years
house early, say goodbye
I love the Mall; I’ve always had a passion for the Mall and for this town. It’s been a struggle to see the future for the Mall after the plans for the access being knocked back, so right now we are trying to work out a way we can bring vibrancy back into the Mall ...
ago to renovate and try
Now you’ve had the front bar open for a while, what’s your favourite thing about doing business in the Mall? I love the Mall; I’ve always had a passion for the Mall and for this town. It’s been a struggle
wherever I’m needed whether it be the farm, here in town, or down in Quirindi, where we have a little block of land. What do you do for fun when you’re not working? The catch is, I’m always
to make it the best we possibly could.
to my two dogs and go
working! When I do have free time, it’s usually spent with friends and family. Favourite place to grab some food or coffee in Armidale at the moment? Ten Koo would hands down be my go to place
to see the future for the Mall after the plans
for the best food in Armidale.
for the access being knocked back, so right
Thanks John.
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Can
Assist C a r o l
H i g g i n b o t t o m
We all know someone who’s been affected by cancer. The diagnosis and treatment of this terrible disease can not only be traumatic for the patient, but for the families and carers as well. The financial impact of cancer treatment can be substantial, so it’s reassuring to know there are some organisations in the community able to help! President of the Armidale branch of Can Assist, Carol Higginbottom, gives us the finer details of some upcoming fundraisers including the annual Melbourne Cup Day Luncheon function. …
H
i Carol. What’s your role with Armidale Can Assist, and how long have you been a member? I am President of Armidale Can Assist and joined the committee about six months after it was formed in 1999. For those not “in the know”, what’s Can Assist all about, and how does it help our local community members? Can Assist is a charity which supports country cancer patients who are financially disadvantaged as a result of their diagnosis and treatment, often having to travel and pay for accommodation in city areas. There are 53 branches in NSW. We don’t receive any government support and rely on local fundraising events to raise our money. We have been fortunate to receive support from many sporting bodies, service clubs and Tour de Rocks, as well as the events we hold each year. What are some examples you can share of the ways in which Can Assist supported our community over the past 12 months? Over the last 15 months, we have helped 165 local families with over $200,000 of financial support. We could not do this without the assistance of our wonderful supportive sponsors.
Can Assist is well known for the amazing We have a raffle, lucky door prizes and an fundraisers it holds. Tell us a bit about the amazing auction. Melbourne Cup function that’s planned You have had some amazing luck/ for November this year; when and where success at previous race day fundraisers! will it be held? Despite the terrible hail storm last We are always looking for ways of raising year in November, the Can Assist these monies, and our Melbourne Cup marquee remained unscathed - which is Luncheon has been our unbelievable! major fundraiser for the Yes, last year we were last 14 years. very blessed not to have We are holding the our marquee damaged event at The Armidale in the hail storm the Over the last 15 months, we Jockey Club on Tuesday previous night, and this have helped 165 local 6th November, starting has been the case over families with over at 11:30am. many years, when the $200,000 of financial What will happen previous day there have support. We could not do this on the day - run been storms, torrential without the assistance of our us through the rain and high winds. wonderful supportive sponsors. programme of Our day always comes events… out bright and sunny, We start the day with and I pray for this each champagne and finger year, saying that God is food and then go on to have a two course not interested in the Melbourne Cup, but He smorgasbord luncheon in a beautiful marquee cares about the welfare of the patients we are on the lawn, followed by afternoon tea and raising money for! delicacies. There is also a bar available on the How much are you hoping to raise from day. this year’s Melbourne Cup function? We also have a wonderful fashion parade by We always hope to raise about $20,000 on Concepts of Armidale and Fashion on the Field the day, but this is variable. judging with prizes for both men and women As long as we make a profit and everyone and best hat. has fun, we believe the event raises the
profile of Can Assist and what we do in the community. What other events/activities has Can Assist planned locally this year? This year we had a successful “Great Gatsby“ evening in May, a bingo day in August and prior to the Melbourne Cup Luncheon we will be having a Movie Night Fundraiser on 18th October for the remake of A Star is Born. Previously we have had spring balls and girls’ night in events, but we try to vary activities each year. How much do tickets to the Melbourne Cup fundraiser cost, and where can they be purchased? Our Melbourne Cup Luncheon tickets will go on sale at the end of August from Concepts of Armidale at $80, for champagne, juice and finger food on arrival, the two course luncheon, wine on the tables and all the action on the day. Come along and enjoy! More info … Visit the following sites for more info about Can Assist: www.newenglandcancerconnect. com/can-assist www.facebook.com/Can-AssistArmidale-364657677253349/ Thanks Carol. Interview: Jo Robinson.
New England focus. 27
Kentucky PUBLIC SCHOOL WEEKEND OF COMMUNITY EVENTS
Kentucky Public School is celebrating 150 years of education in a wonderful weekend of community events on September 29 & 30. We talk to the Principal, Danny Spillane, and President of the Kentucky P&C, Steve Ward, to find out what’s organised for the weekend.
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hat sort of activities are organised for the weekend? We have a lovely day organised at the school on Saturday. There will be school tours and lots of time to catch up with old friends. Information updates available at https://www.facebook.com/KPS150/ S: The P&C has ordered school memorabilia; including commemorative mugs, glasses, caps and keyrings. We will also have some fun and free family entertainment, with yard games, a jumping castle and face painting available from 11am - 4pm. D: The school children will be providing some entertainment during the day. We have an award winning marimba ensemble, and they will have just played at the Opera House the week before so they should be sounding fantastic. There is a library book fundraiser, where visitors can purchase a book on the day and add their own dedication in the front. These will be added to our library for future students of the school. What a great help that will be to our small school! S: We are hoping lots of old photos will be emailed in to KentPS150@gmail.com so that we can make a slideshow of “Kentucky Memories” to play throughout the day and at the 150th Dinner on Saturday night. So there is a special 150th Dinner? S: The P&C is organising a Kentucky Public School 150th Dinner at the Kentucky Memorial Hall in Noalimba Avenue at 6pm on Saturday night. The dinner will include a main and dessert at a cost of $35/ 28 New England focus.
head - bookings essential. To book, please ring Melinda on 0413 433 545. RSVP is by Friday 14th September. Is there food available during the day as well? D: Yes, the Kentucky P&C are fantastic at weekend having had lots There are several families catering for events, of fun catching up with in our community who have and this time they are third and fourth generations old friends. We hope they getting to do one for attending the school. In fact, relive some of the great themselves! There will be Steve is third generation times they had at school morning tea from 10am, and his children also and share their stories with lunch from 12 and attended Kentucky others. afternoon tea from 2:30. so that makes fourth D: We all love our school, Gluten free options generation attendance. and we hope to give available. everyone the opportunity to What are you asking share in the celebration of past students to do? our great milestone. D: A registration desk will be set up at the Anyone special attending? gates to the school. We are asking that people D: All of our past students, staff and principals! register and collect a name tag on their way in. There are several families in our community who There will be plenty of time before the official have third and fourth generations attending the opening for school tours and to catch up with old school. In fact, Steve is third generation and his friends. Adam Marshall MP, Member for Northern children also attended Kentucky, so that makes Tablelands in the NSW Parliament will officially fourth generation attendance. We are very proud open proceedings at 2pm. of the fact that we have several families in the S: As Danny mentioned, there will be lots of area with similar stories. free entertainment available to help keep the kids S: We’d also like to invite anyone from the occupied for those returning to the school with Wollun and Kentucky South Schools to be part children of their own. Besides the memorabilia of our reunion, as those schools were closed and and library book fundraiser, the P&C will have students and even a building were moved to some fun fundraising raffles on throughout the Kentucky Public School. day - a cow pat lottery, chocolate toss, ear tags What about Sunday the 30th? and a multidraw raffle, for which we thank our S: This is where Kentucky really comes into wonderful community for their ongoing support. We would love people to go away from the its own - the sharing of events across the
community. The Kentucky Spring Fair and Challenge is being held at the Kentucky Hall on Sunday 30th from 9am to 2pm, and we are encouraging all our visitors to visit this lovely home grown community market. There will be some great things happening, and the Kentucky School Marimba Ensemble will be playing. D: The P&C will have breakfast available on Sunday morning from 7:30am - 9am. Afterwards the school will be open from 10am - 3pm, but there will be no food available. It is a very short walk down to the hall, where there will be lots of food and market stalls available, including a sausage sizzle in aid of the Kentucky Progress Association. Where can I find out more about the Kentucky Spring Fair & Challenge? S: The Kentucky Progress Association runs the Spring Fair and Challenge; they have a Facebook page with regular updates on what‘s happening. Check out https://www.facebook.com/KPA2354/ for further details. Entry forms are available on there for the tug-o-war and Kentucky Derby (hobby horse races) if anyone wants to join in the great family fun! Thanks Danny and Steve.
Academy.
It’s the buzz term in education at the moment. But what exactly is STEM, and why is The Armidale School launching a STEM Academy on 1st September? We ask the School’s Director of Studies, Mrs Seonia Wark to tell us how the school is leading the educational path into the future.
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irst of all Seonia, what exactly is STEM? Quite simply, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. More and more studies show that young people need to be prepared for a future where many careers will have a focus in one or more of these areas. While the core STEM subjects have long held a place in the TAS curriculum, uniting them in a holistic, trans-disciplinary way makes sense - especially since the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme in Junior School and the IB Middle Years Programme in Middle School, which have a strong focus on inquiry-based learning. So where does the subject breadth come from? TAS already embeds these subjects throughout our broad Stage 5 Electives for Year 9 and 10 students, as well as within our HSC program. Our Stage 5 electives, which allow students to choose semester-long courses of
speciality interest rather than a whole subject that they need to do for two years, is giving students a taste of exciting options, including Aviation: City In The Sky, Cryptography, Future Tech, Engineered Futures, Design & Make, and Computer Game Development. At HSC level, we already offer four Mathematics subjects, including Extension 2, and will be adding Extension Science to the existing Biology, Physics and Chemistry. Another addition will be Engineering Studies, which will complement nicely subjects like Physics and Mathematics Extension 1. What about outside the classroom? There are a number of clubs of interest that operate before and after school. Junior School has its own STEM specialist, who teaches coding for Years 2-5 using GROK Learning materials and oversees both a dedicated Coding Club encouraging scratch and gaming code and an Engineering Club which runs on Thursday mornings. The latter is a favourite with students, where they
play with a large variety of robots, build circuits with little bits, investigate consumer electronics, and generally have a great time. Middle School students are actively involved in Tech Club, which manages lighting, sound and special effects at the Hoskins Centre, and of course there’s our hugely popular Forensic Science Camp, which attracts Year 8 students from across Australia. In Senior School the Embedded Technology Club (ETC) has just finished designing a hand held GPS unit for the Cadet Unit. The 25 devices were then built jointly by the club and the members of the cadet signals platoon. The ETC's next mission is to design, prototype and built energy monitoring devices commissioned by the school to assist in saving our energy usage. This is all made possible using the latest Internet of Things (IOT) technology. So there’s plenty on offer to engage! What will the STEM Academy look like? It’s not a physical location as such, but a philosophy to unite and coordinate STEM learning
opportunities from Transition to Year 12, across academic disciplines and traditional departments. Part of that will include identifying and resourcing extension and enrichment opportunities both in Australia and overseas, so students can truly follow their passions in these areas. The Academy launch event on 1st September sounds exciting. What’s on offer? The Academy will be launched at an Open Day on 1st September at 12:30pm, where there will be a variety of STEM-based activities on offer particularly targeted at four - 14 year olds. Having been issued with their "STEM Passport", students will then get to see and do fantastic things such as drone racing, laser cutting, 3D printing, Virtual Reality, robotics, engineering and coding tasks, as well as building a mathematical barbecue! There will also be tours of the school, by arrangement, in the morning. Everyone is welcome, and it promises to be a fantastic day.
TAS STEM ACADEMY OPEN DAY - Saturday 1 September (4-14 year olds) The Armidale School is thrilled to announce the launch of our STEM Academy. Join us at a special Open Day on Saturday 1 September for a free barbecue, engaging activities by specialist STEM teachers, prizes and much more. For more information visit www.as.edu.au or contact TAS Reception on 6776 5800.
Get the TAS edge.
www.as.edu.au New England focus. 29
focusinterview.
Time to
START SCHOOL A family guide to preparing for Kindergarten with Armidale Community of Schools. Starting school is an exciting time for children and a significant event in the life of children and their families ...
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trong relationships and information sharing between families, early childhood settings and schools help support a child’s successful transition to school. Children who have a positive start to school are likely to engage and experience ongoing academic and social success. Children can start Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if they turn 5 on or before 31st July that year. By law, all children must be in compulsory schooling by their 6th birthday. When your child starts school is an individual decision. You may wish to discuss this with your child’s preschool teacher, carer, doctor or your local primary school. Our teachers are trained to work with your child regardless of their age or level of development. Children develop at different rates and learn skills in different ways. Your school will respond to the needs, learning styles and rates of progress of individual students. Schools also plan learning experiences based on the skills students bring with them to school. Helping your child You can do a lot to help prepare your child for Kindergarten before their big “first day”. The following skills are useful for children starting Kindergarten. Everyone develops at a different pace, so this is only a guide and not all children will have these skills. Language skills • read books together • sing songs together • have fun with rhymes and jokes • give simple instructions to follow, e.g. how
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to pack their school bag • encourage play with • identify pictures in building blocks and Children develop at different books, magazines, on puzzles rates and learn skills in different television or the internet • play hopping and ways. Your school will respond • have your child ask skipping games to the needs, learning styles and and answer questions • encourage your child rates of progress of individual • encourage your child to move and dance to students. Schools also plan to join in conversations music learning experiences with a range of people Keep playing based on the skills Writing skills Play is one of the students bring with them • practice drawing, most important needs to school. scribbling or writing children have, and with pencils, crayons, play is still vital for paintbrushes on paper children once they start or with sticks in sand Kindergarten. Children • write numbers and letters play because it is fun and they are actually • encourage your child to use a capital letter learning. Play uses their bodies and their to start their name e.g. Max imagination, communication and cooperation. • encourage your child to trace, copy and/or They also gain confidence from trying new write their name skills and improving them. Children need time Mathematics skills after each school day to relax and play. • encourage your child to talk about numbers Many schools offer transition or school using words such as many, a lot, more, less readiness programs to familiarise your child • help them to find things in a group that with school and start developing the skills to are different, or the same, such as shapes or assist in a successful start at school. Schools colours also offer orientation days towards the end • involve your child in everyday counting of the year to welcome children starting activities, such as setting the table Kindergarten the following year. Contact your local school for details of transition and Personal/social skills orientation programs. • organise times for your child to play with Enrolling at your local school other children so that they can learn to share NSW public schools have specific and take turns local enrolment areas determined by the • encourage them to tidy up after playing Department of Education. Students enrol in • make them aware of rules and the reasons public schools based on their home address. for having them. All public schools ensure there are enough Physical skills places for students in their local enrolment • help them to hold scissors and cut and paste area. pictures You can find your local NSW public school
using the school finder tool at https:// education.nsw.gov.au/school-finder School principals can also help with enrolment inquiries throughout the year. The best way to find out about your local school is to visit, take a tour of the school and speak with the principal. Make an appointment with the principal and find out first-hand what the school has to offer your child. Look around the school, classrooms and make your own observations and decisions about your local school. If you haven’t already enrolled your child to start Kindergarten in 2019, please contact your local school. Ready for school checklist Things to do this year • If your child attends preschool or a long day care centre, talk to staff about their transition to school. • Attend a school orientation or transition to school program. • Take your child to your local community health nurse or doctor for a health check and make sure their immunisations are up to date before school starts. • If your child takes medication or has an allergy, a medical condition or additional needs, inform the school as early as possible and make an appointment to speak with school staff. • Fill in a travel pass application if this applies to you at www.transport.nsw.gov.au/ssts • Organise outside of school hours care. • Practice safely walking or travelling to and from school. • Continue reading to your child. • Connect with your school and other parents.
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Come along to the “Kentucky Spring Fair & Challenge” and enjoy all the fun of a good old country fair!
K E N T U C K Y
SPRING FAIR and Challenge
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hen is the Kentucky Spring Fair & Challenge this year? We have a slight change of date this year to coincide with the Kentucky School’s 150th celebrations. Sunday 30th September is the day to check out all of your favourite market stalls - there will be gourmet jams, cheeses, cordials and relishes, confectionery, honey, free range eggs, skincare, art, jewellery, and candles, just to name a few, showcasing both local and regional producers and businesses. Come along and check out our clever and talented local producers! Don’t forget the Kentucky Public School is celebrating their 150th birthday over the weekend (29 - 30 Sept) - pop in and check out the school while you are visiting Kentucky! They will have lots of fun things organised down at the school on the Saturday. Tell us a little about the Kentucky Spring Fair & Challenge ... Besides all our favourite market stalls, the Fair & Challenge will have lots of family fun. This year it will include a tugo-war and hobby horse races - our twist on the Kentucky Derby! The activities will include teams for adults and kids. We suggest those who want to be involved register their teams with us as soon as they can, as September 30 will be here before you know it! Entry forms can be found on our Facebook page. What events and entertainment do you have lined up so far for the fair? We have a tug-o-war and the Kentucky Derby (hobby horse races) - for adults and kids. There will be market 32 New England focus.
stalls, free jumping castle, free Tell us about the Kentucky Progress The community of Kentucky face painting and lolly scatter. Association? would like to invite all During the day there will also Kentucky Progress Association was the surrounding towns to be music and community group established in September 2010. In the a day out in the country, displays. We have also organised months following its establishment, mail to have some fun and for the Kentucky School kids to outs were sent to the local community and meet the locals! The fair bring along their award winning the school community in order to obtain will be held at the Kentucky marimba ensemble to play for us. feedback from the community about Memorial Hall in Noalimba They will have just played at the activities and projects. Avenue from 9am to 2pm. Opera House the week before, One of the items requested was a so they should be sounding village market, which was established fantastic! in December 2011. At this time the KPA Last year we had a fantastic successfully launched its own seasonal karate display, and we are organising some community craft and produce market, which accommodated up to 30 groups to show us what they do again this year. If there is a stallholders showcasing both local and regional producers local community group interested in displaying their talents, and businesses. All monies raised from the market go please contact the organisers. directly back into the community, with youth based activities What makes it such a special day? and projects being our focus. The fair is held in the picturesque village of Kentucky; What do I do if I want a stall? the atmosphere is social and relaxed. The BBQ will be busy We are on the lookout for fresh, new and interesting cooking up a sausage sizzle from 10am, and great espresso stallholders and we just request no second hand goods or coffee will be available from the shop from 8:30am. garage sale goods to be included on the stalls. If you have The community of Kentucky would like to invite all the a stall or would like to enter into the fun on the day, please surrounding towns to a day out in the country, to have print forms from our Facebook page or contact Anne-Marie some fun and meet the locals! The fair will be held at the or Deb. Kentucky Memorial Hall in Noalimba Avenue from 9am to Where can I get more information? 2pm. Stay tuned to our Kentucky Progress Association Facebook What happens with the funds raised on the day? page (https://www.facebook.com/KPA2354) The Kentucky Progress Association (KPA) raises funds for Or phone Anne-Marie on mob: 0407 345 908 or Deb on the community. They apply for grants to beautify community ph: 6778 7320. areas and organise activities for local youth. See you there!
Transition Class Newling Little Stars
A weekly Transition to School program at Newling Public School delivers an opportunity for a sustained early childhood experience at a school and provides the best possible start to a child’s formal education.
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he Transition program aims to make school, including the environment and the expectations, comfortable and familiar for incoming Kindergarten children. The Transition to School program offers planned school experiences over an extended period of time, unlike the traditional Orientation days. The Newling Transition program has students starting their school experience with one day per week, so children can easily settle into school routines. The program is extended to two days per week as children become increasingly comfortable in the school environment. The class has their own dedicated room for play based learning but as they grow in confidence, more time is spent interacting and learning in the Kindergarten room to get a complete school experience
and develop essential skills for starting school successfully. The program seeks to involve families, recognising the important role families play in supporting children. Extensive experiences prior to school starting as a class, as well as activities and interactions with all school students and staff, make the Transition program a joint effort by all in the school community to make school an exciting and engaging place for the children to be. The program is specifically designed for under school age children and is based on the playbased philosophy of early childhood education. The national curriculum framework Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia has guided the design of the learning experiences provided. Children are introduced to a range of communication modes. These may include music, movement,
storytelling, visual arts, media and drama, as well as talking, listening, reading and writing.
If you want your child to have a successful start to school, then the Newling 'Little Stars' Transition program is a great place to start.
school from the day they first walk through the doors for Kindergarten.
The “Little Stars” gain a complete school experience each day by following the normal school practices and are paired early with "buddies" as part of the ongoing peer-support program when the children start Kindergarten.
Newling offers children an exciting and structured Transition program to school. The program is open to all children who are planning to start school in 2019. If you want your child to have a successful start to school, then the Newling “Little Stars” Transition program is a great place to start.
The Transition program has provided children with essential skills necessary for success at
New enrolments are welcome; however, places are limited.
New England focus. 33
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The Steiner curriculum introduces a building project in Year 3, with students involved in design, measurement and construction of their project. They also learn about its artistic possibilities, and Armidale Waldorf School Teacher Angela Earth took time out of a year’s leave to help transform one of her class projects - a water tank - into a work of vibrant colour.
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hy did you decide to create a water tank in the first place? The tank was a fitting follow-on to a building project I shared with my first Class 3 at the Armidale Waldorf School. That was a six-poled, roofed pagoda, where children could rest or lunch in the shade. However, a tin roof without a water tank felt like a job half-done, so now we can harvest water for our flourishing school garden. The design is very unusual. How did you come up with it? Not long after finishing the pagoda, I heard from another Steiner teacher who had travelled with his high school class to help communities in Vanuatu after it had been devastated by Cyclone Pam in 2015. They found that fresh water was scarce, as rooves had been torn off and plastic rainwater tanks destroyed. However, one tank had withstood the brunt of the strong winds and kept the communities on Pele Island in drinking water for weeks. It had actually been made by hand from mesh tubing filled with sand, which was then coiled into place like an enormous pot. The tubing was rendered inside and out with a slurry of clay and concrete, and the whole thing cost about $400 - a quarter that of a commercial tank of the same size. 34 New England focus.
tank
A of Bright Water Because of this, the women of the area wanted to raise funds so they could loan money to families to build their own tanks of this design. They formed a delightfully-named group called “The-Bank-for-Clean-Water-for-the-Womenof-Erako Half Road”, and it swelled from 10 members to 125 members as they rallied to help their communities recover. If they could just get started, even if the families did not have an income, repayments could be met by selling water, a bucket a time. We felt this was a project worth supporting at our own School in Armidale. The class had also recently completed science lessons that followed the imagined journey of a single drop of water from a river near us to the sea, up into the sky and back to our school garden as rain. We therefore had a new appreciation for water and its life-giving capacity. Also, it was a hot summer and none of us could bear the thought of being thirsty and not having clean water to drink. So the class baked lots of scones and florentines and hosted a number of morning teas for our school community. Parents added in other yummy treats, and collectively we raised $900, enough money for two and a quarter tanks in Vanuatu! This inspired us to make our own tank and Terry Manley, our skilled maintenance and grounds person, got plans and organised the resources such as the mesh tubing. He also
With Armidale Waldorf School Teacher Angela Earth
refined the design to suit our playground and broken crockery donated by parents and friends. guided the completion of the tank in 2017 during The support received from our vibrant school weekly building lessons. community has been terrific and made all the The mosaic looks like a spectacular - but big - difference. project. How did this unfold? What educational benefits has this creation We came up with it about a year ago after provided for the children at the school? talking with Tess Cullen, a talented artist who The children loved learning the new skills recently moved to introduced in the building Armidale. Children from and mosaic lessons, many classes pitched not to mention honing in, and Terry and Ralph their culinary and maths Webster, another staff THEY ALSO LEARNED skills when planning the member, both helped PERSEVERANCE, BUT morning teas, which they tirelessly. Tess has done a IT WAS EVEN MORE also served. They also fabulous job overseeing POWERFUL FOR US AS A the project, designing learned perseverance, but CLASS TO REFLECT ON the garden theme and it was even more powerful HOW IT WOULD FEEL TO teaching us all the skills for us as a class to reflect BE THIRSTY, YET NOT BE required to mosaic. on how it would feel ABLE TO GET A DRINK. Under her watchful eye, to be thirsty, yet not be the children completed able to get a drink. This sensational flowers, leaves helped open our hearts and butterflies, and many parents have helped to and minds to the plight of others. So perhaps the mosaic the spaces in between. Carol Pritchard, most precious lesson of all was to discover that another local mosaic artist, joined Tess and myself working together can truly make a difference, as over numerous weekends to bring the work to well as being lots of fun. completion. Any final words? There are so many little pieces! How many Fresh water is the best drink in the world. We tiles do you think were used? Too many to count - the mosaic is over 10 square metres in total! Most of the tiles are from
dream of a world were none go thirsty! Thanks Angela.
O'Connor Students Reflect. As HSC exams approach, Year 12 students at O’Connor reflect on their learning and time spent at the College.
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erm 3 has been a very significant one for Year 12, as they consolidate their learning and look towards their HSC exams. It is a very special time for Year 12 and one in which the support and encouragement of both family and school is crucial. Many students have completed their major works for submission as part of their HSC courses, including Design and Technology, Music, Textiles and Design, Visual Arts and English Extension 2. Some students have also recently completed their HSC Performance Examinations in Dance and Music and the oral component of HSC Languages. Celebrations in recognition of completing their formal schooling will be marked by a Mass on Thursday 26th September in the O'Connor Chapel and the Yr 12 Graduation Ceremony on Friday 28th September.
"Teachers and all staff really care about you as a person. They know us and help us to be the best we can be."
Students have taken time to look back at their education at O'Connor and what it was about the College that they will remember most fondly:
The O'Connor community wish all these students the very best and know that their focus on learning will result in them performing to their best.
"The teachers at O’Connor really care about our education and go above and beyond the classroom to help us with our learning. They set high expectations and work with us to achieve the best learning outcomes." "There are so many different extracurricular activities, including drama, music, dance, agriculture, coding and many sporting opportunities, including hockey, netball, rugby, football, mountain biking, athletics and swimming." "Everyone is accepted for who they are; you can be an individual." "Students know each other; as seniors you get to be leaders in the community, mentoring younger students."
New England focus. 35
focushealth
Health Wellbeing and
W I T H S U N D I A L D E N TA L
THE SILENT DISEASE THAT YOU’RE G O I N G T O WA N T T O TA L K A B O U T
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ou would not live with a chronic eye or ear infection. Yet 45% of the population over 65 years live with a chronic infection known as Gum Disease or Periodontitis. Literally millions of people don’t know they have this serious treatable infection. Gum Disease, if left untreated, can lead to tooth loss and spread throughout the body. Research shows that Gum Disease is associated with Heart Disease, Stroke, Cancer, Diabetes, Arthritis and Pre-Term Delivery in Pregnancy. From these studies, it has been shown that men with Gum Disease were 49% more likely to develop kidney cancer, 54% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, and 30% more likely to develop blood cancers. The Good News is Gum Disease Can Be Treated! For years it was thought that bacteria linked Gum Disease to other disease in the body. Current research now demonstrates that inflammation may be responsible for the association. Therefore, treating Gum Disease and the inflammation will not only help manage periodontal diseases, but may also help with the management of other chronic inflammatory conditions. Gum Disease is often silent - meaning symptoms may not appear until the disease has advanced to a more severe stage. Warning signs of Gum Disease include the following: • Red, swollen or tender gums - or other pain in your mouth • Bleeding while brushing, flossing, or eating hard food
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• Gums that are receding or pulling away from the teeth - causing your teeth to look longer than before • Loose or separating teeth • Pus between your gums and teeth • Sores in your mouth • Persistent bad breath or bad taste in your mouth • A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite Treatment for Gum Disease depends on the severity of the case. Visiting your dentist and having a full periodontal chart and X-rays, with your dentist, oral health therapist or your hygienist is a great way to assess your current periodontal health. If you have mild to moderate Gum Disease, it can be treated with regular brushing, flossing, regular visits to your dentist, frequent dental cleanings by a hygienist as well as adjusting your diet and/or lifestyle choices. With more severe cases, specific treatment is required. The treatment can vary from sub gingival cleaning, to treatment with a specific laser called LANAP that treats the area of infection quickly and gently. If Gum Disease is not caught soon enough, it may be necessary to replace natural teeth with implants, restorations, bridges or even dentures. Gum Disease is preventable. If you are concerned, please call our office for more information or for an assessment at one of our four locations. For further information on Periodontal health, visit www.lanap.com.au or ring our caring team at Sundial Dental: 6583 3533.
W I T H M E L A N I E LO C K : N AT U R O PAT H B H S C - T H E H O L LO W S T O R E
Getting to the bottom of Gut Health
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or years "poop" has been a taboo subject - the butt of our jokes, a social insult and the least celebrated of human habits. Our poop may be considered a generic waste product, but the colon itself is a profoundly intelligent machine. Just try to drive your car without its engine - you can’t. And the bowel is one of the most important engines of our body. For this reason, I've collaborated an 11 page eBook (FREE) to navigate the uncharted waters of holistic colon health: https://www.thehollowstore.com.au/ products/better-bowel-cleanse I’ve been working with people’s bowels and intestinal tracts for a very long time. It’s commonly the first port-of-call in the restoration of healthy digestion. Why? Because a lazy, blocked, sluggish or oversensitive bowel can manifest issues with nutrient absorption, mineral or vitamin deficiencies or food intolerances. More importantly, the colon is the primary site of waste elimination. Any blockages, constipation, inflammation or disfunction of the bowel can greatly impact the delicate balance of healthy bacteria in your GIT (Gastro-Intestinal-Tract). Research shows that the bowel is vital for Vitamin K production, is crucial to immune activation and development, and contains small brain proteins called neuropeptides necessary for the regulation of emotions and mood. It’s no surprise the the GUT is called the second brain - it contains approx. 100 million neurons. That’s a lot - more than the spinal cord! People often find themselves on the swinging pendulum of bowel function, though certainly constipation is a commonality that becomes "normal" for most. Let's just imagine a bin full of stinking rubbish left in your house for a few days,
a week - heck, a month. Without regular waste collection / elimination, your home would become a cesspit of debris, mess and vile. Everyone would be in a funk. And thou shalt not elaborate on the kinds of unsavoury bugs and creepy-crawlies that would ensue. Gross for sure, but a perfect analogy for your rear end. The beginning of many chronic conditions start - ironically - in your rear end. In fact, many inflammatory diseases have their humble beginnings in the bowel. It's known that more than 70% of our immune system is located in and around the gastrointestinal tract, and possibly why food sensitivities, auto-immune diseases and increased intestinal permeability are commonplace in the health and medical industries now. Could *Hippocrates have been right when he said, “All disease begins in the gut”? Given the scientific findings in the role of our gut and bowel in our health, we should assume so. We absolutely, positively should be thinking about our poop. We should be holding mental and visual (yes, I said it) conversations with ourselves about the uniqueness of our bowel habits, because our waste system is a red flag of danger; a canary in the mine; an expression of what is happening in our gizzards. And it’s not just about the colour, texture and odour, but the subtle or obvious changes that occur in your toileting habits and what they say about your digestion or lack thereof. (Hippocrates *he’s kind of a big deal in the field of medicine.) Melanie Lock, Naturopath BHSc - The Hollow Store. www.thehollowstore.com.au
New England focus. 29
PCYC Out of School
Located at 176 Rusden Street is our local PCYC club. The club’s Out of School Hours service consists of both after school and Vacation Care programs. The two programs are inclusive and welcoming for all school aged children from Kindergarten to Year Six. For eligible families, the overall daily costs charged to parents can be significantly reduced through the Child Care Scheme.
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CYC Out of School Hours services are registered with the Department of Education and Communities and meet the Education and Care Services National Regulations. They follow the National Quality Standards and National Quality Framework, ensuring that we offer the best quality care possible for children, while meeting their needs with a fun and entertaining program. All aspects of our service aim to reflect the learning outcomes of My Time, Our Place - A Framework for School Age Care. Educators, children and families will work together to create an environment that welcomes, encourages, includes and invites. Our educators are friendly, inviting and qualified individuals, who aim to support and encourage sportsmanship while facilitating social and emotional skills amongst the children. Vacation Care Our Vacation care program runs Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm also opening for Pupil Free Days. The program provides a fun and safe environment for all children, giving all a sense of belonging and ownership. Throughout the program children have the opportunity to meet new friends, learn new skills, participate in interest based in-service workshops and attend excursions within the local community. Additionally, children’s
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physical and mental development is pressure on our parents. The children are advanced through a stimulating after firstly provided with a healthy afternoon school hours environment that aims to tea, before engaging in a wide variety support, empower and strengthen unity of fun activities. The activities planned amongst the youth of Armidale. The for children in the room encourages all in-service activities on offer include craft, involved to learn, to play, to try, to extend, cooking, board games, group games, to be involved and to enjoy. The activities running and foster inclusiveness, ball games, by giving all children music, drama every opportunity and dance. The to expand their service also current interest and All aspects of our service aim to provides children cognitive growth. reflect the learning outcomes of with a healthy While children are My Time, Our Place - A afternoon tea encouraged to Framework for School after a long participate in the Age Care. Educators, children day of fun activities planned, and families will work together engagement they do not have to create an environment that with our daily to. Instead, they welcomes, encourages, includes activities. are provided and invites. Overall, children opportunities are encouraged to explore the to build resources within the relationships, room in a stimulating environment that to succeed at endeavours both big and makes allowance for ability, enthusiasm, small, to try something new, to extend confidence, initiative, interest and skills through play, craft, sport and exploration. Our service also has the interactions, to learn about who they are ability to link the children currently and to shape who they become. attending junior activities to our PCYC After School Care Out of School Hours program and vice Our after school care program runs versa. This allows children to try club Monday to Friday afternoons from 3pm activities, without parents signing up for to 6pm. The service offers school pick a term of sport that their child does not up, ensuring every child gets to PCYC enjoy. safely, minimising unnecessary stress and
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DUVAL
DAM
Buster
board immediately as our Platinum supporter, We still have over a month followed by JNC Group to go and we’ve already and Armidale Regional passed 100 registrations, Council as our Gold which is absolutely fantastic. I’m sponsors. now aiming for 200! We also have SportUNE, New England well as a heavily forested Locksmiths and APJ Law Stringy Bark area up on the as Silver sponsors. mountain. We have Bronze sponsors Rose Villa Motel, As an inaugural event, how many LGHM Home and Garden Maintenance, New competitors are you expecting on the day England Hotel, Altitude Physio and Regional and who are some of the competitors you Australia Bank. think we should keep an eye out for on We also have some fantastic prize partners the course? in Sportspower Armidale, Skirt Sports Australia, Being our very first event, I originally thought FlipBelt Australia, Injinji Performance Sports and if we had 100 participants, it would be Tailwind Nutrition. I’m extremely grateful for all amazing. We still have over a month to go and our sponsors, who have supported the event we’ve already passed 100 registrations, which is from so early on. absolutely fantastic. I’m now aiming for 200! What facilities are available for Our local favourite in the men’s 30 km is competitors and spectators on the day? Mike Carroll. He won’t like me talking about We’re really fortunate to be able to host his talents, but Mike recently won the half the event at Dumaresq Dam Recreation Area, marathon (21.1 km) at the Tamworth Running where there is a lovely picnic area, plenty of Festival in 1:12:56. He also competed in the parking, an amenities block and also a kids’ 100 km Ultra Trail Australia (UTA) event in May playground. The local Lions Club will be this year and was the 14th person to finish in a providing a BBQ for breakfast and lunch, and time of 10 hours, 50 minutes. I think he’ll be we’ll have Little Birdy Coffee providing much pretty hard to beat. needed coffees and hot drinks! In the female 15 km event, we should keep Where do we register/sign up - and how an eye on Armidale’s Ada Klinkhamer. Ada much will it cost? came third in the women’s half marathon in Entry fees vary, but we’re currently in the Tamworth and also competed in the UTA 50 Standard Entry period until 31st August, and km and finished in 6 hours 46 minutes. I think fees range from $10 (2.5 km) up to $45 she’ll be up there with the front runners. (30 km). Fees will then increase during the late Who are some of the organisations/ entry period until 22 September. People can sponsors that have helped get this first register on the website: www.duvaldambuster. time event off the ground? com.au We have been tremendously supported Thanks Lee-Anne. by the local community. Our major sponsor, Interview: Jo Robinson. Armidale Town & Country Real Estate, were on Photo (left) courtesy of Simon Scott.
Combining a healthy outdoor activity with fun, scenic views and even a bit of a challenge for the hardier amongst us - the Duval Dam Buster event will see over 100 runners of all ages compete over three courses with varying degrees of difficulty. Lee-Anne McKinnon runs us through the finer details of this inaugural event, which will take place on September 23.
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i Lee-Anne. What’s your background with running, and how did you become involved in helping to organise the Duval Dam Buster
event? I started running in my mid-20s and used to train each year for the City2Surf. It was my goal race every year. I had a 10 - 15 year break until a few years ago, and after moving from the city to the country, I discovered parkrun in Armidale and it sparked my interest again. I then increased my distances, completed quite a few half marathons and discovered trail running. I really love the whole experience of being out there in nature and just running, no matter how fast or slow. I completed the Ultra Trail Australia 50 km event held in the Blue Mountains in May this year. While training for this event, I was trekking up our local Mt Duval with a few other local runners and chatting about how it would be an awesome place for a trail run. When someone said to me, “Why don’t you organise it?”; it was just the spark I needed, and I knew I just had to do it so others could enjoy it as well! The Dam Buster is set to take place on September 23. Where and when will competitors meet on the day? The DDB, as it is now known, will start and finish from the Dumaresq Dam Recreation Area, which is about 12 km west of the Armidale CBD. Race bib collection and check-in will be
from 6:45am on event day. The 30 km runners will be the first to get away at 8am. There are three separate trail runs on the day. What distances are each of the events? We will have the Duval Dash, a 2.5 km event for kids, families and lovers of a short flat(ish) course. There will also be the Duval Dam Buster, which is a 15 km course from the dam up to Mt Duval for a loop at the top, and finishing back down at the dam. We will also have the Double DDB, which is a 30 km event, and is two laps of the 15 km course. Take us briefly through the run course ... what’s the terrain/scenery like? How challenging is the course - especially over the longer distance? The 2.5 km track around Dumaresq Dam, which will be used in all events, is a lovely course with some undulating sections and mostly single track. There will be a small amount of boulder-hopping near the dam wall. It is a relatively easy (although not pram friendly) course and very scenic. Competitors should be able to see some of the dam’s water birds, including cormorants, moorhens, heron and swamphens. The longer courses, 15 km and 30 km, take in the beautifully forested Mt Duval and with a starting elevation of 1,000 m above sea level, competitors will be challenged with an elevation to almost 1,500 m within the first 6 - 7 km. The course is single tracks and fire trails, has an open grassland section, as
Being our very first event, I originally thought if we had 100 participants, it would be amazing.
New England focus. 39
Kate Shannon Taking Shape Store Manager Kate Shannon talks all things “Taking Shape”… Tell us about Taking Shape? The Taking Shape story began back in 1985 with an opportunity to offer a one-stop shop for plus sized women - a section of the market that was generally forgotten about. Today, over thirty years later, Taking Shape has more than 150 locations in New Zealand and Australia, including boutiques, clearance outlets, and on our website. Our product offerings spans women’s fashion, shoes, jewellery, accessories, swimwear, active, core basics and sleepwear. As well as our “Taking Shape” branded items, we also stock familiar brands such as TS, Virtuelle, Active and Petite Plus. How do you keep up with the ever changing fads and styles? We have a fantastic team of
designers who travel the world for inspiration to make our ranges unique and stylish. We work with a range of premium fabrics and finishes and invest time and effort into developing thoughtful new designs. There is always something for every wardrobe. Our styles are eclectic and timeless with our own avant-garde twist that allows you to connect this season’s range to the next; which means you can invest in a wardrobe from Taking Shape and enjoy quality fashion that is timeless and which truly offers the ability to mix and match pieces from season to season! What’s new this season? Our latest spring catalogue has launched and is called the “Spirit of Cuba”; it’s all about playful prints and clashing colour, inspired by balmy Cuban nights and sizzling sunsets. So jump online or head down to the Armidale store to pick up your new look.
C E L E B R AT E Y O U R CURVES AT TA K I N G S H A P E ARMIDALE 195-197 Beardy St Ph: 02 6771 5351 Ta k i n g S h a p e . c o m
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with Clairvoyant Terri Hall Phone. 0424 818 343
September 2018
AQUARIUS. JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19
If delays are doing your head in, visualise yourself walking the walk you desire, give yourself permission to achieve and have fun on the journey. It’s time for you to have what your heart desires, but you need to know you are worthy. Citrine attracts an abundance of positivity.
PISCES. FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 20
It is likely that you are feeling a bit trapped in life at present. This is because you are approaching a purging time to release anything from your reality that stops you achieving your fullest potential. Try debating with your old beliefs to establish new ones for the future. Ruby shatters self doubt.
ARIES. MARCH 21 - APRIL 20
If you’ve been feeling unsupported lately, try and identify what emotion you’re hoping to feel from someone and wake that emotion up internally; using your breath you can activate it. This exercise will reconnect you to your leadership skills and self love will follow. Rose Quartz is the crystal of love.
Any journey starts with small steps.
Discover our learning journey at
PLC Armidale:
Orientation Sessions Friday 24 August Friday 26 October Contact us for details
TAURUS. APRIL 21 - MAY 21
If relationships have been a challenge recently, it could be that past unresolved issues are requiring healing. Embrace the past, no matter how hard it was, and become the answer to the past hurts. This will show you your divinity and you will receive rewards. Jade is great for self worth and healing.
GEMINI. MAY 22 - JUNE 22
Changes are looming for career or what you will be doing on a regular day to day basis. You are a person of your word, and your word is your honour. New opportunities will soon show themselves to you, and your ability to recognise them will increase. Give yourself permission to achieve success. Enjoy! Ruby shatters fear.
CANCER. JUNE 23 - JULY 23
You have outgrown some of your beliefs so instead of feeling comforted, you may be feeling trapped. The next few months will be a purging cycle for you, so try giving intention to everything you take into your body and everything you release; this will raise your vibration and your mood will benefit. Clear Quartz empowers us.
LEO.
SCORPIO.
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 22
You’re getting reconnected to old gifts and talents, which will be likely to enhance your success with career. Journalise new things, so you can refer to them in future.It is likely that the next few weeks will bring opportunity to see how clever you are at teaching or training. This will bring newfound confidence. Turquoise is great for self esteem.
Now is a great time to fulfil a dream that you have carried for a long time or from a long time ago. Make a list of all the things you need and take action; get something from the list so that when the opportunity presents itself, you won’t be likely to sabotage it. Rose Quartz is the empowering crystal of self love.
VIRGO.
SAGITTARIUS.
AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 23
NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 21
Self esteem and worthiness are high on the agenda this month. If you can love yourself enough to know you deserve the best of the best, you will be pleasantly surprised with the success you draw to yourself. Set some fresh goals to keep the momentum going. Citrine attracts an abundance.
You are coming into a very fertile time, where anything you put your nurturing energies into cannot fail. Set some fresh goals, give yourself permission to achieve and throw yourself into new opportunities with gusto. Fake it until you make it! Rose Quartz is the crystal of self love.
LIBRA.
CAPRICORN.
SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 23
DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 20
Don’t be worried if you are feeling suspended at the moment; it is only a part of the process of discovering what your role in the bigger scheme of things is. Set some fresh goals and consider the importance of how you would like to feel. You are very connected to your heart, and feelings need to be a priority when setting your goals. Turquoise is great for self esteem.
You need to know you deserve the best of the best, so that you won’t sabotage rewards heading your way. Smile at your reflection for the next few weeks to raise your self worth and deservability. This will align you to live how you’re wanting … Peaceful and uncomplicated. Citrine attracts an abundance.
ALL GIRLS PRE-KINDER TO YEAR 12 BOARDING FROM YEAR 5
plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au 02 6770 1700 Educating successful women of tomorrow in a Christian environment
IN ALLIANCE WITH PLC SYDNEY
New England focus. 41
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PETER BAINES Visiting Armidale this month is Peter Baines OAM, WHO WILL BE ONE OF THE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS FOR THE NEW ENGLAND NORTH WEST LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE - an event centred about Workplace Culture and fundraiser for the local organisation BackTrack.
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eter developed his unique leadership style by leading international identification teams into Indonesia and Thailand following acts of terrorism and the 2004 South East Asian Tsunami. He would go on to work in the counter terrorism area of Interpol, spent time with the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime and also worked in Saudi Arabia and Japan after natural disasters hit those countries. But, it was his work in Thailand that brought the biggest change. After meeting the children left orphaned by the Tsunami, Peter felt compelled to act and founded an Australian charity called Hands Across the Water, which has gone on to create opportunities for hundreds of children across Thailand. Peter, for those who don’t know you, can you tell us a little bit about your career as a NSW Police Forensic Investigator? I started in Sydney in uniform in Cabramatta. I joined in 1986; I moved into the Forensic area in 1990. I spent 18 months in Sydney working out of Sydney Police Centre, servicing the main part of Sydney as a Crime Scene Investigator. Then in 1991 I went to Tamworth. I moved up there with my wife; we had 10 years in Tamworth, where I was a Forensic Investigator. As part of your career, you were pulled to all parts of the globe for natural disasters and investigations ... tell us about that. Yes, that’s right. I went to Bali after the bombings in 2002, and that pretty much set us up so that if something happened regionally, the Australians would be called upon to assist. I went to Thailand after the Tsunami, then I went on to work in Saudi Arabia in the city of Jedda after floods over there. I went to Japan after the Tsunami and following that I worked for Interpol on a counter terrorism project in France. I also worked for the United Nations and on Drug and Crimes in South East Asia in a capacity building role around leadership and counter terrorism. And with those international travels, obviously a pivotal moment came to you when you were called to Thailand after the Boxing Day Tsunami. What was it about that event that effected you so personally? There was no singular significant defining moment where I went, "I’ve found these
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IF WE HAVE CREATED MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THESE KIDS, WE THEN SAY THAT’S THE MEASURE OF OUR SUCCESS. NOT THE NUMBERS ...
children; I’ve got to support them". My career had always been dealing with victims of crime and so forth. And I guess what I saw in Thailand was a group of kids who had all lost their parents, had all lost their homes, and they were living in a tent. It just made sense to do something for them. The way I looked at it was that I couldn’t change what had happened, but it was within my capacity to change what happened next. So the idea of setting up Hands [Hands Across the Water] was initially just to build them a home. I set up Hands at the end of 2005, and I thought I’d give myself 12 months to raise the money to build their first home. And that was the general consensus behind it all and how it got started. In 12 years it’s grown probably more than you ever imagined. Can you tell us roughly how many orphanages and children the charity now caters for? We have seven centres we’re responsible for, that we either own, have built or we fund, and they’re all across Thailand. There are kids in those homes who come from varied different needs - we have the original Tsunami projects and then the second generation of the Tsunami victims, where children may have had a grandparent or someone who could look after them, but as that grandparent ages and their ability to earn income is diminishing, these kids still need to be looked after - and that's what we’ve been able to do there. We run two homes for kids who have HIV or who have lost their parent to HIV, and then we have a number of other centres throughout Thailand that cater for kids who have other needs. I guess the important thing for us is it’s not just necessarily around the number of kids and the number of homes, because as a charity our success should be if we have addressed the problems that cause the kids to find themselves without homes. Any charity really should be aiming to make themselves redundant, but obviously that’s not going to happen in the short term - not in my lifetime. So, we don’t measure success necessarily around the number of kids and the number of
homes. As a charity, our success is measured by creating a life of choice for the kids, as opposed to a life of chance, so what we do is invest in their long-term future, their long-term education, and opportunities for them when it comes time to
leave their home. If we can look at them and say have we equipped them through education, it might be university or whatever it is - do they have a choice in what they do once they leave? So if the education has been so limited that their choice is restricted to working in a rubber plantation or working in a bar, have we been successful? And the answer is no. If we have created meaningful opportunities for these kids, we then say that’s the measure of our success. Not the numbers. We’ve got 47 kids who are currently in university and we’ve got an increasing number who have graduated and are now alumni and working in different areas in different countries. Speaking about opportunities, for people here in our own region, the New England North West Regional Leadership Summit is coming up in Armidale, where you’ll be a keynote speaker. What are you looking forward to most about visiting the New England region? Getting back to a place that was so significant for me - there’s nowhere like country Australia. The communities that exist are diverse, the nature of the people and the relationships ... I think it’s a very grounding place, the country. It’s a different lifestyle, and it’s something I love and miss. Returning to Armidale is something that's pretty exciting; I used to spend a lot of time there in my forensic days. Your keynote speech will have a component in it about corporate and social responsibility. Can you talk us through just briefly what a corporate and social responsibility is? CSR (abbreviation for Corporate Social Responsibility) I think can be very misleading, because the very nature of the term suggests you have to be corporate to be involved in this.
And, I think when people look at corporate they think big, and that’s not the case at all. CSR, the work I do, is more about building relationships between business and the not for profit sector or the charity sector and turning that relationship into a profit centre for the business. Why I do this is because any business should know they don’t have to be large to have a relationship with a charity of their choice. It is irrelevant whom you support; for many people, it’s just a case of either donating time, money or resources or expertise and they don’t really expect a return. The charity will continue to use those donations, while you’ve got the time, resources and money, but if things go bad, the first thing businesses do is cut the charity. My focus is on helping business and charity have a relationship where profits occur for both, and that might be through staff engagement, brand differentiation, staff attraction, new business ... When the business can do well commercially, what it means is the pie they’ve got to carve up and give away grows. As a leader of a charity, it’s in my interest for the business to do well out of the relationship. The businesses may say, “That’s not why we do it; we don’t do it for the return ... but I respond, “Why not? When it becomes a profit centre, then you’ll contribute more”. A lot of relationships between business and charity are a heart decision; we don’t understand the true measure, the true opportunity, and what I do is help commercialise that relationship - so there is a profit centre and a business outcome for both. Thanks Peter.
Limited tickets are left for the NENW Leadership Summit. 13th September, Armidale. Summit Theme CONSCIOUS GIVING – THE HEART OF WORKPLACE CULTURE. changeplay.com.au/summit NENW Regional Leadership Summits are a collaborative and immersive experience focused on the unique and sometimes tricky facets of creating a sustainable workplace culture - a culture that is attuned to every aspect of your business, including your systems and people.
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BUSINESS AWARDS NOMINEES FEATURE 2018
Face to Face Tell us about the awards you have won. Excellence in Customer Service - Trades and Services - Winner. Excellence in Small Business - Runner-up, Highly Commended. New England Enterprising Woman - Runner-up, Highly Commended. Outstanding Young Entrepreneur - Finalist.
we currently have nine staff, including Margret
What services do you offer? We offer an amazing range of beauty services, skin treatments and massages. In the last six months we have introduced some of the most advanced skin technologies in the industry. These include micro needling, IPL skin rejuvenation treating pigment, vascular, acne and all over rejuvenation, LED light therapy, hydrabrasion, Observ 520 professional skin analysis, IPL hair reduction. By offering all of these treatments in our salon, we can customise every client to their specific skin concerns.
most advanced technology and products available
How long have you owned Face to Face? I have owned Face to Face for over nine years, and
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my manager, five senior therapists, an apprentice and another reception staff member. What is the best part of your job? Definitely customer service and continual training for my staff members. Being able to greet clients by their name is very important to us. Offering clients the on the market and the knowledge and advice to make each client look and feel the best they can. Plans for the future? We are currently rebranding, but our name isn’t changing - we are just getting a fresh new look. Our new website is up and running. New uniforms are arriving shortly, and changes are being made regularly throughout the salon. We are working on all of our therapists becoming Dermalogica Skin Experts, which involves over 200 hours of training, plus much, much more … watch this space.
Concepts Woohoo team, we did it again … We rock customer service! I am so proud of all of the Concepts crew. We have now won this award four times in the last five years - just shows I am surrounded with women who love their jobs, and each one of them brings a little something to Concepts. It really doesn’t take much to put a smile on your face and say hello to everyone as they come into the shop. In an era that is becoming more and more technical, more tap and go, it is nice to actually have a real person offer you assistance and make an effort with you. I don’t believe in a hard sell - nothing scares people away more than this. We gauge each person individually; some like a lot of attention, and
others are happy to have some quiet time to themselves. I am often in my office at the back of the shop doing all the behind the scenes stuff, leaving the girls out the front to look after customers. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than hearing laughter and chattering between staff and customers; in fact, I get jealous and sneak out to see what I am missing out on! So ... Thank you to the wonderful people who took the time to nominate Concepts for this Customer Service award; I am genuinely touched that you have taken the time to do it. We will keep up the good work and treat every day as “customer service day”.
BUSINESS AWARDS NOMINEES FEATURE 2018
Raw Fibre. 2018 has been a great year so far for Armidale based business Raw Fibre. We have been fortunate to be involved in many events, which culminated in obtaining several awards. The most recent was the Sustainability award at the Armidale Chamber Business Awards night. Raw Fibre was nominated for five categories and was a finalist in three. It was such an honour to be nominated, as it reinforces that you are doing something right. Raw Fibre was recently involved in the opening of The New England Collective in Hanna’s Arcade. This has been a great move for the business and for the local community, as it supports many small businesses in their quest to get started in the retail market. A recent introduction to the Raw Fibre business has been the establishment of the Bernina sewing machine dealership. Not only will we be selling the machines, but there will also be a
small range of quality fabrics available for sale. This will include a range of linens, cotton and potentially some beautiful Australian wool. Raw Fibre will, in the coming months, also be re-establishing its online presence with a small range of garments available for purchase from the e-boutique. This follows on from interest at several field days and the increased demand in Australian made clothing. Being self-employed is hard work, and there are times when you question your decisions and the validity of your business. It is a great motivator when you receive acknowledgment from the wider community. Tracy is excited about what the future holds for the business and cannot wait for the new range, as they will be well received when the weather warms up. We have some beautiful European and Japanese fabrics for summer, which I am sure will be a hit when the weather warms up.
Rosie Barnett - Seesaw Coffee Co When did you first open your doors? We opened on the 6th February this year and since opening, the response has been fantastic. How did you get involved with the Business Awards? Where you nominated? Our beautiful customers nominated us for the awards, and the Council rang out of the blue one day to say we had been nominated and to ask if we accepted. We did, of course. What award did you win on the night? We were in three categories overall, winning Young Entrepreneur 2018 and finalists in Excellence in Customer Service for hospitality and Start Up Super Star. What made you choose this location? We just loved it; it’s close enough to town that people can get to us nice and easily. Lots of parking, so our travellers from out of town can
stop off for some revitalising food and coffee, plus we are right next to Central Park in a nice historical area. The sun is always shining on our little hut! What do you have to offer besides excellent coffee? I believe in the importance of eating proper foods, so no preservatives, added sugars, or any of those nasty things. We do simple tasty food like toasties, soups, and salads, but with gourmet whole foods. All our baking is done in house. We pitch in and take turns creating healthy baked options. What do you do in your spare time? Try to stay alive, really! I don’t have much time off, to be honest. Plans for the future? Just keep rolling, keep up with the times. We don’t want to let anything get stale.
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Bronwyn
Pearson PINNACLE PEOPLE SOLUTIONS
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hat makes PPS unique? We are currently the only high-quality, corporate standard, regionally-based HR company exclusively focused on regionally-based, small-to-medium and not-for-profit enterprises. As a regionally-based business ourselves, we recognise the unique challenges faced both by individuals and businesses in small communities and deal with these directly. Unlike large-scale agencies, who may apply the same principles or templated approach to each client, we adapt our advice and services to the specific needs of each client. We go well beyond the scope of our work, taking a wholistic approach to everything we do. Tell us about your most recent award? We were excited and privileged to be amongst 300 business owners at the recent Armidale Regional Business Awards. We were honoured to be awarded a Highly Commended for Excellence in Small Business. The night, though, belonged to our wonderful clients. A huge congratulations to BackTrack Youth Works for winning Excellence in Social Enterprise and Meralli Solar for winning Start Up Super Star and Business of the Year for 2018. It is a privilege working with these enterprises, and their success is richly deserved. [Bronwyn is being typically modest here, as she also received the Outstanding Business Leader Award.] What are some of your key business achievements this year? PPS has received NSW-wide Local Government Procurement approved contractor status for the provision of HR services. We’ve also been selected, by tender, as a preferred HR, Safety and Training supplier 46 New England focus.
to Armidale Regional Council. Kim Bryan, Service that are aligned with our vision and values - a critical Leader - People, Safety and Communications, Armidale factor for any business. Ultimately, our success is wholly Regional Council said, “We chose Pinnacle People dependent on how well we provide our services; we Solutions because they have a proven track record in believe that we’ve changed the way the businesses we collaborating with multi-location regional business and work with perceive HR. We become integrated with have the depth and breadth of HR experience in local each business and act as their trusted advisors - not just government we were looking for.” providing “fly in, fly out” support or selections on the Following Homes North’s winning of the tender end of an automated phone service. to be appointed the social housing provider for the We are also very proud to provide 20% of our New England under the Social Housing Management services pro bono, to individuals Transfer (SHMT) process, and businesses in the Northern we’ve been selected as their Inland region. This is provided exclusive recruitment partner. where they may otherwise This will usher in a period of The vision for PPS from the be unable to afford needed rapid growth, diversification very beginning was to make a professional advice and support. and change for Homes North, meaningful contribution to the In the past year, this took the form which will more than double
sustainability and growth of
of recruitment, career transitioning in size and need a skilled and regional communities. There dedicated workforce to support coaching, mentoring, advice and was a clear need for their tenants. Our team are representation for staff subject to credible, expert HR advice excited to be appointed to unfair work practices and advice for regionally-located support Homes North, as it and representation for businesses organisations. scales to meet the exciting managing serious misconduct challenge ahead and to provide matters, unfair dismissal claims, ethical and independent advice and general protections claims. and processes, partnering with Homes North to achieve Where to from here? their recruitment and workforce planning goals. While proudly headquartered in Armidale, we’ve What is the secret of your success? always serviced the greater New England North West The vision for PPS from the very beginning was to region. In 2018 we significantly expanded our service make a meaningful contribution to the sustainability provision into Tamworth and the North West, providing and growth of regional communities. There was a a minimum of one day of service per week from clear need for credible, expert HR advice for regionallylocated organisations. We started in Armidale, and now operate across three states, including multiple rural and remote locations. This growth would not have been possible, however, without a great team
Tamworth, and growing. In 2017 we expanded our services to include HR education and training, and we’ve plans to introduce psychological support services in the future.
BUSINESS AWARDS NOMINEES FEATURE 2018
Altitude Physio.
Credit: Simon Scott Photo
Forsyths’ Secret to Success. Forsyths has a vision: to be the choice advisory service in Regional Australia. Being nominated for the Business Awards is a great honour, particularly given the extraordinary strength of the field in this year’s Armidale, Gunnedah and Tamworth Business Chamber Awards. Forsyths were nominated in all three regions, and were successful in bringing home awards in both Armidale and Gunnedah. A culture of growth has been, and continues to be our focus. Growth in not only what we provide our team and our services, but in our personal culture and attitude. We are experts in our fields of audit, financial planning, accounting, tax, super and business advisory. Through the addition of our Inverell office and newly appointed principals, we’ve achieved increased geographic coverage and services.
The services we are able to deliver would not be possible without a team of diversely talented people, who have the knowledge and experience to excel at what they do best. We have built a story about what it means to work at Forsyths, beginning from the moment a potential team member comes in for an interview. We employ on attitude and train the rest; this allows the best of both worlds for both our staff and clients. Forsyths is among the top 40 Professional Accounting Firms Nationwide, but having recognition at a local scale is what counts. Attending and receiving the business awards was a great privilege. Thank you to our region for acknowledging our business, for trusting in our team, and allowing us to be a part of your world.
Tell us a little about Altitude Physiotherapy. At Altitude Physiotherapy we have identified a need across the region to combine multiple health services, which include physiotherapy, exercise physiology, remedial massage, and clinical classes, to provide clients with an integrated management of chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis. This united approach to working with clients enables the development of programs that target individual goals, and each health professional works as part of a team to help client achieve this. Altitude Physiotherapy Armidale exists to rehabilitate, facilitate and motivate the New England. What made you adapt this multi-health service? My background as a Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist working across a variety of private and public healthcare settings in regional areas managing chronic disease enabled me to collect significant qualitative and quantitative data to support the idea of an integrated health setting. While this kind of practice is not a new idea, there is cur-
rently very little opportunity for clients to benefit from this framework in the New England private healthcare landscape. The advantage of Altitude Physiotherapy is the opportunity for clients to experience a diverse inter-disciplinary health setting that targets best chronic disease management. Plans for the future? Our vision is to establish leading inter-disciplinary allied health care services across New England and regional NSW. The short term goal for 2019 is to consolidate all services into a single premise, brand development with fully systemised and automated internal operations, service expansion and consolidating our partnership with local businesses and regional universities. Our long term goal will see the roll out of satellite practices across the New England, developing the business model into a franchise opportunity for staff to continue to deliver optimal health services via a network across regional NSW. Onwards and upwards!
We’re a part of your world.
www.forsyths.com.au 1300 447 007
New England focus. 47
focus_contributor
BUSINESS AWARDS NOMINEES FEATURE 2018
ANTHONY FOX - PRESIDENT, ARMIDALE BUSINESS CHAMBER
HealthWISE HealthWISE was thrilled to be announced as the winner of the Armidale Business Chamber excellence in mental health and recovery support for the second year in a row. HealthWISE is a local regional company providing health services under a range of programs. The Armidale office is a hive of activity, with a small team of health professionals and support staff working to improve the health of our communities. A range of mental health services are provided by clinicians Leon van der Linde and Kate Stewart, along with Aboriginal peer worker Lionel Solomon and care co-ordinator Michael Bradley. It is important to pause in our busy lives and reflect on our own mental health. Suicide awareness day is on 10th September and mental health month occurs in October. “Self-care is vitally important, and we encourage
people to take time to care for themselves during period of stress,” say psychologist Leon van der Linde. “It is always advisable to seek help early. Talking to your doctor can be a good place to start.” The experience of suicide has lasting effects on individuals, their family and friends. HealthWISE provides a free program aimed at reducing the risk of suicide by providing person-centred, individual support for people whose lives have been touched by suicide. HealthWISE also supports medical specialists who provide visiting outreach services in Armidale. Pictured is Anna Hicks, dietitian, Kate Doyle offering early diagnosis and support for people living with dementia. Val Williams, Chronic disease care co-ordinator for Aboriginal clients. Letitia Kearney primary health care nurse and Mental Health Clinician Cate Stewart. Indigenous Peer Navigator Lionel Solomon, Indigenous Care Coordinator Michael Bradley, Psychologist Leon van der Linde all provide Mental Health Services and Brent James who provides IT support for the organisation.
Minding your The Armidale Business Chamber is delighted to be making a monthly contribution to FOCUS to keep the Armidale region business community informed. The Chamber would also be grateful to receive feedback about how we can better serve you.
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he Chamber represents the interests of business, as well as putting on events for the benefit of members and organising the annual Business Awards. There have been events such as welcomes to new arrivals at Armidale, and presentations on IT, accounting, marketing and business management. Over the years a number of these have been held in conjunction with the Chamber’s largest sponsor, UNE. This year we have held end of month drinks - generously sponsored by Regional Australia Bank - at the Royal Hotel, to enable members to network and hear occasional speakers. More recently the Chamber, as part of the Armidale Guyra Business Alliance, with assistance from Armidale Regional Council, brought a travelling exhibition, Renew in a Box to Armidale. On display at the Armidale Library, Renew in a Box is all about utilising empty spaces, such as those in Beardy Street, for the benefit of Armidale, the owner of the spaces and the occupiers of them. There will be more on this over the coming months. This year the Armidale Regional Business Awards was very well supported by business, with the Armidale Bowling Club at capacity. There were 18 award categories, and the businesses represented were both diverse and competitive. A number of category winners will go through the regional finals to be held in Armidale this September. The Business of the Year ,Meralli Solar, also took out the Start Up Super Star category. To the sponsors of the various Award categories - thank you for your generosity. The Chamber’s thanks also go to the Ash Hall Trio and Little Fish for their entertainment. I look forward to next year’s Awards being yet a bigger event. At the Awards gala we raised $1,100 through donations, adding to the $500 donated by
48 New England focus.
the Chamber to “Buy a Bale”. Our guest speaker, Armidale Regional Council’s new CEO, Susan Law, provided her thoughts on the way the Council will move forward. The Chamber’s next event in October will be a lecture series by Roberts & Morrow at NERAM on recent developments in accounting and taxation. Please check the Chamber’s website for details. I believe the Chamber’s purpose is also to represent, to share information, engage in and facilitate discussion, as well as advocate for our members. So, as we introduce this monthly column, I will lead with a somewhat controversial thought starter. At the moment, we are in drought. This begs the question of whether it is just cyclical, as we have been through drought before, or whether it is a result of, or influenced by climate change. Opinions differ, but at the least this should be considered by experts, with advice made available to regional businesses, as well as farmers and graziers. A lot is being done in this area, though my concern is whether it is being well enough communicated and whether we are doing enough to take care of the future - for everyone in regional areas. The Chamber is on Armidale Regional Council Business Advisory Committee and the Regional Growth Advisory Committee. Various issues are considered, such as the Mall redevelopment, the airport, the rail trail, parking and the Business Park at the airport. More work needs to be done through these committees, and the Chamber will comment further on these issues. The Council procurement policy will need to be discussed to ensure, where feasible, local suppliers are preferred.
Chief Executive Officer of Armidale Regional Council Ms Susan Law
Adam Marshall, Monte Maguire, David Livingston.
Melissa Killen and the cast of Chicago
Rosie Barnett and Ingrid Rothe
Armidale City Bowling Club Sets the mood
David Livingston & ARC Mayor Cr Simon Murray.
Social /Scene
NERAM’s Rachael Parsons
Libby Martin & Liz Foster Boilerhouse Art Competition winners
Monty Maguire and Diane Gray
Matt Pilkington
Tracy Wright
Emma Rekunow New England focus. 49
focustourism
W I T H K AT R I N A G E O R G E F R O M T H E A R M I D A L E V I S I T O R I N F O R M AT I O N C E N T R E
tourism UPDATE
Tourism in September The Armidale Visitor Information Centre is on the lookout for volunteers! This is a wonderful opportunity for enthusiastic, Armidale Ambassadors, who enjoy working in a social environment and meeting visitors from around Australia and the world.
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f you have a spare morning or afternoon each week and you are interested in volunteering, please pop into the Visitor Information Centre or contact Katrina George on 6770 3906. The Guyra TroutFest kicks off on the long weekend, Friday 28th September to Monday 1st October, and wow - what an actioned packed program! Held in the heart of Guyra at the Mother of Ducks Lagoon, fishing activities include a children’s clinic on fishing essentials, culminating in the excitement of catching a huge trout to take home; a fishing competition for trout and native fish from streams and dams, with great prizes and giveaways; the exciting “Fishing Simulator”. Young and old can try their skills for a “very” realistic experience. You’ll be hooked! Saturday is TroutFest’s Market Day, with International food, musical entertainment and stalls of every kind, plus activities especially for children. Weekend events include craft and quilting displays and sales, cool climate open gardens, collector’s exhibits and heritage tours of Guyra’s museums. Watch out for colourful hand knitted and crocheted fish and fish sculptures around the shopping centre. Spot the tagged fish, or bring your own entry
50 New England focus.
to the Art Expo to win prizes. For more information: http://www.guyratroutfest. weebly.com High Country Theatre will be performing Animal Farm in the Jackson Centre at Saumarez Homestead on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th September. This play will delight children and adults alike, as a group of pigs orchestrate a rebellion and take over the farm. Tickets are available at the door or through trybooking.com Passion on the Platform is being held on Saturday 15th September. Commencing at the Big Lamb in Guyra, you will board the train bound for the old Guyra Railway Station. There you will enjoy a sumptuous seven course Degustation Dinner, grown and prepared by your local producers. Tickets available from GALA - 136 Bradley Street, Guyra ph. 6779 2132. On Friday 21st September, internationally renowned bass baritone, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, returns in a highly anticipated performance. Joined by lyric colouratura tenor Henry Choo, rising star mezzo soprano Ruth Strutt, celebrated soprano Peta Blyth and introducing much acclaimed pianist Rhodri Clarke in a thrilling evening of superb music. This wonderful concert will commence at 7:30pm at the Armidale Town Hall.
Tickets are available at trybooking.com On Saturday 29th September, the musical performances continue. The Armidale Symphony Orchestra will be delighting us with their concert … In a galaxy far, far away. This concert will feature music from Star Wars, New Frontiers, The Planets and E.T. The Extraterrestrial. The concert commences at 7pm at Lazenby Hall, UNE. Put on your running shoes and tackle the Duval Dam Buster trail run on Sunday 23rd September. There are three trail running events, including a 2.5 km family/kids’ event and a 15 km and 30 km event. For more information, please visit www.duvaldambuster.com. au/about/ There are many events planned for September. Please visit armidaletourism. com.au/events for a full listing. Would you like the events emailed to you weekly? Please email us on tourism@armidale.nsw.gov.au and we will ensure you never miss another event! Please drop into the Visitor Information Centre to collect any information on these activities and find out about the many other treasures in New England High Country.
focus_contributor - Travel Editor Susie Boswell.
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Hello, neighbour!
ew Zealand, it’s said, has all the wonders and varied terrain of Canada, all wrapped up in one far more compact package. And a sample of much of its natural beauty and truly one-off attractions is readily accessible from NZ’s biggest city, Auckland, home to a third of the nation’s people. Another bonus is a mere three-hours flying time from Sydney, or an extra 30 minutes for the return journey, and airfares starting at $500 return. Auckland Airport is Australasia’s second biggest, after Sydney, serviced by 30 international airlines in all, so plenty of choice of carrier offers. As a standalone, or dual, destination holiday, Auckland’s ideal, whether as a base for touring or as one half of a break taking in the Cook
Islands or Tahiti, for instance; skiing; or going on elsewhere in the country: 320 flights depart daily from AKL for 19 cities around the nation. For families, Auckland and environs alone is an affordable, fresh, holiday location with plenty to be packed into a week away. Expanded holiday planning beyond the usual beach-and-bar destination offers instead a break full of active outdoors, cultural, scenic, nature and gourmet pleasures. Children, and adult fans, will love a day trip to the Lord of the Rings Hobbiton movie set on a guided tour of its enchanting installations, coupled with a visit to Waitomo glowworm caves and boat ride through Glowworm Grotto. Other day tours take in Rotorua, venturing into the renowned thermal valley of geysers and boiling mud pools or the stunning Bay of Islands
region with its penguins, seals, dolphins and whales. Or, simply settle into the city and its brimming schedule of attractions. With a population of some 1.5million it’s big enough to offer everything the visitor can want, including an excellent range of accommodation choice, yet uncrowded to easily get around. Central to it all are Auckland’s beautiful twin harbours, its bridge (pictured) lit with 90,000 LEDs for a remarkable array of effects. The sparkling waters of Waitemata Harbour and its waterfront are attracting attention from across the world as it prepares for the 36th America’s Cup in 2021: sleek super yachts already are moored for the envying. Earlier, the All Blacks meet the Wallabies at Eden Park this August. Stylish fine food outlets and fabulous New Zealand wines as well as quirky cafes surround the waterfront. A must-do inner city venue is Karangahape Road - “K” Road as it’s known: the city’s hippest food precinct, notable for its intimate cafes, restaurants and bars. There’s Coco’s Cantina for Italian-inspired cuisine; Madame George serving seasonal plates and house-made snacks with some of the best cocktails in town, tables spilling out from a petite interior to the covered pavement; Apero, whose French chef embellishes the wine bar concept with unfussy yet unparalleled charcuterie; Satya Chai Lounge, a candle-lit room with a tempting take on delicious South Indian street food, plus craft beer and cocktails; and Love Bucket, for a mixology treat that has patrons sipping on syrups, tinctures and infusions, enjoying a laid-back vibe and city
views. By day there are beaches, bays, biking, breweries and bungy jumping, and that’s just some of the “b”s. Enjoy too fishing, snorkelling, sailing, parasailing, jet boats, kayaking, harbour cruises and the adventure of a bridge climb and bungy jumping. As well there’s the Sky Tower, Sky Walk and Sky Jump; entertainment galore; fish market; farmers’ market; wineries; world-class galleries, and shopping - New Zealand known for its superb fashion and remarkable one-of-a-kind woollen garments and designer labels. More options: panoramic views from the volcanic cone of Mount Eden; Mission Bay beach for fish and chips and a stroll, cycle or rollerblading; the aquarium, museum and zoo; crocodile viewing; butterfly house; mini-golf; paintball; gokarts; coastal walks taking in peaceful parks and historic suburbs; heritage trails through native bush; ferry rides; artisan cheese and foods; Maori culture; Kiwi art and craft; horse riding; Segway tours; canyoning, mountain biking and 4WD; a theme park and “scream” park; and golf. How long are you staying again? At an average January-February 23 degrees, Auckland’s an escape from Australia’s stifling summer while NZ’s “true” winters ensure reliable snowfalls and excellent cold climate experiences. Auckland’s just four and a half hours from Mt Ruapehu and 1000ha of skiable alpine terrain. Book with an agent; 100 of them toured NZ last month so they should be able to refine my long list. Time to say “Kia Ora” to our cousins across the ditch!
New England focus. 51
Business Minds with Ingrid Rothe of VIVID Thinking
Meralli Solar METHUEN MORGAN AND DAVID MAILLER This month FOCUS introduces David Mailler and Methuen Morgan. David and Methuen are the Executive Directors and Co-Founders of Meralli Solar. Meralli Solar took out top honours at the 2018 Armidale Regional Business Awards in the Start Up Super Star Category, as well as Business of the Year.
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ell us a little about yourself. David: I see myself as a husband, father, farmer, businessman, student and activist. Clare and I have three children, are both busy running our own businesses and together we manage a small grazing property at Uralla. I am naturally concerned by sustainability and our regional community wellbeing. Methuen: I’m the father of tree - two fine young men, as well as a little girl who keeps me very much on my toes. In my former life I was a QLD cattle farmer, before moving to Armidale to pursue studies at the University of New England. So how did it feel taking out top honours? David: As a business that is only a little over a year old, we are humbled and honoured by both the opportunities and recognition we have achieved. We’d both like to congratulate the Armidale Business Chamber for running an excellent night, and to thank the sponsors of our category the Regional Australia Bank, because without businesses who give back to their communities, this kind of Awards event isn’t possible. What led you to start up Meralli Solar? Methuen: While we both have extensive experience running Agribusinesses, I am also an Environmental Psychologist, and Dave has a Bachelor of Sustainability. And, we were sick of sitting around worried about the future of our children in the face of climate change and its more immediate impact on our rural communities. So, when we got the opportunity to do something about it, we leapt at it. What does Meralli Solar do? David: We build utility scale solar farms in the 200 kW to 30 MW range. The solar farm industry has - until now - been limited by significant 52 New England focus.
build timeframes, high cost of installation, and high build costs. The model Meralli Solar has allows regional Australia to take control of their energy requirements by providing fast, highquality, world-class and cost-effective solar farm installations for small-scale utility or community solar farms, that can be privately funded, and will happily sit side-by-side with the agricultural industry. What is so unique about what Meralli Solar does? David: Our construction method means we can deliver high-quality installations faster and more cheaply than anyone else in the industry. We are the world leading experts in the Belectric PEG System. Our unique installation process is effectively reducing build times from years to weeks, while maintaining the highest quality standards. Not bad for a couple of middle-aged farmers who simply want to leave the world a better place for our children. Who is your target market? Methuen: Regional Australia leads Photovoltaic capacity builds, as regional communities develop strategies to take advantage of the electricity revolution. Micro and small-scale renewable projects are gaining traction, with increasing enquiry looking into energy security solutions. Solar provides an opportunity for regional users to reduce energy bills during summer peak demand and provides cost saving opportunities for regional Councils powering high consumption use such as water treatment. There is increasing demand for smaller scale plants which cannot be cost effectively delivered by Meralli competitors. Where to from here? David: We are working on a range of opportunities such as industrial estates - behind the pole; regional and remote tourism facilities; large agribusinesses such as feedlots; and
our home; our Head regional communities We are committed to using currently at the end of Office is based in Uralla local services and business the electricity grid. Last and our respective houses, and to this end would year we built two utility family homes are like to thank BackTrack scale solar farms. This Youth Works, Kinelli, located in both Uralla year sees no less than Pinnacle People and Armidale. We are four confirmed projects Solutions, and Vivid committed to using totalling approximately Thinking, who are local services and 37 Megawatts of DC partnering with us on our business houses, and generation, and we have a journey. to this end would like further 10 projects under to thank BackTrack development. Youth Works, Kinelli, Anything you would Pinnacle People like to add? Solutions, and Vivid Thinking, who are partnering Methuen: We’d like to thank our Chief with us on our journey. Engineer, Rob Mailler and Relationship Manager, Methuen: As a growing business Peter Mailler, whose lead in our pilot installation headquartered in the New England, we hope to at Chillamurra, NSW, has made all this possible. contribute to the “call to arms” set by our new Further, we would have struggled to be where we CEO, Susan Law at the Awards Gala evening are without the dedication of the Meralli team, in particular Helen Hall and Geoff Dare. Of course, we both must thank our ever-patient families, who have supported us in this endeavour. We travel a lot! David: We are proud to call the New England
keynote address, to establish the “Armidale (region) as the benchmark for regional cities. Thank you, David and Methuen. *The interviewer is a supplier to Meralli Solar and is also the partner of one of its founders.
thinking reputation
WITH CHRISTOPHER SEROW & SAM DOYLE
thinking
reputation
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person or small company (“the aggrieved”) may be defamed when someone (“the publisher”) publicly makes or publishes untrue statements that malign the reputation of the aggrieved. An apology and retraction by the publisher of an untrue statement is usually the first step to resolving a dispute particularly where the publisher has made the statement in error. When a publisher does not properly retract an untrue or malicious statement the law of defamation may be invoked to protect the aggrieved party’s reputation. Impact of Defamation Stating or publishing comments without proper enquiry combined with reckless allegations about an individual may be considered as malicious and defamatory ultimately causing a negative impact on a person’s reputation and self esteem disrupting and maligning their achievements in business, social, sporting, political and cultural associations that may have been built up over several years. The emotional impact on the aggrieved person can be overwhelming causing anxiety, hurt feelings, financial loss and depression. Individuals and companies may suffer both economic and non-economic loss. If the publisher is reluctant or refuses to withdraw untrue statements or published material, an aggrieved person may proceed to take action against the publisher. Resolving Matters Without Going to Court In NSW the Defamation Act 2005 (‘the Act”) provides the steps involved in taking action against a publisher of defamatory material or statements. The objects of the Act however, provide that law of defamation is not intended to place unreasonable limits on freedom of expression and, in particular, on the publication and discussion of matters of public interest and importance. Such action may be at common law or may follow statutory provisions. Defamatory material does not have to be in writing and includes slander. The Act also provides for the circumstances in which a defence may be available to the publisher such as where the statement is substantially true or where a publisher may have parliamentary
or other privilege. Under provisions of the Act, not only are individuals entitled to take action in defamation but also not-for-profit organisations and companies that employ less than 10 full time equivalent staff. The first step to resolve defamation matters in accordance with the Act is for an aggrieved person to provide a concerns notice to the publisher. The concerns notice must be in writing and inform the publisher of the false and defamatory allegations that they have attributed to the aggrieved person. This is referred to as the imputations. The publisher then has 28 days in which it may make an offer to make amends either in relation to the matter generally or limited to part of the defamatory imputations. An offer to make amends must be in writing and include an offer to publish in writing a correction or retraction or to tell people that the published or stated material was incorrect and defamatory. The offer to make amends must include, among other things, an offer to pay the expenses reasonably incurred by the aggrieved before the offer was made (such as legal costs). Going to Court If an offer is not provided or does not satisfy statutory requirements, the aggrieved may take formal action to sue the publisher through either the District or Supreme Court of NSW or, in some cases, through the Federal Court system. Defamation matters cannot be filed in the Local Court. An action must be filed by way of a Statement of Claim within 12 months of the defamatory material being published. Apart from any economic loss, the aggrieved may claim compensation up to $250,000.00. The level of compensation however, if any, is ultimately determined by the Court. In addition to compensation the losing party will be usually be liable to pay the winning parties legal costs. Court proceedings for defamation are extremely expensive. Before taking such proceedings individuals should always obtain independent legal advice. Talk to us. You’ll be inspired. Christopher K.C. Serow Principal, Solicitor Director, Notary Public, Migration Agent MARN 0854319 New England focus. 53
focus_tech
WITH GAVIN MORONEY
HOME and GARDEN feature
GOOGLE HOME
Is this a good time to sell? Armidale is a great place to live, buy a home or acquire an investment property. But like any market, there are cycles and seasons to be considered.
Tech Head Most of us know finding a good roommate can be hard. Dirty clothes on the floor, 3am parties, and dishes in the sink. Google Home isn't like that; in fact, it's the best roommate you've never had - from turning the lights off, answering even the hardest of questions, to making sure you’re not late for work.
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he main reason for the existence design, whether it's the smaller Google Home of Google Home is to make mini, Google Home or Google Home Max. home life that little bit easier. I would recommend Google Home Max for Google Home is essentially an those who are after an upgraded speaker for extension of “Google Assistant” music. in a box, connecting with other There are some negatives to the product. pieces of smart home tech to all be activated Sometimes it doesn't register or gets a by the use of voice. “Hey Google” will end command wrong that was given to it. This isn't up the most used phrase in the house, as a huge issue, but an issue that needs fixing. it activates Google Home. From here, the I did notice, just like with my phone, that if I device can be used to control light bulbs, was discussing a certain topic in conversation, appliances and smart the next time I was power switches, or to scrolling through social give you a recipe, set media feeds there were calendar reminders and certain ads popping up give you an update on that were directly related IT COMES IN A FEW the weather. I found I to what I was talking DIFFERENT STYLES, mainly used this a lot about. Although this ALL SLEEK IN DESIGN, to get updates on my isn't any different from WHETHER IT’S THE calendar for work and the phone in your pocket SMALLER GOOGLE HOME to turn off all my lights or any device connected MINI, GOOGLE HOME OR before heading out. At to the internet that has a GOOGLE HOME MAX. the moment I feel it’s microphone, I still think a little limited in what I this is a something you would need it for, but may have to think about I can definitely see the before purchasing. potential in the future to The highlights of what Google Home can be able to control the whole house. connect to right now are the Nest range, It can access all sorts of streaming services, Philips Hue lightbulbs and Samsung’s like Google Play Music, YouTube Music, SmartThings platform and many more. With and Spotify. The speaker on the Google the list of brands connecting to Google Home home is OK for playing music, but not really continually rising, I think the future of what outstanding. The microphone can be heard you could do with this device is interesting, from anywhere across a room and does well depending on what devices you have most of the time. I did, however, find when connected with it. I think this would be a great asking it to play some tracks it sometimes gets tool for anyone with visual or mobility issues, it wrong. or anyone looking to control their smart home It comes in a few different styles, all sleek in by voice.
There is no doubt that the national property market is transitioning. Some specific markets like Hobart are still defying gravity, but the overall trend is undeniably towards slower growth. Armidale has seen unprecedented residential development in recent times. Whilst there has been plenty of take up by locals, much of the demand has come from capital city investors priced out of their own markets. This additional housing stock has put some pressure on existing rental properties that now have to compete for available tenants. Like home owners, investors are having to adjust their expectations. Tighter lending practices has resulted in buyers being constrained in what they can borrow and spend. Increased interest rates will only add to
that dampening effect over time. High levels of government taxation in the form of stamp duty also serves to reduce demand. Homes used to be transacted on average about every eight years, but that has now increased to over eleven years. So, is it a good time sell a home or investment property in Armidale? The answer is YES, but as prospective vendors, you may need to consider some new rules: • Be careful not to limit the potential market by over-pricing the property. It costs far more to recover from an isolated price point than deal with market realities up front. • Use a professional marketing campaign with an emphasis on quality digital engagement. • Don’t just pick an agent - actively partner with them to produce the best result. Give us a call; we would be delighted to help.
New England focus. 55
HOME and GARDEN feature
Hubbard Hire Why buy expensive building equipment and earthmoving equipment when you can just hire them at Hubbard Hire? Since 1995, Hubbard Hire has been servicing the Armidale and surrounding areas with top quality tools and equipment. From building, excavation and landscaping jobs to home projects and general handyman work, Hubbard Hire caters to all customers, no matter how big or small their project is. Our customers are builders, contractors, home renovator/DIY and landscapers who need reliable equipment and tools at the right price. This is backed up by the excellent service our team provides on a day to day basis. We understand the right tools and equipment are essential for getting the job done on time whilst staying on budget, and that’s why we pride ourselves
on providing a customer service that makes that happen. Our products include access equipment, concrete tools, earth moving, compactors and rollers, floor care, gardening and landscaping, heating and lifting, painting and decorating, pressure cleaners, power tools, pumps, saws, trailers and vehicles, toilets, welders and generators. We guarantee top quality equipment, local and professional service, delivery and pickup service available, equipment serviced and maintained regularly, affordable hiring for everyone. We are also agents for AIR LIQUIDE, supplying industrial and hospitality gases. Drop in at our office or contact us today on (02) 6772 7966. We also provide a delivery and pick up service across the New England region.
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SAVE OVER $1000
on Consul Models
OL CO
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Available now at Cargo Lane Authentic Home - Bellingen www.cargolane.com.au
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IS
TIMBER DOORS
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Original INDIAN
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HIMALAYAN SALT BLOCK
Experience a completely new taste in barbecue. This block of Himalayan salt transforms regular grilling into a gastronomic extravaganza. Simply add oil to the top surface and heat up the rock slowly to turn it into a sizzling cooking surface that also flavours your food evenly. Ideal for meat, fish, shellfish, and vegetables, or even as a chilled serving plate for sushi or fresh fruits. Wipe or scrape it clean after use and store at room temperature. $54.95 at Things with a Difference, Beardy Street Mall.
imagine comfort The world’s most comfortable and functional seating. Made in Norway. • Save over $1000 on Consul Models from $1,999 • Save over $800 o n Sunrise Models from $2,299 • Immediate delivery – while stocks last • Patented Plus™ system for perfect neck and lumbar support • Available in a range of colours including Black, Mole & Latte in Batick Leather.
stressless.com.au
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Stressless® Consul from $1,999
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There’s no place like home If your home or personal belongings are ever damaged or stolen, you’d want to make sure you’re covered. Whether it’s theft, fire, storm damage, or anything in between, our home and contents insurance can protect those things you treasure. No matter what your circumstance, your local Elders Insurance agent will guide you through your options, to make sure you get the best home insurance possible. The flexibility to choose from two types of cover: Defined Events This covers you for damage caused by nominated events such as: • Burglary, housebreaking and theft • Flood • Fire, lightning or explosion • Earthquake, storm or rainwater • Malicious damage • Impact from falling trees, vehicles or aircraft • Breakage of fixed glass • Other events as listed in the policy Accidental Damage This gives you wider cover for accidental loss or damage to your home and contents. So why not stop by and have a chat to one of your local agents today and get your home and contents insured for that peace of mind!
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L A B E L
UNIPLAN • M O D U L A R
H O M E S •
Uniplan is not only one of the largest employers in the New England region; they are also dedicated to creating extraordinary homes to suit all tastes and budgets across the state, while based here in Armidale.
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ave you seen how Modular Homes have developed in recent years? When you hear the terms Modular, Transportable, Prefab Home, you probably have some preconceived images that pop up in your mind. Perhaps you think of a bland building with a low pitched roof? Or perhaps you think of a cramped caravan park with rows of boxy little homes. How times have changed, when you look at the images on this page. At Uniplan Group we’ve been working with clients like you to show just how much can be achieved in a modern day factory built Modular Home. No longer are you stuck with an ugly looking home that you can’t be proud of. Uniplan have recently released a new range of stunning architectural styles to choose from. These styles can be applied to any of our floor plans, to ensure you get just the look you’re after. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 … Pick your FLOOR PLAN, pick your STYLE and then choose your INTERNAL INCLUSIONS. Here is an overview of the styles you can choose from.
C O A S T A L
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Classic This is the styling included in all our standard prices. Its safe styling with the gable roof and weatherboard walls will give you timeless elegance and an enduring style. By choosing the “Classic” styling, you are assured of the easy clean lines that will bring charm to any site. Contemporary Striking. Bold. Modern. Architectural. All words used to describe the “Contemporary” styling of these images. They turn any floor plan into an eye catching masterpiece of architectural design that looks as much at home in a beautiful rural setting as in a modern streetscape. Coastal The angular lines of the roof combined with large format windows are sure to bring a light and airy feel to your new home. The “Coastal” style always looks clean and bright. Highlight windows can be added to let natural light flood into your living areas. Country The intricate styling of the “Country” exterior exudes the beauty of our Australian heritage. With roof finials, traditional trims and beautifully framed windows, the “Country” style will be at home in the most stunning traditional settings.
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You can imagine a neatly planted box hedge leading up to your elegant new home. I think it would be safe to say these styles debunk the preconceived ideas anyone may have about the look and feel of a modern day Modular Home! As you can see, there is a style for every taste. If you have the perfect piece of land that you want to build on, Uniplan will have an architectural style that will impress your neighbours. What makes a Modular Home the right choice for you? If you’re even just a little out of town, we all know how hard it is to get a builder. It becomes so much harder for them. Carting
C O N T E M P O R A R Y
materials, driving out to site each day and being further from suppliers. With a factory built Modular Home, it really doesn’t make much difference if you’re right in town or 200 km in the bush. We love remote and rural sites! What is the first step in your journey to a new home? Come and have a chat to us. We love to hear about your family and what you need in your new home. This lets us ensure we can guide you to success. You need to find a builder you can trust, communicate with and that suits your style and budget. When you get in touch with us, this is exactly what we will ensure we work on as you start your building journey.
CUSTOM DESIGNED MODULAR HOMES & GRANNY FLATS
At Uniplan Group we’re passionate about making your home building experience as easy and hassle free as possible. By building your new home in our factory in Armidale we can control every facet of the job. When it’s complete we deliver and install the finished home on your land. Our experienced team makes every step of the way simple.
CALL US TODAY ON 1800 864 752 OR VISIT OUR DISPLAY HOMES: Drop around to 22 Myrtle Drive, Armidale to see our stunning displays Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm and Saturday By Appointment
Smart Design for
AFFORDABLE HOUSING 22 Myrtle Drive | PO BOx 5004 | ArMiDAle NSW 2350 | 1800 UNiPlAN (1800 864 752) | sales@uniplangroup.co | @uniplangroup | www.uniplangroup.co @uniplangroup.co | New England focus. 43
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Forty Winks Armidale Forty Winks Armidale is excited to launch the all new BED MATCH diagnostic analysis system for Armidale and New England. The Bed Match system, now in store, has been developed by American group Kingsdown, the world leaders in sleep diagnostics, in association with the American Sleep to Live Institute, and is designed to empower consumers with accurate personal statistics when selecting their mattress. The new system uses 3D technology to measure the body and does more than 1,000 calculations using 18 statistical measurements on pain criteria, flexibility of lumbar curve, and weight distribution. All body specifics, including gender, are taken into consideration. The Bed Match system has been developed in conjunction with the corresponding My Side mattress system. My Side allows a mattress to be specifically produced with the perfect support to suit each partner on their side of the mattress. Without having to compromise, a 120 kg
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person and a 60 kg person can have their side of the mattress produced to perfectly match their individual requirements and not affect the other person. As well as determining the perfect My Side mattress, Bed Match also produces a list of other “name brand” mattresses that best match the consumer’s needs. Even better, it determines the most suitable mattress in all price ranges, allowing a quality selection to fit our customer’s budget. The Forty Winks Armidale team has been expertly trained in the operation of Bed Match and love the fact that a two minute assessment on Bed Match gives clear direction to the team when helping our customers find their perfect mattress. We invite everyone, whether currently looking for a mattress or not, to come in and have a personal analysis assessment and see how the correct mattress can improve your sleep, comfort and general health.
Furniture Clearance Plus We are a new specialist furniture store, that sources top quality furniture from Australia’s best importers/suppliers and sell it at genuine wholesale clearance prices. All furniture is often still current on other retailers’ floors and carries the same full manufacturer’s warranty. Lounges, dining suites, occasional furniture and quality outdoor furniture are all carried in stock ready for immediate delivery, and at prices up to 50% under regular retail prices. Follow us on Facebook to keep up with new additions to the ever changing stock lines. Some lines are very limited end run clearances and priced accordingly. If you are looking for a particular something, talk to Wendy or Paul and they will happily track it down for you. A massive new range of top quality outdoor furniture will be on display in early
spring and ready for immediate delivery to lucky purchasers. Don’t leave your selection too late for pre Christmas availability and delivery. FCP also have a number of suppliers exclusive to the store. We have an Australian manufacturer of lounges and sofa-beds who will create your sofa-bed from any of the wide range of lounges they produce. All furniture is made to order, with the customer selecting the style and fabrics used from any of the wide range of Warwick fabrics. Supply is very quick and the quality amazing. Interest free terms and short term laybys are available on all furniture purchases, and free delivery to most New England and Northwest Centres is also offered. We have a great team who really enjoy helping our customers design and furnish their own special area of the home.
THE FUTURE OF WORK
UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND PRESENTS A SPECIAL EVENT To help people adapt to a rapidly changing world, UNE is hosting a special event where Google’s Global Education Evangelist, Jaime Casap, will discuss The Future of Work and how education needs to respond to it.
FEATURING KEYNOTE SPEAKER Jaime Casap, Google’s Chief Education Evangelist.
FOLLOWED BY
A panel discussion and Q&A chaired by ABC’s New Inventors host, James O’Loghlin.
WHEN
Jaime Casap
Thursday 13 September 2018 ▪ 10am-11am Tertiary Studies Expo ▪ 11am-1pm Keynote address plus Q&A ▪ 1pm-2pm Tertiary Studies Expo
WHERE
Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre (TRECC)
For more information and to book your free tickets visit:
une.edu.au/fow University of New England CRICOS Provider Number 00003G
James O’Loghlin