IN THE COMMUNITY
ROTARIANS SHELL OUT FOR MORETON BAY THE Rotary club of Redcliffe Sunrise is taking on a challenge – one oyster shell at time. The club is collecting shucked oyster shells from wholesale outlets and taking them – eight wheelie bins a week – to the Ozfish facility at the Port of Brisbane. There, the shells are rested for at least six months to ensure they are bio secure for reuse, and then packed into 18kg baskets. With fisheries approval, they are put into the Port of Brisbane sub-tidally. The Moreton Bay Foundation, Healthy Land and Water and UQ Marine research scientists with Ozfish are researching the outcome of restoration of a Moreton Bay once full of oysters. “There were once oyster bars all over Brisbane and nearby coastal areas but now they have gone,” says Rotary Redcliffe Sunrise vicepresident Colin Scobie. “The project is built on research at Pumicestone Passage to restore oyster reefs.” Benefits are that the shells will not be going to landfill and
oyster reefs provide a barrier against storms and mangroves to stop erosion. Oysters – the lungs of the waterway – filter 180 litres a day, cleaning the waters and drawing up to 16 times more fish that are protected by the oyster reefs. Leftovers from the oyster filtration process are enjoyed by fish habitat and other marine life such as plankton, seagrass and crayweed. “The cleanup of the Moreton Bay Marine Park will encourage the community to gain confidence to swim in cleaner waters and the cleaner waters are a carbon sink against climate change,” Mr Scobie said.
NETWORK WELCOMES OLDER WOMEN OLDER Women’s Network branches offer a place to meet, make new friendships, and share activities and conversation, as well as participate in discussions about issues affecting older women, such as housing. Branches run enjoyable meetings and outings. These include techno morning teas to learn how to use modern technology and stay in touch more easily, as well as day trips to a variety of interesting destinations. There are meetings for dinner and nights for wine and cheese. Guest speakers cover many topics from local history to safety at home and staying healthy. Branches are at Bribie Island, Capalaba, Lutwyche, Mitchelton, Morayfield, Woody Point, Wynnum Manly and Burnie Brae at Chermside. Call 3358 2301.
VILLAGE PUTS POETRY IN MOTION There’s always plenty to do in retirement villages but writing poetry seldom comes up on the list. MOCCO WOLLERT is determined to change that. Retirement villages have no shortage of entertainment or activities providing the brain stimulation needed by the elderly – bridge, scrabble and every card game under the sun. There are interesting people with stories to tell arriving regularly as guest speakers and book clubs keep the love of reading alive while providing a challenge to evaluate the story and characters. If you want to test your general knowledge, simply attend one of the many trivia events offered. So, what does a lonely poet do when living in a retirement village? Simple, start a poetry group. Not surprisingly, my age group feels that a poem is only a poem if it rhymes. We grew up with rhyming poetry, which was like a song filling brains and hearts. Great poets such as Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson produced poetry where rhyming words filled the pages. The
rhymes seemed to fall into place without effort. Today, however, there are many different forms of poetry, the most popular among modern poets being free verse which allows one to “string along” words in seemingly a haphazard way. It also allows novices to try their hand at writing poetry. Once upon a time, a poet was honoured, respected, praised and admired. Today, I feel selfconscious, almost ashamed, to admit “I write poetry”. Today’s acknowledgements and accolades are for “real writers”, those who produce
Tickets are on sale now for Beenleigh Theatre Group’s first production of the year, after being closed until late last year due to COVID! Into the Woods is hitting the stage February 11th until February 26th! This production is directed by Mardi Schon with assistance from Jane Schon, and with musical direction by Julie Whiting. This classic piece of musical theatre, composed by the late great Stephen Sondheim with book by James Lapine, is an intrepid adventure into the depths of all your favorite fairy tales. In a tale as mysterious as it is hilarious, see Cinderella encounter the Baker and his wife. See Jack, of beanstalk fame, meeting Little Red Riding Hood, who is a bit feistier than you might recall. And revel as the Witch uses magic to confuse and confound all who venture...
INTO THE WOODS FEBRUARY 11TH - 26TH Tickets: http://www.beenleightheatregroup.com/into-the-woods
Email: info@beenleightheatregroup.com or call (07) 3807 3922 Adults $35. Students/Concession/Pensioner $30. Our next show is a re-imagining of the classic J.M. Barrie story, Peter Pan, which retells the tale with a modern twist. Our season of Peter Pan will run March 25th - April 9th. We also have an adult choir called A-Chord, which welcomes singers of all experience levels, their motto is sing from the heart! And an adult Theatremaker’s club, facilitated by one our expert drama teachers Matthew French, for anyone who is a kid at heart and wants to jump back into reading scripts, acting out skits or having a crack at improv!
Check out our social media page Beenleigh Theatre Group on Facebook, or contact us via email to find out more! 8 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / February 2022
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