Oasis Magazine - July|August 2020

ISSUE 35 JUL | AUG 2020

e m e Tak S

UR O Y I’M

Celebrating life in Tropical North Queensland

What just happened?

WITH JULES STEER | PUBLISHER

JEEPERS! WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? Remember back six months ago, we were going about our daily rush, taking some time out to lament the horrific destruction caused by the bushfires.

On New Years Eve 2019 - as I cranked my neck away from my Shiraz to gaze skyward to the overhead fireworks, pumped out a few lines of Auld Lang Syne, hugged my kids and some awesome humans and farewelled what was a pretty crappy year - I was excited by the possibilities and promises that 2020 held.

You see, for me, 2019 kinda sucked. It was a tough year filled with challenges and change, and (for us selfconfessed control freaks) change is something usually consumed through pursed lips and clenched teeth.

Then the world went whacko. And lockdown happened.

Oasis Media, my business that I’d invested every waking hour into for six years lost 93% of her revenue in six weeks. Ouch. That rocked me. Because my business was my baby, and my baby was in the ICU - barely alive.

And I wondered what I was, if I wasn’t my business?

I’ve been self-employed for 14 years. That means I haven’t *actually* had a holiday in 14 years. Sure, I’ve been to plenty of places in that time. My frequent flyer miles are skyhigh. But as a small business owner, never completely switch off. You may be on holidays somewhere fancy, but you’ll always be keeping an eye on emails and checking outcomes have been achieved.

I can’t tell you how many emails I’ve sent while getting a foot massage beside a Balinese resort pool.

Add in an extra four kids over that time, coupled with all the associated WTF moments they bring, and shutdown gave me a chance to stop. And to realise that I was tired. Really tired. I watched as my business slipped into a coma and I wasn’t sure if she’d survive. So, with nothing else to do, and feeling so out of control, I laid down beside her. And I rested.

And I watched Netflix. So. Much. Netflix.

And I became that person who has nighttime pyjamas and daytime pyjamas. And I learned how to cook via Youtube. And I day-drank. Sometimes, I’d get out of my pyjamas, have a shower and head to Cairns Hardware to buy herbs. (On that note, I now have enough basil and tomatoes to get the whole city through the next lockdown, in case anyone is looking!)

I also pressure cleaned my house to within an inch of its life. And I Marie Kondo’d. So. Much. Kondo’ing. And, of course, I *tried* to homeschool my four kids - or as I prefer to call it: “Just watch something on Youtube, darling!”

And the virus kept spreading and the changes kept coming, and, amongst all the other things I was learning over lockdown, I finally learned how to let go.

To relinquish control. To accept change.

I had my newfound cooking, gardening and pressure cleaning hobbies. I had my Netflix obsession. I had my pyjamas. I had my neighbours who would wander past during their exercise routine and stop for a sneaky wine and chat over the fence. And I realised so many things. One of them was I realised I didn’t really miss my pre-COVID life much at all.

Another thing I realised was that I certainly didn’t need bras. They were the most irrelevant item in the house during lockdown. You’re hearing me, aren’t you ladies!?

And I started becoming quite fine with this new way of life; this new normal. And I learned to really enjoy slowing down. And I know I’m not alone. In some ways, I think humanity somehow needed this break. A “Noah’s Ark” type of event, where we were given a chance to start again, refreshed, and ready to focus our energy on what is actually important to us.

COVID-19 has been really hard for so many, there’s no denying. And it will continue to be hard - professionally, personally, emotionally, and financially. Livelihoods have been lost. Families have been separated. My own kids haven’t seen their dad in about 14 weeks, and given that he works in Victoria, I can’t see that changing any time soon. And it’s important we admit how hard this has been, and that we keep our mental health a priority. I hope COVID is the turning point for this habit we have of only revealing life’s highlight reel; of hiding the gritty parts of life that make us human and unique. And I hope we can encourage people to feel comfortable to speak up when they are hurting.

Me? I’m realised that I like the simpler life, more focussed on cherishing what sparks joy in me, and less on doing the things I “have” to do. So, for all of its yuckiness, I’m actually quite grateful to COVID-19 for gifting me that wake-up call.

And, it was at that point of my revelation that my little baby Oasis awoke from her hibernation ... and right in time for her 6th birthday! And it’s 100% because of the people and businesses who’ve helped Oasis (and me!) get back up again. I’m filled with the hugest gratitude to all the local businesses and contributors featured in this issue for their support, and I would love to see you, the Oasis readers, support them wherever possible.

Tell them Oasis sent you!

And please check out our brand spankin’ new website, and follow us daily on our social media channels, and sign up to the fortnightly O|Mail. And Happy 6th Birthday, Oasis! We’re back, baby!!

Cheers, Jules xx E: jules@oasismagazine.com.au P: 0423 959 648 JULY | AUGUST 2020

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What’s On JULY | AUGUST

DoTERRA ESSENTIAL OILS

CBWC BUSINESS & BUBBLES AUGUST

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Every Thursday night, Zoom in to receive valuable information on the golden drops of DoTerra Essential Oils. Learn about the physical, emotional and environmental benefits of using essential oils.

16 July 2020 | 7:00pm - 8:00pm HOSTED BY: Drops of Vitality with Karen

CAIRNS YOUTH & CAREERS EXPO The largest careers expo in North Queensland. Apprenticeships & Traineeships, VET Pathways, Universities, Accommodation Options, Government Departments, Wellbeing, Skills& Certificates and Job Placements.

27 August 2020 | 8:30pm - 6:00pm LOCATION: Cairns Showground HOSTED BY: Business Liaison Association

www.savannahintheround.com.au

WWW.OASISMAGAZINE.COM.AU

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IN MY BLOOD IT RUNS This special fundraiser screening of the award winning film shines a spotlight on some of the issues that we face as a nation.

5 August 2020 | 6:30pm

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EARLY BIRD TICKETS: 5 BANDS FOR $50

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AUGUST

AUGUST

1 & 2 OCT 2020

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FINALLY! The CBWC events are back! After months of meeting behind the screen, we can’t wait to see you all face to face! Canapes and welcome drinks on arrival. Plus raffles and prizes to win!

7 Aug 2020 | 5:30pm - 8:30pm LOCATION: Rydges Esplanade Resort

LOCATION: Event Cinemas Cairns Central

THE BUCKLEYS

CASEY BARNES SALTBUSHSIX

CONT ENTS

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FRONT COVER: CIAF CURATOR AND DESIGNER SIMONE ARNOL MODELS A PIECE CREATED FROM RESCUED MARINE FISHING NETS, WHICH WILL APPEAR IN THE UNDERCURRENTS EXHIBITION. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTA BACARDI.

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A few ofFAVOURITE our THINGS

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BONNE MAMAN CARAMEL IS THE PERFECT MIX BETWEEN MILK AND NATURAL SUGARS THAT BRINGS BACK SWEET MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD. IT CAN BE SAVOURED ON BREAD, PANCAKES, ICE CREAM OR SIMPLY WITH A SPOON.

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We’ve got our hands on some of this Caramel delight and we want you to experience the goodness!

Pop over to our Facebook and Instagram pages for your chance to WIN!

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ALL THESE AMAZING PRODUCTS, AND MORE, ARE AVAILABLE FROM EGGPLANT & POPPY, LOCATED IN OCEANA WALK, VIA GRAFTON & LAKE STREETS, CAIRNS CITY. www.eggplantandpoppy.com.au

Demeter Fragrance ~ Gin & Tonic | Worn by Drew Barrymore | $32

“I’m Not Bossy” Oven Mitt | $28

Amythest Crystal Water Bottles | $100 MORE STONES AVAILABLE ONLINE & IN STORE

Bygone Badass Broads: Women Who Changed the World Book | $32 “I’m a Girl” socks | $22 JULY | AUGUST 2020

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It’s safe to say, we’ve all spent a good bit of time in front of screens lately. Studies show that Australia’s daytime screen usage has increased by as much as 70% over COVID-19. We think it’s time to step away from the screen ... and we think there’s no better way to relax away than with a good read. Have a look at these beauties, and then keep an eye on Oasis Mag’s social media and our fortnightly e-newsletter, O|Mail, for your chance to get your hands on a free copy!

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STRESS FREE by RICHARD MALONEY How to thrive under pressure in unprecendented times

SORT YOUR S#!7 OUT by GARY WALDON An Aussie AF guide to help you thrive in tough times

As we slowly navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, our world and our working lives have changed substantially. A move towards a ‘new normal’ comes with additional responsibilities and pressures for leaders. So, how can you keep performing at your peak and avoid burnout during tough times?

In this new book, Stress Free: How to Thrive Under Pressure in Unprecedented Times (RRP $29.99), author and CEO of Quality Mind Global, Richard Maloney, draws upon over 20 years experience working with hundreds of elite athletes, business leaders, and executives, to provide a practical guide to reducing stress and sustainable high performance.

This step by step self-coaching guide (and powerful accompanying app) helps unlock your inner super-powers through actionable and proven mental training, resulting in stronger work performance and increased happiness at home.

ItItdoesn't allall have our doesn'tmatter matterwho whoare areyou youare, are,wewe have our own sh!t that we need to sort out.

It might have own sh!t that we need to sort out. It might have started from startedwith withyour yourparents, parents,ororthe thebullies bullies from school, from your school,but butit’s it’smore morethan thanlikely likelycreated created from your own stops you owninsecurities, insecurities,and andeven evenworse, worse,it itoften often stops you from living your best life. from living your best life.

In $29.99) Inthe thenew newbook, book,Sort SortYour YourSh!t Sh!tOut Out(RRP (RRP $29.99) transformational Waldon transformationalchange changespecialist specialistGary Gary Waldon draws with aa drawsfrom fromdecades decadesofofexperience experienceworking working with variety self-help varietyofofclients clientstotoprovide provideananirreverent irreverent self-help explorationinto intowhere whereyour yoursh!t sh!tcomes comes from and exploration from and howyou youcan cantake takeback backcontrol. control.Everyone Everyone how experienceslife’s life’sups upsand anddowns, downs,but but Waldon experiences Waldon focuseson onwhat whatyou youcan candodototomaintain maintain a healthy focuses a healthy mentalbalance balancewhile whilelife lifehappens. happens.Using Using mental hishis experienceshelping helpingcompanies companiestransform transform along experiences along with rescuing himself from his own darkness, with rescuing himself from his own darkness, Waldonpresents presentshis hisunique uniqueSelf-Help Self-Help Waldon Improvement Toolkit (SH!T) Improvement Toolkit (SH!T)

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THRIVING MIND by DR JENNY BROCKIS How to Cultivate a Good Life Best-selling author, medical practitioner and board-certified lifestyle medicine physician, Dr. Jenny Brockis draws on over three decades of experience of working with people to understand that while intentions may be good, changing behaviours is not always easy!

Thriving Mind (RRP $27.95) walks readers through common issues such as loneliness, stress, relationship breakdowns, loss of social connection, and mental health issues to explain the practical, science-based strategies for overcoming these problems, as well as the habits to help avoid them in the future.

Touching on topics that so many of us experience on a daily basis, Thriving Mind provides a research-based guide to cultivating your best life to help you uncover the amazing science for reclaiming your humanity and being happy.

FLAWSOME by GEORGIA MURCH The journey to being whole is learning to be holey In spite of ever-increasing pressures around us, we’re often our own biggest critic. Not good enough has become an unnecessary mantra - and it’s time this stopped.

In the new book, Flawsome: The journey to being whole is learning to be holey (RRP $29.95), author and feedback expert Georgia Murch says it’s time for us to accept our imperfections and learn to be ourselves, flaws and all.

Murch shows readers that being flawsome is not just about accepting your inadequacies or the things you hide - it's understanding where they come from and rewriting how you see yourself, so you can live authentically as you are. After all, your flaws make you, you. Flawsome is a call to arms to drop your search for perfection and be OK with being enough, and Murch shows that it’s easier to reach than you might think.

Practical, engaging and accessibly written, Flawsome is a must-read for those looking to discover the awesome in being yourself.

BREAKING GOOD by SIMON FENECH A harrowing journey to ice-fuelled hell and back Melbourne-based Simon Fenech was a champion kickboxer and committed family man until he tried crystal meth for the first time after a traumatic work accident which left him with severe chronic pain. Like millions of others whose lives are wrecked by this drug epidemic, he was instantly hooked, and was soon dealing to support a $1000-a-day addiction – which came at a great cost.

Melbourne’s drug lords wanted a slice of the action and, when Simon refused, he was shot and stabbed in a brutal three-man attack. The blood loss nearly cost him his life. He was hunted by the underworld and specialist police units – at the same time – and reached the very depths of despair, attempting to take his own life five times. But Simon's story didn't end there. In Breaking Good (RRP $29.99), Simon shares his incredible story of transformation and rehabilitation that will inspire anyone who’s been personally impacted by the effects of ice, or seen loved ones battle addiction.

Raw, brutally honest and totally engaging, Breaking Good is a compelling story of addiction and survival, and proof that even those who’ve made the most appalling mistakes can turn their lives around.

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Ripper Reads ON HOT TOPICS

EVE STAFFORD | CAIRNS TROPICAL WRITERS FESTIVAL Making ‘unprecedented’ the word of the year, drought, fires, floods, and now pestilence has hit us one after another. With Covid-19, Cairns Tropical Writers Festival inevitably had to postpone from 2020 to 13 – 15 August 2021. Emerging from under the doona to make sense of the new world, a flurry of timely books have come to the rescue.

FIRE COUNTRY

JAMES COOK

ON A BARBAROUS COAST

Featured recently in ABC’s Australian Story, local author Victor Steffensen has been in heavy demand over summer to teach traditional Indigenous fire management to non-Indigenous rural firefighters, farmers and graziers. Heavy layers of charcoal left by bushfires and hot hazard reduction burns only began to show up in soil samples in the last 200 years. Elders at Laura originally taught Victor how to do cultural burns to clean and heal the landscape. Lit in a mosaic pattern, these are cool burns that do not destroy the living microbes and seeds of regeneration in the soil. As a writer, filmmaker and musician dedicated to educating the next generation, Victor’s book is Fire Country.

It is 250 years since Lieutenant James Cook sailed past, naming Trinity Bay, Cape Tribulation where his boat The Endeavour ran aground on the reef, the Endeavour River at Cooktown where repairs were carried out over six weeks, and Possession Island in the Torres Straits where he claimed possession of the entire east coast of Australia for Britain. While debate rages about the 250 statues of Cook in Australia, whether to retain, pull down or make new signs telling a fuller history for them, the Cooktown 250 year Expo has also been postponed to 2021.

One best-selling book is James Cook: the story behind the man who mapped the world, by former rugby champion, newspaper and media personality and prolific writer, Peter FitzSimons.

Hot off the press this month, On a Barbarous Coast is a novel of Cook’s men on the Endeavour River fixing their splintered boat.

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It is co-authored by Cooktown’s Harold Ludwick, a Guugu Yimidhirr guide and cultural historian and recipient of a prestigious Encounters Fellowship with the National Museum of Australia; and Craig Cormick, award-winning author and former chair of the ACT Writers Centre.

“Watching these mysterious white beings, the Guugu Yimidhirr people cannot decide if they are ancestor spirits to be welcomed - or hostile spirits to be speared.”

DARK EMU

PHOSPHORESCENCE

Reprinted over and over since 2014 and selling over 300,000 copies, the multiaward winning Dark Emu: Aboriginal Australia and the birth of agriculture, puts forward a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer tag for Aboriginal Australians as a colonial myth that worked to justify dispossession.

This book on resilience by co-host of ABC’s The Drum is just the pickme-up needed after months of lockdown and uncertainty. Julia Baird is a trained historian and journalist with a distinguished career in USA and Australia.

Sourced from the impeccable eyewitness records and diaries of the Australian explorers themselves, Bunerong historian Bruce Pascoe shows evidence that Aboriginal people across Australia were using domesticated plants, sowing, harvesting, aquaculture, irrigation and storing.

“Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what Australia once was, or what it might yet be if we heed the lessons of long and sophisticated human occupation.”

– NSW Premier’s Literacy Awards Judging Panel

Written after surviving cancer and a brutal heartbreak, this beautiful, intimate and inspiring investigation shows how we can nurture that essential quality of internal happiness – the ‘light within’ - to sustain us even through the darkest times.

These books are available from all good bookshops We recommend buying locally, rather than online. For more connection with the world of books, join Cairns Tropical Writers Festival on Facebook.

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SHOW THEM YOU CARE this year they need your help more than ever

Every cent of your donation goes to buying kids like Callum a food hamper this Christmas

LOCALS HELPING LOCALS Give generously today at

cairns.qld.gov.au

Mayor’s Christmas Cheer Appeal We’re a proud Media Partner donating services to this campaign

Ken Fairweather

FAREWELL WHITE MAN Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, is only an hour or so from Cairns, and our closest foreign capital, and yet relatively few of us have been there. Brisbane is twice the distance!

Ken Fairweather has made the Port Moresby–Cairns run countless times over the last 50 years. Born in Melbourne, but based in Lae, Papua New Guinea’s second largest city, Ken is a trucking boss, and has been a farmer, a miner and a government minister.

Always a larrikin, he has had the optimism and skills to survive Papua New Guinea business and politics, through the 1980’s coffee boom and bust, the 1987 stock market crash, the Bougainville war and Peter O’Neill’s installation as Prime Minister. He’s made many enemies, and some unlikely

“A GREAT READ WITH LESSONS GALORE FOR THOSE WHO CARE ABOUT AUSTRALIA’S NEAREST NEIGHBOUR.”

friendships that have stood the test of time.

Ken is a truly colourful character, and his new memoir, Farewell White Man, pulls no punches as he recounts the people and events that have shaped Australia’s volatile neighbour. This often-gritty tale is peppered with outrageous anecdotes that give insight into Papua New Guineas complex culture, politics and way of life.

“You walk around with a hand grenade up your arse and just when things are going well, you pull out the pin.

Papua New Guinea and I have this in common.”

As Sean Dorney (ABC’s Foreign Correspondent — Pacific and Papua New Guinea) said, “Farewell White Man is a great read with lessons galore for those who care about Australia’s nearest neighbour.”

Farewell White Man is self-published and available from Collins Bookstore, Smithfield (Cairns) or online through www.farewellwhiteman.com

NOT ALL SUPERHEROES WEAR CAPES It’s during the most difficult of times that superheroes emerge.

These Local Heroes bring communities together - with little or big actions and help to keep us smiling.

Now, we are on the hunt for some of those Local Heroes.

It could be the person who organised an ANZAC Dawn Service in your neighbourhood.

Or a business operator who went over and above to give back to the community.

Or the neighbour who is always lending a hand.

Oasis Magazine is teaming up with our friends at Jackley’s Bakehouse to tell these people just how much their kindness is appreciated. And we want to hear your stories! Head over to Oasis Magazine’s social media for more info.

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Getting Art AND ABOUT WITH HAYLEY GILLESPIE

Local artists have had the time and head space over lockdown to be extra creative. This strange isolation period has gifted the time to create things they have always wanted to, but were hindered by the rush of daily life.

MAKIN’ WHOOPPEE Shops like Makin’ Whoopee on Shield Street work hard to support the arts and the artists. So, not only will you be shopping local, you will also be supporting those who support other. How wonderful!

TRASH TO TREASURE Tropical Steampunk are holding free workshops for all ages at The Pier over the next couple of months. A fantastic opportunity to create a contraption, installation

This is exciting for us to see what they have coming! Find your locals favourite artist online and check out their online stores. Artists aren’t eligilble for Jobkeeper payments, so please consider supporting them anyway you can. They are full of goodies!

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or artwork using upcycled recycled materials. FUN!

or

The Cairns Regional Council Community Events have generously funded six workshops with three Cairns’ artists. These will be free workshops for 8 years and over with adults most welcome and encouraged.

The final results will be showcased at a free public art show as part of Tropical Steampunk 2020 from 3pm to 5pm on Saturday September 19 at The Tanks Arts Centre.

Supported by The Committee for Waste Reduction and produced by Create More, these workshops are all about participating, having a go, learning some new skills and making some fun creations out of reclaimed materials!

This Tropical Steampunk Upcycled Workshop is sponsored

by Cairns Regional Council. Go to the Cairns Regional Council Facebook page to book your spot.

CAIRNS REGIONAL GALLERY Currently in the Gallery, you will find Alan Oldfield paintings, which are arguably some of the best known in the Gallery Collection. They tell the tale of 21-year-old Mary Watson and the events surrounding her death.

The story has all the hallmarks of a tragic legend, the truth of which will never be known. In September 1881, Mary Watson, her Chinese servant Ah Sam, and her four-month-old son, Ferrier escaped certain death when they set sail from Lizard Island, a sacred site

for Aboriginal ceremony, in a makeshift craft made from a cast iron bechede-mer pot.

What happened next remained a mystery, other than the fact that Mary’s husband returned to the island to find his wife gone and the house ransacked.

Other works in the exhibition delve into the multicultural history of the North and tell the stories of

contemporary Indigenous artists and a history that is not always easy to accept, but that must be acknowledged.

The Gallery remains free, but bookings are essential to adhere to Government guidelines.

Creative. Clever. Contemporary.

Creative. Clever. Contemporary.

Creative.

Clever. Contemporary. www.angelamurphy.com.au www.angelamurphy.com.au www.angelamurphy.com.au

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Acclaimed Cairns artist Grace Lillian Lee will add another string to her already highly decorated bow, when her designs are showcased at the Bendigo Art Gallery later this year, in the country’s first major exhibition exclusively featuring contemporary indigenous design.

Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous Fashion brings together the work of both established and emerging First Nations designers and artists.

Piinpi, an Indigenous word commonly used across regions of East Coast Cape York Peninsula, refers to Indigenous ‘seasonal changes’ and the regeneration of Country.

It was chosen as the name of the exhibition because of the significant influence Country and the land have on the work of many First Nations artists.

For centuries, Indigenous knowledge and connection to the land has played a pivotal role in

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Body Armour – A Weave of Reflection Pink and Orange 2018. Photography by Wade Lewis.

Grace LILLIAN LEE

art and culture for Australia’s First Peoples.

This exhibition seeks to share the stories indigenous designers and artists are telling through wearable art. Grace’s experience in this field will also be on display as a guest panelist discussing the bonds between art, culture and the seasons for creatives across the country.

She will be joined by the exhibition’s curator, Shonae Hobson, and the Victoria National Gallery’s Indigenous Art curator, Myles Russell-Cook.

The exhibition will show in Bendigo from 5 September to 29 November.

IMAGES: VERONICA SAGREDO

Investing inABORIGINAL ART WORDS: CHARMAINE SAUNDERS International interest in Australia’s 60,000-year-old Aboriginal arts heritage has increased significantly over the past few years. Investors from around the world are becoming aware that art works created by traditional Aboriginal artists represent a unique and unbroken link to a prehistoric culture that dates back to the Palaeolithic era.

Founder of MAINIE AUSTRALIA, Charmaine Saunders, provides her five tips for ethical and intelligent investing.

In parts of northern Australia, especially in the remote desert regions of the Northern Territory and Western Australia, Aboriginal tribespeople were still making their first encounters with white people on their country as recently as the 1980s.

Even today in many desert communities, the Aboriginal people have little contact with the outside world. They continue to live on their traditional homelands and live much as their ancestors did tens of thousands of years ago.

The desert people still speak their

own native languages and maintain a strong connection to the spiritual beliefs and time-honoured customs of their forebears.

In some of the most isolated desert regions, community arts centres have been established by Aboriginal artist cooperatives as a means of preserving their ageold cultural heritage for future generations.

These arts centres are well known to collectors from all over the globe, and now supply Aboriginal fine arts to major international exhibitions and leading auction JULY | AUGUST 2020

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questions you may have about the artist or the meaning of the story depicted on the canvas.

One of the most distinctive features of Aboriginal art from Central Australia is the use of intricate patterns of dots and lines by the artists to create a pictorial representation of an ancient Dreamtime story, which has been handed down to them through many generations of their ancestors over tens of thousands of years. houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s.There is no question that Aboriginal art is an assured investment. A decreasing supply of properly authenticated artworks and a growing demand from serious art investors will inevitably drive substantial increases in the value of paintings, particularly those created by older, traditional Aboriginal artists. There are five simple tips to making the right investment in Aboriginal art.

1. IS THE ARTIST COLLECTIBLE? Before you purchase an Aboriginal artwork as an investment, it is well worth doing some research about the current market.

A good way to start is to look online for recent catalogues from Sotheby’s and Christie’s and other major art auction houses to learn more about the most notable arts regions and the artists’ names which attract the attention of the serious collectors.

Art auctions deal with works of arts worth thousands, if not tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

You may not be able to afford to start your Aboriginal art collection with a painting by the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye, from the Utopia region in the Central

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Desert, whose seminal work, “Earth’s Creation” sold for a record A$2.1 million in 2017, but works by other Utopia artists are still highly sought after by collectors and are very affordable in comparison.

Other collectible names synonymous with Utopia include Pwerle, Mpetyane, Petyarre and Kemarre.

There are also many well-known desert arts communities including Papunya, Yuendumu, Kintore, Balgo and Warmun.

2. IS THE PRICE RIGHT? Art auctions are a great way to acquire investment pieces at a realistic price, as they provide a true indication of the market value of paintings.

However, if you can’t make it to an auction, the next best way to choose the right painting is to visit your local Aboriginal art gallery.

The main benefit to buying from a local gallery is that you can take your time to decide which is the right piece of art for you without the hustle of trying to keep ahead of competing bids at an auction.

At a gallery you can get a close look at what you are buying and have the expert knowledge of gallery staff ready at hand to answer any

At the Mainie Aboriginal Art Gallery, we have a wide selection of ethically acquired artworks by distinguished artists which range from under $200 upwards to many thousands.

The price tag is typically determined by the size and composition of the artwork. Larger pieces with a high level of detail usually fetch a higher price than smaller and simpler canvases.

However, another price determinant for a painting can be the age of the Aboriginal artist. Works by older, traditional artists will achieve higher prices.

These prices will often increase again quite significantly after the artist passes away and collectors become aware that the supply of new artworks by that particular artist has ceased forever.

3. CAN THE SELLER PROVIDE THE ARTWORK PROVENANCE AND CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY? Another benefit to buying an Aboriginal artwork from a reputable specialist gallery is that you will be provided with documentation which verifies the history of the artwork.The documentation will usually include a Certificate of Authenticity from the arts centre where the artist originally created the artwork.

Other records could include photographs of the artist with the artwork, the artist’s biography with details about his or her tribal or language group, a chronology of exhibitions where the artist’s works has been previously been shown, and most helpfully, an explanation of the traditional Dreamtime story depicted in the artwork.

developed in the first instance by the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) and then by the Australia Council for the Arts, who worked closely with an industry alliance group made up of artists, Indigenous art centres, commercial art galleries, public art galleries, auction houses and visual arts peak bodies.

After purchasing the artwork, this documentation including the sales invoice should be kept in a safe place.

The Indigenous Art Code sets the standards of conduct for those involved in the trade of Aboriginal art to ensure that they act fairly, honestly, professionally and in good conscience at all times when dealing with Aboriginal artists.

When you buy an Aboriginal painting from an approved Dealer Member of the Indigenous Art Code, you can be assured that the artwork has been ethically acquired and the artist received fair compensation for their work.

Unfortunately, there is a brisk trade in fake and stolen Aboriginal art and it is almost impossible to resell an Aboriginal artwork through conventional channels without acceptable evidence proving that the artwork was ethically acquired.

Another assurance you will receive when you purchase art from an established art centre is that the Aboriginal artist has been provided with the best materials, such as the canvas and paints to create their work.

Renowned Aboriginal arts centres supply highly valuable works to major galleries and museums all over the world.

The high-quality canvases are properly prepared right from the start and the finished artworks are guaranteed to last.

4. IS THE SELLER APPROVED BY A RECOGNISED ART INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVE BODY? The Mainie Aboriginal Art Gallery is an approved Dealer Member of the Indigenous Art Code. The Code promotes the fair and ethical trade in works of art by Aboriginal artists. It was

5. DO YOU LIKE IT?

has to “speak” to you? Are you intrigued and pleased by the composition of patterns, colours and textures? Is the story told in the artwork meaningful to you personally? Can you imagine the artwork in the perfect space on a wall in your home or business?

Look at your painting closely and from a distance. Take your time to make a decision as you would with any investment. If need be, seek a second opinion from someone whose judgment you respect.

When you are sure you have found the right painting for you, buy it with confidence and hang it on your wall for all to admire for many years to come.

CHARMAINE SAUNDERS IS THE FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MAINIE AUSTRALIA.

And finally, you are standing in a gallery in front of an authentic Aboriginal painting which has caught your eye. You have done your research and know that the work is by an artist with an impressive and proven ancestral lineage. The artwork is within your set budget and represents good value for money. The art dealer is a member of the Indigenous Art Code and can provide all the necessary documentation including a Certificate of Authenticity. There is only one thing left for you to consider... Do you like it?

It’s not enough that you are satisfied that the artwork represents a solid investment, it

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THE CULTURAL EVOLUTION NEW DIGITAL PLATFORM

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Cairns Indigenous ART FAIR

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The Power of PARTNERSHIPS YOLONDE ENTSCH | YOLONDE’S YARNINGS

The Women’s Yarning Place is a perfect example of the power of partnerships. Taking a vision and making it a reality is exciting, however, keeping that vision alive is another story. When people partner amazing outcomes are achieved. On most occasions it is organisations that receive acknowledgment, yet in reality it is the relationship and trust between individuals within those organisations that make ‘things’ happen.

The success of the Women’s Yarning Place is all about relationships. The women who actively engage with the Yarning Place – many of whom are there every day – now describe their relationships with other women as ‘family’. That feeling of ‘family’ really describes a sense of belonging, feeling valued, cared for and respected.

It is these feelings that allow all of us to grow, develop and become the best version of ourselves.

We are so blessed living in the Tropical North because we have a strong sense of community. The Yarning Place is a thriving community where vulnerable women feel supported and safe. This would not have come about without the support of Tony Breuer owner of Cairns Villla & Leisure Park, Zonta Club of Cairns, the Cairns Men Shed, the Rotary Clubs of Cairns, Cairns Sunrise and Cairns Trinity, Ruth’s Women’s Shelter, Status Plus and Instyle Curtains & Blinds.

Women who have never used a sewing machine are now smashing out scrunchies - all the rage if you have a teenage daughter. Young women are teaching older women how to

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make jewellery. Other women are taking seeds and growing them into plants. Some of these items will be sold and some gifted. Access to computers and support to manage some of those more difficult jobs like navigating MyGov without computer literacy takes pressure off women, who then begin to open up about personal challenges and lived experiences.

This is where we begin to see real change. All of this happens organically and has only happened because of partnerships with incredible people who believe in supporting those less fortunate than themselves.

The Women’s Yarning Place is open Monday to Friday.

To create a sense of safety it is open only to women, however, moves are afoot to create a similar space for men. The Yarning Place does not receive funding and relies on donations and volunteers willing to share skills.

Follow the Women’s Yarning Place on Facebook

Angels IN PYJAMAS JOELEEN BETTINI | THE PYJAMA FOUNDATION

Giving back is an important part of our Cairns community and underpins so much of what makes this city great.

There are so many people here willing to give of their time and their money to see others succeed.

I’m grateful to be in a position to work with many of these people each and every day. As the Far North Region coordinator for The Pyjama Foundation, I am forever in awe of the incredible volunteers who come my way so willing and committed to change the life of a child in the foster care system.

Our organisation screens and trains community volunteers who are matched with a child in foster care. These Pyjama Angels become learning mentors and build a strong relationship with the child they are supporting to not only help improve educational outcomes, but to also help them build a sense of self efficacy. Ultimately, their time together is helping to pave the way for better life outcomes for the child.

Currently in Queensland there are more than 9000 children in the foster care system and, of those, 92 per cent fall below the average reading level by age seven. A further 75 per cent will not complete high school. These shocking statistics are the reason we started and continue to provide this vital program, one which we’d love to grow within the Cairns community.

Currently we have more than 20 children on our waiting list. These

children have been referred to our program by their child safety officer or foster carer but, unfortunately, we are lacking volunteers in their area to support them. Our community volunteers don’t need any special skills or qualifications, they just need to be caring and compassionate adults (over the age of 18) who are willing to commit to one hour a week with a little person desperately awaiting their arrival. If you think this volunteering opportunity is for you then please get in touch with me via cairns@thepyjamafoundation.com or send through your application via www.thepyjamafoundation.com/ volunteer.

If this volunteer opportunity isn’t for you but you’d still like to support the work we do, we host numerous events throughout the year which you can be a part of. This includes National Pyjama Day in July and our Battle of the Brains Trivia night, which is coming up on Thursday, March 26. It’s an incredibly fun night with a best dressed competition, amazing prizes and feisty, yet healthy, competition between teams.

For more information on our events or to get involved please check out our website.

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In the Wake of Greatness RYNO ALLEN

In the local wakeboarding community, St Andrews College Grade 8 student, Ryan Allen needs little introduction.

BoardStock at the Sunshine Coast. One year later, he successfully attempted a half cab roll at the 2015 Hyperlite Grom Nationals in Penrith, a trick that saw him announced as the winner of the Australian Under 10 Boys division.

Ryan, or Ryno as he is widely known, has already competed at both national and international level for the sport he loves so much. Ryno first hopped on a wakeboard in The medal count continued, with two firsts places “JUST GO 2014, as an adventurous 7 year old. Admittedly, at the 2016 Australian National Championships in life on the water was not uncommon to the Sydney, and another double trip to the podium FOR IT. DON’T young ‘grom’, who had spent many weekends at the 2017 Australian National Championships LET ANYTHING of his relatively short life waterskiing with his in Brisbane. Also in 2017, Ryno gained further family at Tinaroo Dam. HOLD YOU BACK. experience when he competed at the World Championships in the Philippines. As a 10 “I always loved water skiing, so when I had my AND HAVE year old competing against 14 year olds in his first go on a wakeboard, I already knew how to division, the odds were stacked against him, but FUN.” balance, and it came fairly naturally,” Ryno explains.

Ryno learned valuable lessons and his hunger for the He took to the new sport like the proverbial sport grew further. duck to water, but his appetite for Ryno is also making waves commercially. wake boarding became more than his Two National wakeboarding industry family could accommodate in trips up stalwarts, Elevated Clothing Australia the Kuranda range. and Ronix Australia have snapped the “I was heading into grade 2 and my young boarder up, and have secured him parents had been asking what sport I as brand ambassador, meaning he gets wanted to get into that year. to test the clothing and equipment on a regular basis. And it seems Ronix Wakeboards About the same time, we were heading know they are onto something special, even past the Cairns Wake Park and Dad said maybe when their star ambassador keeps cracking we should call in and check it out as an option the wakeboarding boots they supply him. After for me... So that week I went to 3 school holiday viewing video footage of why the equipment sessions of Kids Club, using my big sister’s they were supplying kept getting damaged, they wakeboard and boots (you can’t hit the obstacles realised this 13 year old grom was a melting without boots!) and I loved it!” pot of awesomeness, and that his talent needed On Ryno’s first session at the waterpark, he “hit attention. Ryno is now the newest recruit to the kickers” - a phrase I quickly learned meant the Ronix Wakeboards national Research and using the jumps to get aerial. The staff at the park Development squad. immediately paid attention, and watched on in awe Due to his sporting achievements, Ryan was as this young child attempted tricks riders twice his nominated by his school (Trinity Beach State School) to be their age were apprehensive of. representative baton bearer for the GC Commonwealth Games So this was the sport Ryan was now looking at – and mum Queens Baton Relay in 2018. He missed out on an international and dad needed to quickly find a second-hand board and boots wakeboarding comp to do this, and although he was reluctant (that looked a bit more suitable for a 7 year old boy, rather at having the spotlight on him and was very nervous about the than his 18 year old sister!). responsibility, realised once he’d completed his leg, what an “We just wanted him to be active, not attached to a screen, and absolute honour it was and how incredible (and lucky) it really if this is what he was interested in, then it suited our family was to have had such an amazing opportunity. just fine, he could turn up and ride whenever it fitted in with our schedule.”

The boy took no time to fit in.

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When asked what suggestions he has for kids who are so passionate about their sport, Ryno has some fairly simple advice. “Just go for it. Don’t let anything hold you back. And have fun.” Wise words, indeed. We can’t wait to see you continue on this journey, Ryno!

Leave nothing in the tank..

IKE MARTINEZ

Cairns student Ike Martinez has been dominating the pool since hauling a mountain of medals at the Queensland Championships last year. We caught up with the local legend to gain an insight into his love for his sport.

Tell us about when you first got into swimming? When I was in Grade 6 in 2017, swimming became my main sport. I was 10 years old. Before that I was a competitive gymnast, but I’ve been doing swimming lessons since I was a baby.

I love the adrenaline rush you get when you’re standing on the starting block waiting for the start signal. I love pushing myself to my absolute limit every time I race, making sure I leave absolutely nothing in the tank.

What have been some of your career highlights so far?

My first ever real big competition was Peninsula in 2019 where I received a gold, sliver and bronze for the 200m, 100m and 50m butterfly events. This was when I realised that I really wanted to be a swimmer. Most recently I competed in the Queensland State Long Course Championships and received Queensland age champion for the 13 years boys. I received 5 gold, 1 silver and two bronze medals. 7 of the medals being individual medals. During the meet I also broke 3 championship times for the 200m fly, 400m IM and the 200m IM. I have broken numerous FNQ swimming records for both long and short course. I’m currently 2 seconds off both the boys 13 year Australian and QLD 200m fly record. That’s my next goal and I’m working hard to achieve it. Music is also really important to me and last year I was awarded first place in the Cairns QLD Music Teachers Association Cairns and District Junior Bursary which I auditioned for. I also received Grade 7 Student of the Year at my school.

Who are some people you are inspired by? Definitely one of my biggest inspirations is the one and only Michael Phelps. I have always been interested in watching his races ever since I started swimming competitively. Being able to watch his races gives me the opportunity to be able to set personal goals for myself. One of my favourite Michael Phelps quotes is “If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren’t willing to do.” I am really lucky to have Duncan Todd as my coach. He understands my goals and knows exactly how to push me to reach them.

He’s competed at the Olympic level and knows what it takes to get there. There are so many amazing swimmers that I train with every day at TAS Swim Club. Even on bad days they encourage me to push myself. Cairns and Far North Queensland has a great swimming community.

How often do you train? My coach has recently given me the opportunity to swim seven times a week with one gym session. Before Queensland State Championships, I was training six swim sessions per week with one gym session.

While that may seem like a lot, it’s actually not compared to what other swimmers commit to.

What has been the best advice you’ve ever received?

One Saturday morning my swim mates and I were in the middle of a set when Duncan stopped us. He said “It’s all in your mind, you just have to believe you can do it”. This is most definitely the best advice I have been given. You can train your body endlessly, but if you don’t believe you can do it, you won’t.

What are your tips for juggling school and training?

When I started my first year of high school, I found it very difficult to manage my schedule. Music is also a big part of my life. Some days I train in the morning, head straight to school for music rehearsal, complete my school day and then head back to swimming training again in the afternoon.

It teaches you to be very organised and use your free time wisely. I suggest being on top of things and getting them done as soon as possible. Never leaving things to the last minute. Talk to your teachers and let them know what you’ve got on. They will be more than willing to help you.

They want you to succeed.

What would you say to kids who want to get into the sport?

Swimming is a great sport, and I love it.

But it doesn’t have to be a sport where you have to compete at a high level. It is great for keeping fit and being social. We have the perfect climate for swimming.

There are heaps of clubs all around Cairns. Find one that’s right for you and give it a go!

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London Calling..

JULES CHASTRE

“Practice makes perfect, right?”

“No mum, perfect practice makes perfect.”

These were the words from then 13-yearold Edge Hill boy, Jules Chastre, to his mum, Jen Chastre, who along with husband Chris are the proprietors of the Edge Hill Post Office, repeating a mantra his gymnastics coach had drilled into his psyche.

“There is no doubt that gym coach got the best out of Jules. He taught him to have confidence in his abilities.

“That coach held the rope just that little bit further than Jules could reach – just enough of an incentive to try harder, train harder, in order to reach it.

“And, when that rope was reached, he’d move the rope just a little bit further away again. Before long, Jules was nine years old and doing double back saults off the high bar and earning national medals.”

So, we asked his mum, a person who knows him better than anyone else, how a child so young musters up the focus required to achieve such goals.

“I’m no psychologist,” Jen laughes. “I’m just his mum, and we’ve always tried to surround the kids with positive role models, mentors and generally great people. But I don’t actually think that has anything to do with it. I truly think that he was born with it!”

One day, that coach moved on, and although Jules persisted with his new coach for a while, it never was quite the same. Jules realised his passion for gymnastics had wained, and turned his focus to the dance studio.

“And that is where our life began a whole new trajectory.”

Being a dancemum to a nine-year-old ballet loving boy made for some interesting times for the Chastre’s. “Let’s just say, life would’ve probably

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been easier if Jules loved to kick a footy, shoot hoops or ride a wave,” Jen concedes.

Instead he negotiated his way around tutuclad changerooms, filled with pink sequined costumes and black ballet flats. “That’s been our life since Jules’ first ballet class at the ripe old age of nine.”

Since then, Jen and Chris Chastre have watched their son pirouette across school quadrangles, plie to pick up his school bag or jete on sandy beach.

Jen explains that Jules ignores the stereotypes to do what he loves doing. No doubt, that abilty was a contributing factor for the invitation to Hong Kong, to train for six days under the guidance of one of the world’s most influential ballet instructors.

During that trip, Jules managed to impress the artistic director of the Royal Ballet School that he was worthy of a full-time place at their London based school.

“How did this even happen?” Jen muses.

“One minute, he’s happily attending Turning Point Dance Studios here in Cairns a couple of times a week. And the next, he is living on the other side of the world, at just fourteen years of age.”

Jules has been training at the White Lodge School since September 2019 where he is attending Year 10 with 16 males and 18 females, all vying to become professional ballet dancers.

Each student trains three hours per day, six days a week. They do academics for another three hours a day, five days per week.

It’s a schedule that is certainly not for the faint hearted.

COVID-19 has seen Jules return home to Cairns, while adapting to the rigorous home-based training schedule.

This has been a welcome treat forJules, who has been making the most of his unscheduled time in the tropics.

“I wake up in the morning and drink my dad’s chai tea. I can ride my bike to my friend’s houses on the weekends.

I do hikes with my family, grow veggies and sometimes do Tik Toks with my sister. We swim in the pool and jump on the trampoline.”

It’s a far cry from the icy grass that crunches underfoot as he makes his way to the boarding school food hall in Richmond Park, London.

“The hardest part is being on my own all day while

my parents go to work and my sister and friends go to school.

“When they eventually get home at 5:30pm, I have to start my training and study, due to the time difference.

I do zoom ballet classes from 6pm-7:30pm then my academics online with my teachers until 10pm. It’s hard because I don’t have much quality time with my family during the week.”

But with all the sacrifices Jules is making, Jen says they are just so happy that he is home.

“There is not a day that goes by that we don’t appreciate seeing unmade beds or dirty clothes on the floor. We are making the most of having our son back and looking forward to planning his 15th birthday next month, all the while mentally preparing for the day he returns to London.

“One day, I know we will watch him perform at the Royal Opera House, home of the Royal Ballet,” Jen predicts as she beams with pride. “And how cool will that be? A real ‘Billy Elliot’ moment right there!”

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Cactus & Crush

AISHA CLARKE ALISHA CLARK

over lockdown, many teens spent their isolation time online, gaming, posting tiktoks or chatting with friends.

AISHA CLARKE

spent

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Duis BELLA nisl BOUTIQUE at redlynch central and KORU FURNITURE & HOMEWARES on anderson Street. head to the OASIS MAGAZINE

pages on instagram and facebook for your chance to win some of these awesome products. and you can follow

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@Cactus_Crush on Insta.

Taste JULY | AUGUST 2020

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Farmer Erica

MEETS FOODIE

A

couple of years ago,

Erica Hughes tried to organise an event from her hometown of Mount Molloy using locally sourced produce. She was overcome by the challenges she experienced around not knowing what produce was in season, which farmers would have it and which would be able to provide the quantities she was after. And so, Farmer Meets Foodie was born.

Erica lives on a small farm in Far North Queensland with her husband, son and daughter. The whole family is passionate about supporting farmers in getting good value for their products, sharing the stories behind how food is grown, reducing food waste, reducing food miles and supporting commercial foodies in their commitment to using local produce.

She conceived the idea of the Farmer Meets Foodie platform as a means of connecting farmers, harvesters and producers to commercial food businesses, such as restaurants, cafes, and grocers etc, to allow produce to be bought and sold direct in commercial quantities.

Fast forward to the year 2020, and the onset of supply shortages due to COVID19, and the scope of possibilities for the platform diversified rapidly, bringing forward future plans of incorporating a consumer-facing virtual farmers market.

The platform is now ready for home foodies to experience this new way of sourcing food directly from the source.

Home foodies are able to buy direct from farmers, producers, harvesters, growers and value adders.

Having over 200 food vendors to look through makes the experience for the home foodie the next best thing to going to the markets or a food festival - an activity that has been sorely missed since social distancing restrictions so rapidly changed our shopping habits. Products on the

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platform range from fresh fruit and vegetables, beef, pork, seafood, honey, rainforest fruits and a range of value-added products.

Each vendor specifies the quantities they have on offer, and a suggested method of getting products to their customers. The most popular of these methods is pick up, free local delivery and Australia Post.

Each business has their own shop front on the platform. Foodies can search by products located in their area, and buy direct from that vendor with contactless payments. This is saving vendors who have been flat out with orders and deliveries having to spend hours taking and sorting payments.

The Farmer Meets Foodie App has been proudly developed in Far North Queensland. As farmers, Erica and her family were researching which produce they might grow to sell to the Port Douglas restaurant strip at Port Douglas, envisaging knocking on each businesses door and having to do that quite regularly with a high turnover of staff in the hospitality industry.

Having worked in Landcare, Erica loved to tell the stories of the sustainable practices being used in farming and showcase local produce when running events. She found sourcing local produce for events was difficult, not knowing which farms had what available, in what quantities and if they would be interested in selling direct. “In far North Queensland we are acutely aware that a lot of our

produce travels to the main markets in Brisbane and then travels back north again, to be distributed to supermarkets and food businesses.

This is how the food system has evolved, all these situations got me thinking that there must be a better way to connect producers and food businesses and reduce food miles, with the technology we have today almost anything is possible.’

The App has proven to be popular with organic and biodynamic

producers and those with a niche product. It is also an alternative market for farmers and harvesters to sell produce that doesn’t meet traditional market specifications.

COVID19 has thrown so many curveballs at the food industry including the supply chain been completely disrupted. The upside is that people are now sourcing local and giving farmers a fair price for their produce. “Our aim is to bring all the options for sourcing direct from

Australian growers and harvesters to the one place’, Erica says.

Farmer Meets Foodie is now live to the general public, and open for more producers and commercial food businesses to join the 200 plus businesses that have set up shop.

For more information on the virtual farmers markets, or the Farmer Meets Foodie platform, visit www.farmermeetsfoodie.com.au

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Putting innovation

ON THE TABLE

WORDS: KRISTA WATKINS We’re an innovative bunch up here on the Tablelands.

You only need to take some time to meander your way from one end of the Tablelands to the other, and you’ll quickly see how much revolutionary creativity is on offer in this lush wonderland.

Why not plan a day, a weekend or entire week to visit - we’ve got so much to keep you entertained and satisfy your tastebuds.

As the veil of COVID-19 begins to lift further, we find not only ourselves, but so too many of those around us, have evolved to ensure business survives into the future.

I’m no stranger to evolution, innovation or change.

As one half of the duo that pioneered banana flour to the world, turning struggle into opportunity is something I know very well. While the world was going into lockdown and many of us taking up hobbies that we only ever dreamed we could find the time for, there were also those of us thinking how we could minimise the damage to our businesses and pivot them, so they were better prepared for the unknown future.

I’ve taken great delight in observing and getting to know a little bit more about the following Tablelands food innovators.

New Business | TABLELANDS TO TABLETOP “Tablelands to Tabletop” is the brainchild of Tablelands local woman, Angela Nason, who has identified a gap in the market, and in the process, is helping both consumers and fresh produce growers.

The concept was born from the struggle of farmers losing their top level supplychain into cafés, restaurants and the events scene.

When Angela’s Dad asked her to help with selling his limes that no longer had a direct market, she gleefully posted them for sale on Facebook.

It wasn’t long until demand for the limes grew, and so did the opportunity of including other produce into the home-delivered fruit boxes, creating a celebration of brightly coloured Tablelands produce.

With boxes being delivered between Cairns and the Tablelands weekly, it’s the perfect opportunity to up your daily fruit and vege intake and support local growers and local businesses.

Check out this brilliant new service business: W: tablelandstotabletop.com.au F: Tablelands to Tabletop I: @tablelandstotabletop

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New Service | BARRON VALLEY HOTEL 140 years of history and The Barron Valley has now just about seen it all. Forced closures of its bar and restaurant and strict social distancing measures in place didn’t stop these locals finding a way to provide great customer service to their customers in a time of uncertainty and pick up a few new ones along the way.

Takeaway meals that started during lockdown have been so popular they will be here to stay! Phone ahead and pick up through the drive through.

If enjoying a home cooked meal at home without all the fuss and clean up doesn’t appeal to you how about a Bottomless Banquet? Yes that right you and 19 friends can now enjoy one of Barron Valley dining rooms all to yourself with a 3 course meal beer and wine for 2 hours.

Of course with restrictions easing you can now dine in and try their new menu. Booking ahead is recommended.

F: Barron Valley Hotel

New Product | GUTHEALTH+ Of course, during all of this, I’ve been doing what I do best with the Natural Evolution team - processing fruit and vegetables into high quality nutritional powders and creating them into shelf ready products to help improve the lives of people and animals.

COVID-19 has forced my partner Rob and I into creating a “slow and staggered roll out” of our latest creation GUTHEALTH+.

Of all the products we’ve created, this one has me more excited than ever before. GUTHEALTH+ is an Australian first for symbiotic creation, meaning we’ve combined probiotics (good bacteria) with prebiotic (feeds good bacteria).

Initial research from University of Tasmania is showing the product can significantly reduce symptoms of IBD and IBS, rebuild digestion and support a healthy microbiome and immune system. Even better is that you don’t need to keep it refrigerated, it’s in powder form, 100% from plants, can be used hot or cold as the probiotic only activates once it reaches your digestion and is proven to reach the large intestine alive. Available online and at all good health food retailers. For more information visit www.guthealthplus.com F: GUTHEALTH+ I: @guthealthplus

For many food service busineses, the rebuild road will be long. There’ll be unexpected turns and possibly more structural damage to surface. But, if there’s one thing that can be assured, it’s that we should never underestimate the power of dreams and the potential of the human spirit.

KRISTA WATKINS IS CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR OF NATURAL EVOLUTION FOODS AND QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT’S #EatQld CHAMPION. JULY | AUGUST 2020

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Cairns Relay For Life

10 October 2020 3pm via our Facebook Event

We’re going virtual!

Join us and engage with our local community to remember, celebrate and fight together.

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20013

Register at relayforlife.org.au/cairns

Wellbeing 20013

JULY | AUGUST 2020

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Separating

THE COSTS

NARDINE COLLIER | FAMILY LAWYER

Five years ago, my relationship ended. It was the end of the life I had imagined, and all the dreams and the plans for the future were gone. Financially, starting all over again was hard. Watching my children lose the innocence of childhood was harder. It all worked out in the end, but that first year after separation was tough.

Why am I telling you this? It’s so that when you hear me say, “I know what you’re going through,” you will know that I actually do! After more than 25 years in legal practice, many hours of thought has been spent identifying and learning what is really important to my clients. I believe it always comes down to two things.

The first is the EXPENSE. What is it going to cost? In my mind, the most important concern for a client is affordability. For years now, I have seen the numbers of self-represented litigants increase.

There is a huge gap between those who qualify for legal aid and those who can comfortably afford lawyer’s fees. This ever-growing ‘in-between’ group who, when asked to deposit $10 000 into their lawyer’s trust account, simply cannot do so. However, they also don’t qualify for legal aid, leaving no option but to represent themselves. Sadly, I predict this will increase with the economic fallout surrounding COVID-19.

For years now, Collier Family Lawyers have been all about affordability. This isn’t to say we are cheap.

Rather, it is about ways to manage fees that makes it achievable for the average person. For example, being able to pay in instalments like you do with Zip or Afterpay. To only have to pay for a stage of work,

because who knows what might happen? To be able to do whatever you can do yourself, to reduce your fees, and have some control over your file. I have offered this fee structure for many years.

You, the client, deserve to be able to achieve the best outcome possible, without spending your life savings.

There is no compromise on the experience or quality of service you will receive from me, as a Family lawyer of 25 years and an accredited family law specialist.

Price shouldn’t exclude you from that experience.

Secondly, there is OUTCOME. What is going to happen?

How long will it take? What can I expect? Many clients tell me that even after the first appointment they feel better about their situation. We prepare an action plan and a “To Do” list for the client to minimise fees. We make sense of what can be a very confusing time.

We also offer a DIY service to those who are selfrepresented, where we check your paperwork and give you tips about how to appear in court. Prior to our first appointment, we will have a no-cost, noobligation chat. You need to feel assured that you’re in good hands and know what the likely fees will be.

What you can expect from us is that we aim to have a case resolved in the least amount of time, with the best possible result; wherever possible, we try to settle our cases out of court.

If you feel that it’s time to make some sense of a stressful situation, I’d love to hear from you. Head to www.collierlawyers.com.au to choose an appointment time that suits you.

collierlawyers.com.au P: 07 4214 5666 42 |

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Managing

CHRONIC DISEASE DR PRASANTH SIVASANKAR | GENERAL PRACTITIONER

It’s a tough topic, but living through times of a global pandemic makes Chronic Disease Management particularly topical.

Chronic Disease Management, if you’re fortunate enough not to know, is the term used for an integrated care approach to managing chronic illnesses including but not limited to arthritis and diabetes.

The care plans include screenings, check-ups, monitoring and coordinating treatment and patient education to ensure they are aware of additional risks and precautions they need to take, including avoiding exposure to colds, flus and viruses.

To be eligible for a care plan, a patient must have a chronic condition that has lasted longer than 6 months or that the GP thinks will last longer than 6 months.

The goal of health assessments and care plans is to identify patients at risk for one or more chronic conditions, to promote self-management by patients and to address the illnesses or conditions with maximum clinical outcome, effectiveness and efficiency regardless of treatment setting(s) or typical reimbursement patterns.

I have been involved in the management of complex acute and chronic medical conditions since 2012, when I was a Medical Registrar at the Emergency and Inpatient Wards at the Cairns Hospital. My main area of interest includes Diabetes Care and Insulin Management which originates from my experience working in The Diabetes Centre and the Endocrine

clinic.

I have work experience in Geriatric and Palliative Care medicine and have been involved in educating and training junior doctors, medical students, interns and residents. I joined the GP training program in 2017 and have immense interest in the ATSI population and chronic diseases as a result of my experience working in Mount Isa and Cairns Hospital along with a year of GP training in a Aboriginal Medical Service.

Dr Prasanth Sivasankar has been living in Cairns with his wife for the last seven years and considers Cairns a tropical paradise they are lucky to call home. He is currently practicing at Cairns Doctors on Barr St. Proudly owned and operated in Cairns, the Cairns Doctors on Barr St team are dedicated to providing the local community with extended availability for general and specialised health services. Our variety of General Practitioners have an extensive range of special interests including; Chronic Disease Management, Indigenous Health and Health Assessments, Women’s and Men’s Health, Family Planning, Children’s Health, Travel Advice and Vaccinations, Sexual Health and Medical Terminiations, Driving Medical Assessments, Geriatric Care and much more!

Appointments are available seven days a week and can be made online, in the practice or by phone. More services available more often at Cairns Doctors on Barr St. You’ll find Cairns Doctors at Barr St Markets, 532 Mulgrave Rd, Earlville. Book your appointment now on 07 4242 5300 or jump online and book directly from their website at www.cairns-doctors.com.au

JULY | AUGUST 2020

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Supporting your health and well-being during your experience with cancer Nursing Care & Coordination Information, Advice & Guidance Carer Support Dietitian & Nutritionist Social Work Counselling Exercise Physiology Physiotherapy

Medication Reviews Oncology Massage Acupuncture Reflexology Support Groups Yoga & Pilates Tai Chi & Meditation Gym Circuit Classes

Call in and have a chat to explore the possibilities of our care partnership with you A LOCAL INITIATIVE OF

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Access from Reservoir Rd (or end of Kauri St) Manoora, Cairns 4032 0820 couch.org.au

A client story:

Connection, friendship and achievement If you had told COUCH Wellness Centre clients, Erica and Jenny back in early 2019 that fast forward 18 months they would be great friends and spend each Friday trekking through some of FNQ’s scenic trails and laughing together over a coffee afterwards, they would not have believed you. At the time, both were undergoing treatment for breast cancer, a diagnosis faced by many women throughout the Far North each year.

Jenny received her diagnosis in early 2018, and underwent 12 months of treatment including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. She joined the COUCH Wellness Centre in August 2019 to fill a void that was left after she had finished her cancer treatment. Always a very active person, Jenny found treatment was tough and left her with pain and mobility issues. She explains “the yoga and Pilates at COUCH have been my saving grace. I now have better movement and my confidence has increased”. Reminiscing, Jenny says joining the Wellness Centre was like joining a family. She finds herself looking forward to classes each week, but more importantly to the love and laughter shared with new friends like Erica.

During a visit to Cairns in late 2018, Erica and her partner Paul made the decision to return home to Adelaide, pack up their belongings and move to the tropical city. However, by Christmas Erica had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Not to let cancer hold them back, after several rounds of chemotherapy in Adelaide they made the big move to Cairns in May of 2019. Being new to town, Erica felt an enormous weight lift when she discovered all the cancer care services she had been looking for (plus more) were located at the one place.

Erica felt instantly at home and says “it was the support that Paul and I both needed”. A major milestone was completing her treatment earlier this year. Erica continues to attend the Wellness Centre’s group classes and therapies. She acknowledges the support from the nurses has aided her recovery to wellness too.

Jenny and Erica met during a group class and instantly knew they would be friends. They have recently tackled a shared goal together - to walk the yellow arrow, which they have now done 3 times whilst talking all the way up and back! This achievement is no easy feat, particularly after treatment for cancer.

"We fell in love with the place, the people and the programs at the COUCH Wellness Centre from day one." Erica

Their adventures don’t end there. This unstoppable duo are working towards completing the Douglas track, with 16 tracks and trails throughout the Cairns area now on their to do list!

The kindred spirits largely attribute their health and well-being to the services and supports provided at the COUCH Wellness Centre. They both feel they have come through their experience with cancer feeling stronger and better than ever.

JULY | AUGUST 2020

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Lockdown

YOUR NEW STYLE EMMA GELLING | HAIR STYLIST

Well ... it’s safe to say ... I don’t think anyone imagined 2020 quite this way! What a whirlwind the past few months have been ... I mean, where do I start?

For some of us, COVID19 meant having time to slow down, to spend time at home with our kids, cleaning out cupboards, gardening and baking. For others, this past three months has represented true hardship, emotionally and financially, as they imagined life after lockdown, inventing ways to rebuild what they had, and often coming to the realisation that rebuilding what they previously had may not be possible.

In some way or another, there has been a constant struggle day to day.

WELLBEING

For each and everyone of us, our feelings during these months are all valid, it’s times like these we see our community and true friends come together. It makes us reflect on the true meaning of happiness, forces us to change things and it has given us the opportunity to live like Maria Kondo.

And now, as we venture out of isolation and find the new normal, I’m quite surprised - actually very grateful - to see that many of you didn’t have an overwhelming urge to cut and colour your own hair during lock down. Give yourselves a round of applause, ladies! I’m proud of you!

The Australian government deemed that hairdressers are an essential service (which to be honest completely threw me). I mean, thank you, I love making women look beautiful - but really?

Regardless, here at Blended, we closed our doors for a month or so to do our part in helping to stop the spread of Coronavirus. And upon our return to trading, I have noticed

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some really beautiful trends occurring.

With the brakes screeching on social events, it seems most of our clients have chosen to embrace their long lost curls, or chosen a transition to a grey blend colour, while some are experimenting with more daring cuts.

EMBRACE YOUR CURLS: Do you have long lost curls hiding?

And have you spent most of your past trying to hide them?

There’s no time like now to learn to love those locks.

Hot tip - follow “The Curly Girl Method”. It’s a simple idea, teaching how to wash less, condition more, some curl-friendly brushing techniques and daily habits to help encourage a good curl. And yes - there is such thing!

TRANSITION TO GREY BLENDS: Heads up, ladies! This does not mean growing out your greys in full! “Grey blend” refers to a subtle mix natural grey and complimentary colours.

This technique can be done with foils, or solid colours without the coverage. And when done correctly, (namely, by a qualified stylist in a salon) this look is the epitome of style.

DARING HAIRCUTS: There’s no better time than a pandemic to try out a new style. The change can be small, like a fringe or layers. Or perhaps you have been thinking of a beautiful pixie cut, a dramatic concave or even a long bob. Now is the time to do it!

Whatever you may be thinking, why not give it a go? Events still haven’t opened up, so give yourself a chance to love your new style and wear it with confidence. And remember, we offer a complimentary consultation. Simply text “OASIS” to 0423 628 307.

xx Em

Brow

(G)LAMINATION NOVA AUSTIN | LASH AND BROW STYLIST

Ladies - have you heard? The latest global brow trend is Brow Lamination. It’s a non-invasive method of achieving a full natural brow that lasts 6-8 weeks, by repositioning the natural brow hairs, to fill in gaps, increase the thickness of a brow or heighten the arch.

Originally developed in Russia, regular brow tinting or henna can be applied in conjunction with this vegan, cruelty-free treatment.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO MICROBLADING OR BROW TINTING? Unlike Microblading, where the skin on your brow is cut and pigment is deposited to mimic the appearance of a brow hair, Lamination uses the natural hair that already exists on your brow. There is no healing time needed with Lamination. The healing time for Microblading begins after 7-14 days with total healing upwards to 2 months!

Microblading ranges in price from $450 to $1500, while Lamination is nearly an eighth of that cost.

The procedure time of Microblabing versus Lamination is also at opposite ends of the spectrum, with Microblading spanning close to 7 hours over two separate appointments within a 6 week period.

By comparison, Lamination is a relaxing 60-minute treatment.

WHO IS BROW LAMINATION FOR? Whether you have a little or a lot of brow hair, the benefits of a full natural brow can be achieved with Lamination. If you have gaps in your brow, this treatment is great to reposition your brow hair to fill in the gaps. If you have thin, over-plucked brows, this

treatment will redirect your brow hair to thicken the appearance of your brow. If your brows are unruly and head in all different directions, this treatment will tame the hairs into a more uniform direction.

Unfortunately, for those who have lost their brow hair through medical treatments such as chemotherapy, Brow Lamination is not a viable treatment option.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS? Brow Lamination is a three part process: Lift, Fix, Nourish. The first step of applying a fixing serum is designed to break down the bonds in the hair allowing us to redirect the hair into a new position (to either cover gaps, raise the arch or increase the thickness of the brow).

The second step neutralises or gently fixes the bonds in the hair in order for it to take on the new shape.

The third step nourishes the hair to restore moisture, increasing the volume of the hair.

AND VOILA! A tint & a light tidy with tweezers is also included in the treatment. A professional brow shape can also be incorporated into this treatment by booking a Brow Maintenance, which includes additional tweezing to shape & wax to tidy the brow.

I’m always here to offer suggestions for the best aftercare and maintenance tips that actually work, and to educate you on the best questions to ask your lash or brow artist. I look forward to empowering the Oasis readers with beauty tips in my column.

Nova xx

LASHES

52 GODWIN ST, EDGE HILL

BROWS

0407 533 966

TEETH WHITENING

www.luxelashesbynova.com

JULY | AUGUST 2020

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The MaraWay

A BOLD NEW APPROACH

WORDS: RACHAEL TIERNEY

Drive down Anderson Street, and you will pass The MaraWay Community Hub. It’s the lime green and orange building opposite Brothers and it’s a shining beacon of help for those that reside in the surrounding suburbs.

Walk through their new playground and in the door and you’ll be surprised at the extent of assistance they can provide. Put simply, they provide help.

Real help for real people to get on with their real lives. No appointments, referrals or criteria to meet. Help comes in many forms and with no two days the same, its always a hive of activity.

What does help look like?

Hub Manager Reggie Jackson describes some of the types of help he provided last Monday.

• Helping an elderly man with an application to Meals on Wheels

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so that he can have daily access to nutritious meals. He is currently living in crisis accommodation with no kitchen facilities.

• Assisting a young mother with applying for a child care rebate through Centrelink.

He had previously helped her into a training course and now she has been accepted into university to study this year.

• Helping two young children access stationary supplies and shoes so that they can have a successful re-start to their school year. Putting them in touch with a school in their catchment to

complete enrolment paperwork.

• Assisting a mother and her four children to complete a bond loan and private rental application.

They have moved up to Cairns to escape a domestic violence situation and have been sleeping in their car.

• Provide an emergency relief food package to a young family and then working with them to develop a realistic budget. One of the parents was made redundant late last year and bills have got on top of them.

• Helping a teenager with an

application for a birth certificate and then a tax file number. He will use these to complete the application for his part-time job and join a sporting club.

• Assisting a young person with a plan for online study for his learners license.

Unfortunately, without a drivers license, the opportunities for employment are limited.

• Helping an elderly couple with an application to access their superannuation and teaching them about the internet and emails.

from their own private enterprises, shareholdings and partnerships in the business community.

This refreshing approach gives The MaraWay the opportunity to work with all members of the community. They treat each person as an individual and give them the help they need, when they need it most. It’s a distinct tough love approach though.

IT’S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT ...

AND IT’S WORKING

The MaraWay is a little bit different in the services they provide and in the way they fund these services.

They operate independent of government funding.

Running the Community Hub through profits

The MaraWay will provide the help that is needed immediately, then encourage clients to take their own supported steps forward. Building resilience in themselves and the wider community as they begin to make improvements in their lives.

The front door is always open to all, even if it’s just for a coffee and a chat. Everyone is welcome to come on into the MaraWay Community Hub and meet the team.

Cairns Relay For Life

10 October 2020 3pm via our Facebook Event

We’re going virtual!

Register at relayforlife.org.au/cairns

JULY | AUGUST 2020

20013

Join us and engage with our local community to remember, celebrate and fight together.

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Amalfi Passaro Door Knobs | Ceramic Black and Natural 5cm x 5cm x 5cm | $6.95 each

Middle of Nowhere Framed Print | Ocean Swing Print 101cm x 81cm | $395.00 Amalfi Oden Vase | Ceramic Cream 24cm x 24cm | $112.00 Amalfi Tatiana Tote Bag | Natural and White 28cm x 29cm x 49cm | $85.00

Koru GIFT GUIDE

Bonnie & Neil Floor Cushion | 100% Linen Ocean Wheat 60cm x 60cm | $210.00

Bonnie & Neil Cushion | White Wheat 50cm x 50cm | $175.00

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Globewest Sloopy Chair | 100% Linen Bone 98cm x 97cm x 92.5cm | $2,715.00

Home JULY | AUGUST 2020

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For all your bathroom & kitchen needs.

Talk to our friendly staff to help bring your inspiration to life.

Bathroom & Kitchen Centre 52 |

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-172 Lyons Street, Cairns-

4080 7000

bathroomandkitchen@cairnshardware.com.au

B enno’s

BACKYARD BEN VALLELY | RESIDENT GREEN THUMB

Like most of us, food is something I`ve always been fascinated with from an early age! I have some very fond memories from when I was a wee little tacker. of my Grandad’s vege garden.

There were tomatoes, shallots and number of other leafy greens, but for some reason the corn always stood out to me - maybe because it was so tall and I was so little. Funnily enough it’s one thing I haven’t grown yet, but this year might just be the year!

Over the years I’ve dabbled in growing a few herbs in pots for cooking, and the odd basil hedge which make great little shrubs around the garden. As an added bonus, they attract native bees and smell great when you accidentally hit them mowing the lawn.

Growing your own herbs and veges can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Although there is one rule you should always remember …. Preparation of your soil is key!

I like to compare it to building a house. If you put down a good solid foundation at the start, the house will tend to follow suit. Put down a crappy foundation, and, well ... you know how the rest of the story goes!

you can buy, like Searles and Rocky Point, bagged up ready to roll. These are perfect for folks living in units or with limited space for the garden. If you have a backyard or room for a patch or raised garden bed, why not just get down and get dirty!

Your local garden centre or raw material supplier will have garden mixes available, which will make a solid base to start. It’s important that the mix is relatively loose, with good drainage, so the roots of your veges can penetrate easily.

Once you have your soil in place, there’s a few delicious extras to add to the mix to prime it up with nutrients.

A few solid handfuls of Blood and Bone, Dynamic Lifter or Rooster Booster (aka Chook Poo pellets) and Dolomite is where I generally start. Then it’s all turned through the garden mix with a fork, well watered in and covered up with mulching hay to let sit for a few months. I like to repeat this process a few times over the course of the year before I plant it out around Easter, just as the fierce tropical heat starts to cool down a bit.

My 2020 vege garden has been a work in progress.

I’ve been working the soil over the past 12 months in preparation for the planting. I’m definitely not saying you have to do this to grow your own greens, but I’ve always found it to be a good recipe for success.

This year, I’ve put in tomatoes, capsicum, spinach, Chinese cabbage, rocket and shallots. In the herb department, I’ve got some sage, lemongrass, dill, soft leaf basil, parsley, coriander and garlic chives. How good does it feel to pick a bunch of fresh goodies from your vege garden daily to use in your cooking, even better when you have surplus to share with your family and friends!

There are lots of great pre-packaged quality soils

All the best with your patch and happy gardening!

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Refinancing IS IT WORTH IT? MICHELE ANNISON | MORTGAGE ADVISOR

People often ask me if it’s worth the ‘effort’ of refinancing – whether you want to borrow more for a renovation, consolidate multiple debts or just get a better rate. After all, most banks are more or less the same, right? And how much difference does a slightly lower rate really make?

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My answer is always the same ... it’s definitely worth the effort to check.

of calculating your expenses, and assessing your income and your appeal as a borrower.

To start with, every single reduction in your interest rate - no matter how small - can make a big difference in how much you save over the long term.

They also differ in their tolerance of risk and their approach to different types and sizes of loans.

And despite what you may think, or what you may have heard, all lenders really aren’t all the same.

Each lender has a different way

Not only that, they change their policies frequently – especially in today’s economic environment – so if you don’t have your finger on the pulse like I do, it’s pretty hard to keep up!

Suffice is to say - if one lender won’t lend you the amount you need, or you think you can get a better deal elsewhere, it’s definitely worth asking the question: should I consider refinancing?

Here’s a little case study to consider - and yes, names have been changed to protect the identities of those involved.

Eight years ago, Keith and Nicole bought a home valued at $700,000. They had saved $120,000 to put towards their deposit. After paying stamp duty, Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) and other purchase costs, they were able to borrow $623,635 on a 3.3% interest rate. This represented a loan-to-value ratio (LVR) of 89.1%.

After eight years, Keith and Nicole’s home had increased in value by 60% and was worth an impressive $1,120,000. By that time, they had paid off $171,403 on their principal loan, and they still owed $528,597.

This indicated their LVR had dropped significantly and was now 47%.

Keith and Nicole had been thinking about renovating their home for quite some time. When the $25,000 HomeBuilder grant was announced last month and they realised they were eligible, it seemed like as good a time as any to update.

The estimated renovation cost would be $410,000.

With the HomeBuilder grant, Keith and Nicole’s total borrowing would have to total $919,916 to fund their desired renovation. This represented an LVR of 81.5%.

Unfortunately, their existing lender wouldn’t extend their risk further than 80% LVR, even with Lenders Mortgage Insurance.

As both Keith and Nicole had stable incomes and secure jobs, they were confident they would be able to make the higher repayments on an increased

Michele Annison Personal Mortgage Adviser

mortgage, so they decided to refinance with a different lender.

I was able to find them a lender who would finance up to 90% LVR, and offered a lower rate of 2.80%. This also came with no fees, along with a $3,000 cashback offer. Cha-ching!

Keith and Nicole used the cash bonus to help reduce their new LMI fee of $9,319 to $6,319. The refinance meant that not only could they fund their dream renovation, but after just 18 months of steady repayments, they were saving money compared to if they had chosen to top up their loan with their existing lender. So in this case, it was definitely worth the effort.

I expect more and more people will be paying close attention to their mortgages over the coming months, especially with the number of incentives on offer.

One that is creating a lot of interest is the Federal Government’s Home Builders Grant. This grant relates to contracts drawn from 4 June 2020 through to 31 December 2020, with a requirement that construction commences within three months of the contract date.

Interestingly, this grant still is not available as yet, despite the amount of publicity circulating about it.

HomeBuilder will be implemented via a National Partnership Agreement, signed by the Commonwealth and State and Territory governments.

This approach will utilise existing state and territory mechanisms to distribute the HomeBuilder payments.

When the States and Territories begin accepting HomeBuilder applications, they will backdate acceptance of these applications to 4 June 2020.

Keep an eye on the relevant State or Territory revenue office for more information on when and how you will be able to access HomeBuilder.

p 0432 322 540 e mannison@smartline.com.au w smartline.com.au/mannison

Home loans ∞ Commercial loans ∞ Equipment finance Australian Credit License Number 385325

JULY | AUGUST 2020

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MEMBER’S BUSINESS DIRECTORY

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“If it fits on my tray. I’ll take it away!”

Business JULY | AUGUST 2020

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Join the

11,000 strong Member community at the Institute of Managers and Leaders ANZ More than ever, it’s important regional business communities stay united as we pave the road to recovery. IML ANZ is supporting Cairns by providing a range of virtual resources and services helping people reskill, adapt and sharpen their knowledge so they can nurture their businesses back to success.

1. Networking Our regular sessions connect professionals across the country to offer peer-to-peer support, share experiences and meet others in similar circumstances.

2. Virtual learning Our expert-facilitated fortnightly webinars strengthen leadership competencies and equip professionals with the relevant skills to lead their businesses during crisis.

3. Mentoring Our additional mentoring cohort supports Members in need of one-to-one support f rom others over this challenging time.

These initiatives are available for f ree exclusively to IML ANZ Members. Interested in joining our community? Become a Member by 31.07.2020 and we’ll waive the $90 application fee.

Email us at imlanzmembership@ managersandleaders.com.au

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Techonology and

EDU-TOURISM

NOW IN ITS 25TH YEAR OF BUSINESS, BANORA INTERNATIONAL GROUP HAS SURVIVED 9/11, THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS, SARS, AND VARIOUS OTHER INTERNATIONAL DISASTERS, BUT MANAGING DIRECTOR, JANINE BOWMAKER SAYS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS DEFINITELY THE MOST DIFFICULT TIME IN THE HISTORY OF HER COMPANY.

Cancellations commenced in January and with Alan Joyce’s announcement in June, it would seem the international tourist market will not be returning for at least another year.

As a company solely reliant on international clientele, it would seem the only sensible business decision would be closing the doors or go into hibernation.

This was not even a consideration us. Our business and our clients are our family. Some of our schools have been with us for more than fifteen years and we couldn’t consider closing.

We have built an incredible legacy and I have no intention of letting that go. The last few months have been spent on upgrading the websites, marketing collateral and considering various innovative ideas.

Don’t get me wrong - there were days when I wanted to give up. But my team, our clients and their relentless passion have inspired me during the harder times.

Most significantly, I felt for the students, schools and the principals and coordinators we have formed relationships with and who have been planning their study programs for up to 12 months in advance.

Each year, approximately 10,000 students visit during July and August. So, we brainstormed on what opportunities we could offer the students instead of their visit”.

From this, the Great Barrier Reef Academy, an online virtual school offering Virtual Study tours was born.

We have partnered with local schools and tourism providers throughout Cairns to create edu-tourism virtual study tours of 5, 7 and 10 days in length, whereby students can log in via our online platform to interact and study.

We are now planning on taking this to other regions in Queensland. Many schools have pivoted to provide on-line learning.

However, rather than only offer one product, Banora International Group are combining study options with edu-tourism products to provide a full program that

WITH JANINE BOWMAKER

is themed, involves the students via their learning app before their programs commence and continues to connect with them after the program.

Focusing on interactive live-streaming, rather than solely on-line, we have what I like to call Banora’s “secret weapon”.

Nicknamed as RtourD2 or buddybot is their interactive ROBOT with livestream, remote control and chat capabilities.

The students love him, the team love him and he is fast becoming Queensland’s number one traveller!

Each student receives a certificate, becomes an ambassador of Cairns and has a tree planted for them in Cairns encouraging an ongoing connection to our region.

Banora’s Global Awareness Sustainability Development Goal driven program has already been recognised as an opportunity for Australian students, as well as International students, which is an exciting new opportunity for us.

It is often said “as one door closes, another opens”.

Who knows, this might also become the case for us.

I always dreamed of owning my own school and a virtual school enables us to continue to provide what we love doing best, which is creating lifechanging experiences for students.

Here’s to an exciting future!

JULY | AUGUST 2020

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Virtually AMAZING MEG DAVIE | VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

I bet that at least once growing up your parents told you to have a rainy day fund. Well, never did we think that it would rain this much, and for this long!

Businesses were simply not set up to cope with such an immediate and lengthy forced shut down. Some of us have had to work harder than we ever had before just to stay afloat, while others simply had to sit back and ride it out.

But no matter how we had to get through the COVID-19 crisis, we still needed to keep our businesses moving.

For the last few months, I’m sure the last thing on any business owner’s mind was how their admin was going to cope! Yes - the trusty old Admin Department might not be selling the products and making the money,but trust me when I say, it’s what’s keeping your business moving forward.

BUSINESS

So how do we keep up with our administrative tasks with less cash flow and less time? Easy ... with a VA, of course!

A VA - or Virtual Assistant - is exactly what the title says. It’s an assistant, for you and for your business, to help with all those niggly administration needs that so often get pushed to the bottom of the inbox. But a VA can also offer so much more.

The beauty of a VA is that you can have as much or as little help as you need. Some weeks are busy ... some

not so much. You simply just pay for what you need, when you need it!

So what can a VA do for you? The better question would probably be ‘What do you need?’. VA’s are fabulous all-rounders, so they are equipped to helping you in many aspects of your business. From simple admin tasks such as email and document management, to social media management, websites, brand building, blog writing and more! (I did say we were a versatile bunch).

Like everyone, VA’s had to start somewhere, so some are going to have a strong background in specific industries such as media, finance or digital services.

This means that choosing a VA who’s right for you may depend on your industry and whether they’ve had experience in that field.

Whilst overall, we’re pretty quick learners, having a background in a specific industry is always going to be a huge benefit to understand your needs and expectations. Of course, the best way to find someone who’s right for you, is to ask! We’ve become VA’s for a reason - we want to help your business in any way we can.

So, if there are some tasks that have been sitting on your to-do list for a while now, maybe it’s time you found yourself a VA? Let us take the hard work out of the administration side of your business so you have more time to focus on what’s important to you.

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all the help you'll ever need...

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Digital Marketing EDMs & Blogs Brand Building Event Management @virtuallymeg_au

meg@virtuallymeg.com.au

A Sign OF COLOUR JESS SNEDDEN | GRAPHIC DESIGNER & COLOUR ENGINEER

A business with no sign is a sign of no business. So, let’s get colour working for you!

Colour matters and contrast matters especially when it comes to effective signage. Have you asked yourself what your colours say to your potential customers?

Can your customers see or even read your signage?

Colour is a crucial element to consider when creating all your signage. Humans love colour, colours convey messages, evoke emotions, and add brilliance to everyday things including your signs. It is easy to just add colour however have you thought about what the colours you would like to use mean? Who is going to respond to them, are they suited to your target market? For example, will using a colour that is psychologically more feminine deter your possible male customers?

Have you thought about how a small percentage of the population are colour blind and may find it hard to see colours that are used in close proximity together?

Then you have the simple fact that women and men see colour differently, I know who would have thought?

When certain colour combinations are used side-byside that are aesthetically pleasing to the human eye, we witness colour harmony. This can either create contrast or use colours that use similar shades and tones, as long as they make sense together and create

a visually satisfying effect.

High contrast is recommended on your signs when you require visibility and legibility. Your signage is ultimately the face of your business and you only get one opportunity to make that first impression.

It is highly beneficial to implement Colour Psychology and theory into your signage design process, this lets colour do the work for you. Pantone colour references should always be used to ensure your colour is correct and consistent across all signage and other aspects of your brand.

The most effective vehicle fleets are the ones where all the colour is consistent, there is no room for their audience to mistake them for another business.

It is beneficial to have your signage designed by a graphic designer with knowledge and the ability to guide you with design and the correct colours before being released into the world and cutting through the noise. At allsigns print & design we are passionate about working with you to produce effective, functional signage.

We work closely with you, sharing our passion and knowledge, whether you are starting from scratch or wanting to rebrand with a fresh new look. We are making the world more beautiful one sign at a time.

Ask, what else is possible?

JULY | AUGUST 2020

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Trading Stories LESS = MORE & MORE THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF BUSINESS NETWORKING GROUPS IN THIS CITY OF OURS. EACH ONE HAS IT’S OWN UNIQUE STORY, AND ITS OWN UNIQUE FOCUS WHICH ATTRACTS ITS OWN TRIBE. ONE OF THE GROUPS THAT HAS BEEN GATHERING HUGE MOMENTUM OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS IS TRADING MATE. IT STARTED WITH A VISION TO BE THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE ONLINE ADVERTISING OPTION FOR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT HAS TURNED INTO SO MUCH MORE. IN THIS THREE-PART SERIES, WE SPOKE TO TRADING MATE FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, JODI ALLEN ABOUT HER INFECTIOUS PASSION AND ENTHUSIASM FOR SUPPORTING OTHERS. The whole idea behind Trading Mate has never been cost-based, well not in the traditional way people might expect a business to operate.

The amount of times a month someone pipes up and says “charge more, we’d pay it, we LOVE being part of the Trading Mate family!” Or the finance, business coaching and advisor types crunching numbers in their heads, and saying “how can this concept work, with so little cost to clients??”

But the low cost is exactly what we are about, the absolute affordability for any business, including fresh start-ups and well established larger organisations, meaning we can increase your VOLUME of exposure, making it even better value, because there’s more people to connect your business with, more opportunities to form those relationships and make those much needed collaborative connections!

And let’s face it we don’t all use the same mortgage broker, hairdresser, electrician or plumber! We use who we like, who has been recommended, who is easily contacted, closely located, and who has built trust with us by delivering on their word previously.

Unlike other networking group models, Trading Mate wants to attract a variety of quality businesses trading in the same industries. All businesses are supported, welcomed and invited.

Our aim is not about businesses competing with one another. Rather, we genuinely want professionals to have the opportunity to connect with their counterparts, to gain and offer knowledge, insight and support amongst colleagues.

Because - at the end of the day - we’re all in this together. Business operators are working hard to support ourselves and our families, and Trading Mate was established to encourage those businesses to keep our very hard-earned dollars invested locally whenever and wherever possible.

So how do we connect?

Trading Mate offers two ways for businesses to connect. Online, by entering business details, product and service images and relevant links quickly and easily onto the online business directory, making it simple to be found on an internet search.

And offline, through monthly networking events, which have been a calling card of the Trading Mate model since the first one in 2018. I thought a member gathering would be a good idea to get our businesses off and running for the new year, and low and behold – the calls were still coming in after the bookings were closed! It appears this was exactly what local business operators wanted. At that first event, more than 100 people attended. Holy smoke! What a buzz! It

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# was just phenomenal! So, I thought, why not do this EVERY month? And that’s been the formula for success for our business members. Two years on and Trading Mate is one of the most well attended networking groups in the Far North. Our members tell us they receive so much work, referrals and connections from appearing and catching up with their Trading Mates whenever they attend.

Another factor I attribute to this success is that Trading Mate is all-inclusive. Our members have so much to offer and as business owners, every member is offered the opportunity to tell the audience what they do, what makes them passionate about their work and how they can assist us or someone we know.

They present this information either as a speaker around a particular theme, during one-to-one networking, demonstrating their wares at a Trade Table event or even taking up the Guest MC option.

And with so many different people contributing to our functions and the huge variety of personalities that contribute to the presentation of the events, each gathering has a very unique feel. However, each event is always focussed on being positive and informative, fun and value-packed.

So with the formula in place, we are all set up, finished and done? No way! There are so very many plans in the pipeline. Most excitingly, we’ve just released the the “Get me a website now” function, and that info

that you entered for the Members Directory can now be immediately transposed into a brand spanking new, modern website – all secure, done and dusted for less than the cost of a coffee per week!

And also recently released is the “Get a Quote” and the 13-month personalised planner diaries, which are a fantastic business tool.

And as businesses emerge post COVID19, this is the type of support I will continue to offer for Trading Mates.

Event bookings will be able to be made directly through the website; we’ll implement a pre-made template for your business advertising needs, including business cards, flyers & banners. we’re investing in some other boring back-end stuff, like speedier searches, database upgrades, blah blah tech blah . . . and then, when that’s all done, we FRANCHISE!!

So let’s get this Trading Mate show on the road! I want everyone in Australia to become part of the Trading Mate revolution, which is where this is really going to get traction for our members. We aim to offer a single unique, connective, marketing platform for any business, anywhere. And NO we won’t be increasing the price. We will however increase the services and opportunities though, so . . . have I convinced you yet?

It’s time - #getonit!

Sabine Harth Professional Coaching & Mentoring Services TRE® Provider (Tension & Trauma Release Exercises)

Recalibrate Release & Recreate

+61 415959195 coach@sabineharth.com JULY | AUGUST 2020

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INSPIRING & CONNECTING WOMEN IN BUSINESS

STANDING THE TEST OF TIME. Networking • Events • Support Growth • Marketing • Fun 2020 has been one of the most testing years yet. But the CBWC know how to stand the test of

time.

After

for 35 years!

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all,

the

club

has

been

around

JOIN THE CLUB. Network with us!

August 7

Business & Bubbles

September 15

Business Speed Dating

October 31

Awards Ball (TBC)

November 13

Business & Bubbles

December 11

Christmas Lunch

GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY! RESERVE TICKETS NOW AT WWW.CBWC.ORG.AU.

Member benefits!

Discounted prices for all CBWC events Find new business via networking and Club members Develop and grow your contact base Access to CBWC Members Directory Raise your profile & highlight your business An opportunity to present a 1-minute infomercial Pop up trade tables to display your products/services Meet new people, acquire new ideas & be inspired Advertising – 2 complimentary e-sends / year List your business name and details on our website

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP - $132 /YEAR CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP - $330/YEAR JULY | AUGUST 2020

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Business Liaison ASSOCIATION WITH KERRIE STANLEY | EXECUTIVE OFFICER

DON’T LET COVID-19 DESTROY THE TEENAGE DREAM!

BUSINESS

We think it is fair to say we have all experienced some level of grief during the past couple of months.

Whether it be the missed sporting games, a once-ina-lifetime celebration, or the loss of a job or, even worse, a friend or relative. There are many in our community that are silently struggling. Uncertain of what is ahead, mourning forever lost experiences and pondering “what could’ve been.”

In the meantime, we want you all to reach out and hug your kids and take a moment to breathe and be present for them. This year has affected us all so differently and that includes our teenagers. For us parents, it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day, just ticking boxes, attending meetings, keeping deadlines, reopening businesses, preparing dinner, washing clothes and mowing lawns. Whilst we adults are juggling multiple situations, so too are our teens.

In a “normal world”, they must navigate schoolwork, friendships (or the lack of), relationships, boundaries, freedom, exams and extra cirricular activities.

Add to that the wild card of COVID-19, and they must add to that list a sudden loss of team and representative sport, eisteddfods and musicals, socialising with friends and family, all while rapidly having to learn how to school at home.

Those students who are struggling silently, feel that they are bearing the weight of the world alone. It is so important that we as parents and carers are regularly connecting with our children, their friends and their schools, to support them in every possible way.

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In the next six months, the BLA will aim to help students to find their Teenage Dream through our events. But first, we needed to understand what the Teenage Dream looked like for school leavers?

Here’s what some of our local students said:

“Finding a course to study that I am interested in, that pays well so that I can buy a home and have a family.”

- Boy, 16yo “Working hard to get an apprenticeship, one day become a builder and earn lots of money.” - Boy, 18 “Being successful in everything that I do.” - Girl, 17 “Become a teacher or a nurse, help future students and travel lots.” - Girl, 16 “Get a good ATAR, go to Uni to study a course that makes good money and be a good friend.” - Boy, 17 Everyone has experienced some level of emotional stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic either directly or indirectly. The BLA Team has been working tirelessly behind the scenes with local secondary schools, to ensure that the next six months is filled with positive events.

So, what is coming up for our students?

The 2020 Cairns Youth & Careers Expo is where your student needs to be to connect with their career pathway and opportunities.

Visiting Experts Coming To Cairns – These are a selection of trending successful business people who come to Cairns and share their stories with our students by visiting the schools onsite.

Brekkie with a Tradie is a new initiative we are coordinating with TAFE for students in Years 10 to 12 who are considering an apprenticeship or trade.

BDO’s Big Day Out is held on site in BDO’s Office for students considering a career in accounting, auditing, business and finance.

The Young Leaders Breakfast is for students who are our future leaders.

The Annual DATTA Awards Presentation Night celebrates those students who excel in all things woodwork, metalwork, design and construction.

Approximately 23 awards categories offer students 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards and prizes.

We will continue together, moving forward one step at a time ... albeit, socially distanced and offering air hugs. We could have never planned for this.

We hope that the trials we continue to endeavour will make our community and students, once again, more resilient.

It’s important to support your child as they navigate their secondary school years and progress to the next phase in career planning, in the industry that they have chosen. Let them know that their choices are unlimited, their dreams are achievable and that the business community of Far North Queensland has their back.

Annual Aspire Awards Presentation Night includes a range of subjects including Performing Arts, Accounting, Business, Health, Agriculature, Legal, History, VET, Environmental and Art. Approximately 22 awards categories offer students 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards and prizes. Encouragement awards, bursaries and prizes are also awarded to assist students with future pathways and careers.

Now that we, as a country have done the right thing, it is time to slowly return to life as we knew it.

Some are questioning if life can ever return back to what is was, or has COVID changed things forever?

Once all restrictions are lifted, we believe the future can be whatever you want it to be.

If you want to hug, then hug. If you want to shake hands, then do it. If this period of time has taught . me anything, it is that life is precious, and we ... need to embrace it with both hands.

We believe there will be a new normal and new opportunities!

.

JULY | AUGUST 2020

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mums C

A

I

R

N

S

onthego BUSINESS NETWORK INC.

NEW S BER M E M ME O C L WE

MEMBER’S BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Roberta Aloia (Alexander)

SANDY SIRIANNI

CEO & Founder of Topliving International

M: 0408 006 921 www.mtatravel.au/ssirianni ssirianni@mtatravel.com.au

Business, Lifestyle & Wellness Coach One-on-one and Group coaching and mentoring online or in person

Create & live your top life in your business and or your personal life

@sandysirianni

www.toplivinginternational.com.au

0439 382 892 Roberta Aloia (Alexander) & Topliving International

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Roberta Aloia (Alexander)

I can help you make memories you will never forget, have experiences that will last a lifetime and tick things off your bucket list! I am a full service travel agent who specialises in one on one personalised service with my clients, helping them to realise their travel dreams. Over 27 years industry experience and Virtuoso accredited, you can trust your travel dreams to me.

Making Content

GREAT AGAIN

SHARON TIMMS | CONTENT AND COPYWRITER

You remember the Old Spice ads, right? The decadeold ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ campaign featuring former ex-American football star Isaiah Mustafa clad in little more than a towel was popular for a myriad of reasons, but the campaign’s biggest success was giving Old Spice a new voice. Every commercial, video, Facebook update or Tweet utilised specific language moving it from an outdated and neglected brand to one that became wildly popular and instantly recognisable to an entirely new generation of users.

And you know who was responsible for all that marketing genius?

Content and copywriters.

Being able to find the exact words to tell your business’s story isn’t an easy feat, and it’s even harder to do consistently. Luckily, content and copywriters can develop those winning skills, connecting your business to your target audience, engaging them on a deeper, emotional level creating a genuine connection with your brand through words.

So, what’s the difference between a copywriter and a content writer? Essentially, it comes down to intention while copywriting focuses more heavily on making sales, conversions and lead generation, content writing is more about providing information on a more long-term basis.

Think of content writing as the E-Harmony of customer retention versus Tinder, shall we say?

Content writers produce long-form content such as blog posts as well as ad copy, product descriptions, podcasts, entertainment and event programs, landing pages, press releases, white papers, email campaigns, social media

content, and other marketing and SEO content. They can also create graphics, e-books, and other promotional materials to help companies boost their outreach, ultimately setting the tone for your business.

In today’s digital world, marketing and content go hand in hand. It’s not enough to simply create great products or services, you have to find ways to drum up attention and get your business in front of potential customers.

One of the best ways to increase your business’s reach is to create entertaining content. And that’s where content writers come in. A content writer is an expert writer that can draft engaging, informative, and catchy content.

Content creation helps increase engagement and can help drive repeat customers and inform potential new customers.

Most business owners aren’t classically trained writers or don’t have the skills, expertise or time to create engaging content. Content writers do. They have expert knowledge in creating marketing-driven content and can make a daunting task much easier. In their writing jobs, content writers create pieces that adhere to a style guide and conduct proofreading to make sure each piece is grammatically correct – often one of our dirty little secrets is finding joy in the elusive double space.

While a sign of great copywriting is making people smile, excellent content writing goes a little deeper to make people feel understood, ultimately connecting with your target audience and inspiring action to buy, use or subscribe to that thing you want them to have.

So, if your business needs to find its words, we’re here to find them; to help you create the kind of audience-focused content that helps you reach your business goals.

JULY | AUGUST 2020

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Super Easy

DECISIONS

RITA ZAPPULLA | SUPERANNUATION

The COVID-19 crisis has seen more unprecedented moves than at any other time in history. In one of these totally unprecedented moves, the Federal Government recently allowed for Australians early access to their superannuation, which previously would not have been available for access prior to the age of 60. Applicants were permitted to access up to $10,000 prior to June 30 2020, and a second round allowed access to up to $10,000 between 1 July and 24 September 2020.

Around 2.5 million Australians have already withdrawn up to $10,000 of their superannuation under the early release scheme, and the same number is expected to request additional access in round two, according to a report by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA).

I can totally understand that if you have lost your job and need to support yourself and your family why you may consider gaining access to your superannuation.

But seeing people who have withdrawn the money to just spend on luxury items and other discretionary spending is quite alarming. Sadly, according to research from Industry Super Australia, around 480,000 of the Australians who have accessed their nest egg early, have effectively emptied their accounts, with over 80% of them being under the age of 35.

Many people don’t realise that the money in their superannuation fund is their own money, and the purpose of the funds is to provide for their retirement when they can retire at age 60. A 25-year-old taking out $10,000 now could have $49,000 less in retirement, while a 35-year-old could lose up to $34,000 and a

45-year-old up to $23,000. This withdrawal may mean you’ll need to work longer before you can afford to retire, or else consider the option of just scraping by on the age pension in your retirement.

But it’s not too late to rectify. If you have withdrawn funds, you may want to consider topping it back up by supplementing your employer’s contributions of 9.5% of your salary. If your assessable income is below $39,387 you may qualify for the government cocontribution. By you personally contributing $1,000 during the year, the government will add $500 to your super. You can do a direct transfer of $20 per week to your superfund, or ask your employer to deduct this amount from your paypacket.

Alternatively, if your taxable income is above $50,000, consider salary sacrificing some of your pay. Start small with contributions of just $50 or $100 per fortnight, and keep increasing until you achieve contributions of 15% of your annual salary.

Superannuation is not sexy. It’s not immediate. It’s a slow steady burn. But in 20 or 30 years time, the benefit of regular contributions and compound earnings will see you being very grateful for the small contributions you start making now.

Don’t be like so many of the retirees I meet who have less than $250,000 to retire on, trying to work out how this will provide them with an adequate income for the next 30 years of their retirement. The one comment they always make is “I wish I had started contributing to my super fund earlier.” It’s not too late to start.

Please contact me if you’d like to discuss your options for a more comfortable retirement.

AFS Licence 243313

(07) 4225 5428 info@smsfsa.com.au www.smsfsa.com.au Financial planning advice to help small business owners retire wealthy

2/192 Mulgrave Road, Westcourt

Powers of

DEDUCTION

CHARISSE RUSSELL | ACCOUNTANT

Tips for a SMOOTH EOFY...

We made it through the best part of three months working from home, juggling home schooling, ACCOUNTANT isolation and an abundance of online meetings.

return, you must chose the option of “COVID-hourly rate”.

Alternatively, you can choose to claim the ACTUAL CHARISSE RUSSELL Now 30 June has passed, and it’s GAME ON for COST METHOD. To do this, you will need to determine Director managers and accountants across the the “separate or dedicated area of your home set businesses the storytobehind your numbers. cloud stand The end of financial year is fast opportunity to review country. asidehow for working”.

You’ll need ensure that you keep you of runallyour approaching and like so many business technology can helpcopies receipts relating to the costs of working Did you make a profit. better and efficiently.

Review owners this timepreparing of year can becollating a little business from home, and remember that if your employer has So as you start and your documents reimbursed you any ofmake thosea costs, to provide your a 2020-relevant Did you loss. you can’t claim existing processes andfor hectic.

The to team at Accountant, HKS Russell here’s have your them. “How can Was the income you generated in line change some that you be aware collated tipsshould for a smooth EOFY.of. procedures and ask yourself

this be automated?” or “Can this be with your expectation. anythere workany related items cost You canTAKE now claim a deduction for working at home If you’ve purchased Were expenses thatthat seemed automated?”.

STOCK more than $300, you’ll need to depreciate them over due to being affected by the COVID-19 virus.

The ATO large or higher than expected.

We know the last thing you want to do life of that asset, and calculate advised that youfinancial were required from home What willremember you changetooronly do differently We find that when athe business owner at the end of ifthe year is to a work the “work-related” portion of the expense, not the during the period from 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2020, stock take, but it’s important that you changes their accounting system to a in the next 12 months. privatetheir portion. you can use the SHORTCUT whichplatform, applies ait eases pain What do you want to achieve over the perform a stock count, somethod, it is cloud fixed rate of per in hour all additional running when it comes to their accounting and next 12 months. accounted for$0.80 correctly thefor books. this allthem sounds expenses. to a little confusing, there is a way Make sure to identify any stock that book-keeping AND itIf allows you can do your tax from the couch this year. That’s needs to be written off or is damaged track their income and expenses with The above is not a comprehensive list, Additional running expenses include electricity right - we are offering online meetings in a number of we hope it’s a starting point to ease. and report this accordingly. from FaceTime to Zoom. We even expenses associated with heating, cooling and lighting different formats, but make this EOFY system a smooth one.

From that doesn’t the area of which you are working and running items have our own video conferencing my team to yours…we wish you a Happy SGC CONTRIBUTION PAYG PAYMENT SUMMARIES your are using for work; cleaning costs for dedicated require you to download or install anything. to reduce your tax bill at the EOFY! If you have youinternet will needexpenses; to A good way work area;employees, phone and computer the year You’ll is to still pay need yourto make an appointment in the same ensure that yousuch reconcile your payroll consumables as ink and paper,end andofstationery. superannuation guarantee before 30 meeting system and process the last pay run for Charisse Russell is a Chartered Accountant You can also claim home office equipment including way as a regular with your Accountant.

And June [if possible].

To do that you will the financial year and issue their PAYG with over 18 years’ experience in computers, printers, phones, furniture and fittings. as for sending us receipts, we recommend a PDF your last Payment Summary by the 14 July. You need to have processed accounting, audit and taxation.

Heronpassion scanning apppay called “Genius Scan”.

It’s free both run Junekeep and then submit + pay lies will also need to lodge the summaries changing livesitthrough herplatforms approach in Apple or Android, andinafter using on both In order to claim the shortcut method, youformust yourworked superannuation.

[NB: superannuto the ATOof electronically by have beingeasy a coach, advisor mentor.

Charisse have found it very to use withand good results. a record the numberorofmanually hours you from we ation is only deductible when paid]. the 14 August. has two gorgeous munchkins and has an home as a result of COVID-19.

Online meetings aren’t onesShe cupisofbacked tea, but amazingevery husband. by for an

thoseNUMBERS of you who want to give try this year,Russell. let us Acceptable examples include timesheets, diary notes THE STORY BEHIND YOUR CLOUD TECHNOLOGY amazing team it a that is HKS know and we will make it happen! or rosters.

When claiming a great deduction on your taxa great The EOFY is also time to underThe end of the financial year is a [Business | Accounting | Consultants].

JULY | AUGUST 2020

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SUPPORTING OUR TOURISM SECTOR THROUGH COVID-19 To support our tourism sector through the Coronavirus crisis, the Australian Government has: • Allocated $1 billion to a Relief and Recovery Fund that includes tourism as a large part of its focus.

• Waived Environmental Management Charges to 31 Dec 2020, resulting in around $3 million in savings for the industry.

• Waived the tourism operator Marine Park permit fees to 30 June 2021.

• Allocated $94.6 million to support zoos and aquariums.

• Commissioned $109.8 million to reimburse tourism and export businesses for marketing costs.

If you have questions relating to help for tourism operations – or general enquiries about COVID-19 support packages – please do not hesitate to contact me.

Susan McDONALD Senator for Queensland PO Box 2185, Townsville QLD 4810 senator.mcdonald@aph.gov.au

07 4771 3066 susanmcdonald.com.au

SusanMcDonaldQLD Authorised by S. McDonald, Liberal National Party of Queensland, 131 Denham Street, Townsville QLD 4810.

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Travel

AT HOME LAURIE PRITCHARD | SMALL WORLD JOURNEYS

There’s no denying the travel restrictions due to COVID-19 have been difficult for local tourism business operators.

And as residents, our travel plans may have been disrupted.

But - on the bright side - as locals of the Far North, when it comes to places to be “stuck” during a global pandemic, there could be worse!

Oh, the strain of having to take holidays in our local region, enduring those harsh winter days with their blue skies and moderate temperatures, as we explore world class natural wonderlands. Come with me as I give my suggestions on what to do and where to go if you have 3 days, 5 days or 7 days to spend holidaying with friends or family.

7Days away DAY 1

Chuck the camping gear (and the kids!) into the car bright and early, and make the gentle climb up the Kuranda Range. At the top of the range, on the right side of the road, Rainforestation Nature Park will appear. The kids (and adults) will be offered a smorgasbord of fun activities including wildlife, Indigenous Culture and exploring the rainforest in an Army Duck.

It’s the perfect time to learn all about indigenous culture during the Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience and the kids will love learning how to throw a boomerang. Jump on board the amphibious Army duck as the knowledgeable guide reveals the secrets of the native flora and fauna. You’ll get up close and personal with kangaroos, dingoes, crocodiles, and of course, the two cuddly koala joeys that love meeting visitors Next stop is Kuranda Village, a short five minute drive from Rainforestation. You may know this tiny hamlet as the touristfilled end of Skyrail, but there are some remarkable gems to be found within the small village. The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is one of them, which boasts educational exhibits that can enchant even the most picky of kids. Friendly butterflies invoke a fairyland when they dance around you in the aviary, and will quickly

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fall in love with you if you’re sporting bright colours. Guides who are clearly jazzed about these creatures will make learning about them fun - whether it’s in the raising lab or the museum.

With both of these attractions being members of the CaPTA Group, you’d be wise to get your hands on the Annual Locals Pass, which will undoubtedly save some of your hard earned cash.

Beyond Kuranda, the rainforest quickly falls away to gum trees in Davies Creek. In Davies Creek and adjacent Dinden National Park, you can set up camp creekside and still feel blissfully cocooned from other campers. Spend the afternoon weaving through a web of trails - some singletrack - in Davies Creek mountain bike park or climbing to the top.

DAY 2 Get up early and

hearty hikers can tackle the 12.3km Kahlpalhim Rock circuit for panoramic views of the Lamb Range and out to the ocean. Or instead, pioneer your own route along the delightful Davies Creek itself, boulder hopping, swimming in rock pools and exploring with an end at the bottom of a magnificent tumbling waterfall.

DAY 3

Back on the road again, stop at Mareeba’s Coffee Works. Breathing in the heavy and extravagant scent of roasted coffee beans when you enter is almost as good as drinking the coffee itself.

Could it be?

Unlimited coffee while you’re here (for a small fee) along with the velvety aroma of why your kids agreed to come here: chocolate!

Inside, it’s like little elves working inside the “Chocolaterie” to produce kids’ dreams - chocolate hearts, chocolate butterflies, and even chocolate pizza. Yes, pizza!

Saddle up again and head northwest to Chillagoe, which lies, quite literally, at the end of the road. Bitumen turns to red dirt, craggy limestone at the bluffs rise up to herald your arrival and you get a sense of a bygone era in this tiny outback town.

Old timer Tommy Prior, with his collection of antique Fords, war vehicles and other bric-a-brac at his Chillagoe petrol stationcum-museum, will joyfully let the kids rev the engines and inspect the innards of the vintage machinery.

Set up camp at the Eco-Lodge and Observatory, where the camp kitchen makes cooking meals a breeze. Watch the sun slip below the horizon in a crimson sky (something you can’t do in Cairns!)

Later, a billion stars appear, saturating the sky with twinkles.

This is surely a singular reason for coming here.

DAY 4

Be like miners and don some headlamps as you descend into the Royal Arch cave tour in Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park. Kids will love this cavernous labyrinth, which at one point opens up to a secret underworld cathedral, strategically lit to highlight the whimsical stalactites and phantasmal formations.

The rangers who lead this cave tour will be happy to treat you to a sensory deprivation tank encounter; they

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will extinguish torches and hush everyone up for the most d e l i c i o u s l y dark and silent experience you’ll ever have.

Nearby, Balancing Rock begs for the quintessential “Goliath-holdsboulder-up” photo, and the easy walk there provides plenty of hidey-holes and picture windows in the rock.

Back in town, several weirs make for ideal swimming holes, complete with rope swings. Come darkness, massive red kangaroos munch on the green grass of Chillagoe’s playing fields, oblivious to curious kids who have not yet become blasé about meeting Australia’s iconic wild creatures.

DAY 5

Heading south on the Ootan Road will provide a shortcut (albeit a bone-jarring one) through classic outback landscape to Mt Garnet, if your vehicle can handle it. Here in cattle country, a mammoth veggie burger comes as an unexpected surprise at Norwest Gate, one of Mt. Garnet’s few eateries that also doubles as a servo. Time your visit right, and you can catch the bull riders being flung every which way at the lively Mt. Garnett Rodeo.

Beyond Mt Garnet, heading east lies Innot Hot Springs, their mineral pools believed by some to have therapeutic qualities.

Although you can soak directly in Nettle Creek where the springs bubble up, fork out a few dollars to the park to get a resort-like experience and luxuriate in the six different sulphur-smelling pools, all of varying temperatures.

Set up camp either at the Innot Springs Caravan Park or at nearby Woodleigh Cattle Station, found between Mt Garnet and Ravenshoe.

tinker around in the old homestead or discover how the forward-thinking Wadell family is doing on their station to help improve water quality at the Reef, some 130 kilometres away.

DAY 7As

you hit the road again today, cross back over to the green side of the range and down the Palmerston Highway with a side trip to Paronella Park. Famous love story aside, Paronella feels like an Amazonian lost world - a series of once-elegant stone buildings, now taken over by a rich emerald jungle. Curvy paths snake among draping foliage, delicate microbats chatter and cling to the inside of the park’s “Tunnel of Love” and a fun suspension bridge spans Mena Creek right before it drops into swirling falls. On the way back to Cairns, make one final stop at Wooroonooran National Park where Josephine Falls spills down the slopes of Mt Bartle Frere. The

DAY 6 Woodleigh welcomes

families to camp on their property – a station so large you’ll never see your camping neighbours.

Lovingly run by Kate Wadell and her family for more than a century, the station offers riverside camping among the gumtrees. Your kids can check out their kids (their adorable baby goats, that is) and watch the cows being milked,

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ENTRY INCLUDES 24 MONTH PASS OUT AND A AA NIGHT IN OUR VAN VAN PARK PARK A SITE SITEFOR FOR NIGHT IN OUR

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slippery slide at the base of the falls into a natural plunge pool is irresistible, making even the grumpiest of adults squeal with glee. It is this oasis, only an hour and a bit from Cairns, that once again reminds us why we’re so fortunate to live here.

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among the wallabies and ponder why wombat poo is cubed. For kids who fancy a fascinating yet somewhat macabre look at prey and predator relationships, they will love watching crocs leap up to chow on chicken heads and demonstrate the “death roll” and pythons gobble mice whole in the Snake Show.

DAY

Most visitors to the main section of the Daintree beat a path to Cape Tribulation, but it would be wise to consider basing yourselves at Cow Bay’s Crocodylus. Although technically a hostel, Crocodylus is fully geared towards families.

A family of six can affordably and comfortably sleep in a wood and canvas safari-style tent complete with ensuite and mosquito nets.

A games room, swimming pool and (eyeroll, if they must!) computer with WiFi will keep the kids occupied while the total

5Days away

For a wonderful five-day getaway, first drive north to Hartleys Crocodile Adventures. Hartleys is less of a zoo, and more like a place where the animals welcome you to their world. Here, you can come close to the cassowaries, walk

immersion in rainforest is a pleasant escape. This is the closest the kids will ever get to white lipped tree frogs and forest dragons.

Lounge in the croc-free swimming hole you can walk to, trace Jindalba Boardwalk’s route among ten minutes north to the simple yet intriguing Daintree Entomological Museum - an homage to everything creepy crawly. Sure, your kids know cockroaches (of which there are some giant ones here!) but have they ever met insects that look like leaves and peppermint sticks?

Beetle fans from all over the world apparently revere the owner Stephen, who, very impressively, has had several varieties of bugs named after him.

DAY

2

Today is a perfect day to tackle the challenge of a Mt. Sorrow Hike at Cape Tribulation. True, it’s a tangle of not appropriate for the little ones, but ascending 680 metres to the peak rewards you with superb views of the Daintree and out to the Great Barrier Reef. Bring some salt to sprinkle on the leeches, and quench the kids whining with the promise of a treat from the Daintree Ice Cream Company on the main road on the way back. The Daintree Ice Cream Company serves a medley of flavours in one cup, created from the organic fruit that is in season and growns on the property, like the black sapote

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(also known as“chocolate pudding fruit”), mangosteen and dragon fruit. Back at Crocodylus, you don’t have to cook tonight in the lodge’s self-contained kitchen they’ll prepare delectable dinners for you (and shhh! there’s a bar there too).

(and there’s a bar there too)

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Retrace your steps north to Cape Tribulation Village and the office of Ocean Safari. Yes, it’s a reef trip but it’s unlike ones you’ve done previously from Cairns or Port Douglas. There’s only a maximum of 24 other people on the boat, it takes only 25 minutes to get to the reef, and when you arrive - no one else is there! The water is consistently clear, a mosaic of colourful corals cling to massive bommies and green turtles love to hang out here.

DAY

5

Pack up and head home by crossing back over the Daintree River and heading to Kuku Yalanji Cultural Habitat Tours at Cooya Beach, just north of Port Douglas.

Meet Linc and Brandon here, two Kuku Yalanji brothers, who will show your how their people have hunted and collected here for hundreds of years.

This is especially good for kids who think meat comes from the supermarket: they’ll be taught how to throw a spear and catch food the traditional way by hunting hunting for fish, mud crabs, mussels and other bush tucker among the mangroves. This is a muddy, hands-on adventure and a splendid way to learn about the Indigenous culture that’s been right under your nose.

DAY

3Days away Your three-day escape starts with an ascent of the Gillies Highway and making a loop in the Tablelands. First stop at the unassuming Malanda Visitors Centre, where the ridiculously friendly staff love your questions.

The kid-friendly, interactive exhibits include a rumbling volcano and virtual reality sightings of the local tree kangaroo (also known as mupee by the local Ngadjon-ji

people) mupee by the local Ngadjon-ji people). Afterwards you can take a plunge in the river pools next to the Centre, or cross the road and wind through upland rainforest in search of the real mupee.

On occasion, a knowledgeable Ngadjon-ji guide is even on hand to lead you on the walk for a small fee.

Due to re-open soon, Malanda’s Majestic Theatre is perhaps the only place where your family can go out to the movies for a measly thirty bucks. The movies are new, the buttery popcorn is fresh, but the atmosphere is pure vintage. The old-timey theatre claims to be oldest running commercial theatre in Australia, and you can show up in your jammies with your own pillows and enjoy the show in canvas deck chairs.

From Malanda, head back north to Atherton. The Atherton Tablelands Holiday Park is a great option for families, and certainly has something to boast about. In addition to the regular holiday features like swimming pool, playground, laundry and WiFi, they have “eco” cabins built from recycled materials that are power and LED lights. The park has an ecotourism certification and their donations go to the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre which are just two of the numerous reasons to give them some love.

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The next day, consider a rolling adventure in the Atherton Mountain Bike Park. With trails boasting names such as “Ridgey Didge” and “Stairway to Heaven”, there are choices for all family members. Trails use a colour labelling system - a bit like snow skiing slopes - with green, blue and black runs categorised by their degree of The park will easily entertain you for at least half a day.

If you don’t have your own bikes, then Atherton Bike Hire has the goods to kit you up, and they even give you a free trail map with every hire. South of Atherton, Mt. Hypipamee regins as the holy grail for crepuscular (meaning dusk and dawn) and nocturnal wildlife spotters.

This high-altitude rainforest is the playground for

@KurandaButterflie s @KurandaButterflies

possums, cassowaries, lemuroids, gliders and tree kangaroos. If you choose to visit in the daytime, the Mt. Hypipamee volcanic pipe — or diatreme in geological parlance — is a giant pool topped with what looks like a big green pancake at the bottom of sheer granite walls. The kids can drop a rock in, wondering when it might hit the bottom because its depth ... no one knows.

Head south to Millaa Millaa Falls and if you get there before noon you’ll avoid the tourists - many of which you’ll find flipping their water-laden hair around, mimicking the famous commercial once filmed here. Yes, the falls are picturesque, but how many can you climb behind on bizarre octagonal-shaped basalt to see through to the other side?

It’s now lunchtime, and just a little further on is the family-run Mungalli “Out of the Whey” Cafe, where the makers of dairy delights go “whey” beyond organic. (Pun completely intended.) In the old farmhouse, you can peer through the viewing window to see where some of the magic happens. A bonus is they give you tastes of creamy yoghurts and cheeses that please the tastebuds, like Mango Tango and Quark.

Even lactose-free kids are catered for!

On the way back to Cairns, hang a left at Babinda and follow the road to the end which stops at lush

@australianbutterflysanctuary @australianbutterflysanctuary

Babinda Boulders. If you have brought an inner tube or anything anything floaty, you can do a lazy loop of the watercourse, dash down the pathway, down the pathway, and do it all over again.

And after experiencing these wonderous, adventurous, spectaclar places that tourists come from all around the world to see, you may just decide to visit them all, all over again.

LAURIE PRITCHARD IS MANAGING DIRECTOR AT SMALL WORLD JOURNEYS, A SPECTACULAR MULTI-AWARD WINNING EDUCATIONAL INBOUND TOUR COMPANY BASED IN CAIRNS. SHE IS ALSO AN EXCXEPTIONALLY GOOD HUMAN AND CONTRIBUTES SO MUCH OF HER TIME TO SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND CHARITIES. OASIS MAGAZINE IS ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR LAURIE’S ASSISTANCE IN COLLATING THIS TRAVEL EDITORIAL.

@captawildlifeparks @captawildlifeparks

www.australianbutterflies.com 40937575 7575 www.australianbutterflies.com 07074093 JULY | AUGUST 2020

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LAKE TINAROO HOLIDAY PARK GRAB YOUR SWAG, BOOK YOURSELF A CABIN OR DUST OFF THAT PRIZED CAMPER TRAILER AND REDISCOVER THE JOYS OF THE GOOD OLDFASHIONED HOLIDAY PARK.

WORDS: JOELEEN BETTINI

We often hear it’s the simple things in life that hold the most value. The same can be said for travel.

As a family of five, we look for different things than we once did.

Gone are the swanky restaurants and pumping poolside cocktail parties (although, we do really miss those parties!)

Now our focus is on open spaces and outdoor activities for the kids to counteract all that time spent indoors.

We look for opportunities to unplug and reconnect as a family unit and, better still, to explore this amazing region we are lucky enough to call home.

Lake Tinaroo Holiday Park is how we put the calm back into our otherwise manic lives, and we love that so many families throughout the region feel the same way.

And not just families with little ones. We have always been a popular stop on the Grey Nomad circuit, but now we’re seeing more multi-generational family groups checking in, as well as couples, younger travelers and a lot of friendship groups.

It seems everyone is searching for

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the same thing – to strip it back, unwind and, for most of us, to take advantage of the many activities stunning Lake Tinaroo provides.

Here in the park, the children love the giant jumping pillow. A decent jumpy pillow is to children what caffeine is to grownups – satisfyingly addictive and impossible to resist, even on a full stomach.

And then, of course, there’s our sparkling resort-style pool, complete with toddler entry and children’s slide and just enough room at the far end of the pool for the adults to hide.

But the best part is the freedom for the children to ride around on their bikes and scooters, collecting friends along the way.

It harks back to a time when holiday parks were all about the people. When you would meet kindred spirits around the firepit, exchanging details and promises to see each other again – which, of course, you never did.

That was all part of the charm.

Wide, imperfect stretches of road and dirt pathways make for ideal riding tracks and prove popular among our pedal cart enthusiasts.

At just $10 for the hour, they’re a great way to add to the bank of fond memories the kids will take away without breaking the budget.

Families often hire a couple of peddle carts and head for the pristine concrete pathways of the Lake Tinaroo Foreshore to explore a little farther.

As a pet friendly park, the beloved family pooch is never far behind on these lakeside adventures.

Along the foreshore, two impressive playgrounds provide all the entertainment for the under 10s, while the park’s collection of watersport hire equipment is perfect for the big kids.

Priced from $10 an hour, our selection of kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddle boards are perfect for getting everyone out on the water. Devices are soon forgotten when the lake starts calling.

Allie Chadburn from What’SUP Cairns offers guided stand-up paddle board lessons out of Playtpus Creek

exclusively to Lake Tinaroo Holiday Park guests.

A mere $60 will get you SUP hire plus a two-anda-half-hour guided tour, complete with all the SUP skills training you’ll need to look like a pro.

Groups with a boat love the convenience of the park’s location - just metres from the Church Street ramp - and the ease of setting up a day camp, ready for a marathon of wakeboarding, skiing and, more often than not, dragging a biscuit full of children around.

At the end of it all, it’s a short two-minute walk back to the luxury of hot showers and the campsite firepit or, if you’re really lucky, one of the park’s cosy cabins.

For families without a boat, the park hires out fishing dinghys that will get you to all the best spots to land that perfect Barra. Local’s tip - remember to head for the warmer patches out of the wind and along the grassy banks where the bait fish feed.

As the weather warms so too do your chances of catching a world-record-breaking fish, the kind that has put Tinaroo on the map with anglers across the globe.

At $110 for four hours in the Tinaroo Tinny, it’s money well spent and a great way to explore this world-class destination. For those partial to a bit of freshwater crayfish, there is plenty of red claw to be had. Remember, the deeper the hole, the more likely you will leave a happy camper.

Our quaint corner store is equipped with all the fishing essentials, so there’s really no excuse not to give it a crack. After all, when in Rome…

For guests chasing a little of the luxuries of home, our simple takeaway café is always ready to serve with steaming hot barista-style coffees, home-baked scones and good old-fashioned takeaway food on the menu – think rustic burgers and fish and chips.

Now, more than ever, as we take to exploring our own backyards, it seems our family is finding even greater joy in rediscovering the simple things in life and that could quite possibly be the one good thing to come out of 2020.

JOELEEN BETTINI IS A FREELANCE WRITER, MUM OF THREE AND A PART-OWNER OF LAKE TINAROO HOLIDAY PARK.

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A very welcome HAND UP

LOCAL CANCER CHARITY, COUCH WELLNESS CENTRE, RECEIVES $106,000 FUNDING FROM FREEMASONS QUEENSLAND, TO ASSIST WITH OPERATIONAL COSTS DURING THE PANDEMIC. While much of the world and the economy came screeching to a halt during COVID-19, one insidious entity that didn’t stop is cancer.

The team from the Cairns COUCH Cancer Wellness Centre, located in Manoora, quickly responded to the needs of the community and developed their online Cancer Care Partnership platform.

This rapid adaption, spearheaded by General Manager Kelli Beadsmore, enabled many new people to engage with the services offered by COUCH and seek assistance with managing their diagnosis of cancer.

“We can now help people in the comfort of their own homes through our virtual meetings and activities,” Kelli explained.

“We want people to know they don’t have to navigate their cancer journey alone during covid-19. Anyone who is experiencing challenges due to their cancer diagnosis are welcome at COUCH. We work alongside general practitioners and medical treatment teams to assist people living with cancer during diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and through to palliative care.“ In May, the Centre was the worthy recipient of a $106,000 donation from Hand Heart Pocket, the charity arm of Freemasons Queensland.

It renewed confidence in the local charity’s capacity to create a sustainable future supporting Far North Queenslanders affected by cancer and their families.

The unrestricted funding from Hand Heart Pocket will fill a fundraising shortfall experienced as a result of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The grant will provide much needed funds to continue to support its vital services for local people living with cancer.

“With COVID-19 almost halting the Cairns economy, we are very grateful for this significant donation. As a local charity, we are dedicated to supporting our clients and their families during this time.”

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The Carpentaria Freemasons Lodge have a longstanding relationship with COUCH having previously donated $500,000 to partly fund the building of the COUCH Wellness Centre. Local members Henry Condon, Raja Chohan and Alan Sims are proud to have been able to provide this additional support at a time when the local community needs it the most.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW COUCH CAN ASSIST YOU MANAGE YOUR DIGNOSIS OF CANCER, PLEASE CONTACT THE COUCH WELLNESS CENTRE. PHONE: 07 4032 0820 WWW.COUCH.ORG.AU

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