Geelong Business News 193

ISSUE 193 FEBRUARY 2011 $4.50 (inc Gst)

Avalon International Airshow Turns 10

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BUSINESS NEWS

CONTENTS

GEELONG BUSINESS NEWS FOR LOCAL BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS

3

Features

12 The Voice of the Airshow Inside the Commentary Box

14 The Power and the Passion Avalon Airshow Turns 10

18 Whitelion

From hopelessness to hope

COMPETITION

CONTENTS 05 Biz News 10 Appointments 17 Competition 37 Gadgets 39 Small Biz 40 Arts 47 After Hours 51 What's On

Thanks to Avalon 2011, Geelong Business News has four family passes to the 2011 Avalon International Airshow in March.

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EDITOR

From the editor There's a time and a place........

A few decades ago, during the "Greed is Good" period of the 1980s, the idea that there was no room for sentiment in business was widely taken up. You protected what you had and grabbed more wherever and whenever you could.

These days, we'd like to think that has changed, that we expect more of ourselves as a business community than that, and when natural disasters of the magnitude of the Queensland and Victorian floods occur, most businesses are very good at putting their money, time and resources where their proverbial mouth is... Then you turn on the radio and hear our domestic air services are charging people up to $1,100 dollars for a last-minute flight out of Cairns to Sydney, or one-way flights from Cairns to Brisbane are on sale for over $500 a ticket. The airlines and travel agents would have us believe that this is a simple supply and demand response - that as flights fills up the remaining seats become more expensive. Do you believe that? I certainly don't. There is a time and a place for profit making, and during the period of a natural disaster is not it.

It would be wrong to suggest that these same airlines do not support communities in need. Qantas, for instance, has provided up to $1 million to the Queensland Premier's Flood Relief Fund - which has and should be congratulated. But to not set aside the usual pricing of in-demand flights in the face of a fastapproaching hurricane seems, at its very best, a thoughtless oversight.

What we have seen, over the month of natural disaster that was January, is some extraordinary responses by business people to the flooding disasters. In Victoria, the actions of one businessman, Richard Wilken, in coordinating the building of a levee that saved the town from inundation by floodwaters was nothing short of

extraordinary. And there have been countless thousands of businesses that have gone out of their way to support flood-affected Australians. They don't do it for recognition, they do it because we're all Australians, and that's the way we do things.

Like most of you, I watched in horror as flash flooding devastated huge areas of Queensland and found myself in tears as I listened to accounts of people being washed away, and heard of the helplessness of those who had tried to save them. These stories are heartbreaking, and like pretty much everyone else, I believe everything that can be done to help Queenslanders clean up, rebuild, heal and move on, should be done. But, I can't help feeling that in the enormity of the Queensland disaster, the magnitude of the Victorian floods has been overshadowed.So far, it's estimated that the floods across the state have caused $2 billion worth of damage. Crop losses have occurred on a scale that is hard to comprehend, and for our farmers and agricultural businesses, that have already faced drought, then locusts, to now have the first really promising crops in years to be wiped out, is a disaster of mammoth proportions. It can't be underestimated how great the need is for support.

Whether a flood relief tax is the answer is a matter of debate for the economists, but regardless of what measures governments take to pay for the recovery and rebuilding, we all know the floods will have a financial impact on all of us. The thing is, I haven't spoken to anyone that seems to mind. People know that lives have been lost, and homes and businesses destroyed. Coughing up a few extra dollars is no hardship by comparison.

After all, we're all Australians, and we look after our own.

ISSUE 193 FEBRUARY 2011 GEELONG BUSINESS NEWS, an Adcell Print Group publication, is mailed to more than 5000 businesses in the G21 region.

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BIZNEWS What happens when the water recedes?

The Victorian floods are likely to wreak a significant human and economic cost to the business community and the State, said VECCI in a statement released during the floods.

“The floods in Victoria have not been as severe as Queensland’s, but have nevertheless severely impacted human lives and disrupted businesses,” said VECCI CEO Wayne KaylerThomson.

“We congratulate the Baillieu Government, its agencies and local governments on their flood preparations and swift emergency response, including emergency grants.

“We especially welcome pro-business measures such as the $15,000 restoration/clean up grant for small business, low interest loans from the Rural Finance Corporation, the $5 million Local Government Clean Up fund and the $1 million tourism fund.

“The State’s regional economy will probably be affected to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, although the extent of damage is too early to tell, especially with more flooding to come.

Power is off in some areas and drinking water compromised.

“VECCI have offered to work with the Baillieu Government to get economic activity happening again in regional Victoria. As the extent of crisis becomes known, Victorian small businesses will need counselling, clean-up assistance, infrastructure repair, marketing support and business transition assistance.

“We expect that agriculture, transport, retail and tourism will be the worst affected industries.

Businesses have been flooded and closed, premises damaged, stock lost, roads cut and crops destroyed.

“It will also be important to ensure that regions reliant on tourism are not shunned by visitors when ready to receive tourists, and that speedy marketing support is provided by Government and relevant agencies.

“Some of these areas will be tourism no-go areas in the short-term – they will be either impossible or dangerous to visit and, in some cases, won’t be able to be serviced by accommodation or retail providers.

“VECCI will also examine using its VECCI Business Relief Fund to help affected small businesses – this fund was used to help small business during the 2009 Victorian bushfires,” said Mr Kayler-Thomson.

“Even if not directly affected by the floods, some businesses are experiencing a loss of trade in affected communities, but still have overheads to meet. These businesses should not be excluded from government assistance.

Flood waters affecting Port Phillip Bay

“There may be short-to-medium State Budget impacts, which will probably not affect the surplus but could reduce the amount of money that would otherwise be spent. Insurance premiums will also face upward pressure.

The sixth annual expedition by the Two Bay Research program, which examines water quality, the impact of climate change and the general marine health of Port Phillip and Western Port Bays, was underway in January, just in time to monitor the impact of Victorian floodwaters pouring into the Bays.

The 63-foot catamaran Pelican was at Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary when crew witnessed firsthand the initial impact of the floodwaters.

The team of volunteer SCUBA divers and snorkelers aboard the catamaran were alarmed to find a thick brown layer of freshwater floating above the sanctuary. Initially concerned that it would make their planned marine pest survey impossible, divers found that when they were in the water the seawater underneath was clear enough to see the many fish, animals and plants present.

Apart from checking on the presence of introduced pests such as Japanese seaweed, the team also recorded the effect of the growing number of native sea urchins that are taking over and destroying areas of native seaweed.

Marine Researcher with Parks Victoria, Mark Rodrigue, says such a large amount of sediment and nutrients from the catchments can have a wide range of effects.

“There are likely to be both significant short and long term changes to the bay and the way it functions. These could include potentially harmful algal blooms, alterations to the bay’s marine life and availability of food for different species.”

Past surveys reflected prevailing drought conditions of low catchment input and high evaporation; water salinity higher than ocean levels, low nutrient and suspended sediment levels and good water clarity. With above average rainfall for the first time in 13 years this Two Bays expedition is experiencing vastly different bay conditions. For example salt content at Docklands it was found to be only three parts per thousand - seawater is normally

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35 - 37 parts per thousand – which shows that currently this part of the bay is almost all fresh water at the moment.

Taxing discussion around online shopping Business discussion in the first weeks of 2011 has concentrated on the advertising campaign by some major retailers calling for GST to be imposed on many imported goods bought online.

“This campaign seems to have forgotten not one but two industry adages – that the ‘customer is always right’ – and that taxes need to move downwards, not upwards,” says VECCI CEO, Wayne Kayler-Thomson.

“This has not stopped some retailers calling for GST to be imposed on imported online goods under $1,000.

“While there is a competitive neutrality issue underpinned by a longer-term trend to online shopping, bricks and mortar and online businesses should instead unite and campaign for tax cuts in areas that hold them back, like payroll tax.

World-class research facility for Deakin Deakin University is to have the only worldclass Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) imaging facility of its type in Australia, following the announcement of $1.294 million of Federal Government support for the infrastructure.

Deakin University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Lee Astheimer, said the funding provided excellent support for what is an exciting addition to the University's growing research facilities at the Waurn Ponds Campus in Geelong.

"This facility will support important high impact research that will enhance not just Deakin's, but Australia's reputation as a centre of research excellence, particularly in research that is responsive to community needs," Professor Astheimer said.

The NMR facility, one of just a handful around the world, will create a unique capability in Australia for in-situ imaging of processes in devices such as batteries, fuel cells and gas adsorption/separation membranes.

“Reality must be recognised - business is never going to win any battle where they lobby for consumers to pay more money for their goods.

In fact, many online retailers have achieved free publicity from the extensive media coverage of the issue.

The NMR's accurate chemical detection capabilities will help in developing more efficient batteries, for instance, that will potentially lead to better ways in which to power the bionic ear, an area in which Deakin University's Professor Maria Forsyth has already provided global leadership.

“Online shopping is clearly here to stay, both within Australia and overseas. Online sales are predicted to rise by $10 billion in the next three years alone. No attempt to drive consumer patterns to pre-internet days will ever work."

"The facility will support and enhance high quality research in the areas of electromaterials and nanotechnology, light metal alloys, biotechnology and energy related devices," Professor Astheimer said.

“This research will lead to new materials and new technologies in clean energy, carbon dioxide capture and health care – all issues we can relate to at both the local and global levels.”

Paid parental leave - currently good, but could be better There’s more still to be done before the full benefits of the Government’s Paid Parental Leave scheme are realised by small business, Victoria’s peak employer group has said.

Employees who give birth to or adopt a child are now entitled to eighteen weeks of paid parental leave at the federal minimum rate of $15 per hour.

Alexandra Marriott, VECCI Manager – Workplace Relations Policy, said small business would welcome many aspects of the scheme – in particular, the positive outcome of the improved capacity of business to retain valued and skilled employees in a time of looming skill shortages.

However Ms Marriott said the scheme is “only good, and not great”.

“We are concerned that the obligation on employers to act as pay master from 1 July 2011 may add a regulatory burden to small businesses,” Ms Marriott said.

“This obligation will add a further layer of bureaucracy for many businesses, which are still coming to terms with the complexity of the modern awards system and additional obligations under the Fair Work Act 2009.

“Employers will be required to provide bank and pay cycle details to the Family Assistance

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“This is why VECCI supports a Coalition proposal to shift the administration of the scheme to the Family Assistance Office. A Governmentadministered scheme will allow the scheme to be harnessed to its complete potential, rather than imposing further costs upon small business.

“We also seek the Federal Government’s clarification of how the Paid Parental Leave scheme will impact on businesses who have instituted their own existing private parental leave schemes, possibly at a higher rate of pay.

In these cases, we currently urge business owners to consult expert advice.

“Paid parental leave is a large step forward and will increase the numbers in and the diversity of our workforce. We hope that alterations are made in the first half of 2010 to turn this good scheme into a truly great one,” Ms Marriott said.

VTA targets heavy vehicle safety Members of the Victorian Transport Association (VTA) are set to hold a special meeting in early February with Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner, Kieran Walshe, set the future agenda for interaction between Victoria Police and the transport industry on safety and heavy vehicle enforcement issues.

Deputy Commissioner Walshe was appointed to the role of Commissioner for Regional & Road

Policing at the beginning of the year, and contacted the VTA to seek the industry's opinions on future policing activities affecting the road transport industry.

VTA CEO, Philip Lovel AM, welcomed the approach, saying that, it was a productive move

by Deputy Commissioner Walshe.

"Over the past twelve months, the VTA has enjoyed the embedded support of Superintendent David Newton, who has been working on special projects in road policing. In that time, we have identified many issues which the transport industry can address in collaboration with Victoria Police," Mr Lovel said.

"We have invited over 20 of the most experienced and committed transport operator members of the VTA to present their views to Deputy Commissioner Walshe. We believe it will be very beneficial to put the industry's views directly to one of the most senior and experienced enforcement people in Australia," Mr Lovel observed.

"Chain of Responsibility obligations, speed and driver fatigue will all be on the agenda, as well as the difficulties experienced by heavy vehicle drivers and operators when they are unduly delayed at Distribution Centres, as well as other loading and unloading points.

"This is a great opportunity to work collaboratively with Victoria Police at the highest level to improve enforcement consistency and overall safety for the industry and for the public," Mr Lovel concluded.

7

An UGG by any other name…

In what could be described as an UGGly clash of words, sheepskin boot manufacturers, EMU Australia and US company Decker Outdoor Corporation (owner of UGG Australia) have fired legal claims and counterclaims in the United States over the right to label their products ‘UGG’ in the US. Deckers have filed a lawsuit applying to the exclusive rights to the UGG trademark in the United States. EMU have a counter-suit alleging that Decker’s US Trademark was obtained through a false statement to the US Trademark Office.

In a statement released by EMU Australia, the company’s owner, Paul Neate said, “Deckers have aggressively marketed their “UGG Australia” marks and many consumers are unaware of the fact that UGG Australia is in fact American owned and based. There is a lot more to be told about the history of the word “ugg”, not only in Australia and Asia, but also in the USA, Canada and in the UK and Europe. We believe, in time, the courts will come to hear the truth in different jurisdictions and will hand down decisions that make this history clearer for all concerned.

“Sheepskin and wool products are what we do!”

Neate went on to state.

Deckers have previously filed lawsuits trying to prevent Australian businesses using the term ‘ugg’ to market their footwear. In the case of Australian companies, Mortels Sheepskin Factory, a small family business, and Ugg-nRuggs, based in WA, Deckers both won the right to continue using the ‘ugg boot’ term.

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COMMENT

Social media versus the floods Social media have emerged as a vital element in warning and bringing relief to Queenslanders affected by the floods, according to new research from the ARC Centre for Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI).

was happening on Twitter and Facebook, how quick they were to take advantage of the networks that were forming to get their information and reassurance out to the population."

With "tweeting peaks" often coinciding with flood peaks, Queensland's emergency services and the population at large took full advantage of the versatility and robustness of social media to prepare for and combat disaster, says Associate Professor Axel Bruns of CCI and the Queensland University of Technology.

For example the hash tag #qldfloods used on Twitter was spontaneously accepted as a primary source for information by public, police and emergency services. "As soon as the Police saw people using it, they were quick to take it up as a means of disseminating advice more widely and effectively. I'd expect to see a similar pattern in future events."

"Twitter and Facebook were both used extensively throughout the floods - by emergency services such as the Queensland Police, by the Brisbane City Council, by the ABC and by tens of thousands of individual citizens, to warn or to help one another," Prof.

Bruns said.

"They delivered timely advice about flood peaks to people who could not get it in other ways, about road closures, about the needs of communities which had been cut off and to co-ordinate responses. They were used by authorities to correct false rumours as soon as they started."

Prof. Bruns considers that during the Queensland floods, social media - often criticised as dealing largely with trivial matters - emerged as a fully-fledged disaster response mechanism, and probably helped to save lives.

"You could see how quickly the Queensland Police and Brisbane Council adapted to what

At the peak of the Brisbane flood event, the number of tweets rose to 1200 an hour during daytime, before falling away to their normal nighttime lull. Tweets also surged during the Toowoomba flood peak, as communities turned to them for vital information.

"There's some evidence that as landlines and power supplies went down in various areas, people still used their mobile phones to stay in touch via Facebook and Twitter," Prof. Bruns added.

"When the community at Mogill was cut off on a bend in the river, they sent out calls for support via Twitter, and shortly afterwards were reassured by the Premier that they had not been forgotten and that helicopters with necessary supplies were on the way.

"When the RSPCA's animal shelter was threatened by flood waters, they used social media to identify people willing to take in

animals, and received an overwhelming response - they ended up having to turn volunteers away."

Facebook was used by family and friends to find information about flood-affected loved ones, and also to mobilise donations and flood relief, both within Australia and globally. "Twitter was more effective at spreading items of information widely and rapidly, but Facebook proved more useful in providing detail and coordinating activities, Prof.

Bruns commented.

"It is my impression that social media proved more effective in assisting the emergency response in the case of the Queensland floods than in the case of the Victorian bushfires. This is probably due to the fact that floods also affected urban areas, where social media are more accessible, and to the evolution in people's use of social media in recent years.

"I have no doubt that social media will from now on become a key component of every emergency response effort - as much part of the 'equipment' as the fire truck or chopper," Prof. Bruns added.

The ARC Centre for Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI) is helping to build a creative Australia through cutting edge research spanning the creative industries, media and communications, arts, cultural studies, law, information technology, education and business. It is funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC).

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APPOINTMENTS Recruitment

Recruitment

Sheridan Salmon has joined GForce Recruitment as Manager: Marketing, Communications & Community Engagement. Sheridan has extensive strategic marketing, branding and public relations experience both in Geelong and Melbourne, spending the past 10 years marketing Melbourne’s Southgate Precinct and as Marketing Manager of both Bay City Plaza and Market Square.

Sheridan brings a wealth of marketing knoweldge and experience to the position and will focus on developing the Group’s brand.

Ross Haby joins GForce in the role of Executive Director: Business Development. Ross has extensive experience in business and economic development in both regional Vic and South East QLD, including the ANZ Bank, Caloundra City Enterprises, Wimmera Development Association and most recently as Executive Director, Committee for Ballarat. Ross plans to expand GForce's extensive professional employment and HR services in Geelong and surrounding regions to assist local business to grow and prosper.

Legal

Health

Coulter Roache Lawyers is pleased to announce that Anne O'Loughlin has been appointed as a Senior Lawyer.

Anne has been working in the Family Law department with Coulter Roache Lawyers for 5 years. She assists parties with all aspects of family law, in particular assisting parties to resolve children’s care arrangements and property divisions after separation. Anne regularly appears in the Family Court, Federal Magistrates Court and local Magistrates Court.

Barwon Health is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Scott Randall as Director of Building Support Services.

Scott is an engineer and had previously managed Linencare, a business unit of Barwon Health, for the past two years.

Scott has fabulous people skills and will further develop systems and processes in this directorate. Scott will have responsibility for managing all Barwon Health facilities, Environmental Services, Food Services and Linencare.

Health

Community

Dr Christine Somerville has been appointed to the role of Director of Renal Services at Barwon Health. Christine steps into this role replacing Dr John Agar, who has served in this role since 1978. Christine has been a committed renal and general physician of Barwon Health and the broader community since the early 90's following completion of her PhD. She is well known at Barwon Health for her excellent clinical and diagnostic skills and her sensible, compassionate and empathetic approach and application.

Susan Meyer has commenced work at Glastonbury Child and Family Services as Quality and Risk Co-ordinator. Susan has many years experience in the Community Services sector in a variety of roles. Her qualifications are BA (Hons), Grad Diploma Social Welfare and most recently an Advanced Diploma of Management. Susan’s approach to her work focuses on knowledge management as it applies to quality and risk and the value of a collaborative workplace.

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APPOINTMENTS

11

Community

Hardware

Jessica Taylor has been appointed as Community Relations Officer at Glastonbury Child and Family Services.

Jessica has a Bachelor of Arts (Public Relations) degree from Deakin University and recently completed an internship with RedStick Strategic Communications.

She is very much looking forward to learning more about the Community Service sector.

Keith and Barry Fagg are pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Edmonds to the newly created role of General Manager for Fagg’s Mitre 10.

Mark has a long and varied retail career including senior roles in merchandise, marketing, store design, property and operations with some of Australia’s leading retailers. Mark has worked with Fagg’s Mitre 10 on a consulting basis developing a business plan. This has led to appointing Mark in this senior role to help take Fagg’s into the future.

Community

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Glastonbury Child and Family Services are pleased to announce that Michael Moore will be joining their team as Manager of Corporate Services. Michael has CPA and Chartered Secretary qualifications, as well as Post Grad qualifications in Accounting and Marketing. He has previous experience in service industries including building, motor vehicle, shipping, property and sport and recreation. Michael is client focused and now wishes to commit and apply his experiences to the Community Service Sector.

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12

PROFILE

The Voice of the Avalon Airshow He is the voice of the Avalon International Airshow. A journalist, broadcaster, private pilot, former radio host and, once upon a time, a national representative track and road racing cyclist, Peter Meehan has a long CV. These days he runs Peter Meehan Corporate Communications, and is perhaps most recognized for his Airshow commentary.

stalwarts of the Airshow, including Meehan and Honnery, first began the journey that has led to the Airshow becoming the major event it is today.

Peter described being involved in the Airshow as very intensive, with an enormous amount preparation required.

on the ground, with vastly improved amenities; and development perhaps most spectacularly in the air, with the rapid development and expansion of military capability, and growth in the restoration and preservation of the historic aircraft that make up the rich history of aviation in Australia and around the world.

For Peter, growing up, having a great passion for aviation was something of a family tradition.

"My father served in the Air Force in New Guinea during World War II, so we were raised in a household with model aeroplanes everywhere. My brother served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and I didn't, so I started to feel like a bit of a black sheep in the family. I joined the Air Force Reserve, and with the rank of Squadron Leader, I've worked my way through Defence public affairs, providing services in that area; major event commentary for the Royal Australian Air Force and the ADF. "I suppose my passion just continued to grow from very early childhood, when we were all exposed to it. You've got to remember, that in the period between 1945 and 1950, Australia was still gridlocked in a post-war mentality in lots of social areas. That had an indelible effect on, I think, the youth of the period."

In 1958, Peter had his first taste of what it was like to be up in the air in one of those flying machines. His 16 year-old brother had just received his pilot's license and took him on a circuit around the Maylands Aerodrome in Western Australia in a Chipmunk.

"I guess I had great faith in my brother's flying capability as a sixteen year-old," he recalled.

"My first jet ride, in an RAAF Mirage, was most memorable because I provided Australia's first commercial radio broadcast from the rear seat of the Mirage fighter over New South Wales through 2UE Sydney and 2KO Newcastle, to mark the 55th anniversary of the RAAF. "That began a snowballing of concepts and ideas to provide responsible messages to the Australian community about RAAF capabilities and the sorts of services that the RAAF provides."

"I was actually thrust into the environment through friendships and associations within the aviation industry," Peter said. "Getting to know Ian Honnery, the CEO of the Airshow, through the Schofields Aero Club, he and I formed a partnership way back in 1992, and it was going to be a one or maybe two Airshow gig, and has now turned out to be nine, coming up to ten."

The Schofields Aero Club in New South Wales is in many ways where the Avalon International Airshow has its origins. It was where Australia's first international air show was held on 8 November 1977. It is also where many of the

You couldn't do this job without a deep passion for aviation. Peter described his commentary role at the event as a super-charged role in an industry where the words super-charged might be an understatement.

"It is such enjoyable hard work. One has to be marginally masochistic to put yourself through the threshold of what is sometimes physical pain to have a successful outcome."

He said that over the past 20 years, he has witnessed the enormous growth and development of the event - development both

This year, in 2011, Peter will provide the commentary for the centerpiece of the RAAF's 90th anniversary at the Avalon International Airshow.

"The 90th anniversary means all sorts of things to all sorts of people. You go back to 1921, when Sir Richard Williams became the father of the RAAF, which was born at Point Cook, just 20 minutes from Avalon. Point Cook is still the oldest operational Air Force base in the world. The European wartime strips are now shopping centres and freeways. So for the older demographic, that is of significance.

PROFILE "The period between 1930 and 1940, where the industrial revolution in aerospace took place, is probably the most significant. The mid-30s, when the jet engine was developed, through to the 50s and 60s, when more conventional World War II styles of aircraft were being technologically developed into a new world way beyond the abyss in the minds of most people. By 1975 and 1980, we were then into Warp 7 mentality and technology beyond the dreams of most human beings - driven by the space program, was being developed.

Space shuttle development and the success rates of the American space shuttle - that took the world forward in terms of materials and the technology available, as well as information and IT development, at such a rapid rate during the 1980s."

amongst the supersonic screams of jet aircraft overhead. The noise on the ground at the Airshow is nothing short of extraordinary, and maintaining a steady flow of audio in the midst of that is no mean feat.

During the Airshow, Peter gets to share his passion with an expert commentary team, including Gary Westley, former RAAF C-130 Hercules pilot; Dave Prosser, private pilot, instructor and journalist with Australian Aviation; and Ben Cartwright, RAAF member who was formerly with the Roulettes.

"That was just amazing. I'm so glad I did it. At my age, I nearly surrendered just at the idea, but it was eight days of terrific riding through Champagne country, through the Southern Alps near the Swiss Border. We met some marvellous people and came into regular contact with some of the Tour de France riders, particularly the Australians, in Cadel Evans, Robbie McEwan and Michael Rogers. The French food and the environment, and the exhilarating personal experience of being able to get your physical fitness back in your 60s, was not only a challenge, but it was an enjoyable one.

"We're supported by an extraordinary technical audio team that gives us the continuous, seamless commentary, where talk is not the feature. It is a mixture of historic voice grabs, music pieces of the period, aerospace news updates, special effects music, special effects audio pieces, that when all put together, provides a seamless flow of commentary and audio that, hopefully, provides interest for the general public and doesn't subdue them into a hypnotic state," he said.

It's hard to imagine anyone managing to fall into, let alone maintaining, a hypnotic state

Long before Peter turned his passion for aircraft into a high profile part of what has been a very busy career, in what he describes as a "previous life", he was a 4000-metre pursuit cyclist. He didn't make the Commonwealth Games squad in that event, but did make it into the Commonwealth Games road squad in the mid-1960s, although failed to make the final team cut. And, it seems, he hasn't totally given up on two-wheeled pursuits, having ridden in the public section of last year's Tour de France with his 18 year-old son.

At this point I was getting quite a strong impression that behind Peter's well-rounded radio tones was a man who gets a serious thrill out of high-octane experiences.

"Yes, you are dead right," he laughed. And that, perhaps, goes some way to explaining why he keeps coming back to the Airshow.

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"From 1992, what was a fledgling air show, made up of a modest component from many sectors across the aerospace industry across Australia and overseas has grown to now having multi participants from around the globe. That has made this air show one of the biggest and most important air shows in the world," he said.

"People go away [from the Airshow] with a completely different mindset about what air shows are all about. My favourite responses come from young people, who are just completely taken by the capability and professionalism of the airmen and women who provide the displays, and those on the static displays who explain the technical ins and outs of the aircraft."

Along with its regular expert aviation commentators, the commentary box at the Airshow has attracted some of modern aerospace and aviation's biggest names.

Australian astronaut, Andy Thomas, has been a special guest in the commentary box in previous years, as has General Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier and go super-sonic.

As with most jobs associated with an event like the Airshow, providing the commentary for the event is a marathon, not a sprint, and when the metaphorical curtain comes down on the show, Peter said he tends to hibernate for a good three days in order to recover.

"It is exhausting, not only for me, but for the whole commentary team involved in the Airshow. It's a huge, huge human effort of mammoth proportions, but very enjoyable."

Davina Montgomery

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14

COVER STORY

The Power and the Passion Once upon a time, Ian Honnery was just another kid who loved making model aeroplanes. His passion for aviation has stayed throughout his life so far; only now, the planes are much, much bigger.

“The organisation has grown and the show has grown comprehensively,” Ian said. “It’s become internationally recognised as one of the major aviation and aerospace events around the world.”

This year marks twenty years as the man in charge of the Avalon International Airshow for Honnery, and with the enormously complex job of organising the huge biannual event now emitting g-forces of pressure, we spoke to him about working in the really fast lane.

I asked Ian if it has been with amazement that he has watched the show grow and expand into the behemoth it is today. He said he’s been too busy to be amazed.

Honnery is the CEO of Airshows Downunder (the organisation responsible for operating the Avalon International Airshow) and Chief Executive of the Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Foundation of Australia (the foundation the funds the Airshow’s operation), and according to him the past twenty years have been quite a ride.

“It’s been topsy-turvy over the years, but I think it’s really an achievement worth celebrating – ten consecutive shows here at Avalon means that the event is well and truly established on the Australian major event calendar and the international aerospace industry events calendar as well.”

For Honnery, the story began thirty-five years ago in 1976, when he and a handful of aviation enthusiasts decided to hold a one and a half hour airshow at Schofields Aerodrome, northwest of Sydney. The aim was to generate some interest in general aviation and, with luck, to raise some funds to put down as a deposit on an aeroplane for the fledgling aero club.

“That was totally successful and led to a series of airshows at Schofields Aerodrome, which became the largest general aviation, airshows in Australia,” Ian said.

“Arising out of that, the Australian Bicentennial Authority approached us to run the Australian Bicentennial Airshow. We were all volunteers and we had no staff, but with support from the RAAF, we did that at Richmond Airbase, west of Sydney, in 1988. That show was the precursor to the Australian International Airshow at Avalon.”

The Bicentennial Airshow was run entirely by volunteers on a not-for-profit basis. The money generated by the event was endowed on a newly established foundation, the Aerospace Maritime and Defence Foundation of Australia Limited, set up to fund an Australian international airshow. The foundation negotiated with the Victorian Government to run the event in this state. The Australian International Airshow and Aerospace Defence Exposition, operated by Airshows Downunder, was first held at Avalon Airport in 1992.

“I’ve been frustrated,” he added with a wry laugh. “I suppose you could say that I’ve been battered and bewildered.

“Back in 1976, obviously we never had any concept that it could become what it has; it was just fun. But then we did the Bicentennial Airshow – and that was quite clearly the precursor to Avalon, it established the model, which we then brought to Avalon.”

The Bicentennial Airshow generated so much public and industry interest and support, that the organisers saw a clear opportunity to stage an event in Australia that would be the equivalent, in many ways, of the existing, longstanding major airshows around the world.

“What we tried to do was to combine the best features of the major airshows that existed around the world into one event in Australia, and we did it. It was a show that combined all aspects of aviation – military, commercial, business, corporate, private, recreational, historic, and sporting – the whole works.

The Australian Airshow model quickly made its mark in the aviation world. Flight International magazine, one of the industry’s leading publications, described the Bicentennial Airshow as the best airshow anywhere in the world in 1988. The article highlighted the combining of the dreary business of aerospace with the excitement of aviation as the reason for the accolade.

“That’s what it did, it combined business and pleasure. The other major airshows around the world are either Defence shows, pure and

simple; or they’re commercial shows, pure and simple; or in some cases they’re light aircraft shows, pure and simple. What we did was say that while Australia has a small population; we’re a very aviation-oriented population.

Australians actually own and operate, per capita, more aircraft than anywhere in the world outside the United States.

“That’s a function of the distances here. The air route between Sydney and Melbourne is the most densely travelled air route anywhere in the world. The so-called ‘Kangaroo Route’ between Australia and Great Britain is one of most densely flown international routes anywhere in the world. And if you go back into Australian history, not long after the Wright Brothers, Australians were actively engaged in aviation. Many of the world’s aviation pioneers – Kingsford-Smith and others – were all at the forefront of the early development of aviation,” he said.

“In our part of the world, our Air Force is a leading player in the south-east Asian region in particular. And Qantas, when its A380 engines don’t have trouble, is without doubt one of the world’s great airlines. So we have this great interest in aviation in Australia, and we took the view that what we could do was something a little bit different.

“When you look at the event at Avalon, it’s really several events in one. It’s a public entertainment spectacular, with all the flying displays and all the aircraft that are on the ground, then there’s the national military aircraft that are on the ground and the stunt aircraft that are flying. That’s one aspect of it, and the other aspect of it is that it’s a major international trade exhibition. It is the largest Aerospace and Defence Industry exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere.”

There are many Aerospace and Defence Industry exhibitions held around the world each year. Ian said many more new exhibitions are also being developed in emerging nations such as India and China.

“The Paris Airshow is by far bigger than everybody else – it’s just the big Mac Truck of Airshows - I mean, it’s huge. Then you’ve got the Farnborough Airshow, which is a very substantial airshow, but definitely the second in line. Then further down the track you’ve got the Singapore Airshow, followed by us and Dubai – so we’re in the top half a dozen Aerospace Trade Exhibitions in the world.”

When we talk about Aerospace and Defence Industry exhibitions, we are talking about an industry that talks in hundreds of millions and billions of dollars. Military aircraft are serious pieces of kit, and there is much more than just

COVER STORY

15

aircraft at the exhibition. Also on show are the latest advancements in equipment both inside the aircraft and to support the aircraft on the ground.

“The Aviation and Aerospace Defence industries are extremely important in Victoria,” Ian said.

“There is a very significant multiplier effect, because what happens is that, as a business event, the show attracts the better part of 600 participating exhibitor companies from around the world, across 20 or more nations. That means that there are thousands of industry leaders, defence officials and military leaders from around the world who are coming to the show. Of course, they then interact with other people and that’s where business opportunities are created “You don’t actually sell an aircraft at an airshow – apart from anything else, you need an army of lawyers to go through the contract before you buy or sell an aircraft – so that doesn’t happen at a show; but what does happen is that the networks are developed, contacts are made and there are business discussions, which quite a way down the track can lead to business outcomes.

“This event flies the flag internationally for Australia in general, and for Victoria in particular, in terms of us playing a major role in the Aviation, Aerospace and Defence sectors,” Ian said The 2011 Avalon International Airshow will not only be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the event; it will, much more significantly, be celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force. The RAAF anniversary will be the major theme of the Airshow, and the event will be the centrepiece of the Air Force’s 90th anniversary celebration.

“As a result of that, the Air Force in particular and the Australian Defence Force in general, are contributing and participating in the show on a scale far greater than they’ve done in the past. Now, they’ve made massive contributions in the past, but on this occasion, it’s a really spectacular level of contribution. Just about anything that flies will be in display, as well as just as about anything that is used by our Defence Force. There will also be all sorts of specialty displays on the ground and a fairly comprehensive display of historic aircraft, showing the development of what we call War Bird aircraft, or former military aircraft, showing the development of the RAAF over the last ninety years.”

As big as the event itself is, the enormity of the organisational effort required to bring the aircraft, as well as the many thousands of technical and support staff, together in the one place for the airshow is nothing short of mindboggling.

“Some of the aircraft can fly in, but some of the aircraft are no longer flyable, and we have to have them freighted in. Sometimes nonflying aircraft are knocked down and have to be put back together into displays on the ground. Sometimes we have to create special pads for them to be parked on. So, there’s a lot of facilities, a lot of infrastructure work, and a lot of engineering and logistics done in order to put the show together.

“The other thing that ought to be remembered is that there is not only a very comprehensive display of our own Defence Force’s aircraft and facilities, but the show is also extraordinarily well-supported by international Air Forces. The United States will be participating very strongly, and at this stage we are informed that the US Air Force is planning to bring to the show the F-22 Raptor aircraft, which would be the first time that it’s been seen in Australia, and a whole array of the latest bomber aircraft operated by the US Air Force as well,” Ian said.

“The Royal Air Force will also be participating, as well as the New Zealand Air Force, the Singapore Air Force and there’s still another couple that are subject to confirmation. As well as all of those military aircraft, we will have lots of stunt flying and aerobatic aircraft, and a whole array of the colour and spectacle of aviation will be on display.

The Airshow also incorporates a huge international industry congress, with a record number of national and international conferences, seminar and symposia being conducted in conjunction with the event.

Amongst these are an International Air Chiefs conference, an International Aerospace Industry and Air Chief’s forum, an International Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering congress, an International Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles Systems conference, International Air Traffic Control conference, and an International Aerospace Defence Technology symposium. There are also forums on alternative aviation fuels, and forums on ageing aircraft sustainment. There is a symposium on ageing aircraft safety, and Deakin University is holding a conference on aerospace materials being developed at the University’s Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (ITRI).

“All these conferences are attracted to Australia in general, Victoria in particular, and while most of them are in the CBD of Melbourne, for obvious reasons, there are activities in Geelong, as well as there being a number of conferences on site at Avalon in the special conference facilities that we build. That is an extraordinary array of intellectual activity and exchange of ideas between industry professionals that is really very significant. This all means that Australia is kept in the centre of advances in

16

COVER STORY

technology and scientific and engineering development in aviation and aerospace – both military and commercial,” Ian said.

Despite the logistical nightmare that is organising an event of this size, the Airshow Boss said he still manages to get a good night’s sleep.

“I’ve got a really good team and our team has been together for a really long time. They are extraordinarily professional and very, very experienced. Many of them are ex-military people, and many of them are ex-airline and professional aviation and engineering people.

So I’ve got a really very, very good team of people that have worked well together for a long period of time – so I get plenty of sleep… maybe they don’t, but I do!” he joked.

“You really have to have a passion for aviation to do this. We don’t have anyone in our team who isn’t passionate about what they do. You wouldn’t do it unless you were passionate about it, because it’s showbiz. There’s a lot of pressure and the show has to go on. There can be lots of challenges and you’ve got to really want to do it and to believe that you’re making a contribution by doing it.”

When I first asked Ian where his passion had come from, he laughed and said, “Some unguarded moment of stupidity or something,” before going on to explain that he had been an aviation enthusiast from the time he was a small boy.

“I was enthralled by the exploits of the fighter pilots of the Second World War and they were all my heroes when I was a kid, like just about every other boy of my generation.

“Then when I grew up, and could afford it, I learned to fly as a hobby and the spark that had been there from an early age was ignited.

In 1976, I suddenly came up with an idea with a bunch of mates that our aero club should run a tiny little flying display, and we did. One thing led to another from that. Now here I am, nearly 64 years of age and having done this for 35 years, and I’m still as passionate about it as I always was.”

Throughout Australian aviation history, just under fifty of the nation’s aviation pioneers and leading peers of the industry have been awarded the highly distinguished Oswald Watt Gold Medal. Named after a decorated World War I pilot, the award originated in 1921 and is awarded for "A most brilliant performance in the air or the most notable contribution to aviation by an Australian or in Australia" by the Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of Australia. As it is awarded on merit it is not an annual award.

Amongst its illustrious recipients are Bert Hinkler (awarded four times between 1927 and 1932), Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (awarded four times between 1929 and 1934), Sir Reg Ansett. Its most recent recipient was Australian Astronaut, Dr Andrew (Andy) Thomas. Ian Honnery was awarded the medal in 1989 following the development of Bicentennial Airshow. “[My award] is in pretty illustrious company, and undeservedly so, but obviously as time has gone by, they’ve been struggling to find recipients for these awards, so they scraped the bottom of the barrel and up come people like me,” he laughed. “It’s wonderful to be in the company of those people, but I haven’t made any contribution like they have.

“I think, for me, the greatest pleasure I get out of an Airshow is seeing the look on the faces of the kids. I believe that if we can inspire a little spark in some little boy or little girl, either to pursue a career in aerospace or aviation or defence – I don’t care what it is, whether it’s being a 747 pilot to flying FA18 Hornets, or being a flight attendant or check in clerk or an engineer, or even if that spark isn’t in aviation or aerospace, but is just a spark to leads the kid to get enthusiastic about pursuing a career - if we light the spark of enthusiasm in a little boy or a little girl, then I think we’ve made a major contribution,” he said.

“One of the things that is rarely known about the Airshow, but in my view is one of its most important elements, is that we have a major careers and skills program. As part of that

program, we accredit about 500 undergraduate university and TAFE students who are involved in aviation or aerospace engineering or related subjects to come along to the Trade Days as what we call ‘Student Aerospace Professionals’ and mix it with the real professionals around the world. They get a feeling of what it’s like to be in the industry and go up to a stand or an exhibitor and say, “Hey Mister, I’d like to work for your company, how do I do that?”

“The other thing we do is a continuing professional development day for teachers and careers advisors, and we try to impart to them the various training pathways for careers in aviation, aerospace and defence – so it’s like educating the educators.

“But most importantly, we run a huge careers briefing for about 850 senior secondary students from around the state, and from around Australia – they come from all over the place – and that’s a major part of our program as well.

“The other thing that makes me feel most proud, as well as seeing the inspiration and awe on the kids’ faces when an aircraft flashes by, is also watching the look of enthusiasm on the part of our volunteers and our professional team. Watching them get a real sense of satisfaction out of something that is a real team effort,” Ian said.

That team consists of around 140 people on staff during the Airshow, and an enormous team of around 800 volunteers. There are also thousands of contractors and suppliers, thousands of exhibitor staff and display participant staff. Ian said he doesn’t even know how many people are involved, estimating that the Australian Defence Force alone has around 600 people at Avalon for the duration of the show.

“It’s big business,” he said. “And what we do is that we bring the world to Avalon.”

Davina Montgomery

COMPETITION

Experience all the action of the Airshow

Thanks to Avalon 2011, Geelong Business News has four family passes to the 2011 Avalon International Airshow in March.

The Australian International Airshow will deliver more action than ever before on the ground and in the air in March 2011. An expanded entertainment program at Avalon2011 will excite both the young and young at heart.

For the first time at the event, a special 'Kids Zone' has been established to provide entertainment and activities for all ages.

"The 'Avalon Kid's Zone' is an exciting addition to the Airshow program and we hope lots of young people will come along and enjoy the hands-on activities on offer," says Airshow CEO Ian Honnery.

Children, and mums and dads too, will get the chance to make their own paper planes, and then test out their flying skills in a purpose-built aerial playground run by design group, The Paper Plane Academy.

To get a feel of what it's like to be in control of your own plane, kids can have a go in the Pedal Planes on offer. There will also be face painting, wooden plane kits, and lots of other children's activities.

The 'Avalon Kid's Zone' will be housed under cover in the exhibition pavilion and will be open

from 9.00am to 3.30pm on both the Saturday and Sunday of the Airshow.

Another Airshow first is the establishment of the 'Avalon Arena' where land based thrills and spills will take place. The 'Avalon Arena' will encompass a mobility track where the Royal Australian Air Force will be performing some exciting land attack re-enactments along with putting some of its 4 x 4 vehicles through their paces.

Another Avalon first is the 'Extreme Sports Arena' where a monster truck and a freestyle motocross team will perform crazy stunts and aerial antics that are sure to amaze.

Avalon2011 is set to be the biggest and best Airshow yet, as the event celebrates the 90th anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force.

Hundreds of military, commercial, civil, historic and general aviation aircraft will be on display.

Catch all the amazing action on the ground and in the air at the 2011 Australian International Airshow at Avalon Airport from March 4 - 6. Gates open to the public from 2pm on Friday March 4th.

For your chance to win one of four family passes to the Airshow, visit our competition page at www.adcellgroup.com.au and fill in your details.

17

18

FEATURE

From hopelessness to hope A little over a decade ago, Mark Watts walked away from a successful, financially secure accounting career to pursue a passion for helping kids as a youth worker, halving his salary along the way.

He said the decision at the time was motivated by wanting to make a difference in people’s lives, particularly in the lives of those who were disadvantaged. The accounting firm he was working for was closing, so he took a year off to get involved in youth work, after which he planned to go back to accounting. As it turned out, he never went back.

Mark is the CEO and Co-founder of Whitelion, a not-for-profit organisation that works with young people involved in the Youth Justice System or at risk of involvement. Whitelion works in Victoria’s three juvenile justice centres – Parkville Youth Residential Centre, Melbourne Juvenile Justice Centre and Malmsbury Juvenile Justice Centre – as well as working with young people who are in the child protection system, either in foster care or residential care.

“We’re still finding a great need for our programs, and especially down in Geelong, we’re finding that we have more need for the service than we have the resources to provide the service. There is a definite need for more mentoring and employment for young people."

Most Australian young people inherit circumstances that breed social inclusion, facilitated by their part in the social fabric of their parents' communities. In contrast, most exclusively, Whitelion's clients have experienced state institutions such as out-of-home care and/ or the youth justice system. Unfortunately, experience of one increases a young person's likelihood of experiencing the other. Up to three quarters of Whitelion's young people have a child protection history, and have experienced intergenerational disadvantage such as familial incarceration, criminality or substance abuse.

“I was managing a youth detention centre, and I saw these young people coming into the centre and then, when they left, they were going back into the same situations they were in before they were locked up. It was sort of like a revolving door, so we started to think about how to stop the revolving door.

Whitelion has been operating for eleven years, and while starting operation in Victoria, the organisation has now spread across three neighbouring states, South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales.

“We’re working with around 200 mentors in Victoria, we’re mentoring around 300 kids and employing over 100 young people a year at the moment. Across the country, we’re probably working with around 500 kids.”

Whitelion has a Leaving Care Mentoring Program operating in the Barwon South West region, which aims to provide young people coming out of the child protection system transition into caring for themselves and working towards a better future.

“These are young people who have been living in out of home care in the child protection system because they can’t live at home. For some of them, they are very used to telling their story, because they have a changeover of child protection workers quite regularly and they have had to retell their story often. Often those stories are quite traumatic, so we try not to ask them to tell their story too much. So some young people will engage quite quickly, but for others it can take a long time to build any kind of rapport or trust. It’s a matter of sticking in there and working really hard to try to build a sense of trust, so they are willing to engage in the program.

“Some young people see fun as risk-taking, so we’re there to try to get them to do some positive recreational activities. It can also take a while for them to bond with their mentors as well, because they’re not used to someone coming into their lives that is not paid to be there. That’s a really different thing for them to get used to. A lot of the people that are caring for these kids are paid or subsidised to be there, and all of our mentors are volunteers, so that tends to blow the kids away a bit,” Allison said.

He said the inspiration for starting Whitelion, which he co-founded with former AFL star, Glenn Manton, came from the young people he was working with.

“The thing that was really evident to me was that these young people had a real lack of positive relationships and didn’t have any opportunities. I thought that if we could give them some positive relationships and opportunities, then that may break the cycle that they were in,” he said.

an adult they don’t know anything about, is a tough job. But, as Whitelion Mentoring Program Manager, Allison Trethowan, explained, earning the trust of these kids is well and truly worth the effort.

Compared to the general population, these young people present with multiple barriers to social inclusion; most have substance use issues, experience of familial violence, abuse and/or neglect, mental health issues, undereducation and unemployment. Alarmingly, young parenthood is also over-represented, with up to one in seven of our young people being parents. Whitelion provides young people with opportunities to build resilience to prevent and redress the impact of these experiences.

In Victoria, 50 per cent of the prison population comes from 7 per cent of the state’s postcodes.

It is a telling statistic. Recognising the situation is one part of the solution, but working towards changing it is an ongoing challenge, left largely to people like Mark and the team at Whitelion and department youth workers.

Trying to gain the trust of a young person, who has every reason not to trust anybody, let alone

“We find that it can take up to a year for a young person to actually call a mentor off their own bat, rather than the mentor having to chase them. They’re not well practiced at saying thankyou, and they struggle to express how they feel and what they get from the program. But with that kind of group, the fact that they keep coming back every week is a sign that it is what they want to be doing. And when you do get a thankyou, it’s massive – it’s a really big, positive step for those young people.”

For many of us, it’s hard to comprehend, never having had an older person in our life that we can rely on and trust. It’s hard to comprehend never having had someone to care about us without getting paid to do so, or someone who just wants to spend time with us, to help make a go of our life.

Allison said Whitelion’s volunteer mentors take kids along to do everyday, real life activities, like going to the park to kick the footy, going to the movies or getting a bite of lunch. She said one long-term mentor match goes fishing on the pier every Saturday.

“The Leaving Care program is all about trying to prepare these kids for all of those paid

FEATURE services disappearing once they turn 18, when all of a sudden there is no one there supporting them. So while these activities that mentors and young people do together are all about fun, it’s also preparing them for living on their own. It can be as simple as going shopping to get the ingredients for a spag boll and cooking that together. While they’re having fun, the kids are learning skills,” she said.

There is no such thing as a typical story when it comes to young people involved in programs like the Leaving Care mentoring program, but there is a common thread. Mark said these are kids that aspire to have a friend, someone they can talk to and connect with.

“They are going in to this wanting it to work, to have someone to be that support person in their life, so it can be a very positive experience for both the mentor and the young person.

We’re not saying that every mentor match works fantastically, but if the mentor can hang in there, it can and does work. But, of course, a lot of these young kids have had a lot of negative experiences, so are not about to just jump into a relationship. They’ve been hurt, and it will take a while, which is why we ask our mentors to commit to twelve-months, because a short-term involvement won’t do anyone any good.

“If you’re a business person and you want to get your staff involved, this is a great program, because we do provide training and support, and as I said, it’s often a very positive experience for the mentor and is a real way of giving back to the community.”

Allison said that, just as with any other average teenager that you come across, these young people have the same wants, needs and aspiration. The difference for these kids is that

they’ve less opportunities and support to be able to have those wants, needs and aspirations met.

“They can be a little bit tougher to be around, but I think they can actually be a lot more inspirational and positive to be around, because they’ve had to push through some really tough experiences. Sometimes the strength and resilience that you see these young people show, despite what they have faced in their life, is why we hear mentors say that they feel quite privileged to have been part of the journey.

“It really is something to see that once these young people have an opportunity, that they grab it with both hands and get out there and have a go, and to see what they can achieve.”

She talked about one young man, who had multiple placements with different foster carers in the Child Protection system, and had also lived in residential care – sharing a home with four other kids with paid staff to care for the kids. He grew up without any long-term positive relationship and without anyone taking on a parenting role.

“He was really very socially removed and quite anxious. He wouldn’t go out of the house and when we first got him to meet with his mentor, it was a struggle just to get him to go out for a coffee. He would just become overcome with anxiety,” she said.

“He’s been matched with his mentor for two years now and he’s out working, and he’s now a leader with other younger kids in the program. He takes them under his wing and helps them to feel comfortable in the program.

He even got up and spoke at an event in Geelong held during Youth Mentoring Week

19

last year, where he spoke about his experiences of the program.

“For a young bloke that was so anxious that he was too scared to leave the house, with the guidance and support of his mentor, he has come such a long way. He’s working full-time, he’s got a car that he and his mentor work on together, and his mentor is taking him out to get his 120 Learner’s hours up so that he can get his driver’s licence. He and his mentor have a common interest in working on cars, and by sharing that common interest, his confidence has grown to the point where he is kicking goals in just about every possible way.”

Allison said people often say to her that they don’t think they have anything to offer as a mentor, that they’re just an accountant or just a mechanic, and haven’t really had any experience with kids – that they wouldn’t know what to do.

“It’s really just being able to hang out with people. It’s about developing relationships and being encouraging. Sometimes, after coming into the program feeling like they have nothing to offer, they actually see that they have a lot to offer and can make a huge impact on a young person’s life.”

Whitelion is making a difference in Geelong, but current funding only allows for a part-time program in our region. More funding is needed to answer what is a growing need for positive role models for young people. If you can help, visit the Whitelion website at: www.whitelion.asn.au Davina Montgomery

"% ! '%%,/.' ,%!$%2 $)3#/6%2 %.'!'% #/..%#4 ,EADERS FOR 'EELONG 0ROGRAM TH INTAKE NOW OPEN The Leaders for Geelong Program offers participants a unique opportunity to exchange ideas with current business and community leaders. Now in its sixth year, this prestigious experiential learning program seeks to nurture people with the skills and aspirations to lead our city into the future.

This two-year program gives participants access to high-calibre people, exposes them to the challenges and opportunities that will shape the region and places them in a position of knowledge, with strong networks, to meet these challenges.

Nominations for the 2011/2013 program are now open. This is your opportunity to make a difference to our region "The whole program has opened my eyes to the world class facilities and ideas that are on our doorstep in Geelong that I may not have otherwise known about or ever experienced" - Andrew Dowd, Senior Manager Financial Operations, Transport Accident Commission (08/10)

Numbers are limited and candidates will be drawn from a wide range of industries within business and community sectors.

Nominations for the July 2011 intake close April 8th 2011.

An application form and program selection criteria can be downloaded from www.committeeforgeelong.com.au Or contact: Mrs Jean Paul Leaders for Geelong Program Director PO Box 3092, Geelong Vic 3220 PH. 5227 8073 MOB 0409 195 435

The Leaders for Geelong Program is proudly sponsored by:

20

NEWS

Same name and service, new location As of March 1st Rowick Printers will join The Adcell Group.

Principals of Rowick Printers, Tanya and Jodie Carroll, said the move is an exciting step for them and for Rowick’s valued clients.

“Tanya and I were wanting to be able to offer a lot more to our clients. We provide offset and quality digital printing, and with Adcell, we will now also be able to offer our clients creative, marketing, media and multimedia services.”

The move also allows Jodie and Tanya the opportunity to take a step back from everyday business operations and focus more on providing personalised service to their clients.

Jodie and Tanya can assure their clients that they will still be operating under the Rowick banner, and while the address may change, their dedication to meeting the individual needs of their clients will remain their first priority.

So with a business to run, and two new babies, Tanya and Jodie got to work, albeit with a readymade crèche in the corner of the office.

The sisters said they could not have kept everything going and maintained the level of service that has always been such a hallmark of the business their parents built, without the dedication, expertise and experience of the staff at Rowick, with many members of the team having worked for the business for 25 to 30 years.

For Tanya and Jodie, the decision to join with The Adcell Group was an easy one – with neither woman wanting to compromise the service they believe their clients deserve, nor wanting to compromise time with their young families.

“We have a wonderful core of long-standing loyal clients at Rowick. Both Tanya and I want to thank all those clients for their loyalty and support, we are really looking forward to now

being able to grow with their businesses.”

Adcell Group Principals, Maureen and Caroline Tayler, are looking forward to welcoming Tanya, Jodie and their clients to the team on March 1st.

Having been in operation since 1983, The Adcell Group have positioned themselves as a one-stop shop, creating work that is fresh, memorable and above all relevant.

Maureen and Caroline said that bringing Rowick into Adcell was a positive move for both businesses, as both businesses have a long history of focusing on partnerships, advice and exceeding the expectation of clients both big and small.

“We aim to build lasting relationships with our clients and improve their profile, brand and product,” Maureen said. “We know that Tanya and Jodie have the same passion for delivering outstanding results for their clients.”

“Nothing will change for our clients, except that we will be able to offer them the benefit of additional services,” Jodie said.

Barbara and Ross Carroll established Rowick Printers in 1972 as a family owned and operated offset printing business. The couple built the business from the ground up. Tanya and Jodie, having grown up around printing, joined Rowick shortly after leaving school.

When Barbara passed away suddenly seven years ago, Tanya and Jodie became solely responsible for the business their parents had built. As well as the sudden loss of their mother, both sisters had very young babies to care for, having given birth to their first children only five days apart.

Experience the difference...

Club Cats puts your next function in a memorable position. Surrounded by the beautiful parkland of Kardinia Park, Club Cats can cater for a vast range of functions, superb conference & seminar facilities, large formal dinners for up to 450 guests, cocktail parties, boardroom style meetings, small intimate dinners......and much more! Our function rooms host stunning views over skilled stadium and our Club Cats team is dedicated to ensuring your next function is a (stress free) success. With up to 10 rooms to choose from, the Geelong Club Cats is the only place for your next function.

for more information call our functions department today on 5225 2367 or email functions@gfc.com.au GEELONG CATS PO Box 461 Geelong 3220 gfc.com.au

club

RECRUITMENT & TRAINING

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MAKE 2011 A BIG SUCCESS

Want to have your industry experience and skills recognised?

Skills recognition is the process of identifying what skills and experience you have gained over your life journey, through informal or non-formal learning, as well as previous and current work you have done and matching those skills towards a nationally recognised qualiďŹ cation.

AGB can assist to recognise your skills & experience BUSINESS:

HOSPITALITY

CertiďŹ cate IV in Frontline Management Diploma of Project Management

CertiďŹ cate II in Hospitality (Kitchen Operations) CertiďŹ cate III in Hospitality

COMMUNITY SERVICES:

TRAINING & EDUCATION:

CertiďŹ cate IV in Mental Health CertiďŹ cate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Work Diploma of Community Services (Alcohol and Other Drugs) Diploma of Community Services (Mental Health) Diploma of Counselling

CertiďŹ cate IV in Training & Assessment

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS: CertiďŹ cate I – IV in Transport & Logistics (Road Transport) CertiďŹ cate I – IV in Transport & Logistics (Logistics Operations) CertiďŹ cate I – IV in Transport & Logistics (Warehousing & Storage) Diploma of Logistics

Skills Recognition can save you time and money!

Why not come and see us, to ďŹ nd out if you are eligible for Government subsidised courses 241 Moorabool Street, Geelong | Ph: 5222 3466 | www.agbgroup.com.au

AGB HUMAN RESOURCES BOOK IN EARLY FOR 2011 TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES Training for Licenses in Transport & Logistics: s ,IGHT 2IGID s -EDIUM 2IGID s (EAVY 2IGID s (EAVY #OMBINATION s &ORKLIFT s /RDER 0ICKER s %LEVATED 7ORK 0LATFORM Note: These courses run all year round and booking is required.

"OOKINGS CAN ALSO BE MADE ONLINE !LBERT 3TREET -OOLAP 6IC 0(

7E ARE 6ICROADS AND 7ORKSAFE !CCREDITED

22

RECRUITMENT & TRAINING

Recognising the skills of Geelong’s workforce If you missed The Gordon Recognises Geelong event in January, it’s not too late to get your skills formally recognised towards a nationally accredited qualification.

The Gordon’s Skills Recognition Centre is now open, with a dedicated team of experts who can help match your current skills, knowledge and experience to a formal qualification from over 200 areas of expertise.

The best part is that if you are skilled, working and unqualified – you could be eligible to receive a full or part-qualification at no cost!

So how does skills recognition work?

It’s a simple and straightforward process, where you provide evidence of what you know and can do within your area of work or expertise.

Our assessors will compare this evidence to criteria within industry accredited units, and if your evidence is satisfactory - you’ll receive your accreditation.

Let The Gordon help you take the next step to receive your piece of paper in 2011!

T: 5246 6230 | E: skillsrecognition@gordontafe.edu.au

Gforce Apprentices and Trainees Gforce is Geelong’s largest employer of Australian Apprentices and Trainees. The Gforce team will help you find the right Apprentice or Trainee to suit your business needs.

There are two ways to approach the employment of your Apprentice or Trainee. You can use the Group Training model where Gforce becomes the legal employer hiring the Apprentice or Trainee, taking on the responsibility of administration and other obligations associated with employment, leaving you to get on with your business.

Alternately you may prefer to employ your Apprentice or Trainee directly.

Gforce can assist with the sign-up of your Apprentice or Trainee into the Training Contract and the registration with Skills Victoria. Under Gforce’s Government Contract this alternative is a free service.

Gforce makes the experience of employing an Apprentice or Trainee as simple as possible. Our dedicated team can visit you at your workplace to provide clear and concise information, assist with any financial incentives you may be entitled to and link you to the Registered Training Organisation of your choice.

Gforce Apprentices & Trainees Cnr Gheringhap & McKillop Streets, Geelong T 1800 436 723 E gtadmin@gforce.org.au W gforce.org.au

Apprentices and Trainees

Gforce is Geelong’s leading Apprentice and Trainee provider Gforce can help you take the first step toward employing an apprentice or trainee.

Contact us today and we will guide you in the right direction.

Call us on 1800 436 723

Visit us gforce.org.au

Recruitment Apprentices HR Solutions Employment

RECRUITMENT & TRAINING

All your employment and training needs under the one roof

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RI G H T PAT H WAY - RI G H T P ERS O N - R I G H T J O B

The Tracy Group provides the ‘total package’ for all your training and employment needs. We provide recruitment services, training and advice to a range of people including employers or their employees, school leavers, jobseekers, parents returning to work or those simply wanting to ‘up-skill’.

The Tracy Group of companies has three divisions. Depending on your needs, an experienced member of the Tracy Group team will help you from one of the divisions:

Tracy the Placement People (Recruitment) Our Placement People look after both jobseekers and employers. We find the perfect job for jobseekers, or if you are an employer, the right talent for your organisation. Whether it is entry level or executive position, casual or permanent, The Placement People can help.

RECRUITMENT

TRAINING

LABOUR HIRE

All your employment and training needs under the one roof

Fast Track (Labour Hire) From civil construction to administration, Fast Track is our temporary job placement division. Fast Track is the place to go if you are an employer requiring temporary staffing. Whether you need an additional labourer for a couple of weeks or a team for a major infrastructure project, Fast Track can help.

ICP Educational Institute (Training) ICP Educational Institute is a registered training organisation (RTO) accredited by the Victorian Government. ICP delivers a variety of accredited training programs for individuals or businesses wanting to invest in a new qualification or simply up-skill. Whether it is a management course, Certificate IV or short course, we can provide advice and assistance for all your training needs.

Geelong Ph: (03) 5229 8681 Suite 5, Focus Five, 23 Gheringhap St, Geelong VIC 3220

Corio Ph: (03) 5245 3600 The Tracy Group is a member of various industry bodies, including the National Employment Services Association (NESA) and the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA). These alliances ensure that we are at the forefront of news and information within the industry.

The Tracy Group has expanded with 14 locations in metropolitan Melbourne and Western Victoria and employs more than 140 staff. With three locations in the Geelong region alone, Geelong, Torquay and Corio, call the Tracy Group today for all your employment needs under the one roof.

Torquay Ph: (03) 5261 4075 Suite 2, 6 Walker St, Torquay VIC 3228

Recruiting Today for Tomorrow’s Workforce

Helping businesses recruit today for tomorrow’s workforce

• • • •

Shop 1010, Corio Shopping Centre, Corio VIC 3214

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Workskil is a high performing, not for profit community organisation that has been a proud member of the Geelong community since 2007.

We operate from three sites in the Geelong area: • Corio • Geelong • Belmont • in addition to having branches in Melbourne and South Australia.

Workskil actively seeks out vacancies from local employers for its work ready job seekers.

But our service extends well beyond filling a vacancy. Workskil takes the time to understand the staffing needs of each employer we work with, ensuring you get the best employee fit for your business.

As well as keeping in close contact with the employer and new employee for six months after placement, Workskil can assist in providing any further training that a business requires and can also fund work related items such as clothing or compulsory licences.

If you are a local business in need of staff, contact Workskil today.

We would be happy to meet and discuss your staffing needs.

24

RECRUITMENT & TRAINING

Advanced Career Training is an established not-for-proďŹ t provider of professional quality training solutions that are exible, and tailored to businesses and individuals throughout Geelong, Surfcoast and Regional Victoria.

Advanced Career Training deliver nationally accredited qualiďŹ cations and industry speciďŹ c short courses ranging from Business, Retail, Hospitality, Aged Care and Community Services sectors. We can assist in assessing your speciďŹ c training requirements and will ensure you gain the greatest return for your training dollar.

All training is delivered by industry based trainers who have extensive experience in the areas in which they train. They are qualiďŹ ed professionals who have a passion for delivering high quality training.

Our aim at Advanced Career Training is to provide participants with a exible quality training program that promotes the maximum learning outcome to all parties.

For further information on how Advanced Career Training can assist you and what subsidised training may be available please contact one of our friendly staff on (03)52 464 500.

Alternatively online bookings are available at www.actraining.org.au

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Reliable Staffing. Quality Service Reliable Staffing...Quality Service Are you seeking high performing employees?

Or a candidate looking for work?

Direct Recruitment offers a range of services for both employers and job seekers to assist in meeting your needs

We offer • Permanent Placement • Temporary placement services • Labour Hire • HR consultancy • Out Placement Services

Call us now and talk to our professional team Level 2, 10 Moorabool Street, Geelong

Tel: 5221 3880 Email: geelong@directrecruitment.com.au

Established in 1995 Direct Recruitment has been a pivotal provider of workforce solutions to employers throughout metropolitan and regional Victoria for over 15 years, As a workforce provider for both blue and white collar sector we pride ourselves on providing our clients with quality personnel in a cost effective and timely manner.

Throughout our 15 years in business much has changed in recruitment but one thing hasn’t, our logo motto “Reliable Staffing... Quality Service�.

We live by this creed. Our professionally trained recruitment personnel are committed to getting you the right staff and providing outstanding customer service. The results show. Our customers remain loyal and will vouch for our reputation. We guarantee we will do everything in our powers to provide you with exemplary recruitment services.

Our attention to quality is also of the highest standard. Certified to QMS ISO9001 Standard in Recruitment our Quality Management Systems drive our performance excellence. Whether it is in temporary personnel selection & management, permanent staffing, OH&S, job ordering & invoicing or customer feedback our Quality Management Systems ensure you are receiving the highest service.

Since the company’s inception we have been a recruitment service provider for the following industries: Health Care, Local Government, Civil Construction, Business Services, Trades & Services, Distribution & Logistics Branch Manager Simon Heffernan and his staff assist clients in the challenging process of appointing new employees. Direct Recruitment is committed in providing a customized quality service for its customers which is delivered at a cost-effective and competitive price.

With the recent economic downturn having a significant impact on all forms of business, the recruiting industry is on an upward trend and showing positive signs. “At present it has become a buyers mrket for the employer, never before have I seen such a list of high calibre personnel on our database. My staff are constantly interviewing and registering quality candidates on a daily basis. Whilst we are sympathetic towards those who have recently become redundant, we believe that there are opportunistic times ahead for our candidates as local employers are regularly calling upon us to fill both short and long term assignments�

RECRUITMENT & TRAINING

25

To get the job done right you choose the right staff…

CentaBRACE Employment builds successful partnerships with employers by offering tailored employment and recruitment solutions:

• Pre-selection of candidates • Provision of job ready clients to help you make real choices • Tailored pre-screening and interviewing strategies • Reference checking • Placement and job matching to your requirements ‘I found CentaBRACE employment to be very professional and extremely reliable in identifying suitable staff who have enhanced my business. I would have no hesitation in recommending CentaBRACE Employment to any employer looking for a friendly and professional service…’ Andy Duke, Business Owner (Ernie Brown’s Café)

• Ongoing support after the placement

Offices: Geelong - 183 Little Malop Street P: 5246 6400 Corio - Corio Shopping Centre P: 5246 6460 E: centabrace.geelong@centabrace.org.au www.centabrace.org.au

We are the leading global specialist recruiting group and the experts at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide. We operate across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments.

We operate from 270 offices in 28 countries across 17 specialisms. Last financial year we placed around 50,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 180,000 people into temporary assignments.

Our areas of expertise in Geelong include Accountancy & Finance, Information Technology, Construction and Office Support. We understand what employers are looking for. With our depth of expertise and technical understanding, we’ll bring the right person together with the right job. Our extensive database, local market knowledge and fast and accurate response allows us to deliver a real result.

Contact us to find out more: geelong@hays.com.au or 03 5226 8000.

THE RIGHT PERSON CAN TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS We are Geelong’s leading experts in recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people.

We operate across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments.

Our areas of expertise include Accountancy & Finance, Information Technology, Construction and Office Support.

To find out more, contact us.

T: 03 5226 8000 E: geelong@hays.com.au

hays.com.au

26

LEGAL

New product safety provisions in place The new Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (“CCA”) came into effect on 1 January 2011, enacting a number of changes regarding product safety and product liability, in turn creating a uniform product safety regime. The key changes in the CCA include an expansion of definitions surrounding product services and supply, and detailed steps relating to incident reporting for defective products.

The provisions of the CCA prohibit the supply of unsafe product related goods, the definition of which extends to installation, maintenance, repair, delivery and other services directly related to the supply of consumer goods. This definition sets a national standard for services, granting both Federal and State Ministers the power to impose bans on the supply of those services considered to be in contravention of the CCA. Under the new provisions of the CCA, all goods and services sold under the legislation will need

to be deemed of an acceptable quality. This broad definition eradicates the confined definition currently existing under the Trade Practices Act 1974 and expands it to include appearance, finish and durability.

Reporting incidents that arise from contravention of the CCA in relation to the new safety regime is now required within two days of the supplier becoming aware of any incident involving death or serious injury that is directly attributable to a product related service.

The report must contain information including, but not limited to, manufacturing information, the nature of the incident and action taken by the supplier in response to the incident.

In almost all circumstances, information contained in such a report will remain confidential. If a product was banned as a result of being deemed unsafe, the CCA will create a uniform ban period of 60 days throughout all jurisdictions.

Suppliers must be aware that under the CCA, consumers have a legislative right to sue for a supplier or manufacturer's failure to comply with the consumer guarantee provisions of the legislation.

In addition, those goods and services that are replaced due to fault attract the CCA guarantees from the date of the consumer receiving the new product and not from the original date of purchase. Therefore, the life of warranty, now called consumer guarantees, is revived upon a product being replaced due to product fault.

YOUR PEOPLE ARE YOUR FUTURE

Olivia Burgess

GROW YOUR COMPANY’S MOST IMPORTANT ASSET – YOUR EMPLOYEES. Diversitat Training offers a wide range of services to help you develop your workforce:

• Workplace training • Range of class-based courses • Traineeships • Diplomas in Management, Marketing, Children’s Services and Disability • Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

Call 5224 2329 today

www.diversitat.org.au/training Centrepoint Arcade, Geelong

TAX

27

Rewrite of Trust taxation laws announced On 16 December 2010 the Assistant Treasurer, Bill Shorten, announced via a media release that the Government intends to update the trust taxation provisions contained in the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 and rewrite them into the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.

This announcement is a response to the seminal High Court decision of Bamford handed down in early 2010.

Accordingly to the media release, this case: “….highlighted the ongoing discrepancies between the treatment of trust income according to trust laws on one hand, and the tax system on the other. Tax outcomes for beneficiaries of trusts often do not match the amounts they are entitled to under trust law and the deed. This can result in unfair outcomes as well as opportunities for taxpayers to manipulate their tax liabilities”.

Reform of the antiquated trust taxation laws was also recommended by the Henry Tax System Review.

The first stage in this process will be a public consultation paper due for release “in the first part of 2011”.

The media release was scant as to details of the intended reforms, although it did suggest that the reforms would be consistent with the current approach of taxing the income of trusts primarily to beneficiaries.

Importantly, the income of trusts will not be taxed like companies. Beyond these indications, it is too early to speculate on what the reforms might involve.

In what appears to be a big win for farmers, the media release also flagged the intention of the Government to reform to the tax laws prior to 30 June 2011 to ensure that beneficiaries of trusts that operate farming businesses will again be eligible to use the primary production averaging and farm management deposit concessions in any year that the trust makes a loss.

Following the Bamford case and the ATO’s announcements regarding that case, there is a real risk of unexpected adverse tax outcomes unless these matters are carefully considered and addressed.

Importantly, the income of trusts will not be taxed like companies. Beyond these indications, it is too early to speculate on what the reforms might involve.

This reverses the impact of an ATO decision in response to the Bamford case to withdraw a public ruling that preserved the entitlement of taxpayers to those concessions in such circumstances.

In the interim, WHK is of the view that taxpayers who use trusts as a businesses or investment vehicle should continue to seek advice regarding the adequacy of the provisions in the trust deed concerning the definition of income and the way in which their trust distribution minutes are prepared.

Alex Duonis - Tax Director WHK Western Victoria Readers should not act on the basis of this information as the contents are of a general nature and do not reflect individual circumstances. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation other than for the acts or omissions of financial services licensees.

WHK Pty Ltd ABN 84 006 466 351

28

RECRUITMENT

Seeking career nirvana A new year means fresh possibilities and career opportunities. What better time to chase the dream of the perfect job than now?

While many of us long for that perfect work position, however, narrowing down that definition and what that ideal job entails in practical terms is another matter. Moreover, how many of us actually know which avenues to pursue to attain career nirvana?

Simply jotting down a comprehensive list of your skills, as a start, will help you to map-out a strategy to achieve your ideal job. Take note of the things you show great aptitude for, and the activities from which you derive great satisfaction.

Consider your personal qualities to determine what roles or activities you are best suited to.

Are you methodical in your approach to tackling projects or solutions? Are you a lone operator or do you work best as a spoke in the metaphorical wheel of team working environments?

Delineate priorities to decide what’s most important to you. Does passion for a job take precedence over company perks? How much inspiration should your job provide you? Would you need to derive personal satisfaction from

the tasks you undertake on a regular basis above being compensated financially? Consider too, the relative importance of the need to be consistently engaged or challenged in your role, or the allowance of time available for you to spend away from the workplace.

While many of us long for that perfect work position, however, narrowing down that definition and what that ideal job entails in practical terms is another matter.

As the outline of your ideal position begins to take shape and you have a clearer idea of who or what you want to work with, and the activities you want to undertake, you will save yourself the time that may otherwise have been wasted in hastily accepting an ill-suited position without considering your long-term career satisfaction.

Perhaps more importantly, you will know what are the deal breakers - what you will and won’t compromise on, be it salary, location, or work/ life balance.

Consider what you need to do, now that you recognise what is of paramount importance in order to be qualified for a future role. You may need to acquire new skills to snare that dream job, and if so, again, sit down and delineate what the attainment of those skills entails whether you need to simply underscore a diverse set of skills in a CV update or undertake registered training.

Inform yourself about the industry in which you wish to work. Find out trade requirements and what specialist skills you may need to develop in order to get a foot in the door. Thoroughly exploring a particular industry is a prime way of coming into contact with potential employers and increases your chances of getting closer to your dream job.

Investigate your avenues by talking not only to industry specialists, but also recruitment experts, who can advise and point out every possible option to set you on the track to achieving employment bliss.

Terry Broun Jr

MENTAL HEALTH

29

McGorry calls for early response Mental health expert and 2010 Australian of the Year, Professor Patrick McGorry, said there needs to be greater recognition of the advances in mental health research in Australia. Prof.

McGorry is one of the nation’s strongest advocates of mental health services, research and mental health workers, and the following is an excerpt of an impassioned blog, published on his website, that urges greater awareness of early intervention as a means of delaying or preventing the onset of severe mental illness, particularly schizophrenia.

One of the most important areas in mental health research is exploring how to delay or prevent the onset of severe mental illnesses such as psychotic illness, especially schizophrenia. Twenty years ago this possibility was out of reach. Now, thanks to Australian-led research, it is much closer.

doing so, should enjoy the same access to stigma-free quality care in a timely fashion just as is routinely the case with physical illnesses of comparable severity.

Just as with heart disease and cancer, every reasonable effort should be made to avert as much distress, discomfort and long term collateral damage from psychosis as is possible.

What that means in practice is identifying the earliest opportunities for detection and intervention, and the safest and most effective means of preventing and treating emerging psychosis. Our goal is to modify the impact and course of the illness, that is, to preempt the disabling aspects. Cure probably remains out of reach for most at this stage, but substantially better recovery and long periods of freedom from illness are definitely attainable for the majority of people with psychosis.

Yet, despite the great potential for this emerging field to avert distress, disability and death, it remains poorly understood within the community and recent progress is often actively misrepresented in the media and public discourse.

Such confusion and misrepresentation creates unnecessary public anxiety and risks weakening the imperative to provide safe forms of early intervention for those most in need. I am writing this piece with the goal of clarifying the issues, the latest evidence and my own views, which derive directly from the scientific evidence base and twenty years of clinical experience in this field.

- It is now possible to recognize in advance a set of symptoms that indicate a much greater risk for developing clearcut and severe psychotic illness.

- This enables safer and potentially more effective treatments to be offered prior to the onset of psychosis, which aim to firstly respond to the immediate problems, symptoms and functional disability that has already manifested, and to secondly try to reduce the risk of progression to more severe forms of ill-health, particularly, but not exclusively, psychotic disorder.

Psychosis can be devastating for individuals, their families and weakens our society.

Emerging in young people on the threshold of productive life, it poses a huge threat to health, career, personal fulfillment and even survival.

As a matter of equity, people who are experiencing psychosis, or have a high risk of

This challenge prompted a key breakthrough, developed originally by my colleague, Prof Alison Yung, and I in 1994, and elaborated since in many other overseas centres, which has enabled us to identify young people with high levels of risk of developing psychosis within the next year or so. This was the reliable definition of the “Ultra High Risk” mental state, which predicted progression to psychosis surprisingly accurately.

Young people in this “Ultra High Risk” group are already experiencing a range of mental health and social problems, are in need of care and actively seeking help. They can typically be expected to have between a one-in-five to a one-in-two chance of progressing to a first episode of psychosis within 12 months (that is between two and four hundred times the rate within the general population). They also are at risk of other persistent mental disorders in addition to psychosis. But in addition to the potential risk, which is significant, they are in immediate need for care for distress and impairment that they are already experiencing.

What that care should consist of is being actively studied and clinical guidelines have been carefully developed, based on the evidence and experience accumulated to date.

Summary of key points - Mental ill-health and a need for support, assessment and care, precedes the onset of psychotic symptoms in most people who develop a psychotic illness, especially schizophrenia.

manifest clearcut psychotic features such as delusions and hallucinations. This held out the exciting possibility that we might be able to identify people who were “en route” to psychosis, and not only provide care for their current problems, but also intervene to reduce the risk of progression to more severe and clearcut psychosis.

Psychosis tends to first emerge in adolescence or early adulthood. Over the last twenty years, it has been demonstrated that early detection, optimum treatment and support for recovery produce much better short and longer-term outcomes for young people experiencing their first episode of psychosis.

This evidence also shows that these better outcomes are achieved with lower costs, so that precious resources are freed up and can be used to strengthen and expand mental health and social services for other groups of people, including those with persistent illness, children and the elderly.

Early detection and specialized care of young people with first episode psychosis was initially and subsequently the main international focus.

Yet we have known for a long time that psychotic illness usually builds up over a period of time and is preceded by “prodromal” features, which distress, disable and attract concern and even stigma, yet do not yet

The Ultra High Risk criteria have been further studied internationally and have been proposed as a new category in the next edition of the DSMV manual, the US based system of diagnosis in psychiatry. This proposal has been controversial, because of fears of extending antipsychotic medication more widely in the population and fears that labeling people as being at risk (even if already experiencing mental ill-health) may be harmful. Both of these concerns are valid, though both can and have been addressed in our work and systems of care in Melbourne.

One obvious benefit of the ability to engage and monitor young people with a high risk of developing such a serious illness is obviously in reducing treatment delays once the threshold to first episode of psychosis has been reached and thereby to facilitate better outcomes.

Can being offered access to care benefit a young person by prompting care responses that delay or prevent the onset of a first episode of psychosis?

30

MENTAL HEALTH

This important question has been a subject that I and other colleagues, notably Alison Yung, have been researching over the last twenty years. As a result of this and other research – a total of 6 clinical trials now, we can now say that, with appropriate intervention, it does appear to be possible to delay the onset of a first episode psychosis amongst members of the Ultra High Risk group.

This finding, unimaginable twenty years ago, is highly encouraging, as it gives grounds for optimism that further research may establish whether it is also possible to prevent the onset of a first episode psychosis within this group. Several approaches to treatment that have been studied seem to be able to delay the progress to psychosis as well as alleviate the distressing and disabling symptoms that affect people at this stage of illness.

At the Seventh International Early Psychosis Conference in Amsterdam last year, we launched the most recent version of the Australian Clinical Guidelines for Early Psychosis.

These guidelines, which distill the very latest research evidence, specify that recommended interventions for this Ultra High Risk Group are a combination of Omega-3 fatty acids, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and supportive counseling as well as, in some cases, medication for other diagnosed conditions that may be present (for example depression) as well as psycho-education for family members.

The guidelines explicitly state that antipsychotic medication should not be considered as a first line treatment option for the Ultra High Risk group.

Only in exceptional circumstances, where there is rapid worsening of psychotic symptoms combined with an elevated risk to the young person or others, should consideration be given to the use of low dose anti-psychotic atypical medication.

Even then, the use of anti-psychotic medication would normally not be justified.

The rationale for this is that safer treatment options should always be offered before those which carry increased adverse effects and risk. This is a fundamental principle in medical care: “first do no harm”.

Only if the initial safer option fails should progress to the next level occur, according to a “staging model”, which we have explicitly developed and described in recent publications.

These guidelines restate and reinforce the earlier international guidelines produced by the International Early Psychosis Association (IEPA) in 2005, which my colleagues and I wrote in a collaborative fashion with other international experts. The evidence that has

accumulated since that time strengthens the position taken in 2005 - there has been no reversal of that position.

beyondblue in the workplace

This last point about the use of anti-psychotic medication within this group is very important, as the stated position of myself and my colleagues about this issue is occasionally misreported or misrepresented.

Everyone can have a bad day at work, experience lowered mood from time to time and withdraw from their usual activities, but if these symptoms persist for more than two weeks, combined with other symptoms that are out of character – it could be depression.

There is a clear distinction to be made between research trials and clinical guidelines, a distinction which is sometimes not made clear. Our group in Melbourne has researched a number of potential interventions to reduce symptoms, disability and risk in the Ultra High Risk group, including befriending, cognitive behaviour therapy, supportive casemanagement, family support, omega 3 fatty acids, lithium, antidepressants and low doses of anti-psychotic medication.

All of this research has been approved by an independent ethics committee, and all participants have, of course, provided fully informed consent to be involved. These results have demonstrated that such not only supportive care, cognitive behaviour therapy and omega 3 fatty acids, but also low dose anti-psychotic medication may be effective in delaying the onset of first episode psychosis.

However, our clinical guidelines do not (and have never done so in the past) recommend the use of anti-psychotic medication as the first line or standard treatment for this Ultra High Risk group. This is because other, safer interventions are equally effective in delaying the onset of psychosis and, despite the greatly elevated risk, it is equally true that most of the Ultra High Risk group will not experience a first episode of psychosis, so many could be receiving antipsychotic medications unnecessarily.

More than one million people experience depression, and over two million have an anxiety disorder at any given time.

Depression and anxiety disorders can affect all aspects of a person’s life, including the ability to function at work.

Depression accounts, on average, for three to four days off work per month for each person experiencing it – contributing to more than six million lost working days in Australia each year. Depression and anxiety disorders are treatable and with treatment, most people recover.

The beyondblue workshops teach participants techniques on how to approach a colleague they are concerned about and how to assist that person to get appropriate help if necessary.

Participants who attend beyondblue National Workplace Program sessions are given free resources including fact sheets on advice for employees experiencing depression, advice for managers and supervisors, legal obligations for managers, how to help a colleague with depression and returning to work after absence.

To find out more about how beyondblue workshops may benefit your workplace, call the beyondblue National Workplace Team on (03) 9810 6161 or email workplace@beyondblue.org.au

The key issue is timing and careful consideration of benefits versus risks in consultation with the patient and their family.

The most promising initial combination so far is omega 3 fatty acids combined with cognitive-behavioural case-management; safe and effective as first line care.

We therefore believe that further research would be required before it could be known whether, and in what circumstances, low dose anti-psychotic medication may have a role later in the sequence of treatment of the ultra high-risk group. It may be for some patients, in the era of short duration of untreated psychosis, even when they have crossed the threshold to fully-fledged psychosis, that antipsychotic medications may be able to be avoided if expert psychosocial care is available.

This is something we are also researching.

For more from Prof. McGorry, visit www.patmcgorry.com.au

Over one million people in Australia live with depression.

Over two million have an anxiety disorder.

Help is available. www.beyondblue.org.au

1300 22 4636

MENTAL HEALTH

TMS helps depression A revolutionary new treatment for depression, called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), combats the severe symptoms of debilitating depression, giving hope to patients who have lost faith in recovering.

The Geelong Clinic is now using the new TMS treatment to help patients overcome depression. The treatment stimulates parts of the brain to help shut down distressing emotions and has produced very favourable patient outcomes since commencement.

The program director, Psychiatrist Dr Ajeet Singh, says the program represents “major advances in neuroscience”, improving clinical outcomes for severely depressed patients.

“Unlike traditional shock treatment, no anaesthetic is required-patients sit comfortably in the chair and a highly focused magnetic field is used to stimulate brain activity”, Dr Singh says.

TMS alters the activity levels in some patients and does not seem to have any side effects. Conducted on conscious patients, TMS is considered a non-invasive alternative to Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), and involves daily treatments for inpatients of two to four weeks duration For more information phone The Geelong Clinic on 52481155.

The Geelong Clinic is a private psychiatric hospital that offers a comprehensive range of both inpatient and day programs.

Specialising in the treatment of mood, anxiety and eating disorders, our highly experienced and committed team of professionals provide individually tailored treatment plans to best suit your needs.

Enquiries may be directed to: Janine Haigh (General Manager) The Geelong Clinic 98 Townsend Rd, St Albans Park, Vic. 3219 Ph: (03) 52481155

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32

LEGAL

Casual is as casual does The Federal Court has recently ruled in Williams v MacMahon Mining Services Pty Ltd that a mining worker in Western Australia engaged as a “casual” was not in truth a casual employee.

This meant the employer was liable to pay the employee back pay for unpaid annual leave of just over $8,000. The employer was also fined almost $15,000 for contravention of the Workplace Relations Act. Employers should heed this decision as a warning against engaging employees as casuals as a matter of course. It is important to give proper consideration to the actual role the employee will be performing, to ensure he or she is engaged (and paid) on the correct basis.

Merely describing the relationship as one of casual employment in a letter of offer and/or employment contract may not be determinative of the issue. Courts and tribunals will look behind the “name tag” to the facts of the case to decide whether an employee is really a casual or not.

In the Williams case, the employee asserted there was a written letter of offer containing the terms of employment. The employee was paid a flat hourly rate of $40 per hour. The rate was expressed to be all inclusive of overtime, penalty rates, allowances and a casual loading (in lieu of paid leave entitlements). The employee was required to work 12 hour shifts on a two weeks on/one week off roster. Under the contract, the employee could be terminated on one hour’s notice. Until the termination of his employment, Williams constantly worked the rostered shift rotation.

In deciding that the employee was not a casual

employee, the court was influenced by the following facts: • An expectation that the employee would be available, on an ongoing basis, to perform the duties required by him, in accordance with the roster; • Stable, organised and certain roster; • Mutual expectation of continuity of employment; • The nature of the work required by the employee was stipulated; and • Travel arrangements were organised by the employer.

The employer relied on the termination provision to argue that the contract was expected to have a short, intermittent life. However, after considering the contract overall, the Court decided that the real expectation of the parties was that the contract would only be terminated for cause.

The Court also prevented the employer from relying on the contract to set off the casual loading in satisfaction of annual leave entitlements. The contract term had no effect, as a person normally cannot contract out of their entitlement to be paid out annual leave during or at the end of their employment.

As reiterated in the case, some of the key features of casual employment are: • Informality, uncertainty and irregularity of work and hours of work; • No firm commitment as to the duration of the employee’s employment or the days (or hours) the employee will work;

• Short periods of work on an irregular basis; and • The employee works only on demand by the employer and can elect to work (or not work) when work is offered.

If employers are uncertain as to whether an employee would be regarded as a casual employee they should seek professional advice.

It is also important to periodically review casual employees, as their roles and duties may change over time. Furthermore, under a number of modern awards, casual employees have the right to elect to convert to part-time or full-time employment after a qualifying period.

Jim Rutherford, Principal and Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations Law and Criminal Law

Melissa Sykes, Associate

LEADERS FOR GEELONG

33

Education of a different kind With Geelong continuing its emergence as one of the key second tier cities in Australia, ensuring that our region has informed, educated individuals leading our city will be essential to our future success.

For the past six years, the Leaders for Geelong program has been doing just that, by providing the region’s next generation of leaders with exposure to the many issues and opportunities facing Geelong and its surrounds. In doing so, the program is equipping its participants with the knowledge to lead the city in the years ahead.

Program Director, Jean Paul, says the Leaders for Geelong program acts as a supplement to the more traditional education process by focusing on personal growth and professional development.

“Most of our participants come to the program with tertiary and professional qualifications already under their belt. So while we have partnerships with Deakin University and Gordon TAFE that offer credit points towards further qualifications, our main focus is to offer a different approach to the type of skills and knowledge they will need in their future positions” Ms Paul says.

“To use a clichéd term, we are more about the ‘school of life’ - where our participants hear from experts on a range of issues, challenge their own beliefs and those of their peers, and put all of that within the context of how they see Geelong developing into the future.”

Since its inception, the Leaders for Geelong program has seen over 100 individuals from large and small businesses, not for profit and statutory organisations complete the two-year program. It was established by the Committee for Geelong to educate the city’s emerging leaders about the current and future challenges and the opportunities likely to impact on the region.

During the program, participants take behind the scenes tours of Geelong’s diverse industries and hear from leading experts on a variety of social and business topics, including Rural and Regional Development; Crime and Justice; Poverty and Disadvantage; Science and Technology; and Governance.

In the second year of the program, participants also complete a research project on a key topic facing the city. This component is quickly gaining a reputation for being a key think tank for the development of initiatives that have the potential to make a tangible difference to the

region. All of the projects have, to date, been picked up by various organisations in the region.

Ms Paul says that such positive outcomes demonstrate the strength of the program and the growth of knowledge amongst participants.

“We have been lucky enough to attract exceptional individuals to take part, many of whom have used the experience to further their career and increase their community involvement. This has ranged from gaining positions on boards with community or not for profit organisations to securing promotions.

“Ultimately the end result for our graduates is that they walk away from the Leaders for Geelong program with fantastic networks across all sectors and a broader understanding of the community – and world – we live in.

“We believe that equipping participants with this well rounded knowledge is one of the most important forms of education our next generation of leaders need.”

Applications for the 2011-2013 program are now open. Applications and more information is available by phoning 5227 8073 or by visiting www.committeeforgeelong.com.au/leaders.

34

VECCI

Experience every piece of Victoria [Please note that the following piece was written prior to the Victorian floods.]

Greater Geelong and surrounding areas have always been one of Victoria’s most popular holiday destinations; however data released late last year indicate that fewer visitors are going beyond Melbourne to see, as the official slogan encourages, “every piece of Victoria”.

The latest National Visitor Survey showed the number of intrastate overnight visitors (Victorians visiting destinations within the state) fell by 1.8 per cent in the year ending September 2010.

While the survey indicated that more people were taking day trips, fewer people were booking accommodation and staying for a night or two.

While day trips still contribute to regional economies, they are not as high yielding as overnight stays.

This does not only have a detrimental effect on local hotels and motels, but dining in restaurants, shopping at supermarkets or filling up cars at petrol stations also suffer a downturn at the same time.

To combat this downturn in intrastate overnight visitors, more investment is needed in quality accommodation in regional Victoria to entice people to not only visit, but stay for a weekend or longer.

A greater commitment to developing iconic attractions in regional areas is also needed so that visitors are encouraged to stay longer and discover local areas.

Another essential task to rejuvenate regional Victoria tourism is to redouble efforts to get international tourists to broaden their horizons and go beyond Melbourne during their visit.

Victoria is currently attracting its highest ever number of international overnight visitors, but less and less of these visitors are making it out to the vibrant and diverse regional areas, according to the latest International Visitor Survey.

Even against the backdrop of a high Aussie dollar and tough economic conditions worldwide, Victoria recorded a 2.4 per cent increase in international visitor expenditure in the year ending September 2010.

International visitor expenditure increased to $3.9 billion, and overnight visitors to Victoria also increased, with the State recording 1.6 million visitors – the highest number for the State on record and outperforming the national average (a 6.4 per cent increase, compared to 5.6 per cent).

The results are undoubtedly great news for Victorian tourism operators, and now the next task is to disperse these visitors to regional Victoria so the entire State can enjoy the benefits of this encouraging trend.

We believe Tourism Victoria should develop, in conjunction with the tourism industry, cooperative regional tourism marketing initiatives to promote the state's unique naturebased and heritage tourism experiences and destinations.

“Industry Leader for Audio Visual Equipment”

Without such initiatives, intrastate and international visitors will continue to overlook regional Victoria as a holiday location, which will be to the detriment of regional towns, local economies and employment levels.

In the longer term, the new State Government’s plan for a rail link to Avalon Airport will go some way in helping to address this, as will international airport status for the airport – two projects the state’s tourism industry has long been advocating for.

An international airport at Avalon would have a huge flow-on effect for Geelong and surrounding areas, allowing international visitors to head directly to the region just minutes after touching down on Australian soil.

With the increased domestic Jetstar and Tiger flights, which are allowing visitors from every other major mainland city to easily access Geelong, international flights could make Avalon an essential ingredient in making regional Victoria more accessible and attractive for people wanting a weekend escape or an extended break.

VECCI and VTIC, the Victorian Tourism Industry Council, will be strongly advocating for regional Victorian tourism operators, to ensure every piece of Victoria experiences the benefits of a strong tourism industry in 2011 and beyond.

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BURNING PANTS

35

The Chinese quest for wealth Its official: the Chinese Government is starting to worry about the economy overheating and is going through the process of discouraging lending.

In truth the Government has already started doing this through soft measures - taking the pressure out of the property market by insisting, in some provinces, that loans on investment properties cannot exceed 50% of the value of the asset being purchased. But it hasn't changed much - in January alone this year the Chinese Government reported $760 billion in new property loans.

In January your burning pants correspondent was on a study tour of China, taking the temperature of what the rich and mass affluent think about the state of the world, investing in general, investing in Australia, financial planning and financial services.

Let me be clear - this isn't our first Rodeo - we have be compiling data on China and conducting research there for groups as diverse as Citi, The Singaporean Government and, oddly enough, the Chinese Government, since 2004 and have had a Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise (WOFE) since 2006.

This tour took in Shanghai and Beijing, which are the bits of China that everyone thinks about, but we pushed further afield this time, chasing the money of the newly rich in XiĂ­an and Harbin in the frozen north, where the temperature was minus 31 degrees by day.

But what is really worth exploring here are the Chinese rich. The Chinese have only really been able to grow rich in the way that we understand it since the early 1980s - and grow rich they have.

There are now almost 25 million $US millionaires in China, and most of them grew up poor.

The truth is that China is growing and changing faster than we think, and possibly faster than the Chinese Government is willing to admit.

What that means to us is slightly uncertain, because it is easy to see that the capital growth in China, if unconstrained, will burst the banks of the country like a Queensland flood.

These are the people that we spoke to on the latest trip there, in face-to-face meetings, in focus groups, in hosted lunches, and in the not-too-distant-future by survey.

The first signs are simple to see. Gone are the bicycles; in the year 2000 when we first started visiting China, whenever you stopped at a traffic light, bicycles - literally hundreds of them, would swamp you. Now they are gone - replaced by cars and the silent and attractive electric bikes that the Chinese favour.

In fact, the traffic is so bad that the governments of Beijing and Shanghai have already implemented an odd-even system for cars, where cars can only be driven on specific days - depending on the last digit of their number plate.

Here are some of the critical insights: - Their bias towards getting and making money is like nothing you have ever seen before. For a lot of these people the making of and getting of money consumes their every waking moment.

- Their capacity for risk is extraordinary seriously mind altering. They want to invest and effectively punt on businesses much more than most Australian investors and they are not afraid of making a loss.

- They will invest in anything, from steak houses to silicon chip manufacturers, but they want to be in business.

- Australia is the third most popular destination for their money, behind America (which they are convinced will recover, by the way) and Canada.

- They think Europe may never recover; they understand Germany and the emerging Baltic states and, to a certain extent, Russia, but think London is a lost cause. To quote one Chinese focus group participant, "They allowed themselves to be deluded by the idea that they are somehow superior and forgot that they actually had to work for a living."

- They have no concept of any Australian bank.

They could describe the strengths of and the purpose of a number of American, European (the Dutch were curiously strong here), Japanese and Russian businesses, but no Australian ones. When prompted, the people in Shanghai knew of ANZ - but did not think it was relevant to them.

- They don't trust the future directions of the Chinese Government, and I quote: "The Chinese Government is in the 10th year of a 25 year experiment with capitalism. This may all end in 2026, when I will be 63. By that time, I need the bulk of my assets housed overseas - the question is how, and with whom? The answer used to be America, but it's not anymore."

Another article from the insightful minds at burningpants.com.au. Burning Pants is a product of CoreData.

36

EBIZ

Your right to shop till you drop Navigating the shopping aisles has its perils, salespeople included.

A smart new iPhone app can help prevent disputes between yourself and salespeople, no matter where you do business in Australia.

The free MyShopRights app allows you to clarify shopping rights on the spot, with a minimum of fuss, including information about refunds, repairs and warranties.

MyShopRights explains in clear and simple language what's right and what's not under the new Australian Consumer Law, which came into effect on 1 January.

The app, the first of its kind in Australia, covers a range of issues that can be the cause of arguments between salespeople and customers, including faulty goods, repairs and lay-bys.

Never too much signal Mobile wireless for your notebook is great when there's plenty of signal.

And when there's not, use Bear Extender, its a 'must have'.

Something will happen, cause you to move and then you'll be down to three, and then two, and before you know it your downloads will be failing and you'll be holding your device up and waving it around, hoping the fickle gods Micro and Wave will smile upon your plaintive dance while everyone else in the coffee shop sniggers over their mochas.

You could avoid this scene with a BearExtender, a $50 device that will give you signal enough to curse them all and work out in your car or on the patio if you feel like it.

Expect up to four times the signal strength you get now and its available for PC and Mac from www.bearextender.com

Consumer Affairs Victoria, which developed the app, is now working on a version for other smart phones.

You can download MyShopRights from the iTunes app store. For a quick video preview, search for MyShopRights on YouTube.

Sorry Boss, I've got a temperature Just when you thought it was safe to go home and take a sickie, along comes Thermo Mirror.

The device, designed by Japanese electronics firm NEC/Avio, uses an infrared sensor to measure an onlooker's temperature from up to 30 centimeters away, without physical contact. The subject's temperature appears on the mirror's surface, and, if they have a fever, an alarm sounds. Thermo Mirror is available in two versions and costs 120,000 yen (or $1500).

When not in use, its face displays date, time, humidity, and temperature.

Is no Australian tradition sacred?

Be moved A robot barista-filled future may still be on the drawing board, but it looks like you may just be talking to a machine for your coffee sooner than you think.

Douwe Egberts’ so-called BeMoved coffee machine promises to bring the worlds of hot beverages and motion control together.

You can never truly feel close to a coffee machine until it's taunted you to jump up and down to fill your cup. Of course, you can also do some slightly more practical things, like tailor your coffee exactly the way you like using the massive touchscreen and even check up on the weather and news while you wait.

Now that would really improve the office morale. Boss, are you reading this?

Jon Mamonski

GADGETS

37

CES gadgets are hard to resist The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show had it all, as our intrepid gadget man, Jon Mamonski discovered. Amongst the very latest gadgets on show and fresh from the drawing board were the iCoat Facetime acoustic amplifiers for the iPhone 4. While the boosted audio of the amplifiers was impressively loud, the sound was not of the highest quality. The stands are cute however, and they all, including the gingerbread man, also have a slot underneath to accommodate Apple's dock connector cable, allowing them to conveniently double as charging docks.

Build a more interesting mouse

Cushion control

It's a pillow, and a remote. You're looking at a universal remote control... that's wrapped within a pillow. The brains trust at Brookstone have made the cushion control a reality. They say this unit can be programmed to work with over 500 devices and includes an auto shutoff feature. I wouldn't count on this thing actually working well, but for $35 (in addition to the cost of two AAA batteries, of course), you gotta love the techno cushion.

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you; you're looking at a PC gamepad built into the bottom of a mouse, and not a boring one either. It's called the Shogun Bros. Chameleon X-1, and under the hood it’s got a 5-stage adjustable 1600dpi optical sensor with 125Hz polling rate that connects to your Windows PC over a USB dongle sporting 2.4GHz wireless.

There's 14 buttons on the bottom, 7 on the top, and the company's support page suggests the device has force feedback as well and should be available in the second quarter of 2011, for the suggested retail price of $65.

Retro sound

Flex display

There should be a lot more of these. A French design studio with a focus on electronic acoustics, has put together this piece of laptop-loving music furniture, dubbed the LD120.

Most flexible displays have never seen the light of day. There are exceptions to that rule, and Samsung Mobile Display has an 11 cm AMOLED unit that's very close to production, with a dazzling 800 x 480 resolution. Will it be traditional glass substrate or a newfangled plastic version? We're dying to find out.

It features a total of seven drivers, including a down-firing subwoofer and a stereo pair at the rear, the latter of which is intended to bounce sound off a wall and neatly into your awaiting ears. This leather-trimmed desk, equipped with its own USB sound card and a cable-tidying channel in one of its legs, is a mere $1,300 and, no doubt, heads your refurb shopping list.

38

NEWS

Charity golfers rev up for the kids The Gordon - 13th Annual VECCI Charity Golf Day is on again at 13th Beach Links Barwon Heads on Friday 18th February. VECCI conduct this charity networking event for businesses on an annual basis with proceeds going to the Geelong Hospital Appeal.

In 2011 Morris Finance will provide the participants with the opportunity to not only help support the redevelopment of the Children’s Ward, but to also win a new car if

they can be the first golfer to land a hole in one on the 16th Green.

The Charity “Ambrose” Golf Day is well supported by local businesses including the Gordon, who continue to their relationship as the major sponsor for the benefit of the Geelong Hospital.

The Hole in One is not the only feature of the day, with several novelty events included in the format to test the best and worst in the golfers,

while maintaining the friendly competitive nature of the event, as the teams strive to win the coveted VECCI Shield.

James Gulli, VECCI regional manager for Geelong and South West said, “It’s a great day for our members to come along and enjoy the fun of the event, network and know that they are making a wonderful contribution to the $7.8 million children’s ward redevelopment, that is a 4-year staged project funded by the community.”

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SMALL BIZ

39

You know that you are old when…

A colleague of mine said, “That you know that you are old when you walk past some good looking young adult and think to yourself that you would love to meet their grandmother.”

At a recent conference, the question was raised about how different are generation Ys from the Xs and the Boomers. The discussion went round and around, looking at various factors, such as usage of technology and listings on Facebook, but surprisingly these factors were not differentiators. Use of technology seemed to be more a factor of personality rather than age. Some of the old farts had their iPads tucked under their arms and some of the youngsters weren’t interested in Facebook.

Certainly the fashions were different, and the words and phrases varied, but much of the generational differences could be attributed to exposure to life, more so than a strict generation thing. A recent study, quoted in Immunity to Change by Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, showed that the complexity of the human brain as an indicator of learning increased in steps and stages throughout life. They also said that there was more variation amongst individuals than between different ages or generations.

This last point gelled well with the impression that we gained from the conference.

Performance and learning was more an individual factor than an age factor.

I found two young people that are working well above expectations, and while there is an overlay of Gen Y, their performances would be fitting of any generation.

Sally Pearson oozes vitality and looks the picture of health. She has recently started a dance studio. It has been going from strength to strength. I suspect that this is for two reasons; with all the coverage that dancing has gained over the last few years – dance is seen

as the best contact sport that doesn’t leave bruises, well… until the participants become professional, then bruises become an optional extra. Secondly, and importantly, is Sally’s attitude. You can’t stop Sally. She lives and breathes dance – she is dance. You can see it in the way that she walks and even stands. It is her dream.

But Sally doesn’t just put on a leotard or whatever she uses and prance around. She doesn’t just teach her students – she inspires them. Most often, I see this ability to inspire in older people. They have lived long enough to have no need to be egocentric, or strut their stuff on the main stage. They live to help others to find the dream. Sally may be young, but you can see the surge of excitement that floods her when one of her student finally gets the dance piece.

You can imagine that dance-based businesses are reasonably popular at this moment. With major TV programs covering the ‘celebrity being exposed as a dolt’ and others showing talented unknowns being tamed, the energy levels and interest in dance are running high. Sally knows that a good business is not simply a response to customer interest. She has done the hard yards – she seriously studied the art of dance and has skills and qualifications in many facets, and importantly, she hasn’t stopped there. She has studied business and business development. To her the building of a business is choreography; where the business systems are the steps and the customers the performers.

The audience – well they are still the audience.

The energy and vitality might come with youth, but the great thinking and concentration on detail just come from hard work and natural talent.

My other example is Cody Gibb – head chef at Kelp in Point Lonsdale. Like Sally, he has more

skill than his age would suggest is possible. As for most chefs, he started as a trough dog and then stepped up to the exalted position of dish pig, but for Cody it was a necessary stage in his development. Even as a first year apprentice he knew that he was going to be a top chef. He would assiduously collect menus and recipes and try them and then modify them. Some of his creations would end up in the bin, but a few became very special. He collected recipes and techniques from the top chefs from around the world: Spain, Holland, England, Japan and the USA, to name but a few. He travelled and volunteered his services to some of the world’s best chefs. His notebooks are littered with comments and adjustments, blends and way out ideas. But Cody’s realisation was that any cook could create an excellent recipe; his major product is operation of the kitchen. A good restaurant is not a solipsist activity, it is a team.

When you go to Kelp (that is if you can get in, because they are nearly always fully booked) you can see the team of chefs working like clockwork, a fantastic team that consistently manufacture fantastic taste sensations.

One of my favourite business texts was written

by Noel Tichy - he talks about the virtuous circles: “That the system can only master to the level of the least experienced operator, so there is a definite connection with the master and the learner”. This is the factor that amazes me, to see the team putting out creation after fantastic creation. Every person in the kitchen has his or her role and contribution, no grandstanding or preciousness. While the place is hugely busy, the staff still has time to be friendly and personable. How can Sally in dance and Cody in food excel at such a young age, given the characteristics of their generation?

My brief introductions show that, in fact, talent has little to do with age or generation; both Sally and Cody are not following the characteristics often attributed to their generation at all. These guys think in systems, and can plan in decades; they are detailed and dedicated. Sure, the mobile phone would take surgery to be removed. Yet it is clear that technology and the need for entertainment don’t define them, as their developing legacy is their work. You can see the smile in the student who has mastered a complex dance routine for the first time, or the customer who has gone a step closer to gastronomic nirvana after a taste of a Cody dish.

Clint Jennings Australian Business Development Centre www.abdc.com.au

40

ARTS

Stenlake and Beck share their Love Letters GPAC’s Alcoa Theatre Season 2011 opens in February with a beautiful production of one of acclaimed American playwright A.R. Gurney's most successful plays. Love Letters chronicles the lifelong relationship between a man and a woman solely through their correspondence.

The play tells the story of Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner, childhood friends both born to wealth and position, and whose lifelong correspondence begins with birthday party thank-you notes and summer camp postcards. Their poignantly funny friendship and ill-fated romance takes them from second grade through adolescence, maturity, and into middle age.

Love Letters stars two of Australia’s favourite performers from the stage and screen – the husband and wife pairing of Ian Stenlake (Sea Patrol, Guys n Dolls) and Rachael Beck (It Takes Two, Hey Dad, Beauty & The Beast), with direction by Neil Gooding (Gutenberg! The Musical! & LOVEBiTES).

A smash hit both off and on Broadway as well as in London, Love Letters captures the characters of Andy and Melissa with a precision of detail and depth of feeling only Gurney can command.

“In Love Letters, A. R. Gurney has written an evocative epistolary account of two charter members of the privileged set.

In less than two hours, we see Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner over a period of 50 years, as the author carries them from second grade through the trauma of adulthood, marriage, divorce and middle age” – Mel Gussow, The New York Times Love Letters appears in The Playhouse at GPAC from February 24-26 as part of the 2011 Alcoa Theatre Season. Advancepurchase discounted tickets* are still available on 5225 1200 or online at www.gpac.org.au. *conditions apply

ARTS

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Indelible art: the life of a tattooist After a potentially fatal car accident early 1993 at the age of 29, Terry Baker re-assessed his life. The self-employed plumber realized that what he actually wanted to do was to spend the rest of his life as a professional tattooist.

Terry has been running his own professional tattoo studio, Jinx Proof, for the past three-anda-half-years, which he admits was a difficult slog for the first 12 months. Today, with five fulltime tattooists working for him, a sold work ethic and an impressive portfolio of custom work, Jinx Proof is a thriving studio.

“When I first started, in my first 12 months, I was doing 14 to 16 hour days, because I wanted to establish the business. You get out what you put in and we established a clientele that we still enjoy today,” he said.

“It does depend on word of mouth,” Terry said, “So you have to have a handle on the quality of work that comes out of your studio, because bad news travels quicker than good news, you know. If someone has got a tattoo that they’re not happy with, they’re going to tell five people that tell another five people.”

Terry, who has weathered two recessions relatively unscathed, says the resilience of his business simply comes down to people who want tattoos finding the money to get them done, period.

“Well, to a certain extent the business is recession proof; not 100 percent, but we are less affected than a lot of other businesses.

Even through this global economic crisis, we’ve been consistently busy the whole time,” admits Terry.

“Getting around to the end of financial year, every year we have a slow period. Now last year, it kicked in a little bit earlier than it usually does and it lasted a little bit longer. That’s the effect the recession had on us. Just a more extended slow period — even your regular clientele just hold off until they’ve got that influx of money,” he says.

Unsurprisingly, a fascination for tattoos stemmed from a seven-year-old Terry spending a good deal of time at a visiting carnival in Queenscliff, where he was born and raised.

“My parents had a seafood restaurant and over the road from the restaurant there was a carnival that came to town once a year.

Because my parents were working seven days a week and long hours, I spent a lot of time at the carnival. All the carni guys were tattooed up and I just couldn’t wait to get a tattoo.”

After making the decision to give up plumbing for a career as a tattoo artist, and desperate to get a foothold what was a very guarded industry in the early 1990s, Terry’s foray into the industry proved a challenge. His first break came when a friend agreed to train him.

“I had to be able to support myself in that time, until I was confident enough to be able to

charge for a tattoo. Tattoos have increased in price a little. When I first started I think the minimum charge was $20. Most shops now have a minimum charge of $100, for something around the size of a 50-cent piece or a name, for instance.

“For the first 12 months you just don’t make anything out of it. You’ve got to be financially secure in that you can afford to spend as much time as possible involving yourself in this profession without any financial reward,” says Terry, who points out the inherent difficulties of the art.

“The skin’s a canvas, but it’s not something that you can wipe clean and start over again.

Take that into account when you do first start,” he advises.

“You need to find some willing participants.

There’s no point in trying to pull the wool over someone’s eyes; you need to find someone who is prepared to let you practice on them. And I knew quite a few people that had older tattoos.

And how I first started was by first re-colouring and re-working these tattoos, and just basically honing my skills. It does take a long time to

become proficient, and personally I wasn’t really one hundred per cent happy with the results I was getting until I’d been tattooing for seven years,” he admits.

As far as health risks go, particularly in regards to cross-contamination, Terry says that in a professional studio, there is absolutely no risk to the clientele, the tattooists themselves are the only ones at risk.

“There’s a lot of kids out there buying equipment off eBay without even considering that aspect of the job. They don’t realise that they’re putting themselves or anyone else at risk. It’s just ignorance being perpetuated by reality TV shows. If those sorts of shows were more about educating people about the risks and health precautions, rather than grabbing the limelight, I’d give it a little more credence, but because they don’t even go into that aspect of it, there are a lot of kids out there that are putting themselves at risk without taking any consideration for the safety of themselves or their potential clientele.”

Terry Broun Jr

42

COMMUNITY

Business generosity brings smiles all round BacLinks, a division of Karingal that educates, supports and creates opportunities for business and community to engage with each other for mutual benefit, saw the generosity of the business sector in full swing over 2010 through various donations. “The response from our business partners to our regular Calls for Support has been fantastic”, said Mira Williams, Community Portfolio holder for BacLinks. From helping out at an event to brightening the Christmas of young people and helping community agencies furnish their offices and plan their business, donated time and resources from the business sector through BacLinks already exceeds over $100,000 for this financial year.

Christmas saw MatchWorks get in the festive spirit when BacLinks were looking for donations of gifts to brighten the Christmas’ of four teenagers in the Glastonbury Child and Family Services’ Out of Home Care Program for teenagers living in residential care. MatchWorks staff collected age appropriate gifts over a period of four weeks and the result was outstanding. “We genuinely thank BacLinks and MatchWorks staff for the very thoughtful and generous donations made to our young people”, said Kerry McFarlane, Manager of Glastonbury’s Out of Home Care Program.

MatchWorks staff collected age appropriate gifts over a period of four weeks and the result was outstanding. “We genuinely thank BacLinks and MatchWorks staff for the very thoughtful and generous donations made to our young people”, said Kerry McFarlane, General Manager for Glastonbury’s Out of Home Care Program. Alcoa also answered a call for support to help young people when Kids Plus Foundation, who provide an intensive paediatric therapy program and an informal support network for families in the Barwon Region, required a working laptop for children with special needs in their programs.

Several other generous parties also proved that one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure.

Patrick Rowan & Associates put forward a number of redundant filing cabinets to any interested BacLinks Community Partner. The Dress Up Place, a not for profit incorporated organisation staffed entirely by volunteers, gratefully welcomed the cabinets as a much needed storage solution. McManus Real Estate had the same idea, putting forward their old board room chairs and reception chairs that went across to Concern Australia’s Hand Brake Turn Program, which gives young people at risk the opportunity to get their life on track through an automotive training program. The farthest reaching furniture donation of late was that of Harwood Andrew’s Lawyers, who put forward a range of items that went to Kids Plus

Foundation, Leopold Wildlife Shelter, Marshall Cricket Club and St. Augustine’s Education and Training.

While businesses have the most resources to share, other recent handovers have proved that community groups are also willing to help each other. Marshall Cricket Club offered several chairs and tables to the BacLinks network of Community Groups, which went to the Surf Coast & Inland Plains Landcare Network, who coordinate cooperation between land care groups to ensure preservation, restoration and protection of the environment through the promotion of sustainability and biodiversity.

Another community member, (private party) helped the Extended Schools Hub program when they were looking for a washing machine for one of their schools.

The Extended Schools Hub also received support from Target, who helped them out with a donation of toys for several north Geelong schools.. The Extended Schools Hub is an initiative of the Department of Education and Early Childhood learning that aims to strengthen partnerships between schools, community organisations and business as well as address barriers to students reaching their educational

potential in the Geelong’s northern suburbs.

As well as donating goods, many businesses are sharing their resources and knowledge with specific community groups. Radiant Systems are helping the Corio Bay Senior College Young Parents Access Program to become more confident and competent with computers in order to aid further study and future job opportunities, while Julia Cookson of Strategy Performance is assisting the Surf Coast & Inland Plains Landcare Network to develop a future Strategic Plan and Business Plan.

Several parties also volunteered to help out at the GRAND Regional Conference for Disability Support Workers, including Patrick Rowan & Associates and regular BacLinks volunteer, Peter Bright.

These simple donations of time, goods, resources and knowledge have reached many corners of the community and helped us contribute to the quality of life of respective clients of each beneficiary. The commitment of many members of the business sector to building stronger communities brings BacLinks closer to our ultimate goal of community engagement becoming a standard feature of business planning.

BOLLIES

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Giving a voice to those who can’t be heard It is an alarming statistic that in Australia today, one in five children are subjected to sexual assault, with the perpetrator often known to the child. Other statistics reveal an overwhelming 1000 children will be sexually assaulted per week in Australia.

Her impassioned message has been catching on across Australia, with Bravehearts now also established in NSW and Tasmania, and with Canberra adopting her idea of White Balloon Day as a national yearly campaign day to raise awareness.

Inspired by the impassioned words of Bravehearts founder/executive director and child protection advocate, Hetty Johnston, has arisen Bravehearts Geelong, a group of dedicated volunteers who have pledged to take up the fight to prevent child sexual assault.

Formed in August last year, the Geelong committee expects to launch the first program in kindergartens this July of this year.

Formed in August 2010, the Bravehearts Geelong Committee’s priority is to educate, shield and empower our young people and to implement an effective and inventive program, developed specifically around raising awareness of child sexual assault and parent, child and carer education.

With assistance from the Commonwealth Government and Telstra Foundation, Bravehearts has developed the specialised series, Ditto’s Education Program, which is essentially a performance program geared towards children aged 3 to 7 years-old, and teaches them about identifying unsafe feelings and improper touching, and to enable them to avert such attention and feel secure enough to confide in a responsible adult.

It is hoped that across our region, the entertaining, non-threatening and interactive program will be implemented initially in kindergartens and childcare facilities, then throughout education institutions and associations.

Bravehearts Geelong requires $100,000 in set-up costs and a further $250,000 to achieve its immediate goal of an initial rollout of the program across the region.

As the Chair of the Bravehearts Geelong committee, Ross Synot said the fact that Bravehearts is the only exclusively and entirely dedicated organisation to deal with child sexual assault in the country means that he is assured of strong local support, adding that the program has attracted strong support from the Geelong community. “(As a society) we’re different in that we’ve tended not to talk about child sexual assault,” said Ross. “And I think that’s where Bravehearts has been very vocal in bringing this issue to light. I think Hetty Johnston has been a great spokesperson; she’s really put it out there in front of people.”

After Hetty discovered her father-in-law sexually assaulted her daughter, Hetty became a passionate and outspoken advocate for victims of child sexual assault and founded Bravehearts Inc. in Queensland in 1997.

“I think in six months the goals really are to have a roster of kindergartens and primary schools that have accepted the Ditto program.

And to provide the focus for awareness and make all children aware that there is help. And also that there is help for families; often the families are bewildered and don’t know what do,” Ross said.

“There is help out there and there are these programs to help young people understand that they can talk to their parents and not be ashamed, not go into themselves, but actually speak up, because it’s OK to speak up; it’s OK to say that Uncle Harry has been doing something that you’re uncomfortable with.”

However, Ross said, the programs won’t just be limited to kindergartens, the idea is to take the message further in to schools, sporting clubs, shopping centres and beyond.

“If people are interested in having us involved with primary schools, this program does cater for the younger grades in primary school, for Preps and the Grades 1 and 2. So we’d be interested in any primary school that was interested in being involved. It’s really just getting a start and proving our worth,” said Ross, who is determined to see the programs adopted broadly throughout the region.

“Certainly we’d love to assist primary schools and people can get in touch with us if any of the primary schools are interested. The aim is that for every school that wants us, every kindergarten that wants us, we want to be there for them. That’s the aim of our committee and our organisation.”

The Uniting Church in Newtown is providing office space to head the Victorian branch of Bravehearts, and the church will also be the host venue to officially launch the Bravehearts Geelong operations on 2nd February 2011.

Bravehearts Geelong urges the business and public community to kindly lend its support, whether in kind or through donations.

For more information visit www.bravehearts. com or contact local Bravehearts committee Chair Ross Synot on 5221 4257.

Terry Broun Jr

44

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3) Increase marketing: This is a resolution most business owners make every year, but generally fail to follow through on. A business cannot stop marketing and plan to grow. Do not start marketing randomly: As part of the planning process, develop a marketing plan. Once again, set priorities and goals. Choose ongoing activities that are realistic, based on your budget and time.

4) Keep things interesting: Most entrepreneurs are always coming up with great new ideas. The need to stay planted and focus on core, ‘bread and-butter’ business can make things a little boring. Choose one significant new challenge for the coming year – securing an additional distribution channel, landing a major customer, launching a new product, or improving your online presence. Make that a priority – after the basic business has been taken care of.

5) Reward and acknowledge: No one succeeds alone. A successful business is always the result of a team effort. Sometimes that team is composed of employees, and they deserve a “thank you” regularly and acknowledgment of their ongoing contributions. That also means keeping salaries and benefits competitive. Even a solo business can have a ‘team’ of informal supporters – family, friends, business associates and other entrepreneurs. Remember to acknowledge and thank them for their ongoing assistance and support.

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46

WINE

Water everywhere but nothing else to Drink!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock that hasn’t floated away, you’ll be aware of the unseasonal rain we’ve been experiencing this year. No doubt this has been greeted with mixed emotions as many struggle to deal with the impact on individuals, families and farmers across many regions of Australia. We’ve been warned of the impact on our prices and supplies of fruit and vegetables, and I’m afraid to say many vineyards have not faired very well at all.

I’ve been in contact with many of my friends working on vineyards across Australia and not many have escaped the deluge and its impact.

As with most farming, flooding is a devastating consequence of high rains, as most varieties of grapes hate what we call “wet feet” and will suffer with splitting of fruit and reduction in the health of foliage. There are however, long term issues with unseasonal rains that wine producers are now struggling with.

Fungal disease in vineyards is an issue that stems back as far as anyone can remember.

The two main culprits that we deal with in Australia are Downy and Powdery Mildew.

We’ve worked very hard through research and development to come up with a solution, but as with all diseases, prevention is better than the cure, and generally if mildew is found in a vineyard, it’s already too late. So, with that in mind, many wineries will use preventative sprays consisting traditionally of Copper and Sulphur, often called a Bordeaux mix.

Used in miniscule doses, this mix generally works well enough to stop an otherwise

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devastating outbreak. The real problem is we don’t seem to get the perfect conditions between the storms required to save these crops. If it’s too windy you may as well forget it, as most of the spray will end up on your neighbour’s farm. If it’s raining, then obviously you can forget about spraying also, as the mix will wash away before it’s had a chance to work its magic.

Some varieties are more susceptible to disease and may indeed have been lost already, while others have thicker skins and may be able to ride out these storms. Many producers have already made the decision to wait and see. For some reason, they’ve not been able to get a spray on and are relying on dryer weather to save what’s left. Others have been luckier, and through perfect weather between rains, got their sprays out in time. One winery I spoke to

say they’ve been spraying 3 to 4 times a week and managed to save everything so far.

Losing your entire crop can mean at least 12 months without an income, and this is not an option for most small wineries trading very close to their margins. Sure, as consumers, we have plenty of wine to choose from and if a winery has a bad year we buy from someone else. Hopefully these wineries, as with all farmers and their communities, will bounce back from a year most would like to forget already.

Adrian Marchiaro When not immersed in his work as Winemakerís Assistant and jack-of-all-trades at the awardwinning Witchmount Estate Winery, Adrian presents wine tasting evenings at Lambyís Restaurant + Bar.

AFTER HOURS

47

The marketers making merry pr2pr, GeelongĂ­s own industry network for public relations, marketing and communications professionals, recently held its end of year function at the newly opened City Quarter. Guests were amongst the first to get a look at the stunning new venue and sample its culinary delights.

Guests were also treated to music from The Jazz Connection as well as take home goodie bags. pr2pr is the creation of RedStick Strategic Communications and is partnered by EMC Group Geelong. For more information or to get involved, email events@redstick.com.au

Above: Emma Wilkins (CSIRO AAHL) and Roxanne Bennett (Karingal)

Above: Rhianna Dorling (RedStick Strategic and Julia O'Keeffe (KRock Bay FM)

Communications)

Above: Barrie Edwards, The Jazz Connection

Above: Emma Smith (WHK), Kathryn Egan (WHK), Phillipa Challis (Get Noticed), and Dianna Goodman (St John of God Hospital)

48

AFTER HOURS

All the colour and excitement of Audi Week

A splash of colour in the Portarlington race.

Photo: Teri Dodds

The 2011 Audi Victoria Week kept racers and onlookers enthralled once again, with over 400 boats and their crews, including the Audi Performance, Sydney 38 One-Design Nationals Series, S80's, Super 30's, SB3, Sports Boats, Trailer yachts and the Cruising classes having had a ball at Royal Geelong Yacht Club's (RGYC) huge annual event.

John Kint, Commodore of Royal Geelong Yacht Club, expressed his pleasure in the event having exceeded expectations. Commodore Kint also added his support for the Yarra Street Pier project.

The Project would replace the original pier, destroyed by fire in 1988, with a new part-fixed, part-floating structure. The project would also provide 78 new small craft berths through the construction of floating pontoons.

"I can't wait until the Yarra Street Pier comes to fruition. There's a big chance we'd get some cruise ships come to Geelong that would be an

added benefit to Audi Victoria Week. It also means participating yachts would be better protected and safe in all conditions," he said.

City of Greater Geelong Mayor, Cr John Mitchell agreed, adding, "Audi Victoria Week could be even bigger if our plans to rebuild are realized.

"One of the most important upgrades would be the ability to provide berths for maxi yachts in sheltered water, which would add considerably to the eventís international appeal," Mayor Mitchell said.

The City of Greater Geelong has committed $5M towards the project and RGYC $2.5M. "We're now seeking a funding commitment from the State Government of $15 million - so that this long awaited infrastructure project can get underway," the Mayor said.

Hopefully the Government can see the benefits such funding can bring.

5th Nov – Not good but great Grenache Try a selection of brilliant Grenache based Australian wines Entertainment: Warm Sands

19th Nov – A river of quality wines Great wines from our own workhorse region the Riverina Entertainment: Warm Sands

12th Nov – Coonawarra set for a comeback A mix of the Coonawarra’s very best wines Entertainment: Chic

26th Nov – The new alternative Try the broad selection of our newest varieties Entertainment: Chic

AFTER HOURS

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Left: Hooligan hits her straps while chasing Living Doll for the Audi IRC Series lead. Photo: Andrea Francolini/Audi

Below: Close quarter racing in Audi IRC Series.

Photo: Andrea Francolini/Audi

Above: German excellence on show – German businessman, Christopher Opielok, won Division 2 in the Melbourne to Geelong Passage Race, and posed with another example of German know how at Audi Victoria Week.

Photo: Andrea Francolini/Audi Right: Veloce started and finished well in The Passage Race at Audi Victoria Week. Photo: Andrea Francolini/Audi

Left: Fabrizio Tassalim and Lilly Caron with their 2-year restoration project, Wylo Lupo.

Photo: Teri Dodds

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AFTER HOURS

Senatorial sojourn spotlights small business Senator Scott Ryan, Liberal Senator for Victoria and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Fair Competition, and his adviser Daniel Bevan, visited Geelong last month to speak to small business operators about their concerns and the key issues that impact upon them.

Hosted by the Geelong Chamber of Commerce, Senator Ryan meet with a selection of business people and Chamber directors for a round table discussion about small business issues at the Chamber offices. Senator Ryan then visited a number of local businesses to speak directly to business owners at their premises.

“The Geelong Chamber of Commerce welcomes Senator Ryan’s visit to Geelong and his interest in exploring the issues impacting upon Geelong businesses,” commented Chamber President, Jim Walsh.

Above: Senator Scott Ryan, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Fair Competition

Pictured Left to Right: Jim Walsh, Godfrey Hirst (Chamber President), Howard Randall, Macquarie Commercial College (Chamber member), Bernadette Uzelac Executive Officer Geelong Chamber of Commerce, Ross Haby, G-Force Recruitment (Chamber Platinum Partner), and Senator Scott Ryan, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Fair Competition.

Pictured Left to Right: Ross Haby, G-Force Recruitment (Chamber Platinum Partner), Howard Randall, Macquarie Commercial College (Chamber member, and Mark Davis, Australia Post (Chamber Senior Vice-President)

WHATS ON 11th FEBRUARY to 20th MARCH 2011 The Shrine of Remembrance: a building with soul Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance was originally built to honour the 114,000 Victorians who served in the First World War, but now commemorates all who have served. This exhibition presents the history of the Shrine from concept to construction, to its important educational role today, through archival photographs, audiovisual material, historic footage and memorabilia.

It traces the evolution of the Shrine and its place within Victoria as a most sacred and important place, providing a permanent and lasting memorial to the ANZAC spirit.

Where: National Wool Museum. Details: www.nwm.vic.gov.au

Until 06 March

20 February

05 February - 15 March

24-26 February

Dean Bowen - Suburbanology - Where: Geelong Gallery.

Details: www.geelonggallery.org.au eu thanatos'-David Beaumont - A series of new works exploring euthanasia. Where: Geelong Gallery.

Details: www.geelonggallery.org.au

09 February

Sustainability in Action - Business Seminar Where: Dromoland House, Newtown. Details: www.vecci.org.au

12 February

Orchestra Victoria on the Waterfront FREE concert. Where: Eastern Beach. Details: www.orchestravictoria.com.au Shakespeare in the Vines - Romeo & Juliet.

Where: Leura Park Estate. Details: www.gpac.org.au Raw Comedy 2011 - Where: GPAC. Details: www.gpac.org.au

18 February

Drysdale Festival of Glass - Where: The Potato Shed, Drysdale.

Details: www.geelongaustralia.com.au/potatoshed Love Letters - Where: GPAC. Details: www.gpac.org.au

26 February

Pako Festa 2011 - Pako Festa is the largest free celebration of cultural diversity in Australia! Where: Pakington Street.

Details: www.pakofesta.com.au

27 February

John Waters - Looking Through a Glass Onion - A homage to the music, mystery and memory of John Lennon. Where: GPAC. Details: www.gpac.org.au Food Plants from Around the Word - Where: Geelong Botanic Gardens. Details: www.friendsgbg.com TGM Barwon Banks Fun Run 2011 - Where: Belmont Park Pavillion, Barwon River. Details: www.uwgeelong.com.au

VECCI 13th Annual Charity Golf Day - Where: 13th Beach Link, Barwon Heads.

Details: www.barwonhealth.org.au/geelonghospitalappeal

28 February - 01 March

18-20 February

04 March

Geelong Multi Sport Festival - Where: Waterfront Geelong.

Details: www.usmevents.com.au

19 February

Sidney Nolan - the Gallipoli series. Where: Geelong Gallery.

Details: www.geelonggallery.org.au Alleyway Arts Festival - Live music, artist exhibitions and live painting. Where: Little Malop Street.

Details: www.alleywayartsfestival.com Lisa Williams - Returning to Australia after a sold out national tour in 2009. Where: The Playhouse, GPAC. Details: www.gpac.org.au

2011 Green Cities Conference - Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Details: www.greencities.org.au World's Longest Lunch - Raising money for the Geelong Hospital Appeal. Where: Geelong Botanic Gardens.

Details: www.barwonhealth.org.au/geelonghospitalappeal

05 March

Geelong's Concert Of The Decade - Where: Costa Hall, Deakin University Waterfront Campus.

Details: www.entertainmentgeelong.com

06 March

Australian International Airshow 2011 - Where: Avalon Airport.

Details: www.airshow.net.au

To publicise your event in GBN’s What’s On in March email: editor@geelongbusiness.com.au

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150 years of Real Life education

SCHOLARSHIPS NOW OPEN! The Geelong College is offering a range of academic, music and boarding scholarships for students entering Years 7, 9 or 11 in 2012.

Scholarship examinations will be held at the school on OPEN DAY - Saturday 19 March.

Closing date for registration is Monday 7 March 2011.

Register on line at www.geelongcollege.vic.edu.au The awarding of these scholarships is based on the results of an examination/audition and an interview. Examinations for scholarships are set by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

For more information, please contact our Registrar via email: admissions@geelongcollege.vic.edu.au or phone 03 5226 3190.