Meet Dr Nicole, our newest Dentist

Welcome Dr Nicole O'Kee e

After developing a passion for dentistry as a dental assistant, Dr Nicole completed a Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Science and Graduate Diploma of Dentistry at Gri th University. Nicole has an interest in paediatric and restorative dentistry and particularly enjoys making a child’s visit to the dentist memorable and fun.

After developing a passion for dentistry as a dental assistant, Dr Nicole completed a Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Science and Graduate Diploma of Dentistry at Gri th University. Nicole has an interest in paediatric and restorative dentistry and particularly enjoys making a child’s visit to the dentist memorable and fun.

Dr Nicole is warm, friendly and considerate of her patients, ensuring procedures are as gentle and comfortable as possible. She understands that a visit to the dentist can cause anxiety and is motivated to ensure all her patients have a positive experience during their dental appointment. Nicole likes nothing more than to send her patients away with a smile!

Dr Nicole is warm, friendly and considerate of her patients, ensuring procedures are as gentle and comfortable as possible. She understands that a visit to the dentist can cause anxiety and is motivated to ensure all her patients have a positive experience during their dental appointment. Nicole likes nothing more than to send her patients away with a smile!

Outside of dentistry, Nicole enjoys reading a good book, trying out new restaurants and cafes with family and friends and baking.

Outside of dentistry, Nicole enjoys reading a good book, trying out new restaurants and cafes with family and friends and baking.

Dr Nicole is available on Monday, Thursday and Friday’s. Contact our team to make an appointment.

Dr Nicole is available on Monday, Thursday and Friday’s. Contact our team to make an appointment.

In Pursuit of Hoppiness

While arts and crafts is a well-known local hobby, there’s another type of craft gaining traction as a pastime. Craft beer brewing is growing in popularity amongst beer aficionados and beginners alike, with resident brewer John Clark keen to meet other locals with this similar interest.

John has been brewing his own beer for over 20 years, noting some key advantages to fermenting at home.

“I think the two main benefits of brewing your own beer is firstly, the cost. You can brew top quality beer for a fraction of the cost,” John said.

“It’s not uncommon to brew a good craft ‘look alike’ beer (that might cost you $80 a carton of 24) for about $50 for 23 litres, or approximately 2 ½ cartons. Easy to see the economics in that,” he said. “Secondly, there’s a sense of achievement when you make something of quality that tastes really good!”

Despite these benefits, common beer brewing myths may prevent people from following their dream into the world of malt and barley.

“One of the great myths about home brewing is the taste. We all had a dad or uncle, who brewed their own beer and they were the only ones who liked it,” John said.

“But the brews of today are of a high quality and you can get brewing recipes that copy other brews and it’s hard to tell the difference. Besides, after a while you tend to tinker with the ingredients and come up with your own unique flavours.”

Another preconceived issue is the time it takes to brew your own hazy pale ale. While sterilising bottles can be time-consuming,

John brews in kegs to get the most beer for his hours.

“The time I take to put a brew down, rack it off then keg it, takes maybe a bit over an hour of my time. The complete brewing process, from putting a brew down to drinking is about 4 weeks,” he said.

John is keen to meet other local brewers or those with an interest in brewing to share experiences and ideas, noting now is a great time to get into brewing given the recent beer excise increase by the ATO.

“It really isn’t as daunting as you might think. It’s a great past time and is very satisfying. And existing brewers are always open to new ideas and new methods. I would like to learn how to brew from scratch, like the grass roots brewers who make their own wort,” he said. “I am just trying to gauge the interest in brewing in Samford Valley.”

If you’re keen to learn how to brew or would like to share what works or what ‘ales’ you in your beer-making experience, please contact John on 0418 180 787. If enough people are keen to talk amber, he will organise a date, time and venue for a get together.

Tanya Hall

180 Friendly Swimmers Race For Bronte

The weather forecast for the Samford Stingrays Bronte Barratt Shield on Saturday 4th February was for a scorching hot day. Everyone was a winner when the weather Gods smiled, the skies opened, and a little bit of rain marked the cooling down of the day.

The Bronte Barratt Shield is named after our local Triple Olympian to pay honour to her enormous impact on swimming in the area, and Australia.

A standing round of applause must go to the organisers of the event and those helping on the day. This annual club invitational hosted 180 swimmers this year. Six clubs came together to race each other for the winner’s trophy (spoiler alert - Samford Stingrays took the title).

The Bronte Barratt Shield is a favourite for swim clubs for many reasons. It’s a friendly meet, helping to introduce the younger swimmers to race events. There is always lots of volunteers on hand to help show swimmers how to marshal, how to start and finish their races, and how to swim relays.

Many of our senior swimmers walked away from this meet with personal best times, indicating a fierce level of competition, the difference between a 1st and 2nd often fractions of a second.

With the 2032 Olympics in sight for many of these swimmers, the arrival of Olympic gold medallist, Bronte Barratt herself was a swim year highlight - and it’s only February. Bronte was enormously generous with her time, signing endless swim caps, swim bags and plenty of swimmers themselves were boasting Bronte Barratt signatures on their shoulders and arms. Temporary tattoos to a swim hero.

Local events like these could not be organised without a mountain of volunteers. In particular we’d like to extend our thanks to our Club President, Anna Wilson, and the club’s hard working committee – Melissa Gjerek, Tanya Miller, Darren Hodgetts, Tahnee Ross, Cassandra Parker, Debbie Child and Samantha Wilkinson.

Thank you to every parent who helped sizzle a sausage or serve a slushie. 35 timekeepers from all clubs volunteered their time to deliver this fantastic event.

A special thanks to Joep from Joep Buijs Photography who attends the Bronte Barratt Shield and Samford Stingrays Club Championships every year and produces such beautiful images of our events. Seeing themselves mid-air in a dive, or flying for air in butterfly, our swimmers feel well and truly mighty.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

The Samford Edible Garden Trail is returning - 20th and 21st May, 2023!

The organising team gathered together over the last few weeks, renewed and excited to bring you another year of the Samford Edible Garden Trail. Keep an eye on our website as we update it with new information over the next few weeks. That is also where you can sign up to our newsletter which means you will be the first to hear when tickets go on sale.

samfordediblegardentrail.com.au

Call Out to Local Individuals and Businesses.

• Do you have an edible garden in your backyard or workplace that you would be willing to open to the public during the Trail? Please make contact!

• Are you a cafe or restaurant who would like to showcase locally grown food on your menu for the weekend? Please reach out!

• Would you like to volunteer on the Trail? Please do get in touch! We need lots of hands over the weekend itself, but also heaps of different activities you can get involved in over the next few months. As a volunteer, you get the joy of working with a fun bunch of people and a great satisfaction of knowing that you are

32891896 helping this event happen.

If you are keen to be involved in the Samford Edible Garden Trail 2023, please email us ASAP at samfordediblegardentrail@ gmail.com.

Susanne Engelhard

On behalf of the 2023 organising team - MaryAnn, Chrissy, Vanessa, Ceri, Nicole and Peita.

SAMFORD SHOW HITS THE ROAD AGAIN 15 & 16 July

The Samford Show society has begun detailed planning for the July 2023 annual Show, after disruptions due to Covid and wet weather in 2020 and 2022 - but the biggest Show ever in 2021.

Show Society President Terry Hogan said that the Committee has been enlarged and refreshed by an enthusiastic band of new and younger members, good omens for a bright future for one of the community’s most loved annual events.

“Some volunteer-based organisations are having a hard time of it,” he said, “but our reputation for fun and commitment is bringing in new blood. We welcome anyone who supports the ideals of the Australian country show. We are taking a whole new approach to the way we reach out to the community through social media and have engaged Jordanna Allen, a member of a family with long term connections in the Valley, to help us out.”

Show Society Treasurer Ingrid Hutton confirmed that tickets will be available online from about mid- June. The Society has kept ticket prices generally at the same level as 2021.

Traffic management spokesperson David Reed said that entry to the Show will be easier and faster this year, with cars being directed off Showgrounds Drive to the parking area before ticket confirmation at entry gates into the Show area itself.

“The Show has been growing in popularity in recent years as we expand the range of attractions, and we are acutely aware of the need to get patrons off the road and out of their cars as quickly and safely as possible. It’s great to have so much free parking space,”, he said.

Terry told The Village Pump that further announcements would be made in coming months about attractions at this year’s Show. “We’re always looking to build on what we do best and how we can improve the experience. Watch this space”.

As we approach the month of March, the weather in the region is typically still hot, humid and wet. In this article, we will provide a list of the best vegetables and herbs to plant during this time, along with some helpful tips on how to successfully navigate the hot and humid conditions to achieve optimal results.

We recommend the following vegetable and herb crops to plant in March: Ideal to plant are:

• Chilli – Loves heat and humidity, plant in bed corner.

• Brazilian Spinach – Allow plenty of space and water well.

• Ceylon spinach – Use a climber. Okay to plant are: during their growing periods.

• Basil – Allow plenty of space, partial shade.

• Cucumber – Grow on climbing frame, water in morning to reduce mould, full sun.

• Coriander – Create partial shade, needs very fertile soil to leaf well in warm times.

Growing food in the month of March can pose several challenges, but with the strategies outlined below, you might be amazed at the number of crops that can flourish:

• Ensure you have good drainage. If beds get too wet, plants will die.

• To reduce mould, have good airflow, use climbers to get the plant leaves off the ground and water in the morning.

• Use the best compost you have to plant your seedlings.

• If you have planted a green manure crop in December as part of your soil fertility rhythm, your beds will be highly fertile and ready for many crops.

Due to the weather fluctuations in March, it’s common for plants to experience low vitality and become vulnerable to insect attacks. However, the strategies mentioned above can help boost plant health and protect them from the adverse effects of the weather extremes. To further improve plant vitality in my garden, I use biodynamic soil and foliar preparations.

For more resources on planting visit the Gleanr platform at (www.gleanr.com.au) which provides:

• Growing information on 140 crops in the Plant Wizard localised to our climate.

• Tip sheets, videos and images on how to create and manage food gardens in the Toolshed.

• Community platform where you can connect with like-minded food gardeners.

In the Gleanr planting calendar, you will discover an additional 70 vegetable and herb crops that are suitable for planting during the month of March in our local climate. Detailed growing instructions are provided for every crop including tips to deal with temperature and rainfall extremes

It’s free to register on Gleanr. Scan the QR code.

Peter Kearney

Ferny Swim Carnival Shines

The Ferny Grove School Swimming Carnival was held on Wednesday February 8. It was an opportunity for some outstanding young swimmers to shine! This year the Student Representative Council ran alternative activities including lawn games, board games and colouring in. These options were jam-packed with students and it was so nice to see them all getting involved, meeting new friends and enjoying the day. The Tech crew kept the music going all day and staff kept students entertained with dance offs.

Ferny spirit was shining too and pride in the sporting culture was palpable. A carnival of this nature could not run without the selfless enthusiasm and assistance of the Sport and House Leaders on the day. As always, there can only be one winner and this year it was - KARA KARA!

Congratulations to the Kara Kara team and all of our age champions!

Eirryn Flouch

Meet Myf - fearless, loving and the kind of cat that is “love on four feet” according to her owner, Murray. At 14 years old, Myf’s balance and behaviour began to change.

Solensia, is offering a solution for pet owners worried about pain and the quality of life of their ageing cats.

“Solensia is a monthly injection that helps control the pain associated with osteoarthritis,” she said.

“Osteoarthritis is not curable but there is plenty that can be done to identify and manage pain, and to modify the home environment to help senior cats remain comfortable. The treatment works like your cat’s naturally made antibodies to reduce pain signals. We can pair this with changes to bedding, litter tray placement, diet and environmental enrichment.”

For Murray and Myf, a diagnosis and a senior-focused care plan that includes Solensia, has been a game-changer.

“I now have my purrrrrrfect pet back,” Murray said.

“Myf has always been one for climbing great heights, and after we noticed some broken teeth, we wondered if she may have fallen. Myf also started urinating in unusual places and that was something she had never done before,” Murray said. “I now know that Myf was struggling with pain and osteoarthritis, and I was grateful to discover there is treatment available for cats.”

Dr. Holly Goldring, co-owner and seniorfocused veterinarian at Dayboro Village Vets, said a new monthly injection called

“My mother-in-law has just turned 100 and the least we could do is care for Myf as she ages too. It’s been very comforting to know we have all the diagnostic options at Dayboro Village Vets for Myf. We think Myf’s story could help other owners know there are new options in the treatment of osteoarthritis in cats.”

If you are concerned about the health and happiness of your ageing cat, make an appointment with Dr. Holly Goldring on 3171 2227.

Flying Into Another Project

Local resident Peter Cromarty’s book launch for his new novel Death or Grievous Bodily Harm, featured in the last edition of The Village Pump, but this is not Peter’s only project since retiring from a career in air traffic control and aviation safety. Adding yet another string to his bow, Peter has also been building a two-seat kit aircraft.

The Sling 2 is a South African built 2 seater aircraft kit that will be powered by a 100 HP Rotax engine and will run on car petrol.

It cruises at about 200 KPH and weighs in at 330kgs which is lighter than some Harley Davidsons. When fully laden with two people, bags and full fuel, the plane’s weight creeps up to 700kgs.

Peter expects it will take 1,200 hours for him to construct his light aircraft.

“I have a goal of flying it to Narromine for the World Gliding Championships in September in which, I hope, a friend of mine will be competing if he is selected for the Australian team. However, I fear that may be too ambitious a timescale. I hope to have it finished at the latest by Autumn next year,” Peter said.

This project comes as no surprise for someone with an extensive career in aviation.

“I always wanted to be a pilot but I couldn’t afford the cost of the professional licence, so I went into air traffic control (ATC) as a temporary measure until I could raise the funds for my commercial licence. I found I liked ATC and stayed. I have had a private pilot’s licence since I was 18,” Peter said.

Dr Trish Moloney

Dr Carol McPhail

Dr Ammara Chaudhry

Dr Michelle Ledbury

Dr David O’Regan

“I worked in the north of Scotland, Northern Ireland, London and Bahrain during the Iran-Iraq war. Whilst in Bahrain, there were aircraft crashes, ships shot-up, covert and not-so-covert missions by the Iraqis and Americans. I was once heavily involved during the hijack of an Indian Airlines Airbus,” he said.

Peter decided to build his kit aircraft as a way of continuing to stretch himself in retirement.

“As one gets older, I understand it is important to keep one’s mind busy, learn new skills and take on new challenges.”

Peter also has a YouTube channel featuring some of the air traffic control incidents, accidents and hijacks in which he was involved at: YouTube @petercromarty or on his website: thecrom.com. His debut novel is available from his website.

Tanya Hall

Dr Ben McCullough

Dr Christopher Whitney

Dr Lauren Prictor

Dr Amy Alldis

Dr Claire Bugler

Two great Samford institutions recently joined forces to celebrate their 10th year together. SPADEwerx Theatre actors - past, present and future - met with Samford Farmers’ Hall volunteer stewards in order to present them with $2,500.00 towards the Hall’s ongoing expenses. The money was raised from theatre ticket sales and raffles.

Samford Farmers’ Hall is an independent, community-owned hall, administered by a small group of dedicated volunteers who care deeply for the heritage building. It is not, nor ever has been, a Council-owned hall. It is self-funded.

The beautiful old Hall has been a Samford icon since 1918. SPADEwerx has been going since 2010. In 2014 SPADEwerx Theatre officially made the Hall its home, and its BYO productions and theatre-restaurant events are based there.

Look out for our next BYO play in May - an Agatha Christie “who-dunnit.”

Jo Roberts

Surepact Envisions A New Future

We have updated readers a number of times over the years about the great work of local entrepreneur Megan Avard, Founder and CEO of SurePact, a software solution that provides a unique 360 degree suite of risk identification and management modules for the delivery of projects, contracts and grants. Bittersweet news now to let you know that after five, fast-paced years of ups and downs since launching in 2017, Megan has announced that SurePact has been acquired by Future Now Ventures and she will step down as CEO and Director and leave SurePact in their hands.

“I am extremely proud of being brave enough to take the jump, create my vision and an amazing software company. Founders know all too well the journey and the passion that consumes you to succeed and create your dream,” Megan said.

Over the last 5 years, Megan and her team have received incredible acknowledgements including:

2017 & 2018 Ignite Ideas Recipient; 2018 Winner LendLease APAC Start-Up of the Year; 2019 Winner WiT Entrepreneur of the Year; and 2020 Boosting Female Founders Recipient.

Megan acknowledges the support, guidance and loyalty of her Advisory Board, the professionalism of her team and the amazing clients she has worked with since 2017.

“I now look forward to a much deserved break, time with family and having a holiday or two!”

Samford Bowls Club

It is almost 12 months since the devastating flood that caused so much damage to our club house and the bowling greens. When we heard this week that tropical cyclone Gabrielle had formed off the Queensland coast we were all glad that the projected track indicated Gabrielle would remain well off shore and would not affect our area. Hopefully our bowling friends on Norfolk Island will also miss out, as Gabrielle is projected to track their way.

It is amazing how our members and the community have worked together over the past year and with numerous grants we have been able to put that terrible event behind us.

Competitions

Each year we enter a team in both the Tyre Power Everton Hills Cup and the Brisbane District Bowls Assn Alex Gow competitions. This year we are off to a sound start with our Alex Gow team winning over Ferny Grove in round one and the Tyre Power team coming second in Pool B after a win against Northern Suburbs, then a close runner up in a game against Chermside.

The Men’s Veteran Fraternity played at Samford Club on Monday 30th January. All 14 rinks were full with 112 players from all areas of Brisbane and District. It was a busy day for our team of support members making sure all players had a day to remember. The team from Windsor were the overall winners with a score of 4 plus 31 and a team from Northern Suburbs runners up with 4 plus 24. Our Bar Manager commented that not one glass of wine was sold on the day. All beer, soft drink and cups of tea, they may be older gentleman, but they sure know how to enjoy their day of bowls!

Village Barefoot Bowls is underway with 20 teams registered, 2 more than last season. New teams include, Vikings, Scorpions and the Mary Ringers. Some old favourites are back including the Desperados and the Bushrangers, (current holders of the Bob Miller Shield). Also playing are Samford Rotary and Garry Morrison’s team, now known as the Book Club, both 20 year veterans of Village Bowls, well done!

Barefoot Bowls competition is a lot of fun for everyone with a little bit of low level competitive nature for some of the

OUT & ABOUT

teams that have played against each other for many years. We still have spots open for more teams if you are interested and would like to join us. Contact Allan, 0429 919 486. info@samfordbowls.com.au.

Janice Ridley

FRIDAY AT THE SCHUB What is Truth?

On Friday 25 February at 3.30pm Jenni will lead a discussion on the concept of Truth as represented in literature, the arts and through experience, at the Good Stuff Ideas Forum. Oscar Wilde said in The Importance of Being Ernest, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” Just that alone should inspire a lively discussion.

Our Cuppa and Chat will continue each Friday, starting at 2pm.

Food Exchange are both at 2204 Mt Samson Road; our wonderful MBRC mobile library is in Cash Avenue in the Village on Tuesday March 7 between 10.30am and 4.30pm and again on Saturday March 11 between 9.30am and noon; and then there’s our magical bookshop, Baffies Oan in the Lifestyle Centre on Mt Glorious Road, where Fiona can find just the book for you, whatever your age.

have been made to local groups and Council with little success to date (despite support from relative sections of Council involved in helping locate suitable land/buildings).

Australia Reads

Crafting Kindness on the 17th will focus on creating a banner for the story times in the Village during the week of AUSTRALIA READS between March 6 and 11.

This annual event encourages all people in Australia to read and share the stories they love with others. On Thursday 9th March, the main day of AUSTRALIA READS, everyone is encouraged to read something they love for an hour (not your company’s financial report or social media).

There are many places you can load yourself with enticing titles: the SDPPA free Book Swap at the Samford Community HUB and the Book Swap at Millen Farm

Following the Library’s recent well supported AGM, new members came on board (wonderful to see several much younger faces along to gain experience). Linda Murray continues as President; Janette Barratt Secretary along with Jane Harris Secretary in training; Jo Kelly Treasurer with Anna Fenwick Treasurer in training; Pier Hofstee Website Manager of articles, with Eric Gil looking after web development, SEO and digital marketing. Eric’s experience also includes business development; Evelyn Williames continues as Volunteer Coordinator; Yvonne Wohlsen continues with Catering; and last but not least Ray Vuillermin is an Honorary member. Many thanks to Marie-Ann Coyle for acting as Chair.

2023 is now underway with the general public still unable to access the Main Collection of over 16,000 books (since late October 2020).

Many, many enquiries and submissions

On the good news front, at the time of print, the Main Collection of books will have been/will be in the final process of being gathered together and stored into two 40’ refurbished shipping containers. Up until this time, the Main Collection has been stored at multiple CLS member and non-member private properties with books stored at one commercial property at Caboolture being the most distant. Having all the Main Collection in one place allows access and sorting of the existing collection plus extra books gathered along the way.

Fundraising:

Samford Valley Community Church will be holding a Car Boot Sale Saturday 18th March. This will be the first major event for the Library for 2023 and money raised will be put towards helping pay for the plans and Private Certifier to complete Council permit requirements.

The Car Boot Sale was a very enjoyable and successful day for the Library last year. On sale this year will be a large selection of Children and Adults Fiction and NonFiction Books, Jigsaw Puzzles, Games and Children’s Toys.

The Library will be holding Trailer Books 4 Sale at the Samford RSL car park the last Saturday of each month starting 26th March. The next major event is the Library crew catering for the Native Plants Qld Annual Sale to be held at the Samford Showgrounds Saturday 1st April.