Thirsty work november 2013 by DALBY NEWSPAPERS

MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

Issue 30 — November 2013

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Inside this Month Page 3

Meet some of the Basin’s miners

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Special girl offers helpers hugs

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Miles gears up for big race meeting

PINK PIPELINERS: William Maher and Patrick Hynes don pink in the field for charity. Photo Contributed

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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EvENTS

➤ THE BASIN DIARY

Five must-dos this month 1

We thank you WHILE countless naysayers criticise gas and mining companies for taking a lot from our region, it’s tough to ignore just how much the same outfits are pumping back into our communities. The mammoth donations from the industry giants may garner front-page headlines and sound bites but, for me, it’s the way the you – the guys and girls at the coalface - dig deep for the little people that truly silences the critics. Little people like Dalby resident Addi Berderow. The bubbly four-year-old has a rare chromosome disorder and needs a special chair – with an $1800 price tag - to make life a bit simpler for her and her family at meal times. With no government funding available for this particular piece of equipment, Addi’s parents turned to a company heavily invested in the region. Less that 24 hours later, the Murphy Pipe and Civil crews working on the QCLNG trunkline project had thrown the hat around to raise a couple of thousand dollars for Addi’s Koala posture chair. Fortunately for our communities, this story - while incredibly impressive and a credit to the people involved - is no longer a rarity. In the Thirsty Work office, it’s difficult to go more than about 24 hours without getting an email or hearing a whisper about a similar occurrence. More often than not, the money has been raised for complete strangers, with no connections to either the company or the workers putting their hands in their pockets. It might not seem like much, but your overwhelming community spirit is making a hell of a difference to our region. And little people like Addi. On behalf of everyone living in this unique part of the world, thank you. Here’s to thirsty work in the Surat Basin. Cheers Lyndon Keane

The Miners Life Monthly - Thirsty Work is published by the Dalby Newspapers, 119 Cunnningham Street, Dalby Q4405. Phone 4672 5500. Miners Life Monthly - Thirsty Work is printed by APN Print, 50 Industrial Avenue Toowoomba Q4350 (2012) Free publication and is not to be sold. All material published in the Miners Life Monthly - Thirsty Work is subject to copyright provisions. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher. DISCLAIMER: the information contained within Miners Life Monthly - Thirsty Work is given in good faith and obtained from sources believed to be accurate. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher; Dalby Newspapers will not be liable for any opinion or advice contained herein. Page 2.

What: 2013 Roma Cup When: November 16 Where: Bassett Park, Roma Tell me more: www.romaraces.org.au LAST year’s Roma Cup was almost trumped by a spectacular lightning show but it didn’t dampen the atmosphere as thousands of punters converged on south-west Queensland’s premier race meeting. The annual racing extravaganza – which is a televised TAB meeting traditionally kicks off on the Friday night with a Calcutta and continues through into the wee

hours of Sunday morning. Entry starts from $30 per person.

What: Dalby Christmas races When: November 23 Where: Pioneer Park, Dalby Tell me more: Call 0427 637 323 FANCY winning your height in beer cartons? If you are looking for a fun day of racing action in Dalby this month, Pioneer Park is the place to be on November 23. The town’s annual Christmas race meeting will be an eight-race TAB meeting and will feature a full card of entertainment, both on the track of off. In addition, one lucky punter will win their height in beer. Entry costs $10 per person.

What: Moonie yabby races When:

ROMA RACING: If you’re a thoroughbred fan, Bassett Park is the place for you on November 16. - Photo Derek Barry November 30 Where: Moonie Sports Club, Moonie Tell me more: www.moonieyabbiera ces.com.au PROVING Australians will bet on absolutely anything, the sleepy township of Moonie will come

PIGGY PALS: People – and stuffed animals – from all walks of life are expected to flock to the Nindigully Pub on November 30 for the annual pig races. - Photo Lyndon Keane

EDITOR Lyndon Keane - 4672 5523 WRITERS Will Hunter, Lauren Gallagher, Jim Campbell MEDIA SALES CONSULTANTS Lisa Burges, Nicole Boyd-Taylor, Catherine Ryan, Laurell Ison, David Richardson GENERAL MANAGER, SURAT BASIN PUBLICATIONS David Richardson ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES T: (07) 4672 5500 F: (07) 4672 5510 E: advertising@dalbyherald.com.au Dalby Newspapers, PO Box 5, Dalby QLD 4405 WEBSITE Suratbasin.com.au EMAIL thirstywork@suratbasin.com.au

AND THEY'RE OFF: Yabbies will race from their “barriers” in Moonie later this month. - Photo Contributed

alive on November 30 for the eighth running of its iconic yabby races. Entry is $10 per person or $25 per family but remember to take plenty of cash, as there are no EFTPOS facilities in Moonie.

What: Nindigully Pub pig races When: Novem ber 30 Where: Nindigully Pub, Nindigully Tell me more: www.nindigully.com THIS unique event – held at the historic Nindigully Pub on the bank of the Moonie River - has quickly become a mustdo for those eager to experience a one-of-akind fundraiser. The pig races are renowned for being familyfriendly, so the weekend is a fantastic opportunity for fun-loving race fans of all ages.

Shown the ropes

FIND US ON FACEBOOK Like Facebook? Thirsty WorkWork Magazine Thirsty isnow on Facebook! is on Facebook! Like our page to keep up to date with what’s in upcoming issues, competitions and some fun pics!

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Thirsty Work’s editor, Lyndon Keane

What: Melbourne Cup party When: November 5 Where: Chinchilla Club Hotel, Chinchilla Tell me more: Call 07 4669 1100 THE Melbourne Cup is the race that stops the entire nation, including the melon capital. If you can sneak a day off work, the deck at the Chinchilla Club Hotel is tipped to be the place to be to watch the big race, with a buffet lunch and plenty of drinks to get you in the mood. Entry will cost you $35 per person, or $30 per person if you take nine or more friends.

VIP TOUR: Veolia Water's Ben Bowen shows Assistant Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Lisa France and Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney around QGC's Kenya Water Treatment Plant on October 23. - Photo Lyndon Keane

MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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➤ MEET A MINER

PEOPLE LEANNE PRESTWIDGE

IRISH CONNECTION: Civil engineer Patrick Doheny is one of a growing number of Irish professionals working in the Surat Basin. Photo Lyndon Keane

MINER OF THE MONTH: PATRICK DOHENY

Engineer says Basin affords employment opportunities not available in homeland PATRICK Doheny is so fond of Australia that he returned after a brief stint to his native Ireland to undertake a civil engineering degree. While the affable 28year-old resides in the Queensland capital, he has found a permanent professional home in the Surat Basin as part of the team taking the region’s coal seam gas to Curtis Island. The Thirsty Work team caught up with Patrick for a chat about Ireland, seeing Australia and his obsession with the full-contact sport of hurling.

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■ Who are you working for in the Surat Basin? Murphy Pipe and Civil. ■ What’s your official job title and what project

are you involved with? I’m a site engineer. I’m out here working on the trunklines. ■ Where are you from originally? I’m from a place in Ireland called Tipperary. ■ How long have you been living and working in Australia for? I was here for two years, then I went back to Ireland to university. I studied a civil engineering degree at the Limerick Institute of Technology. ■ How are you finding Murphy Pipe and Civil to work for? I worked for them the last time I was out here, actually. They are really good; they look after people. ■ What’s a normal day

in the field like for you? It’s very hard to say; I probably think there’s no such thing as a normal day in this industry. ■ How are you finding working in the Surat Basin? It’s good because it doesn’t seem as remote as some other jobs. You don’t feel as if you’re ever far from civilisation. If I need to go back home (to Brisbane) it’s only ever a couple of hours to get there. I like being out here because I have a lot of friends and family in Australia, there’s heaps of work in the Surat Basin and my brother also works for Murphy Pipe and Civil as a supervisor. ■ How are you finding

the heat compared to the weather you’d be used to in Ireland? I don’t mind the heat now; I’m kind of used to it. It was tough at the start, though. ■ What do you do in your spare time? We do a fair bit of travelling up and down the coast. ■ Thirsty Work hears you are part of the hurling craze taking over the Surat Basin. How do the Australian players on your team measure up? We do a fair bit of hurling, yeah. The Australian guys are actually pretty good. They are very good at catching the ball and seem to use their cricket skills well.

DESPITE getting a late start in the construction industry, one Surat Basin welder is looking at her peers in the rear-vision mirror after claiming a prestigious industry award last month. After a varied career in tourism, retail and hospitality, Leighton Contractors employee Leanne Prestwidge did not pick up the tools until she was 38 but that did not stop her being named the winner of the 2013 Construction Skills Queensland Award for Contribution in Building and Construction Trades at the National Association of Women in Construction Crystal Vision Awards on October 18. Based in Miles, Leanne is one of very few female welders carving out a niche – and a name for herself – in the male-dominated resources sector and quickly progressed through the ranks after obtaining a poly welding ticket and accepting a post-accreditation role as a trade assistant. Leanne said it was “nice to be recognised” by winning the award, adding the she believed it proved the fairer sex could undertake any gas or mining role they wanted. “It shows that having the right attitude, the right work ethic and the right approach are invaluable, and that people will notice,” she said. “I am proof that women really can perform any role they put their mind to and I am

hoping that my example, as demonstrated through the nomination, provides confidence to women that they can succeed in construction. When asked why she loved working in the industry, she named opportunity as one of her key motivators. “The various opportunities available within the industry are exciting,” she explained. “I was able to move from cleaner, to spotter, to trades assistant, to welder within two years.”

WELDING WONDER: Leanne Prestwidge shows off her silverware. - Photo Contributed

SETTING THE BENCHMARK: Leighton Contractors employee Leanne Prestwidge shows why she claimed the Construction Skills Queensland Award for Contribution in Building and Construction Trades last month. - Photo Contributed

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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Addi has hugs for MPC crew

WHEN the crews working on Murphy Pipe and Civil’s trunkline project decide to do something, they don’t do it by halves. Case in point: raising $2000 in a matter of hours to help out a perfect, albeit very special, stranger. Late last month, Tanya Berderow, the mother of the aforementioned stranger, wrote five letters to gas and mining companies, asking for assistance to purchase a special chair that would make life a little bit easier for the family. Of the five companies contacted, only Murphy Pipe and Civil responded with an offer to assist with raising the funds for the much-needed Koala chair for four-year-old Addi. Addi has a rare chromosome disorder – 6Q26-6Q27 – which means she is missing DNA on the tail of her sixth chromosome, a condition that affects her development. The Koala chair will aid mobility and stabilise Addi’s muscle core while seated but, unfortunately, is not eligible for government financial assistance. MPC spokesman Glenn Pfluger said the staff were more than happy to hel-

ponce they had heard Addi’s inspirational story. “When crew members working on our trunklines project heard about Addi’s need for a mobility chair, they were very moved by her story and wanted to lend a helping hand,” he said. “Many of our workers have young families of their own and Addi’s plight immediately struck a chord with them. “The original intention was to run a camp raffle to raise some money and help Addi get her chair, but the guys thought this might take too long and they wanted to get that chair for her as fast as possible. “It didn’t take long either - a quick whip around with the hat raised $2000 in a matter of hours, which was a great result.“ Mr Pfluger said he believed the donation was a reflection on the type of people working for the company. ”We made a firm decision from the outset that we wanted to be very much a part of our host communities and be a company that was always welcome in town,“ he explained. “That means getting

GRATEFUL GIRL: Addi Berderow and her mother, Tanya, are all smiles after the Murphy Pipe and Civil staff donation. - Photo Lyndon Keane involved; whether that’s through joining sporting clubs, being there when natural disasters strike like last year’s fires and floods, or just lending a hand to local people when they need a bit of help. “We know we have a big presence in local towns across the Western Downs, and with that presence comes a very real obligation and responsibility to ensure that we don’t just `fit in’ but actually become a welcome member of the community.” An ecstatic Mrs Berderow said the generosity of

PIPELINE PARTNERSHIP A NEW agreement between two of Australia’s biggest liquefied natural gas players will result in an increase in the efficiency with which Surat Basin gas is transported. Santos GLNG and Australia Pacific LNG announced in a joint statement on October 25 that a gas swap and infrastructure connection agreement had been reached. While the companies said the agreement would “provide flexibility” and allow both to “realise capital and operational efficiencies”, the biggest beneficiary is the environment. The agreement means both companies’ Surat Basin projects will not require any further pipeline infrastructure to transport.

Without the agreement, both projects would need a total of 140 kilometres of additional pipelines and multiple connection points at compressor stations to each deliver its gas to Curtis Island. Two pipeline connection points will be built between Santos GLNG and Australia Pacific LNG infrastructure. The first pipeline connection located on the Santos-operated Fairview gas field, north of Roma, while the second will the Santos GLNG Scotia gas field, east of Roma, to Australia Pacific LNG's main gas transmission pipeline. Santos’ Queensland vice-president, Trevor Brown, said the agreement was “win-win for both projects”.

Hopefully, we can focus on ❝ getting to the point of her Tanya Berderow

feeding herself.

the crews would make a big difference in the life of the bubbly four-year-old. “The fact they’ve gone out of their way to donate for Addi’s chair means I don’t have to find that money,” she told Thirsty Work. “It’s going to take away some of the frustrations we’ve got with meal times (and) hopefully, we can focus on getting to the

point of her feeding herself.” While dollars and cents mean little to Addi, she understands what the Koala chair will mean in her day-to-day life and she smiled when asked what she would like to say to the staff who dug deep. “I want to give them all big cuddle,” Addi said with a giggle and an infectious grin.

➤ COMMUNITY

Push to relight Roma’s spirit THE Western Star, the voice of the Roma community, is hoping gas and mining workers in the Surat Basin remember the true meaning of Christmas next month as the newspaper launches its Gift of Giving campaign. The project aims to assist locals who need “a bit of extra support” over the festive season, especially in light of the devastating drought and floods experienced recently. A spokesperson for the Western Star said community resources had been “exhausted” and urged miners – and the companies they work for – to get involved. “In recent years the lack of true community spirit has become a concern to the long-time locals and to the newcomers,” the spokesperson said. “Let’s try and get it back this year. “This is a fantastic community and I hope people will get involved to help out the people who need a hand.” For more information about getting involved, call Karin-ane King on 07 4622 1411.

Up, up and away in Miles TRAFFIC congestion around Miles is set to decrease after the upgraded Miles Aerodrome was reopened on October 29. After obtaining Civil Aviation Safety Authority approval, Origin – which managed the $20 million facelift on behalf of Australia Pacific LNG – handed control of the facility back to Western Downs Regional Council, paving the way for some of the region’s workers to arrive by air. The official opening will take place in early 2014.

FIRST ARRIVALS: Origin operations workers touch down on the upgraded runway. - Photo Contributed

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY INDUSTRY BRIEFS Last QCLNG module arrives on Curtis Island THE biggest of the 80 modular components for the QCLNG plant has landed on Curtis Island. All of the modules for the two QCLNG production units – known as trains – and for supporting infrastructure have now arrived. The mammoth steel module is 76 metres long – as wide as an Olympic swimming pool and as tall as a sixstorey building. At 1292 tonnes, it is twice the maximum weight of an Airbus A380. Government holds off on Arrow approval A CONTENTIOUS $15 billion gas plant for Curtis Island near Gladstone has been dropped into the toohard basket by the Federal Government for another two months as it considers approval. The coal seam gas plant from Arrow Energy, owned by energy giants Shell and PetroChina, will create 3715 construction jobs and a further 600 once operational. It will convert CSG from pipelines stretching hundreds of kilometres from Curtis Island to both the Bowen Basin in the northwest and to the Surat Basin in the south. Green groups have praised Environment Minister Greg Hunt for the delay, but are still calling on him to reject the project outright. Coal corruption ‘inevitable’, says ICAC THE Independent Commission Against Corruption has launched a scathing attack on the New South Wales coal industry in its latest report.

The report was released late last month and suggests the corrupt issuing of coal licences in the state had been made possible because of policy and regulation flaws. “Within this opaque environment, valuable state assets and rights were transferred to private entities,” the report reads. “It is the Commission's view that, with so many risks and opportunities for corruption, it was almost inevitable that corruption would occur at some point.” More of central Queensland opened up for coal ALMOST 1,300 square kilometres of land in the Bowen Basin have been opened up for coal mining by the Queensland Government. In total, seven parcels of land – around Middlemount, Nebo, Moranbah and Glenden – have been made available. Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps said new tendering processes should expedite the approval process and give smaller explorers the opportunity to make their marks. Santos denies claims contractors used sacred site as toilet SANTOS has hit back at accusations its contractors used a sacred indigenous site near Gladstone as a toilet and rubbish dump. The Port Curtis Coral Coast Native Title Group said the contractors “basically destroyed the site”. A group spokesman slammed the damage as “the ultimate sign of disrespect". Santos said “there is no evidence to support the claim”.

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Staff are pink and proud

ALL ON BOARD: The crew poses for a group shot before the breast cancer awareness fundraising barbecue kicks off. THE coal seam gas fields of the Western Downs were awash with pink last month when hundreds of workers swapped their traditional highvisibility gear in support of breast cancer research. Replacing their yellow personal protective equipment for fluorescent pink alternatives, Murphy Pipe and Civil and QGC crews working on projects across the Surat Basin turned heads and raised more than $30,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation as they got into the spirit of the campaign. Funds were raised via the

workers purchasing the eyecatching PPE, indulging in a few hundred pink cupcakes and auctioning managers as “slaves for a day”. Murphy Pipe and Civil project manager Andy Parker and QGC project construction manager Darren Liptrott graciously offered themselves up and foolishly stated no job was off limits to the raffle winners. The opportunity was too good for Andy’s fellow project manager Ross Miller to pass up and, after injecting “hundreds of dollars”, it was no surprise he claimed one of the sought-after prizes.

BARGAIN BOSSES: Murphy Pipe and Civil project manager Ross Miller (centre) is all smiles after winning the services of fellow project manager Andy Parker (left) and QGC project construction manager Darren Liptrott (right) for the day. Photos Contributed Ross said he planned to make Darren undertake a long list of laborious tasks, including cleaning his vehicle, running errands and polishing the odd dirty boot.

“The only thing better than having Darren at my beck and call all day is that...we have been able to raise plenty of cash for a great cause,” he said with a grin.

QGC puts Kenya on show

BRINE SIGN: The three brine concentrators at the Kenya Water Treatment Plant are difficult to miss. - Photo Lyndon Keane

DEPUTY Premier Jeff Seeney has hailed the official opening of QGC’s Kenya Water Treatment Plant as “a particularly significant day” for coal seam gas mining in the Sunshine State. The facility, about 35 kilometres south-west of Chinchilla, is the most visible sign of the company’s $1 billion investment in water infrastructure in the Surat Basin and has the capacity to treat 92 megalitres ofwater per day at full production. While QGC is keeping the

exact cost of construction to itself, a company source said the plant and its under-construction sister facility – at Woleebee Creek, near Wandoan – represented “a sizeable portion” of the $1 billion. As part of an $800 million, 20-year contract, Veiola Water Australia is operating and maintaining the facility, which transports treated water along a pipeline into the Chinchilla Weir. Several primary producers are also drawing water directly from the pipeline.

Speaking in front of about 100 people at the opening, Mr Seeney spoke passionately and off-the-cuff about what he believed the facility meant for Queensland. Mr Seeney said QGC’s Woleebee Creek Water Treatment Plant near Wandoan would impact his constituents in Callide and that such facilities made it possible for the industry to boom. “I have always acknowledged CSG water as a valuable by-product, not a problem,” he said.

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

THE Surat Basin is set to get hairy this month as Easternwell staff gear up to commit to 30 razor-less days in the name of men’s health. Movember - which is now in its tenth year and aims to raise the profile of specific men’s issues, including prostate cancer and depression - is the latest initiative to be embraced by the Easternwell Workplace Giving Program and will result in numerous team members “going the mo” to raise much-needed funds and drive awareness. Easternwell’s chief operating officer Darren Greer said Movember was a significant – and favourite - event on the company calendar. “Last year, the Easternwell team collectively raised more than $25,000 and finished third out of 130 organisations in Movember’s Mining Challenge,” Mr Greer said proudly. “This year, our employees are aiming to take their fundraising efforts to the next level and again shine a light on men’s health issues.”

Basin workers fail to cash in

ONE devastated gas worker is hoping his tale of financial woe encourages others working in the resources sector to think before they spend. The worker, who spoke to Thirsty Work on the condition of anonymity, said he had spent almost $260,000 on “useless stuff like boats, cars and big nights on the town” since gaining employment in the coal seam gas industry in 2010. Despite having a sixfigure income and his accommodation and meals provided while working, the 27-year-old told Thirsty Work he struggled to make ends meet. “For a young guy, it’s a pretty unrealistic life to be living,” he said. “You’re making huge money and everything seems within arm’s reach as far as buying toys goes. “I reckon in three years, I’ve spent about 260 grand on useless stuff like boats, cars and big nights on the town with the boys.” The worker admitted to indulging in high-end leisure items – including a $55,000 ski boat and a

Miner says ‘toys’ have cost him big during coal seam gas boom

motocross bike he has “ridden a couple of times” – to enjoy during his time off, but said he only realised he was squandering his income three weeks ago. “I was talking to a couple of the boys about money and one had two invest-

ment properties pretty well paid off and thousands of bucks in the bank,” he said. “The other bloke was in the same boat as me, with nothing to show for the work we’re doing. “At the moment, I’m lucky if I’ve got 300 bucks left at

the end of each pay after I’ve given the banks and credit card people their share. “It dawned on me that I’m wasting this chance I’ve got to set myself up for life.” According to BMO financial planning principal

TALKING THE TALK: BMO's Shane Lee says it is important for those working in the resources boom to invest smartly. Photo Contributed

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Working in the basinLIFE

Shane Lee, who counts numerous resources sector workers as clients, the story is not uncommon. “There’s a vast majority doing the right thing (but) a lot aren’t,” he said. “It’s a little bit scary.” Mr Lee said he believed it was easy for workers making high incomes in the gas and mining industries to lose sight of the fact that the boom might end at any time and to plan accordingly. “It’s human nature (that) the more you earn, the more you spend,” he said. “Start the savings habit early. “You will not miss what you haven’t had, so the earlier you start saving and investing, the easier it is.” The worker admitted he had neglected to heed advice from both professionals and family members, and said he hoped his story made others working in the Surat Basin think about their own situations. “It’s pretty tough to admit you’re making incredible money and haven’t saved a cent of it,” he said. “There needs to be more education about it, I think.”

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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TravelLIFE

Oinking great time at ‘Gully PUNTERS looking for a unique race meeting are expected to converge on the Nindigully Pub in swarms on November 30 when the historic watering hole hosts its annual pig races. While the concept might seem foreign to newcomers, the event is a must-do for hundreds of people each

year and is expected to be bigger and better than ever in 2013. Last year, about 600 revellers raised almost $20,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service as they tried to find a winner in the bacon-filled form guide. With a six-race program – featuring eight “thoroughbred racing pigs” –

and plenty of off-track entertainment set to provide a day of family-filled fun, a spokesman for the Nindigully Pub urged people to make a beeline for the tiny south-west Queensland community. “It’s going to be a bloody good weekend and we’re expecting a lot of familiar faces, as well as people

experiencing pig racing for the first time,” the spokesman said. “Last year was a brilliant day and it should be even better this time around. “(In 2012) they drank a pallet of beer in three hours." The Nindigully Pub pig races are an event you will never, ever forget.

HOT TO TROT: The stars of the Nindigully Pub pig races cautiously check out a late entry before the first race in 2012. Photo Lyndon Keane

Nesting a ‘remarkable experience’ Turtles take sandy centre stage

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turtle tour. We were met by passionate and enthusiastic wildlife rangers and volunteers who told us that formalities would be skipped because, luckily, “a lovely lady” has emerged from the Pacific Ocean and was making her way up the windswept beach. Towards the sand dunes, we saw a 95-centimetre loggerhead turtle quietly laying her eggs. To the untrained eye she could have been easy to miss, covered in a camouflage of sand and plant-life, as she delivered her 100150 ping-pong ball-shaped eggs into her nest. Here, in the darkness with only a backdrop of crashing waves, our tour guide ex-

Anna Rodmaker

According to those who have seen it, the spectacle really is something all nature lovers should experience.

CIRCLE OF LIFE: Nature lovers should witness the spectacle that is an egg-laying turtle at least once.

plained the awe-inspiring science behind the annual turtle migration.Female turtles journey for many years to reach their nesting destination and rack up plenty of frequent flyer points along the way; travelling up to 20,000 kilometres and visiting far-flung places like Chile and Peru. Then, almost with the flick of a switch, their internal GPS is activated when they reach sexual maturity and the turtles instinctively return to the very beach that they hatched from some three decades before to lay their eggs. We learnt that the sex of the turtles is entirely determined by the temperature of the nest and that the warmer sands of Mon Repos produce mainly female hatchlings. I felt privileged to be witnessing nature in its purest form. It only took 45 minutes for the loggerhead turtle – that had not nested at Mon Repos since 2004, according to her tracking tag - to finish laying her clutch of eggs. As we walked back along the beach towards the Mon Repos’ Turtle Interpretive Centre, we were furiously looking out at the waves to see if another turtle had begun its laborious journey up the beach. Unfortunately, turtles don’t perform on cue: they simply march up and down the beach to nature’s beat, and for that moment in time, the sand was empty.Between six and eight weeks later, hundreds of baby turtles will emerge from the shells, scuttle across the sand and launch themselves into the great salty unknown, where only one in 1000 will make it to adulthood. According to those who have seen it, the spectacle really is something all nature lovers should experience. If you want to witness a new circle of life beginning, head to Bundaberg in January to watch the hatchlings begin their journey.

MEMORABLE MON REPOS: If you want to see loggerhead turtles hatching, Bundaberg is the place for you. - Photo Contributed

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LIFE’s greatest moments occur at surprising times and I was not expecting a moonlit beach in Bundaberg to deliver one of the most remarkable experiences of my life. We went prepared for the unexpected, wearing comfortable walking shoes and carrying backpacks filled to the brim with insect repellent, water, blankets and food to keep us going until dawn. We’d been warned that turtles don’t always stick to schedule, you see. After a day of exploring Bundaberg’s tourism mustdos, we arrived at Mon Repos beach, the largest loggerhead turtle rookery in the South Pacific, for our guided

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SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

ACROSS: 2 Allusion 6 Lid 7 Hang unlawfully 8 Medical practitioner 10 Pottery oven 13 Touches lightly

FOCUS WORD

An All Australian Word Game

* Each word must contain the centre ‘Focus’ letter and each letter may be used only once * Each word must be four letters or more * Find at least one nine letter word * No swear words * No verb forms or plurals ending in ‘s’ * No proper nouns and no hyphenated words

AnswerHIGH. (highball, highwire, highlight, highway, highland, highbrow, highborn, highchair)

2. What is X? 2322/6, 4126/4, 5628/9, 6846/X

Answer15. Add the first three digits and subtract half the fourth e.g. (2+3+2) - (2/2) = 6

Good: 8 words Very good: 12 words Excellent: 21 words

3. King is to Carrie as Christie is to ?

AnswerThe Mysterious Affair at Styles (First-published novels of best-selling authors).

SUDOKU Crossword Across: 2 reference, 6 cover, 7 lynch, 8 doctor, 10 kiln, 13 dabs, 14 frisks, 16 mango, 17 clear, 18 optimists. Down: 1 decided, 3 furrow, 4 roll, 5 nannies, 9 cabinet, 11 nostril, 12 cracks, 15 form.

KEYNUMBO

deer degree deter dreg edge edger egret erred greed greet greeted greeter reed regret REGRETTED teed teeter terete terret tree treed Focus Word

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4. Can you work out this cracked proverb? Shakespeare explained to Ben Johnson that the old form of the sonnet was laborious because it was hard to ﬁnd the rhymes. “My new type is easier and so I can write more,” he said. “As any good tailor knows a stitch in time saves nine or as I would put it ... AnswerA switch in rhyme saves time.

5. Can you ﬂy through air with the greatest of ease? Change ﬂy to air in six moves (one letter at a time, making a new word each time). AnswerFLY, PLY, PAY, PAR, FAR, FIR, AIR

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Mind Twister 1. What word can be added to these to make eight new words? BALL, WIRE, LIGHT, WAY, LAND, BROW, BORN, CHAIR

TODAYS FOCUS

SOLUTIONS

4 Turn over and over 5 Babysitters 9 Item of furniture 11 Part of nose 12 Fissures 15 Class

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KEYNUMBO

14 Searches (colloq.) 16 Fruit 17 Transparent 18 Positive thinkers DOWN: 1 Made up one’s mind 3 Narrow trench

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Tuesday: Scratch ‘n’ Win Wednesday: 250 Club & Wonder Wheel Thursday: Thirsty Thursday & Raffles Friday: Meat Raffles “No Bull”

Weekly Wine Specials 5028034aj

MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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OuT and abOuT

PRETTY IN PINK: Lynda Burke and Angie Bannister.

Thinking pink CUPCAKES, project manager raffles and electric pink PPE was par for the course when staff from Murphy Pipe and Civil and QGC raised money for breast cancer research recently. Turn to page 5 to see how they managed to collect over $30,000 during the fun-filled day.

GUYS GO PINK: Getting behind the fundraiser are Andru Daryanto, Steve Butler and Guy McHugh. Photos Contributed

BBQ BOYS: Cooking up a storm are Eoghan Deane and Matthew Micallef.

CHINCHILLA CREW: Donning pink for a good cause are Timmy Foley, Mike Mahoney, Chris Keller, Alf Meads, John Ireland, Terry Heenan and Grant Adams.

PINK POWER: Dan Nouwens, Danielle Thallon, April Dean, Carlena Youles, Warrick Leeson and Ross Lang are part of the fundraising effort that raised more than $30,000.

THINKING PINK: Chloe Pett and Taylha Lewis sample the themed cupcakes.

GAL PALS: Getting into the pink spirit are Sarah Smith, Irene Panshin, Kelsey Thomas, Denise O’Connor, Grace Kearney, Claire Murphy and Marie Touhy.

DIG IT

Meet Biggsy and Tiny!

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Let Biggsy the truck driver and her best mate Tiny show you around. She’s a feisty, independent woman making her way in what used to be a man’s world and Tiny is a big, burly shovel operator with a sensitive side. Check out each month as their story unfolds against a backdrop of huge machines and enormous holes in the ground. Comic written and drawn by Ad Long Page 9

MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

Want to see what the locals are up to? Pick up a copy of our area papers

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OuT and abOuT

Good time to help out Greg

Dalby Herald

Every Tuesday & Friday

Lee Campion, Chris Keen and Ross Hennessy gave generously to Karyssa Owers and Zilda Williams as they raise money for the appeal.

The Western Star

Every Tuesday & Friday

Balonne Beacon Every Friday

Mick Newbound, Taryn Hawkfley, Richard Bett, Ross Lang and Jason Phillips.

Chinchilla's most eligible bachelors Michael Iverson, Steel Johnston, Scott Bird and Greg West. Photos: Alasdair Young

Jerry Amato and Angie Bannister brought plenty of workmates from Murphy Pipe and Civil to support the Greg Baker Appeal.

Ozcon plays host to Thirsty Work Chinchilla News Every Thursday

WORKPLACE SMILES: Natalie Chiverton is all smiles as she shows the Thirsty Work team around the flagship Ozcon Industries site in Dalby.

WORKING HARD: Owen Chiverton and Peter Conroy take a quick break for a photo in the Ozcon Industries workshop. Photos Lyndon Keane

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CO-EXISTENCE OF THE MINING AND AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES – IT CAN HAPPEN!

It hasn’t gone unnoQced that approximately 90% of the Fitzroy Basin is prime agricultural land, but at the same Qme is one of the largest coal reserves in Australia. The Bowen and Galilee Basins face the same predicaments; a main driver for the Queensland Government to introduced the Land Access Code (the Code) in 2010. The Code sQpulates the condiQons of entry for the resource sector when entering and working on private properQes. It further sQpulates that everyone who enters a property for resource purposes must be trained in the Code. AUer working closely with both sectors in the negoQaQon of land access, C&R ConsulQng saw a gap in what the Code stated and what was actually understood and adhered to. CommunicaQon between the sectors is essenQal. Landowners need to know when mining personnel are accessing their property and with what Page 10.

equipment. In turn, the landowner needs to advise the resource sector of potenQal hazards including caRle movement, back burning, crop harvesQng or spraying and road use. As a result of this lack of communicaQon, C&R have developed 2 (two) Land Access InducQon Courses (LAIC). The Srst inducQon, Generic Land Access Induc1on, covers the responsibiliQes and personal conduct of resource personnel while carrying out resource works on private land. The second inducQon, Land Access Coordinator Induc1on, focusses on the Land Access Coordinator role within the access stages, explaining liaison processes and personal conduct in more detail among other related aspects. The LAIC has been through mulQple reviews by personnel from the mining industry, agricultural industry and the Queensland Resource Council and will be conducted by qualiSed trainers with pracQcal knowledge and Srst-hand experience of living on the land. Lennon Training is based in Emerald and is able to deliver the courses at a variety of locaQons including onsite if required.

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As a result of the resources boom the issue of the co-existence between the two industries has become increasingly more important and has been an ongoing concern. Recently the Queensland GasFields Commission stressed the need for mining companies to be more mindful of the agricultural industry and its communiQes where percepQons can diﬀer greatly.

MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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OuT and abOuT

Big month for miners in the Basin THERE was plenty on last month to keep the guys and girls at the coalface of the Surat Basin boom busy. Whether it was the opening of QGC’s $15 million office, countless fundraisers for worthwhile community causes or just getting on with the job at hand, miners again played pivotal roles in the towns where the resources sector is booming. Here’s a snapshot of what you’ve been up to in the past 31 days in our very special part of south-west Queensland..

QGC CREW: Enjoying the opening ceremony are Arnold Politch, Steven Daly and Robert Doyle. - Photo Lyndon Keane

PIPE PROFESSIONALISM: Ozcon Industries employee Eric Quevauvilliers prepares to get a last-minute job completed. Photo Lyndon Keane

DALBYGROWTH: Ozcon Industries managing director Kieran Chiverton inspects the site with safety assistant Beth Thorniley. Photo Lyndon Keane

LOVELY LASSES: Santos staff Bec Girle, Jess Pratt and Maxine Thomas put their best feet forward at Bassett Park for ther Caulfield Cup. Photo Contributed

AG MINER: Acland Pastoral Company’s manager, Ben Muirhead. Photo Lyndon Keane

CAUSE TO CELEBRATE: Enjoying the atmosphere at the opening are Shireen Bradford, Lucy Fletcher, Jemima Parish, Hayley Wolski and Ambre Bunch. Photo Lyndon Keane

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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GasGossipLIFE

Gas Gossip blows the whistle on silliness in the Surat Basin

Golfing fun and a big Macca’s run NEVER let it be said that golf-mad resources sector workers will not go to great lengths to bag bragging rights on the green. GG hears that during the recent Chinchilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s President’s Cup golf afternoon, two high-profile faces from a gas company that shall remain nameless had a bit of trouble counting their putts. While the players in question returned impressive scorecards to the clubhouse, a little bird reports that icecold amber fluid might have impaired their mathematical ability. “I reckon for every beer the boys had, their score on each hole went down by a stroke or two,” the little bird told us. Ah, the fun of social golf days. Disappearing act HOW many communication advisers does it take to keep tabs on a journalist? That was the question on everyone’s lips last month when a gas company opened the doors to a major piece of infrastructure in the Surat Basin. With the official ceremony

and media tour complete, it was only when the bus – which was packed with company representatives, political types and enough journalists to start a rugby league team – had left the facility that the absence of a well-known scribe was noticed. GG is pleased to report that, after numerous hurried calls between communication advisers and facility staff, the missing writer was located no worse for wear. It might be time for the company in question to have a counting refresher course for its media types. Parking problems SPEAKING of refresher courses, GG hears that one Surat Basin worker might need a reminder about parking. The worker in question is the proud owner of a top-ofthe-range, V8-powered play thing and was understandably keen to show it off after taking delivery of it early last month. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm clouded his spatial awareness and he parked a company vehicle a little bit too close to his new pride and joy, putting a nice dent

in the fresh paintwork. GG isn’t sure what would hurt more, the insurance claim or the ribbing he undoubtedly received from his colleagues. High-visibility high jinks IT’S refreshing to hear that, despite battling the elements in the field all day, one Surat Basin pipeliner has not lost their mischievous streak. As the story was recounted to GG, the aforementioned worker had arranged to meet a family friend at a Dalby watering hole last week and told said friend that they would be easy to locate because they were wearing “a bright orange work shirt that is impossible to miss”. Apparently, the friend – who apparently had not heard of the resources boom in the region - was not impressed when they walked into the pub to be met by a tsunami of high-visibility workwear. “I told my mate he owed me a beer if he couldn’t find me inside two minutes,” the piperliner told GG wryly. With friends like that, who needs enemies? Late-night munchies

HIGH-VISIBILITY HOPE: It can't be that hard to find a bright orange shirt in the Surat Basin, right? - Photo Contributed WHICH dieting gas worker got sprung by colleagues partaking in a late-night adventure through the McDonald’s drive through on the weekend? As GG hears it, the offender had been bragging to everyone – including his wife – that he was “eating only healthy food” in an attempt to slim up before the birth of child number one next year. Apparently, that was a bit of a pork pie. Unfortunately for the burger-loving gentleman, his story began to unravel when he ran into a couple of workmates in the wee hours of Saturday morning as they got a post-pub feed of the

greasy stuff. “We watched him pull up in the drive through and get handed this huge bloody bag of food,” one of the workmates explained to GG. “The boys yelled at him and teased him a bit through the window, and I reckon he left rubber as he took off

after spotting us.” GG approached the failed dieter to ask what was in the mystery bag and was told he was “just getting a few things for some visitors”. You have to love visitors that drop in after midnight and demand Big Macs and chocolate thickshakes.

TELL US WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND THE TRAPS ■ Have you heard or seen something funny around the Surat Basin you think deserves to be in Gas Gossip? ■ Email the team at thirstywork@suratbasin.com.au or call 07 4672 5500. ■ Names will be removed to protect the innocent, clumsy and stupid.

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BASIN BRAINS

The king of hearts is the only king in a deck of playing cards without a moustache.

10 useless facts you will never need. Unless you need to win a workplace argument or win a pub trivia competition, that is.

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most commonly pinched from public libraries.

Basin brainsLIFE

9 5

The Guinness brewery in Dublin, Ireland, has a 6000-year lease on the property.

The only nation that’s name begins with an “A” but doesn’t end in one is Afghanistan.

The average person spends about two years on the phone in a lifetime.

Apples are more efficient than caffeine in waking you up in the morning.

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

400 McDonald’s Quarter Pounders can be made from one cow

The Michelin man is known as Mr. Bib. His name was Bibendum in the company’s first ads in 1896.

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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BrewviewLIFE

New drop locks up the opposition

FOR this month’s instalment of BrewVIEW, we put the red trunks on an age-old favourite from the Matilda Bay stable, while a newcomer from James Squire donned the gloves in the opposite corner. In all honesty, our intrepid judges – Thirsty Work editor Lyndon Keane, Dalby Herald media sales manager Nicole Boyd-Taylor and beer-loving journalist Will Hunter - weren’t expecting much from the rookie in its maiden bout. That was their first mistake. The latest drop to be released with a James Squire label is the Constable, a 3.4 percent English copper ale which the brewer insists has a “balanced nose of floral, citrus and earthy notes, a firm backbone of crystal and pale malts, and a lingering hop bitterness”. Rob Freshwater, the senior brewer at Malt Shovel Brewery, the outfit responsible for the James Squire range, said the beer was “a flavoursome beverage for all to enjoy” and our judges found it difficult to disagree. While they were unable to size up the beer’s spine or taste its earthy notes, all

THE COMPETITORS The Constable ■ Who makes it? James Squire ■ What sort of drop is it? English copper ale ■ Alcohol content: 3.4% ■ What you’ll pay: We paid $4.10 for a 345ml stubby Judges’ verdict: 3.5/5 Beez Neez ■ Who makes it? Matilda Bay ■ What sort of drop is it? Honey wheat beer ■ Alcohol content: 4.7% ■ What you’ll pay: We paid $4.20 for a 345ml stubby Judges’ verdict: 3/5

three were wearing grins after having their first mouthful of the deep-golden fluid. “It’s not a bad beer,” said Nicole, high praise for a notoriously harsh marker. “I’m actually enjoying it.” The Constable is an easy beer to drink and, with its low alcohol content, is ostensibly something one could sit on all day at a barbecue or nauseating family gathering.

COPPER STOPPER: The Constable is the narrow winner of this month's BrewVIEW. Photo Lyndon Keane Even though its makers tell Thirsty Work the Constable is available on tap, we could not find a single pub in the Surat Basin that offered it in draught form. It might not seem like it, but Beez Neez was launched in 1996, making it a definite veteran in this

battle of the beer. The drop was first created as a Christmas surprise for Maltilda Bay staff and, despite having a pleasant malt palate and obvious honey taste, it was no match for the ice-cold copper. “I feel as though the other has more flavour,” Will sug-

gested. “There’s too much honey for me,” Lyndon offered. Honey wheat beer is not everyone’s cup of tea and the 4.7% contender was easily the heavyweight, smoking its opponent in the alcohol stakes. That said, Beez Neez is a

bloody easy beer to drink and those who like it generally become long-term converts to the label. At the end of the November BrewVIEW bout, it was a close decision, with the Constable pipping its aging foe by the narrowest of margins.

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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Easy eatingLIFE

Secret recipe of classic curry A red-hot family favourite Billy Law, Malaysian Kitchen Ambassador ALMOST every Nyonya household has its own version of this classic curry dish, often a closely guarded secret recipe that is not easily pried out of elderly relatives. My family has our own version too; which is on the hotter side with a hint of sourness from the tamarind paste. My mum always prepared a big pot of this dish for special occasions like Lunar New Year or birthdays, and usually there would be none left by the end of the parties except for a pool of curry sauce. That’s why you need to be sure to make extra roti jala to mop up the addictive saucy goodness.

CHICKEN CURRY KAPITAN Preparation Time: 30 mins Cooking Time: 60 mins Serves: 4 INGREDIENTS: 1 (1.2kg) whole free-range chicken, jointed 1 onion, diced 1 cup coconut cream

1 tbsp tamarind paste, mixed in ½ cup water 2 stalks curry leaves 2 tbsp sugar 2 tsp salt 1 ⁄3 cup vegetable oil Rempah (spice paste) 20g belacan (dried shrimp paste) 10g dried red chillies (use less or seeded chillies if you don’t like it too hot), soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, then drained 5 large fresh red chillies, seeded 10g candlenuts 5 garlic cloves, peeled 100g French shallots (about 10–12), peeled 15g fresh turmeric, peeled (or 1 tbsp ground turmeric) 5g galangal, peeled 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

Add rempah paste and keep stirring for about 10 minutes until the paste thickens, darkens in colour and the oil begins to separate from the mixture. Add chicken pieces and stir-fry for one minute. Add coconut milk, tamarind water, curry leaves, salt and sugar. Give it a quick stir, turn the heat down low, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked and tender, about 45 minutes. Serve with roti jala or roti canai.

METHOD: To make the rempah, blend the rempah ingredients until you achieve a fine paste. Heat oil in a wok, to a medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent.

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CURRY HOTSPOT: The Surat Basin is full of good places for Indian fans to grab a cracking curry. Photo Lyndon Keane

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Lyndon Keane AS A self-confessed curry tragic, I was pleased to discover several quality Indian restaurants had popped up across the Surat Basin since my departure seven months ago. It wasn’t long ago that I – and countless scores like me – remember having to travel to Toowoomba, Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast to grab an eye-watering

vindaloo or a mouth-watering palak paneer. Thankfully, the Surat Basin resources boom had bought with it more than just high-visibility shirts and economic prosperity: it has also created a demand for cuisines relatively new to south-west Queensland. With the exception of the recently-opened Marinate in Dalby, I’ve eaten at the Surat Basin’s other curry

huts and can honestly say that I have never had a bad meal at any of them. In my opinion, the Surat Basin is home to some cracking Indian restaurants in which warm, gracious hosts offer authentic food. If you are yet to experience a rogan josh in Roma or a tikka masala in Chinchilla, do yourself a favour and expand your palate tonight.

Helping tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s champions find inspiration today

Brisbane Bronco Corey Parker holds a very important session of the Arrow Broncos Book Club with Ty and Ciara at Kogan State School.

When the Brisbane Broncos and Arrow Energy bus rolls into town, you can bet excitement is running pretty high. Bringing Queenslandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite footy players to regional and remote towns is a powerful way we connect with the communities where we live and do business. Corey Parker and his teammates Matt Gillett and Jordan Kahu recently spent time with the kids in Surat Basin schools, encouraging them to be healthy, be active and, in their own way, be a champion every day. Even better, schools in Dalby, Kogan, Warra and other Surat towns participated in the Arrow Broncos Book Club where kids read with their idols. Being a champion with the Broncos is just another way the benefits flow both ways.

To find out more, visit arrowenergy.com.au

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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MotoringSPORT

NEW ARRIVALS

STAR’S CARS Kym Johnson

Evoking the daggy ’80s S

HE can produce a mean foxtrot or a paso doble, but it seems Dancing With The Stars judge Kym Johnson looks equally as good on the road. What was your first car? My first car I bought for $900. It was a Honda Civic, one of the old ones that looked like an egg and I put black and white cow seat covers on it. I don’t know what I was thinking. I had to pull the choke out on early mornings. But when I sold it I made a profit on it. I sold it for like $1100. I actually made money on my first car. What are you driving now, and what do you love and hate about it? I have the white Range Rover Evoke and I love it. I love being up high. I used to drive a Lexus convertible, I loved it because it was like a panther and it had a V8 engine. It was my dream car to get and in the States it was so much cheaper. But it was so low and it had so many blind spots that I was nervous on the freeways in LA. I wanted a bigger car but the Evoke is still compact so I don’t feel like I need three kids in the back and a dog. So it’s compact and zippy but

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Who: Kym Johnson. Born: August 4, 1976. Resume: The professional ballroom dancer first hit the floor as a three-year-old, and since she stopped dancing professionally has hit stardom in Australian and the US. See her: On Channel Seven’s Dancing With The Stars, Tuesdays at 7.30pm. in a four-wheel drive and they’ve got massive side mirrors. What cars did your family have while you were growing up? My mum always had Toyotas. I think she had a Toyota Corolla. She also used to have a little Sigma and when I used to go to the dance eisteddfods. I had a little baby grand piano as a prop and we used to strap that to the top of the Sigma and drive off. What is your greatest frustration on the road? Road rage first of all is unacceptable, and beeping

BMW X5.

RANGIE GAL: Dancing With The Stars judge Kym Johnson drives a Range Rover Evoke. unnecessarily. Say you’re just a little bit slow to take off and someone’s already beeping. I hate that. If I see someone with road rage I’ll point my finger at them and be like “road rage, not good”. But I don’t do that in the States. I find the best drivers are in London. They’re courteous and polite. They’re quick but they’re considerate. Do you have any preferred driving music? I listen to everything; I’m so eclectic with my tastes. When I’m going on a long drive I like to list to Frank Sinatra and that big band stuff. I’m a little bit daggy. I do like a bit of ’80s. I’ll listen to the daggiest, old-school channel. In LA it’s the old-school classics like Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson.

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If you were to pick anyone in the world to go on a road trip, who would it be? I’d love to do an Aussie road trip to go into the Outback. Probably an interesting man I could talk to, maybe an older man like Mark Bouris. I could learn a lot from him and he wouldn’t be too bad to look like either. When I did Celebrity Apprentice I’d just sit and look at him and go “you are so handsome”. What is your dream car? I would love to have an old-school Mercedes. One of the Grace Kelly kinds – a white one with red leather seats and I’d call it Ruby Lou. It would be quite expensive with parts so it would be a luxury to have but it would be so cute. It would be very Hollywood.

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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MotoringSPORT

GXL-R the best of both 4WD worlds

Triton flagship a true Toyota alternative IN 2013, there is a definite turning of the motoring tide in south-west Queensland. For as long as I can remember, the Surat Basin has been a two-horse universe: either you were a Toyota lover or you were a Nissan aficionado. Until last weekend, I’d never driven the flagship of the Mitsubishi Triton stable, the GXL-R, but after spending more than a dozen hours and 642 kilometres in the pilot’s seat, I can quite confidently state that there is a new pony in town. There is no denying that the dual-cab four-wheel drive is attracting interest across Australia, especially in rural areas where its five seats, tray capacity and off-road ability make it a genuine alternative to the traditional family sedan. For those wanting the best of both worlds – a vehicle that performs well on the black top, whether carting tools to a job site or dropping

the kids off to school, and in the dirt – the Triton GXL-R is certainly appealing. The 2.5-litre diesel donk puts out a maximum of 131 kilowatts, trumping the Toyota Hilux SR5 equivalent, which delivers 126kW from its 3.0L power plant. It might not sound like a lot of power but the GXL-R has more than enough grunt to cruise on the open road and overtake the odd Btriple or convoy of grey nomads. The five-speed, automatic transmission is tolerable but it does struggle on trying inclines, especially in builtup areas. From a comfort perspective, the GXL-R offers a pleasant ride, although there is quite a bit of pitch and body roll at speed. One thing I did like about the GXL-R was how accessible and easy its interior controls were to conquer, a testament to Mitsubishi aiming it at tradespeople

FAST ROAD TEST FACTS ■ What: Mitsubishi Triton GXL-R ■ How much: RRP $51,240, drive away ■ Where: Len Patti Mitsubishi Dalby 07 4662 3122 who just want to get on with the job. In a nutshell, I was incredibly impressed with the GXL-R, especially given its affordability when compared

to its Toyota and Nissan counterparts. If you are contemplating a dual-cab, factor a test drive in the GXL-R into your decision-making process.

MANAGEABLE MITSUBISHI: The Triton GXL-R control room is user-friendly and designed to make life easy for its owner. Photo Lyndon Keane

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY RACE RESULTS Results from Santos GLNG Caulfield Cup Bassett Park, Roma (October 19, 2013) Race 1 (Fairview QTIS Maiden Plate) 1 Platters, 2 Captain Spur, 3 Spirit Beat Race 2 (Scotia Class 3 Plate) 1 Brady’n’Me, 2 Plum Bob, 3 Baracca Race 3 (Pleasant Hills Class 1 Handicap) 1 Zipolite (NZ), 2 My Monica, 3 Devil’s Halo Race 4 (Santos GLNG Open Handicap) 1 Jack’n’Me, 2 Shakes, 3 Pure Sunset Race 5 (Waddybrae Benchmark 60 Handicap) 1 Oh So Close, 2 Quechua, 3 Angel From Above

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RacingSPORT

Santos opens gates for free

Big crowd for Roma races

WINNING WAYS: Santos GLNG's Sam Klass (left) congratulates connections of Jack'n'Me after the gelding won the feature event, the Santos GLNG Open Handicap. - Photo Contributed

RACE CHAT: David Lobb from Santos GLNG chats with landholders John and Trish Rowbotham. - Photo Contributed

MORE than 400 people donned their racing best and converged on Roma’s Bassett Park to celebrate the Santos GLNG Caulfield Cup on October 19. In a show of community generosity, Santos GLNG provided free entry to the race meeting, a decision that proved popular as the carnival-like atmosphere grew. Before the barriers flew open, the gas giant hosted a luncheon for local landholders and proved it had touch of trackside couture by sponsoring the Fashions on the Field competition. Event judge Bronwyn Sheehan had her work cut out for her as fashionable fillies and dapper gents strutted their stuff on the

main stage but when the dust settled, it was Serena Gane and Tamblyn Neithe who were crowned as the female and male winners respectively. On the track, the feature race was the fourth, the Santos GLNG Open Handicap and it was Jack’n’Me, piloted by jockey Lyall Appo, that claimed the $6500 winner’s purse. The Mark Goodwin-trained gelding jumped from barrier two as the $2.50 race favourite and managed to secure a thrilling victory by a nose ahead of the in-form Shakes, trained by St George favourite Pat Webster and ridden by experienced hoop Gary Geran.

CLASSY CREW: Finalists in the best-dressed male category strut their stuff. - Photo Contributed

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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FishingSPORT

➤ FISHING

Whoppers still biting in the Basin

The local fishing still going great guns. Heaps of golden perch are being caught on the troll and cast. Still a few cod getting about, but they have slowed down as it is getting warmer. Smak brolgas have been the best hard body this week and Gidgee lures in the Fatty Jnr have been good as well. Fish should start hitting spinnerbaits soon enough. Coolmunda Dam Golden perch are biting on trolled lures around the dam edges and cod on jackalls and spinner baits close to the timber and the rock wall. Somerset Dam Bass have been the main species caught and the best technique has been fast retrieving plastics, blades and mask vibes to the suspended fish and slow rolled soft plastics worked along the bottom.Bay 13 and Pelican Point have been the most productive. Boondooma Dam Spinnerbaits, blades and Jackall lures rolled off the edge are working the best at the moment. Plenty of fish are being caught in the upper reaches of the timber, with some fish getting up around the 50 centimetreplus mark. Cressbrook Dam Bass can be located with sounder on soft plastics and small vibes throughout the dam and golden perch on trolled bait around the points. Bjelke-Petersen Dam Heaps of bass and golden perch on Smak spinnerbaits and Smak ice jigs in the timbered areas of the dam. Spinnerbaits slow rolled back from the edge worked best. Plenty of really

WHAT A WHOPPER: While we didn't catch their last names, we couldn't help but be impressed by Steve and Manu's 28pound Murray cod. Photo Contributed and Susan Rivers and barnice golden perch are being ramundi, mangrove jack, caught on bait. tarpon, flathead, whiting Coastal and grunter bream in the Mack and a few longtail Burrum River. tuna have been caught Offshore between Moon Point and Snapper, pearl perch, Rooneys, school mackerel amberjack, tuskfish and in Platypus Bay and on the hussar are being caught on Burrum Eight Mile Cobia the Barwon Banks, and have been bagged on the reefs off the northern end of northern bluefin tuna and cod on North Reef, out from Fraser Island, flathead at Noosa. Snapper, pearl the mouth of the creeks on perch and tuskfish are biting the western side of Fraser on the 36S, east of the Island, sand whiting in SanCONDAMINE CATCH: Digby Spies shows off a 10-pound specimen he snared in the Condamine River. Photo Contributed Tweed. dy Straits and along the Tip for the month: Fish beaches from Burrum close to structure. Heads to Urangan, flathead Fish love the comfort of and school mackerel off the hiding behind a big lay Urangan Jetty, threadfin down log or big boulder salmon at River Heads, under the water. barramundi, grunter bream and flathead in the Mary

SHOW US YOUR CATCH AND WIN! If you’ve bagged a whopper that didn’t get away, we want to see it. Better still, if your fish wins our Catch of the Month competition, you’ll win a Nikon Coolpix compact camera to capture all those unforgettable fishing moments. SMS your photo to 0419 891 666 or email it to thirstywork@suratbasin.com.au, but remember to include your full name, where you hooked up and how big your catch was.

FINAL ROUND

ROUND 6

TOOWOOMBA, QLD

SATURDAY 16th NOVEMBER 2013

Toowoomba T mba Showgrounds, Sh ds, Gl Glenvale ale Road R d Toowoomba T mba Queensland Purchase tickets now :

Derek Hirning shows the young fishos how it’s done with a golden perch. Photo Contributed

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MINERSLIFEMONTHLY SPORTS BRIEFS SBW wants Olympic gold SONNY Bill Williams has a lot of goals still left to achieve in his grand plan and has confirmed one of them is to win gold in rugby sevens at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The 28-year-old is presently in France helping the Kiwis in their attempt to defend the World Cup title they won in 2008. If New Zealand are successful again, he would become the first cross-code athlete to win both the rugby and rugby league World Cups. He also hopes to go back-to-back with the Roosters in the NRL next season before helping the All Blacks retain the World Cup in 2015 and then winning Olympic gold. "It sounds a lot, bro, but that’s exactly what I’d love to do," Williams told the Guardian. “There’s a lot of hard work and stiff competition ahead. “But it’s good to be honest and put it all out there as to what I want to achieve. “It’s going to be intense - but I’m ready for everything." 2014 AFL draw released SIX Sunday night games, more Thursday night games, three Anzac Day games and the first match for premiership points in Alice Springs are all part of a revamped draw for season 2014 released last week. While Collingwood will take on beaten grand finalists Fremantle in the season opener at Etihad Stadium on Friday, March 14, the key date for countless fans is Friday, May 8. That’s when Sydney’s ‘$10 million man’, former Hawthorn superstar Buddy Franklin, will play against his old club for the first time, in a potential blockbuster at ANZ Stadium. Ban slapped on Aussie football official AN UNNAMED Australian football official and four English players have been banned from the game globally until further notice by governing body FIFA. The bans have resulted from an investigation into match-fixing by Football Federation Australia which saw the individuals outed from the game in Australia. FIFA said the blanket international bans would only be lifted once the individuals had been convicted in court and the FFA adapted its own sanctions as a result, or if they were acquitted or had their charges dropped. The players are from the Southern Stars team in the Victorian state competition. Teenage hockey star shines on ice AUSSIE teenager Nathan Walker has scored his first goal in the American Hockey League, finding the net to help the Hershey Bears secure a 4-2 win against the Norfolk Admirals. The 19-year-old from Sydney is the first Australian to play in the AHL, which is a level down from the prestigious NHL. The Bears are a feeder club for the Washington Capitals. Walker spent six years playing in the Czech Republic. Lithgow axe champ fells woody rivals LOCAL axeman Brad De Losa has cut down 120 rivals in the German city of Stuttgart to be crowned the 2013 world woodchopping champion. The 34-year-old from Lithgow is a five-time Australian champion and had finished second in the world championship in 2009. He won three of the six disciplines to win the title just two days after helping Australia finish third in the international teams relay. McIlroy topples Tiger for first 2013 victory FORMER golf world No.1 Rory McIlroy has won for the first time this year after beating present No.1, Tiger Woods, in an 18-hole exhibition match in China. The Northern Irishman shot a six-under par 67 to beat Woods by one-shot at Mission Hills. It is the second time that McIlroy has edged out the American superstar in the made-for-TV event, having also won by the narrowest of margins – a single shot - at Jinsha Lake last year. Page 22.

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SPORT

Garden City spectacular to end supercross season

SUPER ENTERTAINMENT: Surat Basin supercross fans are expected to flock to the Toowoomba on November 16. - Photo Contributed THE Toowoomba Showgrounds is poised to come alive this month when the most closely-fought Australian Supercross Championships in recent memory concludes on November 16. The round has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster and hundreds of Surat Basin supercross fans are expected to make the pilgrimage to the Garden City to watch riders battle for championship supremacy. Sparks will fly in the coveted Pro Open division as the country’s favourite supercross si-

Toowoomba set for a big night of SX racing blings, twins Matt and Jake Moss, go head-to-head with each other and American riders Josh Hill and Weston Peick for the chequered flag. With the final round looming, just seven points separate the top three riders. In the Pro Lites class, defending champion Gavin Faith holds a five-point lead over

Luke Styke. The rivals have traded blows, round-by-round, for the top step of the dais, with the pair exploding off the start gates in Mount Gambier on equal points. When the dust settled, Faith made an uncharacteristic error on the final lap of the 15-lap final, handing the champion-

ship points to an ecstatic Styke. Faith came out firing in the next round at Phillip Island to secure bragging rights and set up a battle royale in Toowoomba next weekend. A spokesperson for the event urged those in the Surat Basin looking for a red-hot night of supercross action to “get trackside in Toowoomba”. “It’s going to be a big night and we hope to see a noisy crowd cheering,” the spokesperson said. Gates open at 3pm and racing starts at 6.30pm.

Basin gets a little bit Irish THE thrilling, full-contact sport of hurling is going from strength to strength in the Surat Basin, thanks to an influx of Irish gas and mining workers living in the region. At a cursory glance, the game – which is believed to

have been played for more than 3000 years – resembles field hockey but the similarities cease at the stick and ball used to play. In hurling, players used a wooden stick – called a hurley – to hit a small ball between

their opponents’ goalposts. If the ball goes over the crossbar, one point is scored, but if a player manages to fire a rocketed shot under the crossbar, past a goalkeeper and into the net, a goal – equivalent to three points – is

scored. More than 200 vocal, passionate supporters took to Bulldog Park in Chinchilla late last month for the latest hurling clash in the region, with the Murphy Pipe and Civil Gathering outfit toppling a fullstrength Wandoan outfit 40-13. The thumping victory set the Gathering up for a showdown against the MPC Trunklines line-up on November 3 in Dalby and event organiser Shane Walsh said he believed the game opened the eyes of a few Chinchilla locals. “The game was extremely competitive,” he said. Results of the grand final were not available when Thirsty Work went to press.

❝

Organiser Shane Walsh

It always starts out as a bit of fun. KING HIT: Captain Gearoid Keogh takes aim in Chinchilla. Photo Emma Heron

MINERSLIFEMONTHLY

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What’s this all about, then?

The draw for next year’s Auckland Nines was made late last week but no one really knew what to make of it all. The nines will be a feature of the NRL season for at least the next five years, with the inaugural Auckland event taking place at Eden Park on February 15 and 16. Auckland mayor Len Brown and Knights secondrower Willie Mason made the draw, with the Warriors the first ball pulled out of the box. "Hopefully it’s a good omen," Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said. "First out and first place." No one, however, really knows. It’s dangerous to assume regular-season form will equate to success in the nines, which will be a different sort of game. It could suit teams with fast backs and skilful and mobile forwards but it could depend on who is available and how seriously coaches

ney on offer, which is more than for the NRL premiership, should provide plenty of motivation for players ahead of the regular rugby leage season.

The winning club receives $500,000. "It’s hard to make a lot out of it," Mason said. "Nobody has played nines before. I think we can field a very

strong side with our backline. We scored the most tries out of any NRL team this year so we can definitely find that line plus we have some really mobile forwards

Players will be tested in Auckland with new-format rugby league competition

Willie Mason

It’s hard to make a lot out of it.

COMPETITION CONFUSION: Newcastle Knights star Willie Mason says it is tough to make anything of the new nines competition at this stage. – Photo Contributed

Miles set to race

GO YOU GOOD THING: Miles will come alive on November 23 for a full day of racing. THE small south-west Queensland town of Miles is poised to be invaded by horse racing fans when it hosts a full day of on-track action on November 23. In a month jam-packed with thoroughbred excitement, Miles and District Amateur Picnic Race Club will welcome racegoers to Ooralea Racecourse with a full program guaranteed to whet the whistle of even the most avid punter. After dust settles at Bassett Park after the running of the 2013 Roma Cup on November 16, miners are being urged to turn out in force in Miles to soak up the second-tonone atmosphere that country racing exudes. A club spokesperson said it was shaping up as a big day in the town. “It looks like it is going to be really well supported,” the spokesperson told Thirsty Work. “We’ll get a lot of locals but we want as many gas workers and miners as possible to attend, so we can show them what racing in Miles is all about.”

who work hard and we have Wayne Bennett as a coach. But that doesn’t matter. "Just because Wayne is the best 13-man coach in history, doesn’t mean he’s the best nines coach. It’s new to him as well. I would hate to be a coach trying to figure this sort of stuff out." Scurrah said it would be up to coach Matt Elliott who would play for the Warriors but he expected them to field a strong side because they needed to as hosts. For the record, the Warriors were drawn in the same pool as the Raiders, Cowboys and Sea Eagles, who were beaten NRL finalists. The top two from each pool progress to the quarterfinals. Draw for the 2014 NRL Auckland Nines Eden Park, Auckland, on February 15-16 Yellow pool Warriors, Raiders, Sea Eagles, Cowboys Green pool Roosters, Eels, Broncos, Bulldogs Blue pool Sharks, Knights, Tigers, Titans Red pool Storm, Panthers, Rabbitohs, Dragons

IN BRIEF KIWI batsman Kane Williamson will not take any further part in the New Zealand tour of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka after fracturing his left thumb last week. Williamson was struck on the thumb while fielding in the 35th over of New Zealand’s 43-run ODI loss against Bangladesh in Dhaka. His left thumb was dislocated and after hospital treatment, an x-ray confirmed the fracture. "This kind of injury unfortunately means Kane cannot take part in the rest of the tour and he’ll return to New Zealand to begin his rehabilitation,” team physiotherapist Paul Close said. Luke Ronchi will travel to the subcontinent to replace Williamson.

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Bundaberg Turtle Season Experience first hand a majestic marine turtle coming ashore on Mon Repos beach continuing the survival of its species. Words can’t describe the feeling you get from witnessing this natural wonder, but it’s something everyone should see in their lifetime. Mon Repos is home to the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on the eastern Australian mainland and the best place to experience this great moment in nature. Just 15km east of Bundaberg (and just 4 short hours from Brisbane), come see why the Southern Great Barrier Reef is where great begins. From November to January, you’ll be able to watch nesting turtles and between January and late March hatchlings can be seen scurrying headlong towards the freedom of the ocean. Don’t miss this event right on your doorstep. Admission for an adult from only $10.90, bookings essential.

During November and December, guided by rangers you can witness the most majestic of moments when the mother turtles come to the Mon Repos beach to lay her eggs. To be part of the nesting season and to connect with mother nature is a moment that will stay with you forever. Bookings are essential.

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