Sensational Sarina 16

SENSATIONAL CHRISTMAS SHOPPING IN SARINA

Arts And Crafts Centre Turns It On For Mackay Visitors

Helloworld guides Cathy Craig, Kaye Lewis and Susan Clarke at the Sarina Arts and Crafts Centre. Photos: Rhonda Payne

SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORTS LOCAL STUDENTS TO SOAR

Volunteers Helen Stewart and Lilian Brown serving a customer at the Sarina Arts and Crafts Centre

Visitors from the Helloworld day trip look over the displays at the Sarina Arts and Crafts Centre

Christmas shopping was mixed in with a lunch day trip when a group from Helloworld Mackay visited the Sarina Arts and Crafts Centre last week.

The group, led by Cathy Craig, Kaye Lewis and Susan Clarke, were on a Christmas day trip including a tour and morning tea at the Sugar Shed, a stop at the Arts and Craft Centre, followed by lunch at The Palms Restaurant at Sarina Beach.

The talented local crafters at the Sarina Arts and Crafts Centre have put together a wonderful display of their Christmas creations which are going at cheap prices, so the group had plenty to look at. The Sarina Arts and Crafts Centre is a bustling hive of colour and creativity leading up to Christmas. As well as unique ornaments and decorations, there are a myriad of gift ideas, from hand-made wooden toys to last a lifetime to fashion accessories and art, jewellery and household items. Check out the standing Santa’s and colourful stockings, the quirky reindeer or the gorgeous wreaths. The Sarina Arts and Crafts Centre is located at the Field of Dreams.

L-R: Karen May, Chelsea Trusz, Zali Hooper, Charmaine Matsen

The future looks even brighter now for two local Sarina students as Community Bank Sarina Bendigo Bank announced Zali Hooper and Chelsea Trusz as the recipients of the Sarina State High School (SSHS) Senior Schooling Scholarship. Community Bank Sarina Board Deputy Chair Maree Franettovich said the purpose of this community investment was to “provide new opportunities to students that will allow them to focus on their strengths”. “Supporting the next generation and giving them opportunities is what fosters great leaders in our community,” said Ms Franettovich.

“Scholarships are an investment in people, as people are an investment in the future of our communities. Zali Hooper and Chelsea Trusz as the 2023 SSHS Senior Schooling Scholarship recipients.” Scholarship recipient Zali Hooper said she is “very grateful” to have received the scholarship, which will be a great “financial help” throughout the next two years. “The scholarship money will assist in paying for my Certificate lll in Health Support and also go towards a school educational trip to New Zealand,” said Ms Hooper. Scholarship recipient Chelsea Trusz said she couldn’t thank Community Bank Sarina Bendigo Bank “enough for this scholarship, which will be going towards educational trips for Marine Science, along with class textbooks.” Community Bank Sarina Bendigo Bank and Sarina State High School have been partnering since 2017 to bring the scholarship program to senior students.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6pm Sat 8:30am-2pm | Sunday 9am to 1pm

Shop local for all your Christmas gifts this year

DON’T BE RAW AND RISKY IN THE KITCHEN THIS SUMMER

Do you know Campylobacteriosis from Cryptosporidiosis or Salmonellosis from Yersiniosis?

These gastrointestinal diseases can make you seriously unwell and are the most commonly reported foodborne illnesses across the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday regions. Mackay Public Health environmental health team leader Andrew Jones said Food Safety Week last month presented a reminder of safe food practices at home and the importance of reporting and testing to confirm a foodborne illness. “Queenslanders celebrate with food. With the festive season upon us, this is an ideal time for people to brush up on food safety to avoid getting sick,” Mr Jones said. “This year’s theme ‘Food safety – raw and risky’ warns about the risks of eating raw or minimally cooked foods, including meat, poultry, fish, eggs and veggies, which can increase your chance of getting food poisoning and possibly a parasite infection.

“A number of bugs can cause food poisoning, however, the two most common foodborne illnesses are Campylobacter and Salmonella. Both of these can be caused by people either eating food raw or not adequately cooking food,” he said. “Year to date, there have been 286 reported cases of Campylobacter and 165 for Salmonellosis across our health service. Across Australia, food poisoning accounts for an estimated 4 million cases, almost 48,000 hospitalisations and sadly 38 deaths*.”

Knowing how to prepare, cook and handle food properly ensures that food does not become contaminated, and makes sure that harmful organisms are killed, or that their growth is slowed or stopped. “Keep yourself and your family safe by cooking food thoroughly using a digital food thermometer to check the internal temperature on the thickest part of the meat.” he said.

“Contamination can occur when food is handled or processed by people with unclean hands, is processed with equipment that isn’t clean, or is cross contaminated by other food. “Hygiene is important. Thoroughly wash your hands with warm soapy water before handling food and then again at each change of food group. “Swap all used utensils and cutting boards when you change food groups and always wash everything with hot soapy water when you have finished.” Mr Jones said foodborne illnesses vary in severity with people usually experiencing diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps or a fever.

“Most people recover within a few days with rest and fluids but food poisoning can make you seriously ill, and can be fatal in some cases.

“Early intervention helps to identify potential outbreaks and laboratory analysis helps identify the source of infection or contamination which may help prevent further cases of illness.

“If you suspect you have suffered food poisoning, seek medical attention and request a pathology sample to be collected, especially if you experience vomiting or diarrhoea.

“The Queensland Health Food Pantry website is a great resource providing information on food hygiene tips, advice about what to do if you suspect food poisoning and how to report a food safety issue.”

Mackay Public Health environmental health team leader Andrew Jones

GENERAL FOOD SAFETY TIPS:

• thaw food in the refrigerator or microwave • uncooked meats should be kept covered and separated from cooked foods and ready-to-eat foods to avoid cross contamination • do not re‐freeze food once it has been thawed • make sure all food used is fresh and within the use‐by date • cook all meat, chicken and eggs thoroughly • make sure hot foods are hot (above 60°C) • make sure cold foods are cold (below 5°C) • cool left-over food in small containers in the fridge. Food should be cooled from 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours and from 21°C to 5°C within a further 4 hours

THE FUTURE OF SNACK FOOD

GOOD FOR REDUCING YOUR WAIST AND WASTE

Anew healthy vegetable snack, drawing on innovation from Australia’s national science agency CSIRO together with start-up Nutri V, will see food waste reduced and support farmers to be more sustainable.

The product, Nutri V Goodie snacks contains broccoli, pumpkin and cauliflower, which can’t be sold and would otherwise have gone to waste, often as landfill or animal feed.

Raquel Said, CEO of Nutri V, explained that the company was born from a farming business with a passion for innovation and sustainability. “Part of growing veggies can involve ending up with tonnes that don’t meet specification or there’s an oversupply and there’s stalks and leaves, yet it’s all still perfectly nutritious,” Ms Said explained. “We wanted to create a business to upcycle that waste into a sustainable yet delicious solution, which is what we’ve done with the Nutri V vegetable powders, a star ingredient in Nutri V Goodie snacks,” she said.

“We see this as vegetables reimagined, no fork required, and we think it’s the future of helping Australians top up their veggie consumption while supporting farmers to reduce waste.”

The Nutri V Goodies have two serves of vegetables in every pack and are a convenient option for people to increase their intake. They have a higher vegetable content and health star rating than many other snack foods on the market. and Food Dr Michael Robertson said vegetable-rich food innovation such as Nutri V helps farmers add real value to their businesses, while supporting sustainability in the agrifood sector. “With CSIRO’s unique expertise and our world-class food research facilities, we can support the creation of healthy concept products and in the case of Nutri V, developing an innovative scaled process to take it to market,” Dr Robertson said.

“This partnership with a business at the forefront of agricultural production is a terrific example of how research can work with industry for the benefit of Australia.”