Long tedious grant applications – a thing of the past

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Water Monitoring with the Friends of Moore River Estuary.

Long tedious grant applications may be a thing of the past – as a new quick and simple approach has proved successful for five community groups in the NACC NRM Region to obtain funding for small coastal projects.

Dune restoration and protection at Coronation Beach and Glenfield Beach; revegetation at Jacques Point and the Lancelin foreshore; and water quality monitoring at the Moore River Estuary; are just a few of the projects that were funded through the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council’s easy to apply Coastal Quick Step grants program last year.

The grant program has been designed exclusively to service community groups for small one-off projects, up to $2,000, that can be completed in a short timeframe.

NACC Coastal and Marine Project Officer Hamish Longbottom said “The grants are designed to be easy for groups to quickly turn good ideas into reality. It’s amazing what a difference these relatively smaller projects are having in our coastal communities.”

The Coastal Quick Step grants are a part of NACC’s Coastal Community Grants program which will be opening in mid-July providing up to $10,000 for larger projects aimed at improving the management of our region’s unique coastal environment.

“We are looking forward to seeing more of these kinds of projects that contribute towards the successful protection and management of our coastline,” said NACC Coastal and Marine Project Officer Vanessa McGuiness.

For more information on the NACC’s Coastal and Marine Program, and opportunities to apply for the grants, please contact Vanessa McGuiness at Vanessa.McGuiness@nacc.com.au or on 9938 0108.

The grants programs are supported by NACC, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme. 

Revegetation of the coastal dunes undertaken by the Kalbarri Boardriders and local volunteers at Jacques Point.

Funds for Beresford Foreshore erosion works

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Works to address erosion of Beresford Foreshore in Geraldton are part of a $23.1 million project announced today.

Nationals WA Member of Parliament and candidate for the seat of Geraldton, Paul Brown MP, said this project is vital to protect an important part of our community and is supported by $17.28 million from the Royalties for Regions program, and would address an ongoing and expensive erosion problem along the Beresford Foreshore.

“The Beresford Foreshore, along with St George’s Beach, Sunset Beach and Drummonds Cove, all located north of the Geraldton port, have all been severely impacted by coastal erosion in recent years,” Mr. Brown said.

“Works will soon begin on the Beresford Foreshore to address the threat to the sensitive coastal environment and critical public and private infrastructure including a protective breakwater extension and an extension to the existing groyne.”

Also speaking at the event on behalf of the Minister for Transport Dean Nalder MLA was his Parliamentary Secretary, the Hon Jim Chown MLC.

“I have actively been lobbying for a state government solution for the Beresford foreshore and it is pleasing to see the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister for Transport acknowledge the role that the Geraldton Port and its infrastructure have played in hastening coastal erosion in the City,” Mr Brown said.

The Beresford Foreshore project will involve off-shore works to mitigate erosion including a protective 100m breakwater extension to the detached breakwater, an extension to the existing groyne and three retaining structures.

“This project is the outcome of multiple coastal engineering investigations based on extensive wave, current and sediment flow data gathered over a decade,” Mr. Brown said.

“The detailed sand nourishment and protection structure designs have been heavily scrutinised and peer reviewed by national and international experts.”

Mr. Brown said the project will reactivate and revitalise the Beresford shoreline making it a more attractive and versatile public space for locals and visitors alike

The project will be managed by the City of Greater Geraldton and is expected to be completed in 2018. 

Mayor Shane Van Styn, Ian Blayney MLA, Paul Brown MP and Minister Terry Redman MLA.

Letter to Editor: Thank you for your honesty

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Last weekend Saturday I bought some clothing from Best and Less to enter my son into the Funrun over the weekend.

Somehow, don't know how, it got misplaced. But this morning (July 6) I got a phone call to say someone dropped it back into B&L.

I would like to say Thank You for being honest and returning back to the shop. My son was happy to have the bag of clothes back.

- Keisha

Ian Blayney calls on the State Government for Coastal Erosion Assistance

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Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney has called on the State Government to offer financial assistance to protect Geraldton from the impacts of coastal erosion at Beresford Foreshore and Drummond Cove, two sites of immediate concern.

During a Grievance to the Minister for Transport, Mr Blayney outlined the damage to property that had occurred to date and the vulnerability of millions of dollars of both State and Local Government infrastructure.

“I have contacted 560 households at Drummond Cove to gauge local feeling on this issue,” said Mr Blayney.

“From the responses I’ve received so far, about 68 per cent of the residents are in favour of preserving the current coastline, while 22 per cent consider retreat a more sustainable option.

“In relation to Whitehill Road 89 per cent of the residents wish to retain a road in a similar position.

“Assets at risk along this stretch of coastline include a high voltage electrical cable, a telecommunications cable and sewerage infrastructure. If the coastal erosion extends further inland beyond the tree line, there is significant risk to residential housing,” said Mr Blayney.

The Minister responded that the Department of Transport had been closely involved in the development of a solution for Beresford Foreshore and the Government was in the final stages of considering a long term solution to an ongoing and permanent erosion problem that threatens critical infrastructure and liveability along the priority Beresford coast.

He also thanked the Member for Geraldton for raising the issues with him on behalf of the people of Geraldton, and he looks forward to working with Mr Blayney to find a long term solution for the community.

Geraldton Universities Centre unveils Birndu Nyina Garden in honour of Aboriginal graduates and award winning students.

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Geraldton Universities Centre will this week unveil the Birndu Nyina Garden with a NAIDOC Week morning tea on Friday 8 July, from 10.30am-12noon. 

Birndu Nyina means to sit quietly in Wajarri language, with the extended title; Birndu nyinamanha, nganggun-nganggunmanha meaning to sit quietly thinking, to ponder. 

Overlooking Geraldton CBD, the secluded native garden is a commemorative and meeting space celebrating the achievements and contributions of Aboriginal students who have graduated in Geraldton and those that have been awarded scholarships through organisations supporting the Hollomby Foundation. 

Featuring a central sitting place where a native tree will grow - shading the area - will be plaques of the names of alumni Aboriginal students, supporting organisations and the scholarship recipients. 

“Building aspiration and increasing the numbers of Aboriginal students at GUC to reflect the percentage of Aboriginal people in our wider population is a key aim at GUC. This garden will be a special place for students to come and relax and take in the beautiful surrounds, but also a place to recognise the wonderful achievements of Aboriginal students who have graduated out of programs here” GUC Chair Steve Douglas said. 

To date there have been 14 Aboriginal graduates in programs such as Nursing, Social Science, Indigenous Sector Management, Business Accounting, Early Childhood and Primary Education. Over the last 4 years 9 Aboriginal students have been awarded scholarship through the Hollomby Foundation, including recent recipient, Dainira Papertalk, who was awarded the inaugural Ku’Arlu Nursing scholarship and industry placement at the St John of God Hospital Geraldton, as well as the Yanburi scholarship through Sinosteel Midwest Corporation. 

Bundiyarra Aboriginal Community Aboriginal Corporation is an integral long-term donor through the Hollomby Foundation and has supported scholarships for Aboriginal students, with the current recipient in 2016 being Rianna Pension. 

Currently, 18 Aboriginal students are enrolled in programs at GUC across all the programs currently offered; Bridging, Accounting, Business, Education, Engineering Nursing, Psychological Science and Social Work. 

GUC acknowledges the financial support from Bundiyarra Aboriginal Community Aboriginal Corporation to host this event during NAIDOC Week 2016, and the language support from Irra Wangga Language Centre. 

Opinion - The Skippy Paradox: On eating kangaroos.

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I have been thinking about kangaroos – eating them, to be precise. The whole industry is tanking across WA and Macro Meats from South Australia are the company selling us human grade roo meat in the supermarkets. 

Recently Macro Meats upped the marketing from their Gourmet Game site to include a very sexy I Love Roo campaign; so while was I going on and on like a drain about the nutritionally dense qualities of this fabulous meat and its value as food-is-medicine, my argument was trumped instantly by a picture of a muscled chick wearing a sports-bra plastered with the legend ‘lean meat, lean body’.

I concede that Macro Meats have the marketing chops - but not the whole story. CLAs, or Conjugated Linoleic Acids, are the good fats that are found in the meat of a ruminant when omega 3, the green in all growing things, undertakes its complex transformative journey through the digestive processes of a rangeland grazed animal. Lamb from station country is high in CLAs and considered good tucker, but kangaroo meat registers 5 times richer in these good fats and makes excellent health sense as an anti-inflammatory food. It is anti-diabetic, anti-carcinogenic and brought to you only by ruminants grazed on biodiverse pasture – stock that are grain-fed or grazed on paddocks with limited plant variety register way lower on the CLA count. 

Kangaroos, naturally, also score highly on all measurements made to register environmental sustainability. They live here, they are adapted to the arid lands and they have been a favourite protein choice of Australians for over 40,000 years. 

It is only in the last 150 years or so that people have chosen to take kangaroos off the menu to both revere them as a National Symbol or shoot them for dog food or as Rangelands vermin. This is the Skippy Paradox; it makes no sense from a bio-security food or environmental sustainability angle and for anti-meat crusaders this muddled sentimentality doesn’t help kangaroos because wherever you stand in this thinking kangaroos carry on dying in enormous numbers. They die as a result of poor seasons and at the hands of farmers, pastoralists and Government conservation agencies as they safeguard their core business; growing (introduced) stock whilst attempting to minimise the total grazing pressure that leads to eroded land.

The raw pet food industry is diminishing with the only signs of growth being in the wild dog bait business; South Australia has an effective monopoly on selling us their roo meat; the roo leather industry is severely reduced despite its incredible qualities as leather and kangaroos are being shot and left to rot across agricultural and pastoral zones. 

My desire is that we start to treat kangaroos with more respect. Rather than push roo corpses into holes in the ground, let us do the research to see if it is possible to manage numbers and benefit economically, socially and culturally from the situation in our severely depleted rangeland communities. 

There are many anomalies surrounding the kangaroo industry and a lot of unexamined emotional issues that need to be dealt with before the kangaroo can take its rightful place as one of the most abundant and profound gifts the WA Rangelands has to offer to its own people and the world.

Perth truck driver jailed over crash that killed young mother near Geraldton

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A DISTRACTED truck driver has been sentenced to two years in jail for a fatal crash near Geraldton that killed a young mother.

 

While 23-year-old Chloe Rumble died instantly from horrific head trauma, miraculously her infant son Kobi, then 11-months-old, who was in a baby capsule in the back seat, survived with only minor injuries.

 

Click here to read more.

Funds for Beresford Foreshore erosion works

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Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney has welcomed works to address the erosion of Beresford Foreshore in Geraldton as part of a $23.1 million project announced today.  

“This is the first section of Geraldton’s vulnerable foreshore to be addressed,” said Mr Blayney. 

“The project, which is supported by $17.28 million from the Liberal National Government’s Royalties for Regions program, will address an ongoing and expensive erosion problem at Beresford Foreshore. 

“The Beresford Foreshore, located north of the Geraldton marina, is an important part of the Geraldton waterfront and has been severely impacted by coastal erosion in recent years,” said Mr Blayney. 

“Works will soon begin to address the threat to the sensitive coastal environment and critical public and private infrastructure including a protective breakwater extension and an extension to the existing groyne.” 

Mr Blayney said the project will involve off-shore works to mitigate erosion including a protective 100m breakwater extension to the detached breakwater, an extension to the existing groyne and three retaining structures.  

“This project is the outcome of multiple coastal engineering investigations based on extensive wave, current and sediment flow data gathered over a decade,” Mr Blayney said. 

“The detailed sand nourishment and protection structure designs have been heavily scrutinised and peer reviewed by national and international experts.” 

Mr Blayney said the project will reactivate and revitalise the Beresford shoreline making it a more attractive and versatile public space for locals and visitors alike 

The project will be managed by the City of Greater Geraldton and is expected to be completed in 2018.

“I have also surveyed residents of the Drummond Cove area, to better understand their expectations regarding the stabilisation of the coastline, and the consequences of this action.  

“I look forward to working with the Council, state government agencies and the residentsof the affected areas, to find ways to address the coastal erosion issue as a matter of priority,” said Mr Blayney.

Emergency sand nourishment to slow Drummond Cove coastal erosion

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In an effort to slow down the rate of coastal erosion, save trees and protect at risk state government infrastructure sand nourishment works will begin today along Whitehill Road in Drummond Cove.

The works expected to take five days to complete will see approximately 5,000m3 of sand placed along the shoreline.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said that although Council recognises sand nourishment is only a temporary solution, it aligns with the community’s preferred option to combat the erosion of Whitehill Road.

“Council understands sand nourishment is only a stop gap measure but we are faced with an imminent threat and understand the sand could wash away quickly,” he said.

“However, it is better than no action at all and has the support of the Drummond Cove Progress Association and was also identified by the local community as the preferred temporary solution during the Whitehill Road Community Workshop held in May.

“At this point, $50,000 in emergency funds for sand nourishment will hopefully buy us some time to continue discussions with Western Power, Telstra and Watercorp regarding at risk infrastructure and medium term solutions such as sand bags, rock revetments or concrete squares on matting can be investigated.

“Permanent solutions to coastal erosion at Drummond Cove cannot be considered by Council until data collection and modelling of the ocean currents in the area are undertaken and Coastal Adaptation Planning for the entire Geraldton coast has been completed,” Mayor Van Styn said.

News Flash! We made it!

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WE MADE THE FINALS !!!!!

Midwest Charity Begins at Home have just been announced as a FINALIST in the 2016 Telstra Business Awards in WA. The new category of 'Charity' is designed to recognise the significant contribution of not-for-profit organisations to not only Australian communities but the economy as well.

We are absolutely thrilled to stand with Cystic Fibrosis Western Australia, Telethon Adventurers and the Motor Neurone Disease Association of WA as 2016 WA FINALISTS.

We would like to once again THANK everyone who has supported us and had belief in what we do. You really do mean the world to us x.

Chiropractic Clinic not a pain in the neck

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All this week Geraldton community members have been able to take advantage of visiting Chiropractic students from Murdoch University’s School of Health Professions.

The final year students are offering free chiropractic consultations in a supervised student teaching clinic at the WA Centre for Rural Health.

Don’t worry if you missed out, as they will be returning to the Midwest.

Next week they will be based in Mount Magnet from 27th June to 1st July. They will then back in Geraldton from 4th to 8th July. With another Mount Magnet visit from 29th August until 2nd September.

Geraldton appointments can be pre-booked by contacting Christopher Hodgetts on telephone 0402 422 156.

Mount Magnet appointments can be pre-booked by contacting Lyndon Woods on 0429 209 255.

Letter to Editor: Your opinion wanted on proposed public amenities at the HMAS Sydney II Memorial

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We would like to get the public’s opinion on the Proposed public amenities at the HMAS Sydney II Memorial as designed by the designers Joan Walsh-Smith and Charles Smith of Smith Sculptors.

The HMAS Sydney II Memorial is now recognised around the world and is in the top 1% of places to visit on Trip Advisor.

The Rotary Club of Geraldton is seeking support for this much needed project on behalf of the community and the 40,000 plus visitors of the site annually.

The Rotary Club of Geraldton

Aerial overview of proposed building

Bridge of the ship layout

Bridge of the ship layout

Bridge of the ship

Contemplation area

Front of building

Plan of layout of HMAS II Memorial

Bishop’s soft approach to GST won’t fly in WA

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The Nationals WA Candidate for Durack Lisa Cole has called out Deputy Liberal Leader Julie Bishop for her soft approach to securing a fairer share of GST revenue for WA.

“Contrary to Ms Bishop’s comments at the weekend, it is the role of West Australian elected representatives to put the interests of their constituency before their personal political aspirations as Minister,” Ms Cole said.

“WA’s federal Liberal team should be pulling every lever available to them in order to deliver the best possible outcomes in their own state to secure a fair share of the GST back to WA and they have clearly failed to do this.

“Even Ms Bishop’s state colleague Treasurer Mike Nahan agrees WA needs a far stronger approach from WA’s federal Liberal representatives.”

Ms Cole said while WA’s share of GST revenue had plummeted over the past several years to a record low of 30 per cent, New South Wales would be virtually debt free by the end of the financial year largely as a result of the generous share of GST revenue it received.

“NSW received 97 cents in the dollar last financial year and is now in a position to pay down their debt, yet here in WA we are seeing unforeseen record debt levels due to an unfair distribution of GST,” Ms Cole said.

“At present we have a system which penalises economic success and rewards mediocrity. The current distribution formula set by the Commonwealth Grants Commission (CGC) is clearly flawed and must be fixed.

“If other State’s wish to share WA’s success during the good times, they must also share in the more challenging times, reforming the structure of our Federation will be key to achieving this.”

The Nationals WA team is encouraging West Australians to use the #fixourfederation hashtag online to send a strong message to Canberra.

“By using the hashtag #fixourfederation everyday West Australians will send a loud and clear message to our federal politicians that WA won’t continue to be ripped off on GST.”

Ms Cole said West Australians had an opportunity to send Canberra a message on July 2 by voting for The Nationals WA.

“While The Nationals WA are prepared to cross the floor to ensure WA is a priority in Canberra, the Liberal Party will toe a party line set by their colleagues in the eastern states,” Ms Cole said.

“The people of WA deserve better than self-serving politicians.” 

Works to begin at St Georges Beach

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The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise that works to mitigate erosion at St Georges Beach will begin on 21 June and are expected to take up to three weeks.

Works include the construction of a low level sandbag groyne and sand nourishment works.

Traffic management will be in place during this time. Motorists and pedestrians are advised to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

If you have any queries regarding this work please contact the City on 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Community Nursery sets new record

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Green Army member Richard Slater with Mayor Shane Van Styn at the Community Nursery.

Over 30,000 local native plants have been grown at the City of Greater Geraldton’s Community Nursery smashing a new record!

A total of 64 different native species make up the collection of plants grown during the 2016 season.

These latest figures are a significant jump in both the number and variety of native plants grown by the group, with this newest figure dwarfing the 16,500 plants that were grown in the 2015 season.

Plants that are grown are made up of species native to the Midwest region including the Geraldton Rose, Beach Spinifex and Cockie’s Tongue.

Playing a very significant role in the revegetation of many of our local natural areas, the dedicated volunteers at the Community Nursery as well as other organisations work tirelessly to ensure the rehabilitation of our natural bushland.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn acknowledged the hard work put in by volunteers and congratulated everyone involved in reaching the milestone.

“Protecting and managing our bushland is an ongoing challenge and having 30,000 native plants available to help with rehabilitation makes a big difference – something that can already be seen around the Chapman and Greenough river reserves as well as Devlin Pool and Bootenal Springs,” he said.

“I want to thank those volunteers and organisations who have put in the hard yards and contributed to the Community Nursery’s biggest season yet.

“Without these volunteers and the hard work of the Community Nursery, our beautiful natural areas could be under threat.”

Volunteers are the backbone of the Community Nursery and this year they have been helped by teams from several other organisations including Skill Hire, MEEDAC, Conservation Volunteers Australia and Green Army.

With plenty of leftover native plants, the Community Nursery will be holding an annual plant sale with local plants available to purchase for your garden.

The plant sale will take place on Saturday 16 July and Saturday 23 July from 9am to 1pm at the nursery located at 31 Adelaide Street Waggrakine.