Burglary Offences

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Officers from the Geraldton Local Policing Team with assistance from the Mid West – Gascoyne District Dog Handler, conducted a series of early morning searches of addresses associated with known offenders who have been actively avoiding police.

In total, seven addresses were searched with three persons of interest located with outstanding alleged offences.

Whilst these searches were being conducted, it will be alleged that a further two offenders were disturbed by home owners from two separate addresses in the Bluff Point area. Officers involved in the searches attended the area, contained the area and conducted patrols which resulted in the arrest of two persons of interest.

As a result of the Bluff Point incidents, a 21 year old female and a 20 year old male, both from Utakarra, were charged with aggravated burglary, stealing and trespass offences and will appear in the Geraldton Magistrates Court at a later date.

Three further adult males were charged with a range of offences including aggravated burglary, stealing and fraud offences and one male will appear at the Geraldton Magistrates Court at a later date. 

Furthermore, two of the males had outstanding arrest warrants and they were
further charged with breach of bail offences. Those males will appear in the
Geraldton Magistrates Court today.

Operation Dodo

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Geraldton Police will today be having an increased focus on antisocial behaviour within retail sectors and the central business district.

Officers attached the Geraldton Police Station and the Geraldton Local Policing Team will be present within the Northgate and Stirling’s Shopping Centres as well as the central business district.

We will be engaging with local business vendors and targeting antisocial behaviour and stealing offences.

Feel free to stop and engage with the officers who will be able to answer any questions you may have or even just to say hello.

Boost your club sponsorship

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The City of Greater Geraldton is helping local clubs and organisations to reach their full potential through the latest “snippets session” workshop on sponsorship.

As attracting sponsorship is one of the most significant challenges for many organisations, local clubs are invited to take part in a free workshop that will provide information on how to best attract sponsorship dollars.

The Club Sponsorship workshop will be held as part of the City’s Our Club Rules! – Club Makeover Program that was introduced in 2013 in partnership with the Department of Sport and Recreation.

City of Greater Geraldton Deputy Mayor, Neil McIlwaine, said this was a great opportunity for many local clubs and organisations to get assistance in an area which they have identified as challenging. 

“Attracting sponsorship can be highly competitive and this workshop will focus on the importance of ensuring local clubs and organisations understand what they have to offer and that the needs of the club are in line with the needs of the sponsors,” he said.

“The workshop will ultimately help clubs to attract funding and ensure their ongoing viability by giving them a better understating of how to prepare a sponsorship prospectus to best attract the interest of potential sponsors.”

The workshop will be delivered by Market Creations in the City of Greater Geraldton Function Room on Wednesday, June 17 from 5:15pm to 6:30pm.

RSVPs close on Friday, June 12. For more information contact the City’s Sport and Recreation Club Development Officer, Ryan Thompson on ryant@cgg.wa.gov.au or call 9956 6968.

Durack to Have their Say on Country of Origin Food Labelling

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Durack can have their say on what they want in clearer country of origin food labelling in an online survey that will help design the Australian Government’s new labelling system.

The Government has been consulting with industry – including growers, processors and retailers to implement a clearer, more direct system for food labelling that will give consumers the information they want in a way that is easy to read and understand.

“The community throughout Durack have been telling me loud and clear that they want more useful food labelling, and we want to hear from them about which options they prefer,” Member for Durack Melissa Price said.

“I encourage all those in Durack interested in the issue to jump online and fill out a country of origin food labelling community survey at www.industry.gov.au/cool or request a hardcopy by calling 13 28 46.

“Durack have asked for simpler food labelling and now is the chance for them to have their say on simpler and more logical ways to present the information.

“It’s important that people can make informed choices about the food they buy at their local supermarket. We want Australians to have confidence in knowing where their food is coming from.”

Can you help host a visiting student?

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My name is Julie Gibbens and a am a volunteer with an international exchange program called AFS.

We are requiring a host family for two students arriving in July on a brief exchange of 8 weeks to give students a taste of regional west Australian life.

Contact information is written on the flyers , AFS WA are the people to contact in regards to hosting.  A working with children check is required.

Smartline $25,000 Community Grant Initiative - Apply Now

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We believe community is the soul of any society. When we come together, we achieve great things. We make the world a better place.

That's why Smartline donates $10 from every loan to charity. And why we run competitions like this...

We want to reward Australia's best community groups with a $500 grant each. To say thank-you for their hard work, selflessness and to help them continue their fantastic contribution to the community. All up, we're giving away 50 grants of $500, for a total donation of $25,000! The question is, who do we give them to?

So we want you to tell us who should get a grant. Who's making the best contribution in your local community?

Telstra’s new breed of speed comes to Tarcoola Beach

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Life in Tarcoola Beach just got a whole lot faster with Telstra launching 4GX services in the area providing the local community with access to one of the world’s fastest mobile networks. 

The introduction of 4GX services will deliver increased capacity for the local mobile network and will provide residents with improved and more consistent data speeds. This means more social media and video can be accessed in more places around Tarcoola Beach with less delay and less buffering.  

Telstra Area General Manager Alan Shepherdson said the introduction of 4GX was designed to ensure local residents continue to enjoy the best coverage, network reliability and consistently fast speeds as more activity, more people and more devices come onto Telstra’s network. 

“The local community in Tarcoola Beach is relying on mobile connectivity more than ever. The explosion in applications, shift towards mobile video consumption and use of mobile in commerce means demand for connectivity continues to grow strongly,” he said. 

“We’re staying ahead of this demand by introducing 4GX to increase network capacity. This will allow us to continue to offer our local customers Australia’s fastest most reliable mobile service. 

“As the first carrier to bring 4G mobile services to regional Western Australia we know how important high-speed mobile can be to supporting local businesses, tourism and making regional centres great places to live.” 

4GX sets a new benchmark in mobile internet speeds in Australia allowing people to download, share, stream and connect faster than ever. 4GX is based on Telstra’s new 700MHz spectrum and delivers higher typical mobile speeds on compatible devices, allowing more Western Australians to experience ultra-fast mobile internet. It also uses sophisticated LTE Advanced technology to bring together Telstra’s 1800MHz and 700MHz 4G spectrum bands to supercharge mobile web speeds even further on compatible devices. 

People using devices such as the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Telstra Wi-Fi 4G Advanced II in 4GX areas are set to enjoy typical download speeds of 2 to 100Mbps – which means top speeds twice as fast as those typically available on Telstra’s existing 4G service. 

The mark of high performance and reliable coverage
In 4GX areas, people with compatible devices can look forward to:

  • The fastest 4G speeds in Australia – People with 4GX category 6 devices can enjoy download speeds of between 2Mbps and 100Mbps. Customers with 4GX category 4 devices can enjoy typical download speeds of between 2Mbps to 75Mbps.
  • Extra 4G coverage – 4GX will boost in-building coverage for 4G services bringing speedy mobile web access to more offices, bedrooms and lifts. And in regional areas, 4GX can go further than Telstra’s existing 4G frequencies creating better 4G coverage.
  • More 4G to share – 4GX will double Telstra’s 4G bandwidth allowing people to enjoy their favourite content with fewer slowdowns even in peak hour or in crowded places like shops or on the bus. 

People can ensure they are equipped with a 4GX device by looking for the 4GX tag online and in store. 

Seeking portraits of our living heroes - all 14,000 of them

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There are over 14,000 World War II Veterans estimated to be living  in Australia and they are invited to be photographed as part of one of the most ambitious photographic projects ever undertaken in Australia – to commemorate our unsung heroes of World War II in print.

On completion, the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) project entitled Reflections: Honouring our World War II Veterans will provide a compelling pictorial record of returned servicemen and women living in Australia for the Australian War Memorial archives.

Reinforcing the ANZAC tradition, “We will remember them”, professional photographers across the country, accredited by the AIPP, are donating their time and talent in a unique community project. Any profit from the resale of photographs will be donated to Legacy and the RSL Foundation.

AIPP Accredited Photographer Karl Monaghan said, “The AIPP wanted to honour veterans, whether from Australia or elsewhere, as living tributes to a time of heroism and nationalistic pride, by capturing and publishing their portraits in print.

“What better time to capture our living heroes than now as we commemorate 100 years of the ANZAC tradition and the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII,” he said.

“Letters and printed photographs meant absolutely everything to them back then, telling the story of their lives in their youth. It’s only fitting to contrast this with their senior years in the same way, in a timeless gift to them, their families and the nation.”

“In this digital age when images can be lost in an instant, photographers know it’s the power of quality photographic prints that will live on, capturing a person, a moment in time and preserving it forever,” Karl Monaghan said.

AIPP have partnered with the Australian War Memorial and the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) and all portraits will be gifted to the Australian War Memorial’s collection. 

Each veteran will receive a complimentary Kodak printed portrait in a presentation folder to commemorate their service given some 75 years ago. Anyone who served in World War II is encouraged to register for their free portrait at www.aippveterans.com or call AIPP on (03) 9888 4111. 

For more information on the AIPP Reflections project visit www.aipp.com.au/about/the-aipp-reflections-project or call AIPP on (03) 9888 4111.

FUNdraising towards a Cancer Free Future

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Event Nation is once again taking part in the Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea FUNdraiser. Thursday 28th May 2015 is the official morning tea day, though hosts are encouraged to hold an event any time in May or June.

Therefore Event Nation is inviting Mid West residents to get swept up in the fun of its highly popular Leah Mainwaring Let’s Kick Cancer Brunch FUNdraiser on Sunday June 21 from 9.30am to 12.00pm

Buoyed by the sold-out success of last year’s inaugural event, which raised $4671.18 for cancer research, prevention and support services, while also honouring a beautiful friend and tireless Cancer fundraiser Leah Mainwaring, organisers expect this year’s event to be even bigger and better.

Last year’s Mad Hatter theme ensured an entertaining atmosphere and outrageous attire, and this year’s colourful theme of ‘Fluro (for the tradies’) and Flowers (for the ladies’) promises similar hilarity.

Event Nation director Jodi Reilly said this year’s brunch would include games, prizes, live entertainment, fabulous auction items including a Red FM radio advertising package and accommodation and tickets for four to the West Coast Eagles V Adelaide Crows July 11 home game and several inspirational talks from our special guests including Cancer Council Director - Melissa Price MP and cancer survivors local business owner Wendy Mann and Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service CEO Deborah Woods.

She said for those with children, they needn’t miss out as there would also be a ‘Kidz Zone’ supervised by a qualified child care giver for those aged under 12.

“On the day there will be ‘hand pampers’ by donation and fresh flowers in our ‘Pop Up Florist’ so you can purchase your gorgeous fresh weekly blooms for any amount above the reserve price, all to help raise money for cancer,” Ms Reilly said.

“This year will also see the introduction of our ‘chain of hearts’ in which we’ll invite guests to make a donation and write a special message on their chosen cardboard heart.

“These hearts will be linked together to form the start of out official ‘chain of hearts’ bunting for our 2016 fundraiser.

“Each year guests will be invited to make additions to the bunting.”

Tickets are $50 per person and include a complimentary champagne on arrival, a tapasstyle brunch or continental selection, self-service tea, coffee and juice, live entertainment and the chance to win one of many prizes all whilst having a ball FUNdraising for a good cause.

Tickets for children aged under 12 are just $5 a child, which includes hangout in the 'Kidz Zone', movie, toast and spreads, fruit, fruit juice and water. Children are welcome to bring their own games, iPad etc.

This year Cancer Council aims to recruit 35,000 generous morning tea hosts nationally to support Cancer Council’s life-saving work into prevention programs, world class research and support services (like Cancer Council 13 11 20) for all people affected by cancer.

Tickets sales are available from Chimere Pearls, 272 Foreshore Drive and online eventbrite https://letskickcancerbrunch.eventbrite.com.au or call Event Nation on 99646088.

An amazing discovery at the Murchison Widefield Array telescope

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A 3D visualisation of the plasma tubes conforming to the Earth’s magnetic field. CAASTRO, Author provided

The discovery by an undergraduate student of tubes of plasma drifting above Earth has made headlines in the past few days. Many people have asked how the discovery was made and, in particular, how an undergraduate student was able to do it.

The answer is a combination of an amazing new telescope, a very smart student and an unexpected fusion of two areas of science.

Here is how it all happened, from my perspective as the academic who supervised the project at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy.

My research involves studying the variability of stars and galaxies using a new radio telescope, the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). My colleagues and I were worried about the ionosphere being a problem for this research, because at low frequencies it can distort the radio signals that we receive from outer space.

This makes celestial objects appear to jiggle around, be stretched and squeezed, and change in brightness. I knew this would be a problem for my plan to study how the brightness of stars and galaxies varied, so I wanted to find out how severe the distortion was.

The ionosphere is the part of the Earth’s atmosphere that has been ionised by radiation from the sun. It is made up of a plasma in which the gas molecules have lost one or more electrons. It stretches between 50 to 1,000 kilometres above the Earth’s surface (commercial aeroplanes typically fly at 10 kilometres above the Earth). Importantly, it refracts radio waves, affecting radio communication around the world.

At the beginning of last year I had a final-year undergraduate student, Cleo Loi – who also contributed to this article – looking for a research project, so I gave her the task of investigating how much the ionosphere was affecting astronomical observations with the MWA.

Watch Cleo explain her amazing discovery.

Strange distortions

Around that time, a postdoctoral researcher from Curtin University, Natasha Hurley-Walker, was examining MWA data and came across a night that looked rather unusual.

Celestial objects were dancing around wildly, distorting strongly in shape and flickering in brightness. She flagged this night as one that the ionosphere had rendered unusable for our astronomy research.

The distortions caused by the ionosphere in a particularly bad night of data. The bright points are distant galaxies that appear to move and flicker. On a normal night these would be stationary.

Cleo then developed a way of visualising the distortions caused by the ionosphere on the images of distant background galaxies. She took the data Natasha had identified and applied her analysis to it.

When she showed me and other researchers the distortion maps she was generating, we were surprised to see huge waves of correlated motion rippling through the image. They looked like spokes radiating from a point outside the image.

Cleo’s original visualisation. The red and blue arrows show the apparent change in position of the background sources.

Looking for answers

To try to work out what they were, Cleo transformed the coordinates from a celestial reference frame (that astronomers usually use) to an Earth-based reference frame, which is fixed with respect to the atmosphere. This crucial transformation revealed that the bands were hanging almost stationary in the Earth’s sky.

In the process of writing up our research, we emailed Cleo’s preliminary results to collaborators. The MWA collaboration consists of hundreds of radio astronomers and engineers from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, India and Canada. They were quick to respond with a list of suggestions as to what the bands might be.

It is a critical part of science that good scientists respond to unexpected results with scepticism, particularly if they come from an inexperienced student. But the sheer volume of emails was initially quite overwhelming for Cleo. However, she stayed focused on solving the problem.

The suggestions ranged from possible problems with the telescope, the observing set-up, the imaging process and Cleo’s analysis techniques. Hundreds of emails were exchanged over a few months as Cleo tested and ruled out each suggestion.

Once we had run out of things to test we were left with an interesting dataset, an unexplained phenomenon and an increasing suspicion that the strange distortion pattern was a real effect caused by the ionosphere.

As she was preparing her honours thesis, Cleo had a geometrical insight into explaining the radial spoke-like pattern. She realised that a set of parallel lines viewed at an angle would appear to converge due to perspective distortion, like train tracks going into the distance.

A map of the tubular structure in two dimensions. The black lines are the Earth’s magnetic field.

However, without much knowledge of geophysics, it was several weeks until she made a second critical link: the layout of the spokes matched the Earth’s magnetic field. These strange tubular structures were tracing the magnetic field lines, which are parallel to one another but at an angle to the ground. The agreement was perfect.

Stereo vision

Armed with solid evidence, Cleo and I got in touch with geospace physicists to help us interpret what we were seeing. Suggestions to explain the phenomena included plasma bubbles, travelling ionospheric disturbances and ultra-low-frequency waves.

Finally, Fred Menk from the University of Newcastle suggested they might be “whistler ducts”. These are cylindrical structures aligned to a magnetic field, where the electron content is higher inside than outside. They are thought to guide the propagation of electromagnetic waves called “whistlers” in the same way that optic fibres guide light.

Whistler ducts had never been seen before, but all their properties deduced by scientists over the years matched what we were seeing with the MWA. Except for one thing: we didn’t know how high they were.

Until now, we had only used the MWA to take two-dimensional pictures of the sky. Whistler ducts exist at very high altitudes, and an altitude measurement was necessary if we were to confirm them as a known phenomenon.

Cleo was reluctant to publish the result without an altitude estimate. However, we couldn’t derive that from our data, so we encouraged her to publish the results as they were.

At that point Cleo had a brainwave. She realised that the MWA could be used stereoscopically to achieve 3D vision, like a giant pair of eyes. By splitting the data from the eastern and western receivers of the MWA, she revealed a slight parallax shift in the distortion pattern that let us triangulate the altitude: around 600km above the ground.

We were all astounded that this idea had worked, confirming that these were likely to be whistler ducts.

It has been an exciting year of research. We started out with an astronomy question and found a surprising answer in geospace physics. To the layperson, these might seem like the same field, but to scientists focused deeply within their narrow field of expertise, the gap is wide.

Cleo has shown how a talented but novice researcher can have an advantage over experienced researchers. By approaching the problem without preconceptions she was able to bridge these two disciplines and use a novel technique on a new radio telescope to discover plasma tubes in the sky.

Location of the MWA

Changes to Queens Park Theatre Box Office hours

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After having its doors open for more than 30 years, the Queens Park Theatre Box Office will no longer be open during business hours as of Tuesday 9 June, but will continue to open two hours prior a show and during performances for pickup of pre-purchased and online tickets.

The good news is tickets for all shows can now easily be purchased from the City of Greater Geraldton Civic Centre on 63 Cathedral Avenue during normal business hours, the Geraldton Regional Library on Marine Terrace seven days a week and online from the Queens Park Theatre website on www.queensparktheatre.com.au.

For all enquiries about how to purchase a ticket to an upcoming show, please contact Customer Service on 9956 6600.

Applications open for heritage grants for private owners

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Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney said today private owners of State-registered heritage places can now apply for heritage grants of up to $100,000 towards the cost of urgent conservation work to their properties. 

Mr Blayney said $1.273 million was available under the State Government’s 2015-16 Heritage Grants Program to help private owners conserve and revitalise their properties. 

The grants program, overseen by the Heritage Council of Western Australia, offers dollar-for-dollar funding for urgent conservation works or documentation to help plan future works. 

Mr Blayney saidthe Grants Program is one of the few programs in Australia to assist private owners with the costs associated with maintaining their heritage properties. 

Since the program’s inception in 1997, 690 heritage projects from across the State have received grants totalling more than $15.8 million.Last year it helped generate $3.3 million in building works, demonstrating the tremendous value of this grants program to the conservation of the State’s heritage. 

Last year alone, it helped generate $3.3 million in building works, demonstrating the tremendous value of this grants program to the conservation of the State’s heritage. 

In 2012, the Liberal National Government increased funding for the Heritage Grants Program by 25 per cent, committing an extra $1.046 million over four years. 

Applications for the 2015-16 Heritage Grants Program close at 4pm, Wednesday July 22, 2015.

Letter from a Geraldton Pensioner

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This Letter to the Editor was sent in to Everything Geraldton recently:

I know most Aussies have a habit of being Government Knockers, regardless of which State they live in or which political party they support. However we would like to say Thank You for the pensioner benefits we received this week.

A letter from the State Government advising us we would receive a $565 fuel card courtesy of Royalties for Regions next month; a letter from Centrelink enclosing four free single road or rail trip vouchers anywhere in WA; a bank credit of more than $1200 for our two week pension. As a couple who toiled hard during our working years and paid our taxes in full, we are truly grateful.

Signed

Gero pensioner

Proud day for Nhanda people as alphabet poster is launched

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The poster was created by the language centre as a resource to preserve the disappearing Nhanda language, with the invaluable help of Nhanda woman, Colleen Drage and her father, Clayton Drage.  A very happy band of people, pictured above, helped launch the poster; at rear, Jacko Whitby, Godfrey Simpson, Jenny Clayton, front, Jenny Kniveton-Gregory, Rosie Sitorus, Leeann Merritt and Colleen Drage. 

On 22 April, on a beautiful sunny day in Kalbarri, the Nhanda Alphabet Poster was launched on the town’s foreshore with people from across the state – and the world – coming together to enjoy the event.

The Nhanda Alphabet poster was created by the Bundiyarra-Irra Wangga Language Centre in Geraldton as a resource to preserve the disappearing Nhanda language, the last full speakers having sadly been lost years ago.

The Nhanda language was once spoken along a coastal strip 20-100km wide, extending from the country of the mighty Murchison River, the food bowl of many Nhanda people, all the way to the region around present-day Geraldton.

Nhanda Elder, Jacko Whitby, performed the Welcome to Country, and said it was an honour to be on land the Nhanda people have lived and hunted on for thousands of years.

“It is an honour to be here on this special day to be part of the launch of the first steps in recording and saving the Nhanda language,” he said. “It is a language which was spoken so strong by our old people and still is used
in content by some Nhanda people today.”

Nhanda woman and Kalbarri local,Jenny Clayton, made an emotional speech and said it was a proud moment for all Nhanda people to come together to celebrate the launch of the poster and other resources.

“I am very privileged and honoured to be here, I’ve got shivers up my spine, I never thought it would happen, it’s been five years in the making,” she said. “Most of our elders, the speakers of our language, have long since passed away, taking with them knowledge of the Nhanda language.

“Our last known speaker of the language was Elder Aunty Lucy Ryder, who along with her daughter Violet’s help, made recordings and a word list of the Nhanda language.

“Our language has been a dying language for a long time, and without your language, you have no identity. It gives our Nhanda people a proper sense of belonging. It is who we are,” said Jenny.

Language centre Coordinator, Jenny Kniveton-Gregory, said the poster may only be a small thing, but it’s a big thing for community.

“The focus over the next two years is to get a Nhanda dictionary compiled,” she said. “And then we will visit schools to talk language.”

Nhanda woman, Colleen Drage, and her father, Clayton Drage, have been instrumental in assisting the Bundiyarra- Irra Wangga Language Centre to work on the Nhanda language, with Colleen officially launching the alphabet poster. “Language is an important part of our lives, and it has been wonderful working with the language centre; I can’t name too many who can speak the language,” she said.

Colleen acknowledged Linguist, Rosie Sitorus, for the big part she has played in recording the language, and thanked other language centre staff, Leeann Merritt, Godfrey Simpson and Jenny Kniveton-Gregory.

“I’m speechless, I didn’t think today would come off,” she said.

Rosie Sitorus said this is the first Nhanda language resource in a long time. “It is wonderful to have community support for the work. Language work can be slow and difficult, even with full speakers, so to have community members embracing the work the language centre is doing is both encouraging and incredibly important in making sure that future resources are also delivered,” she said. 

“This poster is the third in a series of alphabet posters produced by the language centre, following on from Wajarri and Badimaya.

“As a resource they are very versatile, because their use can be as an educational tool, or as a decorative addition to any home or workplace, or a way of introducing young children to their language – and it’s through those children that the language will survive into the future,” said Rosie.

Contact Bundiyarra-Irra Wangga Language Centre on 9920 7900 for more information.

 

Gordy Clinch recognised for footy dedication with Indigenous KickStart program

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Gordy Clinch with the medal each team member received for winning the National Indigenous KickStart Championship for the fifth consecutive year in Cairns this year. 

Gordy Clinch is a happy man.

He’s been involved in the football KickStart program for six years and has watched WA win the National Indigenous KickStart Championship five years in a row, this year at Cairns in Queensland.

And this year Gordy got the opportunity to travel with the team as assistant team manager as recognition from the WA Football Commission for his dedication to the program.

Gordy is footy team manager, co- forward line coach (with Shaye Hayden), and bus driver for Aboriginal boys playing in the Nicky Winmar Carnival and Stephen Michael Cup, a program that forms the basis of selection for the WA KickStart team.

It’s a great program and “I’d like to see more young Indigenous boys put their name down for the next one.”

The program was developed by the AFL to provide a supported, talented player pathway that complements the National U16 Championship exposing Aboriginal players, coaches, doctors, physiotherapists and trainers to an elite AFL program environment.

Each year, every state is represented by a team of 25 Aboriginal players, aged 15 and under who compete in the National KickStart Championship. The team is led by Aboriginal coaches, trainers and support staff. 

The WA KickStart Squad, including coaches, is selected from the carnival based on leadership qualities, school attendance, community involvement and playing and coaching ability.

Gordy said over the six years he has been involved he’s seen some deadly young Indigenous footballers come through the program.

“It’s a great program and I’d like to see more young Indigenous boys put their name down for the next one,” he said.

“I’d like to thank some people that got me involved in this program; Adrian Bartlett has been a great role model, also Merrilyn Green for giving me support and to my mum and dad.”

WAFC Community Engagement Manager Paul Mugambwa said this year was the first time that the WA Football Commission had taken an assistant team manager outside of its staff at the commission.

“Given the great commitment and passion you have demonstrated over the years with involvement in the Nicky Winmar Carnival and the Stephen Michael Cup, we wanted to reward you for the efforts and be part of this special trip,” he told Gordy.

Other coaches included: Head Coach, Shaye Hayden; Backline Coach, Andrew Beck; Centreline Coach, Jermaine Davis; Forward line Coaches, Gordon Clinch/Shaye Hayden; Team Manager, Chris Brown; and Trainers, East Perth Football Club. 

Regional Grants Scheme funds allocated to Geraldton projects

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Hope Springs Community Farm – Left to Right: Lucy, Hon Paul Brown MLC, Lesley Evans and Larry Williamson

The highly anticipated re-introduction of the Royalties for Regions Regional Grants Scheme (RGS) has committed $ 351,963 towards community projects in Geraldton.

A total of 86 successful applicants were announced by Regional Development Minister Terry Redman today, totalling a Royalties for Regions investment package of $9.024 million.

Local Member Hon Paul Brown MLC said the latest round of successful applicants took the total number of projects funded through the scheme to 762 since it first started in 2008-09.

“This Royalties for Regions scheme offers grants from $20,001 up to $300,000 for projects that seek to improve economic and community infrastructure and services in regional WA,” he said.

“I’m very pleased that three Geraldton projects have attracted funding in the latest RGS round for such an exciting and diverse range of projects.

“These will help attract investment, increase job opportunities and improve the quality of life and work in Geraldton communities.”

Successful projects in Geraldton include:

  • Chrysalis Support Services      Upgrade to Crisis Accommodation Service
  • Hope Community Services      Mount Hill Community Farm Kitchen Project
  • City of Greater Geraldton        Mid West China Connect Website

Royalties for Regions has invested almost $100 million through the RGS. Funding is administered by individual Regional Development Commissions.

Chrysalis – Hon Paul Brown MLC and Alison Adam, CEO Chrysalis Support Services

Hon Paul Brown MLC congratulated successful applicants in Geraldton and thanked the Mid West Development Commission board for its guidance in recommending projects suitable for funding.

In 2014-15 a new Royalties for Regions grants program – the Community Chest Fund - was established alongside the RGS to allocate one-off grants of up to $20,000 to support small, locally-driven community projects.

For a full list of successful 2014-15 RGS applicants visit the Department of Regional Development website


Consumers and the community to have their say on country of origin food labelling

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All Australians can have their say on what they want in clearer country of origin food labelling in an online survey that will help design the Australian Government’s new labelling system. 

The Australian Government has been consulting with industry – including growers, processors and retailers – to implement a clearer, more direct system for food labelling that will give consumers the information they want in a way that is easy to read and understand. 

“We have completed a two month industry consultation process, and we are now asking for consumer feedback from the very shoppers who will be in the supermarket making use of the new labels,” said Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane. 

“Consumers have told us loud and clear that they want more useful food labelling, and now we want to hear from them about which options they prefer. 

“Based on our consultation sessions in major capital and regional cities, we have valuable industry information on how we can implement a system that is fair and transparent for consumers without adding extra costs to business.” 

Minister Macfarlane said the community survey and the Government’s market research data are crucial in defining the new framework, and this is the next step in finding a balance for industry and the consumer. 

Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce said the work to improve country of origin food labelling was to make sure Australians had clear and concise information about the food they buy. 

“Many consumers and food producers feel strongly about the need for clearer country of origin labelling,” Minister Joyce said. 

“It’s important that people can make informed choices about the food they buy at their local supermarket. We want Australians to have confidence in knowing where their food is coming from. 

“Australians have asked for simpler food labelling and the Government has listened; now is the chance for people to have their say on simpler and more logical ways to present the information.” 

The country of origin food labelling community survey is available at www.industry.gov.au/cool and hardcopies can be requested by calling 13 28 46.

HBF Geraldton RunFest

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Your challenge, your choice!

Join the rest of Geraldton and participate in the HBF Geraldton RunFest on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th of July 2015. In celebration of the 16th annual Geraldton marathon, you have the opportunity to choose your own challenge.

Juniors can join in the Junior RunFest on Saturday afternoon completing either 1, 2 or 3 'miles' on a safe, marshalled and fun circuit along the foreshore and esplanade. 

Meet us at the Geraldton foreshore on Sunday 5th of July for a scenic, great value and friendly community run and walk. If the full 42.2km marathon is a challenge too far, consider the 21.1km half marathon or 5km. 

Challenge your work colleagues, family or  mates and form a team to compete the Run Further Teams Challenge. The team with the greatest cumulative distance completed will win $1000 for their preferred charity. 

Enter early to make the most of the best value running and walking event in the Midwest. Geraldton Harriers Club and HBF members should enter before June 21st to receive a discount on their entry. 

Go to our website for FAQ's and registration details. Further information can be found by emailing runfest@geraldtonharriers.com or phoning either Damon on 0488 126 773 or Liz on 0427 541 491.