Geraldton punk five-piece Alex The Kid have big news to announce this morning, in that they've signed to Adelaide punk/hardcore Pee Records and will be releasing their next album Speak Up on 19 August.
City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn, Ian Blayney MLA, Paul Brown MLC and Minister Terry Redman.
A total of $23.1million has been announced for erosion works along the Beresford Foreshore.
Minister for Regional Development and Lands Terry Redman was in Geraldton yesterday and made the announcement which includes $17.28million from the State Government’s Royalties for Regions program, $4million from Mid West Ports and $1.85million from the City of Greater Geraldton.
The project will involve off-shore works to mitigate erosion including a protective 100 metre breakwater extension to the detached breakwater, a 45m extension to the existing groyne and three shore based retaining structures.
Public amenities will also be included in the works which will be funded by the City’s contribution.
City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said he was happy to hear Minister Redman say the works would help enhance and unlock the area and create a space that people want to be a part of.
“We’ve been working constructively with the State Government for more than two years and this is the best outcome we could have hoped for,” Mayor Van Styn said.
“This is a great collaborative effort between many parties to finally bring together a long term solution for our coast.
“It has taken some time but this is a very significant start and we look forward to continuing the discussions to ensure the best result for our whole city,” Mayor Van Styn added.
The City undertook engagement workshops with the community to develop a priority list of amenities to be included in the staged development of Beresford Foreshore.
Local residents had their say on the repair of damaged paths and landscaping, the replacement of facilities already lost from erosion and the inclusion of other amenities.
Amenity works on the foreshore will include landscaping, barbecues, picnic settings, benches, bicycle racks, showers, play equipment, lighting, drinking fountains and shade structures.
The works led by the City are set to be completed mid 2018 with tenders to go out in approximately four weeks.
Children at Bluff Point Primary School enjoying the after school Cricket Skills program.
Children at Bluff Point Primary School (BPPS) have been enthusiastic participants in an after-school Cricket Skills and School Attendance Program.
Sponsored by the Geraldton Sporting Aboriginal Corporation (GSAC) and Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA), the nine week program ran every Wednesday afternoon throughout Term Two.
GSAC provided three trained staff, the cricket equipment and healthy food for the sessions, and the WACA paid for a coordinator to supervise the students at each of the sessions.
The idea for the program was developed in conjunction with Research Assistant Lenny Papertalk from the WA Centre for Rural Health, in consultation with the Bluff Point Primary School (BPPS) Aboriginal Parent group.
‘Parents and teachers of BPPS were looking for something to engage the children and improve attendance levels at school.’
‘An after school sporting program seemed like a solution to keep the kids engaged and active,’ Ms Papertalk said.
Principal of BPPS Celine Bellve said the program was a great success with a huge turnout of children attending each week.
‘It’s been great to see such a mix of ages come along and to watch the older children being role models to the younger ones.’
‘Best of all, this program has encouraged our children to play a sport and have a go,’ Ms Bellve said.
With renewed funding, BPPS and GSAC would like to see the program continue at the school, possibly with a different sport.
GSAC Project Officer Adrian Bartlett can see the potential for programs like these to grow and be run in schools across Geraldton.
‘There is no doubt in my mind that sporting programs increase children’s health, behaviour and willingness to attend school.
‘Children learn the importance of sportsmanship, team spirit and respect for each other by creating a fun, positive, healthy environment for children to look forward to,’ Mr Bartlett said.
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.
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.
Upstyling furniture is a popular trend that lets you dress up your old furniture, making them new again. If you have been wondering how to have a go at this yourself, Paint Place Geraldton can help with their Chalk Emulsion Paint by Porter’s Paints.
Porter's Chalk Emulsion is a decorative matt finish with a soft chalky appearance for painting furniture. Chalk Emulsion is easy to use, covers easily and is self-priming. It is the perfect choice for creating distressed and elegant effects on furniture, frames and shelving.
Chalk Emulsion comes in just about every colour you can think of and you are only limited by your imagination as to what you can create with it. Chalk Emulsion can go over wood, varnish, metal and plastic, and you only need minimal prep before painting. Painting as never been as easy, or fun! Have a look at the below video on easy and great Chalk Emulsion Paint is.
If you want to know more then go and see the team at Paint Place Geraldton at the Homemaker Centre or call them on 9921 7644.
It’s tax time again, and considering who to trust with your tax return is a big decision. ITP The Income Tax Professionals have built a proud reputation of excellence of the past 45 years, and are proud to say that more than 300,000 Australians trust them with their tax return each year.
But what if getting your tax done could win you $10,000? Well this year if you go to ITP and get them to complete your tax return you will go in the draw to win exactly that! And if you’re under 21 it’s only $110.
*Terms and Conditions Apply.
ITP also want reward one lucky customer each month by having their tax return fee refunded to them. To go in the draw all you have to do is check in on Facebook at your local ITP office when you go in to complete your personal tax return. How easy is that!
*Conditions apply
ITP is located at the below WA locations – call them today to make an appointment.
GERALDTON
50 Sanford St
9964 1031
BROOME
Shop 4, Chinatown Markets
9193 6776
KARRATHA
18 Hedland Pl
9185 2222
EXMOUTH
16 Ningaloo St
9949 4164
SOUTH HEDLAND
South Hedland Shopping Centre
9172 2062
NEWMAN
17 Newman Blvd
9140 1425
DO WHAT YOU LOVE, WE’LL DO YOUR TAXES
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
Thanks Elliot Brown for this heads up. I started playing it with my kids yesterday. I think they'll enjoy it a lot.
"Pokemon Go was just released, its like a virtual pokemon game which encourages people of all ages to walk around in real life and catch pokemon! Sort of like geocaching, might be a great thing to do over the school holidays for the kids with their parents."
Get it on iPhone and Android.
Pilbara Championships in Newman
Congratulation to Geraldton 1 who won the division 1 grandfinal 4-0
Ross Gibson Clive Curley Gabby Councillor Bjorn Jones
And Geraldton 2 finishing 3rd
Jack Callow JNR Kieren Simpson
And the two fill ins we thank you for your support
Posted by Alex Jones - Facebook.
Due to the wintery weather expected on Friday July 8, GRAMS NAIDOC Week finale celebrations will now be held indoors at the QEII CENTRE at 88 Durlacher St, instead of the new Geraldton Multipurpose Centre. The event will bring together entertainers, storytellers, dancers, bush tucker samples, poetry and life in a kaleidoscopic celebration of Aboriginal culture.
From 6pm – 9pm on Friday July 8, anyone within the Geraldton community can enjoy this free community event by indulging in free ‘bush tucker’ samples, including kangaroo sausage rolls, crocodile tempura, Emu Patties and more (while supply lasts). Kangaroo tail stew and soup will be available later in the evening.
Entertainer Phil Walley-Stack will MC the event and deliver a digeridoo performance in traditional costume, while local poet and elder Nola Gregory will recite a poem she has penned especially for the event. Aboriginal elder Clarrie Cameron will share a yarn or two in line with the NAIDOC theme, Songlines the living narrative of our nation.
Children are invited to try their hand at traditional artwork under the guidance of local artist Marrika Laudehr.
Ikwahn Café will have food and drink on sale. Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service chief executive Deborah Woods encouraged people of all ages and backgrounds to come down and also enjoy live music from local band, Morning Sons.
This free community event is a smoke and alcohol free family friendly event for all to enjoy.
For more information contact Event Nation on 9964 6088.
Whale watching off the coast of Geraldton today.
For the month of July you can get $100 off Octane Tint at Tint-a-Car. Octane is the darkest legal tint that keeps you cool in the driver’s seat and has maximum protection from heat, glare and UV. Octane is there most popular tint and it’s clear why – with a combination of great looks, privacy and protection, Octane is really fully loaded. Tint-a-Car are also offering 25% off home and office tinting for the month of July.
Do you have a broken windscreen? Novus Auto Glass is the place to go. They repair and replace windscreens, and side and rear windows, and are recommended by most insurance and fleet companies. With fast, friendly and reliable service that is available 24/7 for emergency repairs, why would you go anywhere else.
Call them to book an appointment on 9965 5555 or go in and see them at 13-17 Sanford St.
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.
The Northern Agricultural Catchment Council (NACC) is excited to announce the 2016 update of Northern Agricultural Region’s NRM Strategy is now delivered on the NARvis website. The update is the culmination of input gathered from a range of community workshops and stakeholder surveys carried out over the past four years.
NARvis aims to provide valuable information, resources and links to support and inspire positive action, along with showcasing the updated regional aspirations and goals – which will provide strategic direction for future projects and NRM funding in order to maximise the benefits from these investments.
NACC would like to say a massive “THANK YOU” to everyone who has contributed in one way or another towards helping to make the regional aspirations and goals a true reflection of the community’s vision for the region.
Project Coordinator and NACC Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Coordinator Emma Jackson said “While NACC has facilitated the update of the NRM strategy, we couldn’t have done this without the valuable input and direction of a vast range of stakeholders.
“NARvis has been developed by, and for the benefit of, the regional community. It has been awesome to have so many different people involved in the project,” she said.
What’s new on NARvis:
Revised regional aspirations and goals.
Updated regional climate change information and projected impacts, based on the most recent modelling by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and CSIRO, along with mitigation and adaptation options, including inspiring case studies.
New Aboriginal History and Culture theme page, to further recognise and support the important contribution of our region’s Traditional Owners in managing natural resources.
These improvements are reflected in the recently released NARvis Summary Document Version 2
What’s next for NARvis:
Continuing to showcase more regional NRM projects and case studies on the NARvis website, and count the contribution of these projects towards achieving the regional goals – members of the community working on projects can contact NACC directly, or Share Your Project with NACC via the online form.
Developing strategies and working towards achieving the goals identified on NARvis. Find out how you can get involved, from recycling to applying for a grant, and everything in between!
Continuing to review and improve NARvis and the regional goals as community priorities change.
Please jump online and check-out the Northern Agricultural Region’s NRM Strategy – visit: www.narvis.com.au. There are videos to help navigate the site, and opportunities to leave a comments at the bottom of any of the webpages, to help in the further development of the strategy.
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.
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.
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