Thursday, July 8, 2010

Update - 8 July 2010

BAG NEWS ….

We have been advised this week that we were successful in our tender submission to produce the council’s new regional newsletter, the Bottle Tree Bulletin. This will be a major contract for BAG, and we will need community support to make this a success. The Bottle Tree Bulletin will be a regional publication containing pages for each of the main towns in the region, plus some pages for council information. There will be no advertising and no political content. It will be a monthly production distributed to all households in the Maranoa Regional Council area free of charge. This is a replacement for the Booringa Bulletin, which will end production when the new regional newsletter begins, in the very near future. Council have listened to our concerns regarding the loss of the Booringa Bulletin because of its value to our community, and many models of service delivery have been explored to achieve this final resolve.


The 26th Community Cabinet will be held in Roma on Sunday, 25 July 2010 and Mitchell on Monday, 26 July 2010. As with other community groups, BAG has been invited to share our ideas on issues and suggest actions to make our region a better place to live and work. A public forum will be held from 1.00 pm at the Roma Health and Fitness Centre, Bungil Street, Roma on Sunday, 25 July 2010. Everyone is invited to come along so their views can be heard. Formal deputations will be taken by Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and Directors-General in Roma on Sunday and by Parliamentary Secretaries and Directors-General in Mitchell on Monday. BAG is proposing to seek formal deputations with the following Ministerial Portfolios:
• Education and Training - regarding the need for a child care centre in Mitchell;
• Main Roads - regarding exactly what is planned for our highway;
• Natural Resources, Mines & Energy - regarding the issues of sand in the weir;
• Primary Industries, Fisheries, and Rural & Regional Queensland - regarding general issues impacting on the development of our community.
If you have any information to add to our deputations or you would like to discuss these issues, please don’t hesitate to give me a call.


Our Business & Community Networking Breakfast held on the deck at the Great Artesian Spa Complex on Wednesday 23 June 2010 was a great success……



Congratulations to

Donna McCarrol,


Adam McEvoy,


Lachlan Garrett,


Tilly Butler-Woodall,


Kev Wolski,


Emma Spooner,

Jenny Hockey,

and Kent Morris

who were all presented with a Certificate of Attainment in Manage Projects, following their successful assessment as part of the community workshops undertaken over the last few months.

Robyn Keenan from Queensland Tourism Industry Council shared with us some big issues for a changing world and how they relate to tourism and business. We have a growing population; the demographic composition will change and therefore our resources will need to increase. There will be a need for more infrastructure as well as more products and skills. Opportunities will arise as people are looking for more choices. There is a change toward tribal thinking; our social structures are being redefined: work, family, ‘home’. There is now a trend towards the ‘lifelong nomads’ as we have greater mobility. For tourism to successfully address this issue, we need a collective sense of ‘being part of it’. We also need to engage on the basis of changed values and changed modes of communication. We will also be affected by the issue of environmental constraints; natural resources will be more scarce and the prices for resources/energy will rise. ‘Clean’, ‘pure’, ‘pristine’, ‘non-crowded’ will be high-value attributes! New tourist segments are evolving, QTIC have identified these as: Active Explorers – Holidays where they can be challenged and feel alive; Stylish Travellers – Holidays where they can stand out from the crowd, and appreciate and enjoy the finer things in life; Self Discoverers – Holidays where they can enrich their mind and nourish their body; Unwinders – Holidays where they can reflect and recharge at their own pace; Connectors – Holidays where they can bond with family and friends; Social Fun-seekers – Holidays where they can share good times with friends, new and old.

Penny Delfs, from Custom Built Profits, delivered a clear message on the importance of first impressions! She also spoke about customer service, and its importance for achieving a competitive advantage for your business. As accredited Aussie Host providers, BAG can deliver workshops on customer service to you and your employees.

One Step Further CEO, Jo Smith, provided attendees with a learning plan, showing them just how easy it is for existing workers to gain a Diploma in Tourism or Hospitality! Jo has developed a system of assessment that delivers tangible results from the learnings, is able to be delivered locally, and is designed to limit the amount of time required to be spent away from the workplace.

My sincere thanks to Sue for a wonderful menu, and to Di and the spa complex for a great venue. We also thank the Maranoa Health Enhancement Program for their contribution to this event.


Membership renewals are currently being distributed. For all new and renewing members, we have decided to extend the offer of free gifts until the end of July, so please consider joining to show your support for your community. I would welcome contact from anyone considering joining and requiring more information.


Invoices for the 2011 Booringa Business Calendar have also been distributed. If your business has not received one and you would like to advertise on next year’s calendar, please contact me urgently!


GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION ………

Small Business Online (SBO) Program - Did you know? Over 12 million Australians accessed the internet in 2008-2009 and 64% used the internet to purchase goods or services. Small business can no longer ignore this change in consumer behaviour, every day more and more consumers are doing business online. While over 86% of businesses are connected to the internet only 36% have a website with a quarter believing they don’t use it well enough to get a tangible dollar benefit. Industry expert, Toowoomba IT Solutions has developed the Work Smarter. Go Online. training course as part of the Federal Governments $14M Small Business Online Program. The course will help small business work smarter by being online and take full advantage of the rollout of the National Broadband Network. The following courses are being held in Roma. Seminar 1 – The Internet and Your business. 25 August 2010. Cost – FREE. Seminar 2 – The Power of Website Marketing. 25 August 2010. Cost – FREE. Workshop 1 – Build your website and build business. 26 August 2010. Cost - $55. Workshop 2 – Making your website work harder – adding e-commerce to your new website. 27 August 2010. Cost - $55. For more information, program dates and registration details visit www.it-solutions.com.au or call 07 4642 1480.

Warrego Highway upgrade (Roma-Mitchell) - The Amby upgrade involves rebuilding almost six kilometres of the highway west of Amby and making some important safety and efficiency improvements through town. Construction has now started and will continue for the next 10 months, weather permitting. Roadworks will commence on Queen Street (Warrego Highway) and continue west to the Bongo railway siding over the next few months. Take care and remember, ‘Please slow down — roadwork safety is your responsibility too’. There is still ample parking available in Amby for short and longer term stays in town. Road users are advised that short delays of up to five minutes may occur on this section of the Warrego Highway during construction. Traffic lights will also be used during the construction period.

Until next time! :-)

Cheers,
Sharyn.

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Dentist – a reminder that our new private dentist, Life Time Smiles Mitchell is now OPEN for business. Call 1300 661 053 for an appointment.