Update - 17 June 2010

BAG NEWS ….

A Business & Community Networking Breakfast will be held on the deck at the Great Artesian Spa Complex on Wednesday 23 June 2010 from 7.00 am to 9.00 am. Cost is $10.00 per person. RSVP by 20 April 2010 to me on phone 07 4623 7814 or email bag.eo@bigpond.com. This event will launch a new training strategy for delivering nationally accredited diploma level training within the region. Speakers arranged for the breakfast are Robyn Keenan, Skills Link Manager from Queensland Tourism Industry Council and Jo Smith, One Step Further (RTO). Please join us to find out about current opportunities for business training and tourism in Mitchell. Free gift packs! On the menu is: Kedgeree; Egg Cocotte; Swedish Style Bubble and Squeak; Pork, Apple and Sage Chipolatas; Creamed Spinach; Chorizo and Beans; Maple Syrup Shortcut Bacon; Mushrooms and Thyme Buttered Muffins; and Homemade Granola Yoghurt and Dried Fruit Compote.

Governance Workshop – the final workshop in our series of community workshops will be on Governance and Meeting Procedures. This will be held on Tuesday 22 June 2010, 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm at the BAG/Landcare office. This is a free workshop and all community members are welcome to attend. Please contact me to register.

Funded Diplomas – BAG has been working with the Queensland Tourism Industry Council and service providers to enable the subsidised delivery of Diploma qualifications for local Tourism and Hospitality workers. The training for the qualifications outlined below will be tailored to suit the needs of the individual and their workplace. You will learn, or enhance on, areas such as:
• People Management: team performance, coaching, industrial relations skills;
• Customer Service and Sales skills: how to exceed every customer’s expectation and turn this into greater sales and increased bottom line;
• Financial Management: how to build a budget then manage it to suit your business;
• Marketing: how to best market your products then build on the return business.
These areas of study are just to name a few. To find out more about this opportunity please come along to our breakfast!

Membership is continuing to increase! JOIN NOW!! – New or renewing members who pay their membership before the end of June will receive a free gift! Take a look at our new window display for what you could get!

BAG PROJECT UPDATES ………

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


GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION ………

Public Awareness Alcoholics Anonymous – Al-Anon participation. 7.30 pm – 9.00 pm, Tuesday 22 June 2010, at the shire hall. A light supper will be provided. Please phone 4623 7298 for more information. Everyone welcome!


Until next time! :-)

Cheers,
Sharyn.

Update - 17 May 2010

Did you miss me? The last few weeks have been amazingly busy, and I’m not sure it’s looking any better for the next few weeks!!

BAG NEWS ….

New Members – a big welcome to the 11 new members who have joined BAG recently. Membership figures are steadily growing and we see this as a positive indication of support for the work we are doing for the community. Thank you!

Governance Workshop – the final workshop in our series of community workshops will be on Governance and Meeting Procedures. This will be held on Tuesday 22 June 2010, 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm at the BAG/Landcare office. This is a free workshop and all community members are welcome to attend. Please contact me to register.

Funded Diplomas – BAG has been working with the Queensland Tourism Industry Council and service providers to enable the subsidised delivery of Diploma qualifications for local Tourism and Hospitality workers. This is a fantastic opportunity for the region as it is often difficult to undertake training such as this without the need for travel. The training for the qualifications outlined below will be tailored to suit the needs of the individual and their workplace. This will involve a combination of RPL (recognition of prior learning), online self-paced workshops and workplace projects. This means there is complete flexibility; it is easy to do, with very little time taken from the workplace. You will learn, or enhance on, areas such as:
• People Management: team performance, coaching, industrial relations skills;
• Customer Service and Sales skills: how to exceed every customer’s expectation and turn this into greater sales and increased bottom line;
• Financial Management: how to build a budget then manage it to suit your business;
• Marketing: how to best market your products then build on the return business.
These areas of study are just to name a few. Let us help you design a training program that is real to your business needs - fun and motivational - but most of all, will allow you to take your business, just that One Step Further. To find out more about this opportunity please contact me via email bag.eo@bigpond.com or call 4623 7814.

To officially launch our training/tourism initiative we will be hosting a Business Breakfast on Wednesday 23 June 2010. Put this date in your diaries and I will forward further information as it becomes available. It is intended to host a tour of our local tourism attractions for the Queensland Tourism Industry Council whilst they are here, so if you have any ideas of where we could go and what we could do, please let me know!

General Meeting – Our April General Meeting saw attendance up slightly. Special guests in attendance were councillors Jeff Watson and Tom Hartley and also MRC Director Community Service, Tony Kline. Tony provided an update on council activities, including a changed focus for council in the way they look to support and nurture communities to address identified needs that are not commercially viable due to size of community/population and location. This was welcome news which we hope means support for Mitchell in its ongoing work towards the establishment of a Child Care Centre. It also means a reprieve for the Retirement Village.

Our June General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, 9 June 2010, 7.00 pm at the BAG cottage. All welcome!

JOIN NOW!! – New or renewing members who pay their membership before the end of June will receive a free gift! Please contact me for more information.

Management Committee Role – the BAG Management Committee has responsibility for the strategic direction as well as the day to day operation of BAG. They are a committed group of community members who are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to take our group forward. A large part of this is looking to source new business ideas to help make our organisation self funded, so that we can continue to employ staff and continue growing.


BAG PROJECT UPDATES ………

Dentist – woohoo! Life Time Smiles Mitchell is now OPEN. First appointments will be from Thursday, 27 May 2010. Call to secure your dental appointment today! Phone 1300 661 053. As comprehensive care dentists, Life Time Smiles services include: Toothache appointments daily; Oral examinations; Clean and fluoride; Crown & bridges; CEREC; Fillings; Root canal; and Extractions. Call in and see them today at the Mitchell Hospital, 95 Ann Street, Mitchell.

Sand/Weir – we have been approached by a local sand supplier who is interested in purchasing some of our lovely Mitchell sand….. but we need a way to get it out! Do you have some ideas or contacts in this field? Please contact me to discuss further.


GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION ………

MITCHELL STATE SCHOOL IS RECYCLING! WANTED: Aluminium Cans; Batteries - car, motorbike, truck; All things copper (electrical wire); All things brass; Anything Aluminium; Old Radiators. This Recycling Project is supporting the update of equipment in the school’s Manual Arts department and has the full support and assistance of the P&C. Pick up for large quantities available. Please contact the school on 4623 8888 for further information or assistance - ask for ANDREW!

The Biological Farmers of Australia & Seasol proudly present Cunnamulla Organic Roadshow hosted by the Paroo Shire Council. Thursday 20 May 2010; 8.30am – 5.00pm at the Cunnamulla Showgrounds, Broad Street, Cunnamulla. Please RSVP as soon as possible to Ph: 07 3350 5716 ext 232 or Email: events@bfa.com.au / or go to www.bfa.com.au to download booking form. Included on the Agenda is: Entering the organic beef market; Peter Gall (Organic Meat Company); Organic standards and certification; Terry Elliot (Auditor ACO); Biological Inputs – the benefits of kelp; Rick Keen (Seasol) & Mike Polymiadis (Elders); Understanding the organic wool market: Stuart MacKenzie (Plevna Downs); Understanding the organic lamb market; Toby Scales (Cleavers); Farm Tour; brothers Donald and Geoff Dunsdon provide a tour of their organic fat lamb operation; Managing healthy soils for viable agriculture; Neil Judd (Agronomist; CEO, South West NRM); Challenges and opportunities facing farmers worldwide today; Clive Wylie (Clive and Erika Wylie Partnership); Exporting organic beef to Asia and the US; Peter Schmidt (OBE Beef) Open forum; facilitated by Doug Haas (BFA Chairman). Roadshows are open to all interested in seeking the latest information on biological production systems and organic/biodynamic food and farming. The event is an excellent opportunity for those who want to make key contacts and network with industry members and is an opportunity to view trade displays of companies supplying organic “allowed inputs” and other products/services. Consisting of brief and practical talks, regardless of your type of business, you will gain an insight into biological farming systems and the entire organic supply chain.


Until next time! :-)

Cheers,
Sharyn.

Update - 22 March 2010

BAG NEWS ….

Show Schedule – The finishing touches are being made to the 2010 Mitchell Show Schedule! These will be available at the office later in the week.

The next BAG General Meeting will be held on 14 April 2010, 7.00 pm at the BAG cottage in Ann Street. Everyone is welcome.


BAG PROJECT UPDATES ………

Community Bus – As council is no longer hiring its bus to community groups, it has been identified the need for a community owned bus for use by all community groups. Helen Brindley has taken on the role of working party co-ordinator for this project. If you would like to join this working party, or want to provide details of when you/your group would make use of a community bus please contact Helen at bindies@activ8.net.au ... Also, if you have some ideas as to how this may be funded/supported long term, Helen would love to hear these!!


GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION ………

Mitchell Responsible Serving of Alcohol Course – So what do you do when an intoxicated 18 year old wants another beer – and you’re the one behind the bar? What do you say to diffuse what could become an awkward situation? The Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) course is a great way o learn how to deal with these and other tricky situations. They run for four hours and provide the knowledge and awareness necessary to serve liquor responsibly. Successful participants receive a Liquor Licensing industry recognised RSA certificate. Benefits include: Greater awareness of legal liabilities; Increased knowledge of alcohol and its effects; A safer environment for servers and patrons; Assists clubs to achieve Good Sports accreditation. Course Details: Tuesday 25 May 2010, 5.30 pm, at the Maranoa Regional Council, Mitchell Office (old Council Chambers). Cost is $45 for Good Sports club members and $75 for non-members. To book, please contact Good Sports Project Officer Justine Miller on 0400 726 652 or email goodsports_southwest@live.com.au. Payment must be received prior to course date to secure your spot!

Flood Assistance – The Department of Communities are conducting outreach services in the Mitchell and Dunkeld areas over the next few days. Affected people can register for: financial assistance; personal support; counselling services; specialist services; etc. by using 1800 173 349. Please keep in mind that this assistance is available for all affected residents of the Maranoa including primary producers.


Until next time! :-)

Cheers,
Sharyn.

Update - 4 March 2010

BAG NEWS ….

Community Workshops – A great first workshop on Communication was held on Monday night, but due to the deluge later that evening, we cancelled the Tuesday workshop. We covered a great range of topics, including how to frame your conversations for maximum impact, as well as NLP – Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP explores the relationships between how we think (neuro), how we communicate (linguistic) and our patterns of behaviour and emotion (programmes)). These workshops have proved beneficial to participants and are most entertaining. Our next workshop on Governance and Meeting Procedures will be held on Monday 19 April 2010, 6.00 - 9.00 pm at the BAG/Landcare office. Snacks and dinner (finger foods) will be provided. Please contact me to register for this workshop.

The next BAG General Meeting will be held on 14 April 2010, 7pm at the BAG cottage in Ann Street. Everyone is welcome.


BAG PROJECT UPDATES ………

Dentist – Good news this week, following a telephone hook up a start date has been set. We are waiting on confirmation to start advertising this date and for details on how to make appointments!!

Website – Members have been working in the background lately to put together a BAG website. Some further work is needed on this before it is ready for viewing …. I will keep you updated. If you have any great flood photos, please email these through to me and they can be included on the website!!

Sand/Weir - Our Sand Working Party Co-ordinator, Tom, is looking for some photographs of the Neil Turner Weir in its early years, when it was a full and active water playground. Please email or bring in to the office (for scanning) as many photos as you have.


GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION ………

Shave for a Cure – to support the Leukaemia Foundation, we are being shaved on Saturday, 6 March 2010 at 6.00 PM at The Rock, Hotel Richards. All donations can be made online, go to shave for a cure and search for our team – The Rock. There is live entertainment that night, a singer is coming out from Bris Vegas – Fina. Going under the razor are: Katie Byrne, Lynne Smith and THE DON, Kate Field. Hope to see you there!
Visit the team page direct - http://my.imisfriendraising.com.au/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=44143&langPref=en-CA

The Mitchell RSL & Combined Sports Club is seeking the services of a highly motivated and enthusiastic person to fill the position of Sports Club Co-ordinator at the Mitchell RSL & Combined Sports Complex, Mitchell. The successful incumbent must be able to manage and co-ordinate the functioning and daily operation of the Mitchell RSL & Combined Sports Club Complex. Flexibility of working hours will also be essential. Applicants are required to specifically address each of the selection criteria listed in the Position Description. Requests for a position description or any further enquiries should be directed to: The Secretary/Treasurer, Mitchell RSL & Combined Sports Club, PO Box 42, Mitchell Qld 4465 or phone 4624 6905. Applications close Monday, 8 March 2010.

Flood Assistance – The Department of Communities will commence outreach services in Roma today, as well as establishing a Community Recovery Coordination/Information Centre. This ‘Centre’ (one-stop-assistance/information-shop) will be located at the Ernest Brock Room of the Roma Cultural Centre, Bungil Street, Roma from 1 PM Thursday 4 March 2010. It is anticipated that the Centre will be in operation until 17 March 2010. Affected people can register at the Centre for: financial assistance; personal support; counselling services; specialist services; etc. After Thursday, the Centre will operate from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM every day through to the 17th March (including weekends). People can also register for the assistance by using 1800 173349 particularly if they can not make it to Roma. Please keep in mind that this assistance is available for all affected residents of the Maranoa including primary producers.


Until next time! :-)

Cheers,
Sharyn.

Update - 16 February 2010

BAG NEWS ….

Congratulations to our 2009 Christmas Light competition winners:
Best Residential Kerslake Family
Best Commercial Mitchell Café
Best Tree Marlene Harris
People’s Choice Mitchell Auto Care.

Community Workshops – Last week we had our 3rd community workshop, this one was on Time Management. The series of workshops being delivered are designed for community members who are actively involved in not for profit community groups who want to further develop their skills to be effective committee members, wish to see the continued development and growth of the Booringa community, and want to seek new opportunities for personal development. We had a new participant join last week, so it is not too late if you would still like to participate. All workshop participants will receive a resource kit full of practical resources for use in their community groups. You may choose to participate in one, some or all of the workshops. Participants who complete all 5 workshops will be awarded a Statement of Attainment for the accredited training competency BSBPMG510A Manage Projects. Catch up is possible! These workshops are free for community members. The development and delivery of this program has been made available by the State Department of Employment, Economic Development and innovation through the Blueprint for the Bush program. Please contact me if you would like to register for any of these workshops. Coming up is Workshop 4 – Communication, Monday 1 March 2010 and Tuesday 2 March 2010 - 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm …. Covers communication styles, communicating for change as well as practical advice for communicating with the media. Also includes tips for email communication and writing newsletters. Workshop 5 – Meeting procedures / Governance, mid-April (dates to be confirmed). Tips and ideas to ensure more productive and quicker meetings. Also covers the essentials for good governance.

Aussie Host – The Toowoomba and Golden West Tourism have approached us to assist with delivering customer service training in the region. This would be a fantastic opportunity to promote the Aussie Host program to a wider audience.

BAG’s current organisational structure allows for members to become involved in their project of interest (working party). To become a working party member, there is no requirement to attend our General Meetings – unless of course you want to! We understand that everyone is busy, and that they don’t want to be at meetings which are of little interest to them. We are all about focussing members’ energies to achieve tangible results. Members contribute in different ways and we value and appreciate everyone’s ongoing support. Welcome to all new members who have joined in the past few weeks.


BAG PROJECT UPDATES ………

Dentist – More delays! I’m sorry to advise that our most recent contact with the private dentist has their new anticipated start date as late March, early April. Many obstacles beyond our control have contributed to this delay, but they are still very keen and progress is happening. BAG and the dentist collaborated recently to submit a funding application to refurbish the old doctors surgery in the main street (owned by Queensland Health) for use as a dental surgery.

Child Care Centre – Consistent efforts from Jayne McLean sees some progress with this project. Jayne’s strategic and methodical processes ensures a solid foundation. Jayne is arranging for a building certifier/architect to come and inspect the old kindy building so that plans can be drawn up to determine the needs for certification as a child care centre and so that quotes for building works can be obtained. This will be essential to the progress of this project. Furthermore, details have been provided to council to put forward a proposed project under the Sustainable Resource Communities Initiative for the refurbishment of the old Kindergarten to meet current standards for a Child Care Centre. The Department of Employment and Training, Office of Early Childhood Education and Care contacted BAG today requesting updated figures to continue lobbying for Mitchell to be considered under the Unique Solutions program for assistance to establish a kindergarten. Although our aim is for Child Care, we would be very willing to collaborate with the Department of Employment and Training for funding assistance.

Sand / Weir – Some information has been forthcoming with regards to the tests carried out previously on the sand. With this information we have begun a proactive approach to stakeholders to advise them of the availability of our sand, to initiate dialogue of possible scenarios for its extraction.
 
GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION ………

Maranoa’s Got Talent – Nominations free & now open. 6-25 year olds. Get a performance together and nominate to showcase your talent as an individual or as a group, whether it be singing, dancing, playing an instrument, magic, acting, comedy or more. $1000 in prize money up for grabs for the best performances. Nominations close 5.00 pm Wednesday 17 February 2010. Mitchell Auditions: Tuesday 2 March 2010; 4 – 6 pm at the Shire Hall. Final will be held on Saturday 13 March 2010 in Roma. Nomination forms are available from the council office or at http://www.maranoa.qld.gov.au/community/youth.shtml

LAST CHANCE FOR MITCHELL EMERGENCY SERVICES CADET PROGRAM - Emergency Management Queensland has scheduled a final community meeting for Monday 22nd February 2009 in an attempt to gather community support in order to reactivate the Emergency Services Cadet Program in the Mitchell Community. The group has been inactive from November 2008 after a number of key Adult Member Positions became vacant. Several community meetings have been held with a very limited response to date. As outlined in departmental policy, should there be insufficient support in place in order to keep a group active, and all reasonable avenues to maintain the active status of the group have been investigated, the group is to be disbanded. Unfortunately, the Mitchell Emergency Services Cadet Group will be disbanded should there not be adequate support identified at the scheduled meeting in order to reactivate the group. Community Meeting; Monday 22 February 2010, 5.30 pm; Council Meeting Room, Maranoa Regional Council - Mitchell Office. Everyone welcome and encouraged to attend - past Adult Members, past Cadets, Parents & community members. For further information please contact Jay Dobbin 4616 1531.

Until next time! :-)

Cheers,
Sharyn.

Update - 18 December 2009

BAG NEWS ….

What a great crowd for Wednesday night’s Mitchell late night shopping!! Congratulations to Peter and Anna Cross, the lucky winners of the $1400 worth of local shopping vouchers. Each of the 28 participating businesses have provided a $50 gift voucher for this prize. Sincere thanks to everyone for their support of local businesses and this initiative. We have learnt a lot from this year’s campaign, so watch out next year which is sure to be even bigger and better!! $98,000 worth of vouchers were printed over the 4 weeks of the campaign …. An indication of the huge impact shopping local can have for our local economy and local jobs!

Don’t forget to get your nominations in for the Christmas Lights competition …. Entries close TODAY. People’s Choice voting closes on Monday.
Consumer & Business Survey - Help us to define what’s important to Australians. Have you had some great experiences of Customer Service in Australia? Or do you generally find the level of Customer Service in Australia to be frustrating? We want to know about your Customer Service Experiences in Australia both Business to Business AND Business to Consumer. We want to know what areas you rate highly, what areas you rate poorly and we want to hear about some of your experiences of dealing with Australian businesses. The survey will only take 5-10 minutes of your time and will help us to define what’s important to Australians and is online until the end of 2009. Results will be published on the AussieHost website in February 2010 and will provide very useful insights for your business!
CLICK HERE to start survey.
The BAG committee would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The BAG office will be closed from 23 December 2009 until 25 January 2010.

Until next year!

Cheers,
Sharyn.

Update - 10 December 2009

BAG NEWS ….


We have been successful in securing funds from the Maranoa Regional Council’s Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) to employ a local artist to make our noticeboards beautiful and to make the job of updating the calendar of evens easier!!


The Rural Forum incorporating a Climate Change Roundtable held recently provided an opportunity for the 7 participants in the Women Leading Change Program to learn more about the possible impacts of Climate Change as well as deliver some very inspiring and entertaining presentations on their individual business projects. Each participant has set up a blog to record their thoughts and achievements as they develop their projects over the next few months. Please feel free to have a look at these and leave your comments.

http://thecowlabel.blogspot.com
http://achieveyourgoals-bullseye.blogspot.com
http://brassrazu.blogspot.com
http://kyliedouglas.blogspot.com
http://kangaroocoop.blogspot.com
http://thingsonwallsdesign.blogspot.com
http://teamtomoo.blogspot.com


We have also been advised of our success in securing funds to update the tables and chairs at the BAG cottage.


As you hopefully have noticed, Booringa Action Group, with support from council and local businesses, is running a shop local campaign in the lead up to Christmas 2009. The impact of re-thinking purchasing decisions and choosing to buy locally provides a significant impact on the local economy and local employment.

For every $10 spent at participating stores, shoppers will be entitled to a voucher to place in an entry box to enter the draw for $1400 worth of local shopping vouchers. At the point of sale, shoppers can complete and lodge an entry form. There is no limit to the amount of entries you can have. The competition will run from Tuesday 17 November 2009 until close of business on Tuesday 15 December 2009.

The prize draw will take place at 7.30 pm on the evening of the Christmas late night shopping celebrations on Wednesday, 16 December 2009. For the late night shopping evening we have Santa, lots of activities for the whole family, especially the children who will be entertained with local businesses offering child friendly activity stations. The winner of the $1400 worth of local shopping vouchers must be present at the draw to claim their prize. See you there!!

BAG would like to take this opportunity to thank the following businesses who have offered their generous support toward this shop local campaign:

Poppy’s Boutique;
Mitchell Café;
Lemon Pie Gifts;
Mitchell Pharmacy;
Mitchell Bakery;
Mitchell Hardware & Plumbing;
Samios Trading Post;
Dobbins Foodworks;
Hotel Mitchell;
Mitchell Beauty Salon;
Rob Cornish Electrical;
Bulldog Bikes;
Hunters Store;
Lawson’s Butchery;
Landmark;
Hotel Richards;
Nutri-Lick;
BP Service Station;
Tower Roadhouse;
Bridge Service Station;
Courthouse Hotel;
Mitchell Post Office (gift lines ONLY);
Mitchell Mini Mart;
Mitchell Tyre Centre;
Mitchell Auto Care;
Maranoa Arts Gateway;
Mitchell News & Casket.
 
GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION ………

An invitation for you to come to the Amby Christmas Tree this Saturday, 12 December 2009, at the Amby Hall at 7.30 pm. Admission is $10 which includes a meal and lucky door ticket. Pensioners and High Schoolers $5. There are raffles and a hamper to be won and Santa will be arriving during the evening to give prepaid gifts to the children. Also, there will be a licensed bar and dancing 'til late with L.V Rhythm. Please come and share the fun , you are most welcome!


The Mitchell on Maranoa Art Gallery is holding a Christmas Clearing Sale. Now on at the library until 23 December 2009. This is a fantastic opportunity to purchase patchwork, sketches, paintings, photographs and jewellery at discounted prices so everyone can give local and original Christmas gifts. You can take purchases the moment you pay for them, so you can wrap, stash or post immediately. Hurry before you miss out on your favourite artists’ pieces.


Until next time! :-)

Cheers,
Sharyn.