LANDHOLDERS in the Granite Belt region are being urged to help the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water improve its understanding of shallow groundwater that is being taken in the region.
DRDMW South Region Executive Director Hamish Butler said the department was collecting information from landholders on any existing dams, wells or other works that access this groundwater.
“We’re identifying all the current ways that landholders draw on this water, such as bores, wells, or spring-fed dams, to name just a few, so that we can document how many existing works are across the Granite Belt,” he said.
[adrotate group=”7″]
Other types of notifiable works include any excavations, interception trenches or any associated ring tanks.
“Right now we’re gathering all the information and creating a picture about what is actually happening with this water so we can improve our management of the resource,” Mr Butler said.
“As the community is aware, construction of new works that take and store shallow groundwater treated as overland flow water was prohibited in 2016, so we are seeking information on works constructed prior to 2016. We are looking for existing works used for agricultural and horticultural activities, commercial uses, such as nurseries and food processing, or tourism-related activities,” he said.
“Although, it is important to note that works only used for domestic or stock purposes do not need to be notified.
“Our commitment to the Murray Darling Basin Plan requires that we improve our understanding of the resource and to make decisions that are informed by accurate information,” Mr Butler said.
OAKEY Girl Guides will continue to support the Oakey and Darling Downs communities after an eleventh-hour lifeline from New Hope Group.
New Hope Group, which has been supporting social and community projects throughout the Darling Downs region for more than two decades, will donate $5,000 to the group.
New Acland Mine general manager Dave O’Dwyer (pictured) said when New Hope Group learned the Oakey Girls Guides’ future was under threat it immediately decided to lend a hand.
“The Girl Guides movement has played a key role in the community for more than a century,” O’Dwyer said.
“The group was hit-hard by COVID-19 restrictions which made fundraising impossible, placing its future at risk.
“I’m proud New Hope Group can lean in and ensure the group will continue to support girls and young women in Oakey for years to come.”
[adrotate group=”7″]
Oakey Girl Guides group leader Bianca Bidgood and New Hope Group community and landholder advisor Rebecca Meacham. IMAGE: Supplied
Oakey Girl Guides group leader Bianca Bidgood said before New Hope Group’s support the group was under threat due to soaring insurance costs and a lack of awareness.
“New Hope Group has provided the Oakey Girl Guides with the lifeline it needed to stay open,” Bianca said.
“After months of uncertainty, our future is secure, and we can now turn our attention to attracting new members to the group.
“The Girl Guides has empowered hundreds of girls to serve their communities over the past 100 years and I’m confident there are dozens of local Oakey girls who want to make a valuable and meaningful contribution to the region.
“New Hope Group’s support also means the Oakey Girl Girls won’t have to find a new home and can stay at the School of Art’s Building, which has been our base for more than 60 years.”
THE next instalments of three iconic tourism and community events on the Western Downs have been secured thanks to a $300,000 investment by the Queensland Government.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had announced the government would contribute $100,000 towards the next biennial Chinchilla Melon Festival when she attended the event in February.
And during a visit to the Western Downs Regional Council’s headquarters in Dalby last week Palaszczuk formalised a commitment to match the funding for Tara’s Festival of Culture and Camel Races and Miles’s Back to the Bush Festival.
“I’m pleased to have been able to visit the region recently and to show my government’s support for the community with the funding of the Tara Festival of Culture & Camel Races and Miles Back to Bush festivals,” Palaszczuk said.
“Festivals like these play an important role in helping bring the community together. They also bring thousands of people into the region to highlight the best of what outback Queensland has to offer.”
[adrotate group=”7″]
Western Downs mayor Paul McVeigh said he was delighted the Queensland Government would contribute vital funds to the region’s premier tourism events.
“The Premier recently announced $100,000 for the Chinchilla Melon Festival, and it’s great to see the support has continued with the Premier advising that $100,000 has also been contributed to the Tara Festival of Culture & Camel Races and Miles Back to the Bush respectively,” McVeigh said.
“These high-profile events were established by hard-working volunteers and have grown considerably over time.
“These events are so important to the social connectivity of our region, and also serve as a huge economic driver with thousands of travellers attending these iconic events from right across the country.
“It’s vital these community-driven events continue to be supported, and I thank the Premier for recognising the value of these festivals to our region, and to the people of Queensland.”
[adrotate group=”7″]
WATCH: Country Caller’s coverage of the 2023 Chinchilla Melon Festival
POTENTIALLY life-saving heart scans will be provided free of charge at the Dalby Show this weekend as part of an initiative by Heart of Australia and the Eloise Gannon Foundation.
A Heart of Australia ‘mini mobile medical clinic’ will be set up at the Dalby Showgrounds on Saturday, April 15, offering free electrocardiogram (ECG) tests which detect potentially fatal heart arrhythmias.
The initiative is part of a nationwide awareness campaign by the Eloise Gannon Foundation, established in memory a beloved Brisbane teenager who tragically died of a sudden cardiac arrest in 2013.
Eloise Gannon was a fit and healthy 15-year-old girl who’d previously been diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition which causes abnormal heartbeat, however doctors considered her to be at extremely low risk of having serious complications.
Following her passing, Eloise’s family established the foundation to help raise awareness of arrhythmia in the hope of preventing such tragedies for young Australians.
“The ECG does a snapshot of the rhythm of your heart at that time,” said Nikki Gannon, Eloise’s mother who founded the foundation alongside husband, Geoff.
“If our daughter, Eloise, hadn’t had an ECG we would never have known that she had an arrhythmia.
“The ECG is a way of diagnosing arrhythmia that some people may not even know they have because often the symptoms are nothing. You can palm them off to being anything other than some sort of problem with your heart.
“We’re particularly targeting the younger age group (14-35s) because, particularly with young, active people, it’s not something they they think could be a problem for them.”
Bookings for a free ECG at the Dalby Show on Saturday can be made HERE. The procedure will take about 15 minutes (in total) and results will be reviewed by a cardiologist.
“The actual ECG literally takes 5 minutes. You may have seen them in the hospital shows – they put those little sticky dots on your chest and they watch the rhythm of your heart,” Nikki Gannon said.
Nikki and Geoff Gannon with their daughters Bronte, then 7, and Eloise, then 10
[adrotate group=”7″]
“Hopefully we don’t capture anybody in Dalby who has something wrong, but it’s a good practice in case someone does have something they don’t know about and they can go and investigate it further,” Nikki said.
“Sadly, cardiac arrest is the dreadful outcome of some arrhythmias.
“You hear of some people just dropping without warning while they’re playing sport. Quite often it’s because they’ve got an undiagnosed arrhythmia, which causes the electrical waves in the heart to sort of short circuit – it doesn’t beat properly and they sadly pass away.
“When that happened to Eloise we just felt that we had to do something to try and raise awareness about these conditions in young people.”
During the visit the Eloise Gannon Foundation will also be donating defibrillators to two local sporting clubs in Dalby.
Country Caller OPINION section sponsored by Senator Susan McDonald
IF you’re not satisfied with your local council you have 47 weeks to do something about it.
There’s just over 10 months until Queenslanders go to the polls. The Palaszczuk Government has brought the local government election date forward a fortnight to March 16 next year, avoiding a clash with the Easter school holidays.
Conversations around who will be running are ramping up and it’s open season on current councillors and their performance.
I love the speculation; will she or won’t she run for Mayor? Will he or won’t he finally retire?
I’ve covered more than a dozen local, state and federal elections and have found the battle for council can be particularly brutal and bizarre.
It’s often deeply personal and can turn ugly, fast.
Who could forget the 2021 Rockhampton mayoral by-election? A Melbourne Cup-like field of 17 candidates included a barefoot bloke named ‘Pineapple’.
The 17 candidates who contested the Rockhampton mayoral by-election in 202
Then there’s the niche policy platforms, such as cancelling New Year’s Eve fireworks to stop disturbing birds, colour coding street signs so buses don’t get lost and putting a cover on the Crows Nest pool so “we don’t all burn to death”.
To be fair – those three were all from the same candidate.
Ultimately rivalries are laid bare, corflute signs are defaced and more often than not, election day comes and goes and not a whole lot changes.
It’s a great time to be a journalist. But as a ratepayer, parent and concerned citizen, I also have skin in the game when it comes to local government elections in Toowoomba.
Country Caller OPINION section sponsored by Senator Susan McDonald
I want a council that reflects my community – not the town we used to be, but the vibrant, diverse and exciting region we’re becoming.
But I fear, given the minefield I’ve outlined, many exceptional individuals who are thinking about throwing their hat in the ring right now – will not.
Why risk standing up against the status quo despite obvious dysfunction and disarray?
Why risk the personal attacks and professional backlash from daring to demand better?
Because your community needs you.
Our regions need authentic, brave leadership from all walks of life.
Councils need fresh and diverse perspectives as much as they need experience.
We need team players who can put what’s best for their region ahead of their own egos.
We need councillors who can turn campaign slogans into solutions.
The Palaszczuk Government has announced local government elections will be held on March 16. IMAGE: Supplied
John F Kennedy challenged Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”.
We have 47 weeks – that’s an awfully long time in politics and plenty of time to inspire change.
Run for office or support those with big ideas and untapped potential to take the plunge.
Ask questions, expect answers and make those vying for re-election work for the privilege.
Speak up for incumbents who have done good work and deserve another term – it’s not an easy gig and a little encouragement goes a long way.
Start conversations about what your region needs to truly thrive and be prepared to vote accordingly.
For those still not convinced, I was reporting from Clive Palmer’s campaign headquarters the night he was elected so trust me when I say, anything’s possible – for better or worse.
STATE Emergency Service volunteers in the Western Downs have honoured a stalwart of the organisation and are relishing upgrades to facilities and resources amid a region-wide push for new members.
A significant refurbishment of SES facilities at Chinchilla will enable crews to better coordinate resources and improve personnel’s communication during disaster recovery operations.
Thanks to an investment by the Western Downs Regional Council and a $10,000 grant from Origin Energy, Chinchilla SES’s executive office has been upgraded to create an improved radio room and new storage space for equipment.
The radio room and a new executive office has been named after the late Peter Taylor, a veteran SES volunteer and controller of the Chinchilla SES Group before he passed away in 2017.
Western Downs SES Deputy Controller Scott Pogan, Origin Energy’s Glenn Girdler and Ash Wheeler, SES South West Area Controller Sharn Pogan, Origin Energy’s Marie Cameron and WDRC’s Brent Reading. IMAGE: Robert Hocking
“Pete was a stalwart of SES. It was his passion,” said Western Downs Deputy Controller Scott Pogan. “He was a member of the SES for 38 years and we thought it would be very fitting to honour Pete’s memory and dedication.”
“Our space was definitely due for an upgrade. The office was riddled with asbestos and in poor condition so we had to get rid of it. We’re very appreciative of the support from Origin and the council because these facilities are vital to continue the work we do.”
Emergency crews were kept busy throughout January and February as bushfires raged throughout the Wieambilla forrest, outside Miles and around Moonie.
Local SES crews were deployed throughout the region to assist the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and local police coordinate water bombing aircraft, road closures and communications.
SES South West Area Controller Sharn Pogan with Sue Taylor, wife of Peter Taylor. IMAGE: Robert Hocking
[adrotate group=”7″]
SES volunteers Connor Pogan and Tom Morfee at the official opening of the Peter Taylor Executive Office. IMAGE: Robert Hocking
Pogan is a longstanding SES volunteer who works as a Senior Constable with Miles Police.
His wife, Sharn Pogan, is the Local Controller for the Western Downs SES and an Area Controller for the South West Region, which covers the vast area between the Lockyer Valley and the far South West.
The region is services by nearly 500 SES volunteers who are fundamental to managing recovery from ongoing floods, bushfires and hailstorms which affect the region.
Sharn Pogan said SES representatives were pushing for new members to join the volunteer service, with new initiatives to expedite the recruitment and training process.
“We had a bit of a decrease through Covid when all of our training suspended completely. People tended to find a new hobby or do something different,” she said.
“But for the past 12 months we’ve started to pick up again and we’re always looking for new members – the more sets of hands we have, obviously the lighter the load for everybody who’s operational within the SES.
SES crews helped to coodinate water bombing aircraft during February bushfires throughout the Western Downs. IMAGE: Supplied
“Training is always ongoing from the time that you start. I’ve been with the SES over 12 years now and I’m still learning things every day, which is fabulous because you’re constantly building your skill sets.
“Everyone trains on the basics and then you can decide what sort of path you’d like to take – whether you’d like to skill up in flood boats or chainsaws, emergency operation centres, whether you want to be in the administrative side or you want to be hands on.
“You also have the ability to decide when you’re going to attend training. A lot of us train weekly, but you may only make two nights out of a month. SES isn’t about drilling you down and saying you must attend, it’s about your choices and how it fits into what you do. You become a very valued volunteer for the organisation and our communities.
SES volunteers helping to search the property of the police shooting at Wieambilla in December 2022. IMAGE: Supplied
[adrotate group=”7″]
“We find that a lot of people who want to come and be a volunteer also bring to us skills that they teach the rest of us, so it’s a great two way exercise. We all learn from each other and bounce off each other.”
Scott Pogan added: “It’s a feeling of participation within your own community and helping to give back to your community. There’s the pride that comes from volunteering and providing a service.
“There’s the pride in a job well done when these events occur, you respond, and you have been able to assist and facilitate people’s recovery. There’s the teamwork that comes from participating in an emergency service.
“There’s the learning and the knowledge that comes from training and responses. The knowledge and skills that you learn are transferable in your own life.”
SES volunteers and donors celebrate the official opening of the Peter Taylor Executive Office at Chinchilla. IMAGE: Robert Hocking
THREE years after French renewable energy giant Neoen first broke ground at the site of its mammoth Western Downs Green Energy Hub (WDGPH) near Kogan, the one millionth panel as been installed as the project nears 100 percent completion.
The $600 million, million-panel WDGPH covers 1500 hectares and will generate 400MW once fully operational, making it Australia’s largest solar farm.
Neoen has commissioned the construction contractor behind the project, India-based Sterling & Wilson, to now build a 200MW battery storage system at the site.
Publicly owned green energy operator CleanCo will use 80 percent of the WDGPH’s output under under a confidential power purchasing agreement with Neoen.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaking at the Western Downs Green Power Hub. IMAGE: Country Caller
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deputy Premier Stephen Miles joined Neoen CEO Louis de Sambucy and representatives from a large team of contractors involved in the project to mark the million-panel milestone.
“This is incredible, and what we are absolutely seeing now is because of our Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, it is becoming a magnet for further investment,” Palaszczuk said.
“We’re going to be seeing more and more of these solar farms across Queensland because that’s what we need to transition to our renewable future.”
The WDGH is currently generating 350MW of power. Final testing and commissioning will carried out over coming weeks to bring the facility to its full capacity of 400MW, which is enough electricity to power 235,000 Queensland homes.
The project created close to 450 job during construction but workforce will shrink to about 10 during operation, de Sambucy told the Caller. Additional workers will be required to construct and operate the adjoining battery storage facility.
He said developers had to overcome significant hurdles caused by the pandemic to bring the project to completion.
[adrotate group=”7″]
“It’s a massive solar farm, one of the most competitive assets that we have worldwide,” de Sambucy said.
“Neoen is operating in 15 countries and the project that we have here is a world class project because of its size, because of its technology and because of the fantastic solar resources that we have here in Queensland, and in particular the Western Downs.
“I am happy to say that we have now, in total, invested more than $1.2 billion in Queensland with almost 800MW in wind, solar and storage. We are keen to do more and we are keen to participate in this energy transition that is happening very quickly in Queensland toward the 70 percent target by 2023.
Map showing Neoen solar farm location. IMAGE: Supplied
“I want to pay tribute to the Neoen construction team and the Sterling & Wilson construction team. We had to overcome massive challenges – border closures, the inability to travel, supply chain disruption.
“We were very convinced of the merit of this project, so that’s why in May 2020 we were able to make the decision to go forward thanks to CleanCo, Powerlink and Sterling & Wilson.”
Neoen’s power purchasing agreement with CleanCo will run for 10 years, providing green energy to CleanCo’s major clients including Coles, Westfarmers (Kmart, Target, Bunnings, Officeworks), Scentre Group (Westfield shopping centres), The Ville, Cairns Regionoal Council and BHP.
[adrotate group=”7″]
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with Neoen CEO Louis de Sambucy. IMAGE: Country Caller
“This energy will be delivered to our largest commercial and industrial customers, so this is an essential part of our portfolio,” CleanCo CEO Tom Metcalfe said.
“This solar facility here, working together with our pumped hydro facility at Wivenhoe and also our Swanbank Station at Ipswich, and our our northern assets (such as) Baron Gorge allow us to provide 24/7 green energy to our customers.
“That’s what they’re looking for. They want to be sustainable in a net zero future, and we can deliver that for them.”
Deputy Premier Stephen Miles added: “Through the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan we are doing what Queensland has always done – taken our natural advantages and used them to build industries, deliver economic growth and intergenerational prosperity and jobs,” Miles said.
“He we are taking our world leading solar resources, our fantastic wind resources, the geography that allows us to build pumped hydro and of course our critical minerals.”
FIRE investigators will spend the day piecing together what sparked a fierce blaze at Jim’s Jerky factory at Charlton late yesterday afternoon.
The Warrego Highway was closed to all traffic near the O’Mara road intersection due to heavy smoke in the area, after flames spread to three gas bottles and a diesel tank at the much-loved family business.
The fire started just after 4pm, with all staff and customers quickly evacuated from the building.
Jim’s Jerky CEO Emily Pullen told the Caller, her main concern was for the safety of staff and customers and she was relieved to say no one was hurt.
“We want to thank all the emergency services who did an absolutely incredible job of keeping everyone safe,” Pullen said.
“We are lucky enough to have fire crews based just across the road at Charlton – within minutes they had dozens of personnel here and managed to contain the blaze to just one part of our facility. Absolute legends.”
Pullen said they were in the process of assessing the extent of the damage to their equipment.
[adrotate group=”7″]
The response from fans of the local jerky company was swift, with an outpouring of support for founders Jim and Cathie Tanner, daughter Emily and the Jim’s Jerky team on social media overnight.
“The support we have received from the community has been absolutely amazing and we want to reassure our customers Jim’s will be back up and running before you know it,” Emily Pullen said.
“But I think we can all agree chargrilled jerky isn’t for us!”
SANTOS has committed millions of dollars to support Indigenous participation by partnering with Indigenous owned companies Black Cat Civil and Origin Construction Group.
The two companies, which are Supply Nation verified, will be contracted for three years for road maintenance and civil services throughout Santos’ Queensland GLNG field operations.
Santos Managing Director and CEO Kevin Gallagher said providing business and job opportunities for Indigenous suppliers was a key focus of the company’s purpose to build a better world.
Santos Vice President Upstream QLD/NSW Glenn Watt and Origin Construction Group Director Matthew McMullen. IMAGE: Santos
[adrotate group=”7″]
“At Santos, we are committed to enabling and supporting Indigenous businesses through our extensive supply chain network,” Mr Gallagher said.
“Partnerships with established companies such as Black Cat Civil and Origin Construction Group, allow us to deliver high value employment opportunities and ensure Indigenous suppliers are engaged in our operations.”
In 2022, together Santos and GLNG have spent more than $712 million with Queensland based suppliers and since the Queensland GLNG project began in 2016, $412 million has been paid in state government royalties alone – enough to build eight primary schools.
Santos has focussed on converting Indigenous contractors to permanent roles, enabling a 20 per cent increase in permanent Indigenous employees (from 1.1 per cent of permanent staff in 2021 to 1.4 per cent in 2022).
[adrotate group=”7″]
Director of Black Cat Civil Jai Tomlinson, which has a 35 per cent Indigenous workforce, said the company was proud to partner with Santos.
“For Black Cat Civil it is an opportunity to widen our footprint into the energy sector and partner with an Australian born, leading energy provider that shares our core values,” Mr Tomlinson said.
“I am excited to cement our partnership with Santos and deliver excellence together.”
OCG Director Matthew McMullen said his company had been a consistent and reliable civil partner with Santos for the past five years.
“We have formed great local business relationships within Roma and the surrounding townships. We are excited to have this continue with Santos support, Mr McMullen said.
“Having well aligned company values has ensured the successful relationship (with Santos) now and into the future.”
Both Black Cat Civil and OCG are verified by Supply Nation, an independent body which verifies companies are Indigenous owned and regularly audited for changes in company structure.
LONELINESS, isolation and feeling under-valued by the Australian public are contributing to a mental health crisis among the nation’s farmers, according to new research which found close to half had experienced thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
The National Farmer Wellbeing Report, commissioned by dairy cooperative Norco and the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) paints a bleak picture of the mental wellbeing of Australian farmers.
45 percent of those surveyed had thought about self-harm or suicide, while close to a third had actually attempted to harm themselves, take their own life or knew a fellow farmer who had.
The figures were much higher for Australia’s next generation of producers, with a shocking 84 percent of 25-34 year olds having thoughts of self-harm and suicide at some point in their life.
[adrotate group=”7″]
“64% of farmers say they have experienced anxiety and 45% have had bouts of depression in the past few years; for one in seven (14%) anxiety is a worryingly frequent occurrence,” the report said.
Just over a quarter of those surveyed identified feelings of loneliness and isolation, and three in four felt the role they play is undervalued by the Australian public.
NFF President Fiona Simpson said the report would make for “uncomfortable reading” but that sometimes that’s what’s needed to prompt real action.
“These findings should be a wake-up call to everyone who supports farmers – from government to service providers, right through to our end customers,” Simpson said.
“We need to reflect on ways to improve this situation as a matter of urgency – and show farmers that they’re not alone.”
Farmers Paul and James Diamond co-founded AirAgri. IMAGE: Country Caller
Australian AgTech start-up AirAgri is developing an online screening tool to help farmers recognise mental health warning signs and connect with support at the click of a button.
Co-founded by farming brothers Paul and James Diamond (pictured above), AirAgri treats “what’s going on between the farmers’ ears” the same as other risk factors on-farm.
“We are a safety platform – we want to cover all bases as simply as possible because we understand that farmers don’t have the time to do certain things, or want to do certain things,” James Diamond told the Caller.
“They don’t want to walk into a GP and raise their hand, they don’t want to pick up the phone to a stranger.”
[adrotate group=”7″]
AirAgri is currently testing one of the world’s first clinical artificial intelligence tools, which will ask farmers basic questions and use their responses to help identify risks and connect them with help.
“We’re not going to pioneer this but we’re working with psychology clinics on virtual chat – texts – where you are talking to a trained, clinical psychologist,” James Diamond said.
“We’re really trying to simplify it, but it feels amazing to think we could potentially save a life.”
Impacts of natural disasters on farmers’ mental health. IMAGE: Farmer Wellbeing Report 2023
The Farmer Wellbeing Report found the weather, including natural disasters, followed by financial stress and cost pressures were the top three triggers for mental health concerns among farmers.
Norco endorsed three key recommendations to address the crisis, starting with restoring “much-needed pride” in the farming community by championing Aussie produce and those who grow it.
“Our farmers really are the backbone of this nation and work tirelessly to deliver essential goods to feed the Australian public, so it’s clear that more work needs to be done to acknowledge this and plug the appreciation gap,” Norco CEO Michael Hampson said.
“To help ensure our farmers feel valued, there’s really no better place to start than by making sure that we, as Australians, choose Aussie farmer products over foreign companies and imported products.”
[adrotate group=”7″]
The report also encouraged farmers to check in on each other, after finding, “farmers respond best to other farmers, who are uniquely placed to understand the challenges they’re facing.”
The final recommendation was for the farming industry to invest in mental health training for its workers.
Norco is offering Lifeline Crisis Supporter Training to all field officers, some co-op farmer members, senior executive team and Board of Directors, to help them identify and provide support to farmers who may be struggling.
The National Farmers’ Federation is also calling on all levels of government to urgently assess the resourcing they provide to farming communities to support wellbeing and mental health.
“We know that the challenges farmers face differ from those in metropolitan Australia or larger regional centres,” Fiona Simpson said.
“They need support from services that speak their language, and understand the pressures they face.”
Mental Health support services. IMAGE: Farmer Wellbeing Report 2023
