Weekender - Bucca boy leads Queensland drone spraying innovations Exciting Boreham Park upgrade starts soon

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Weekender - Bucca boy leads Queensland drone spraying innovations Exciting Boreham Park upgrade starts soon
weekender               Saturday 3 October 2020

Bucca boy leads
Queensland
drone spraying
innovations
Exciting Boreham Park
upgrade starts soon

Flame burns bright
on the drag strip

Jaimee McLeod Art
becomes full
time job
Weekender - Bucca boy leads Queensland drone spraying innovations Exciting Boreham Park upgrade starts soon
contents
  3   Exciting Boreham
      Park upgrade
      starts soon

  4   The Cookie Daze
      fresh as a daisy

  5
      End of an era
      for the Federal
      Backpackers Hostel

  6
      What’s on in
      the Bundaberg
      Region

  7
      State road
      upgrades an
      advocacy priority

  8   Local grower
      goes nuts for
      ag tech

      Cover story

  9   Bucca boy leads
      Queensland drone
      spraying innovations

10
      Aerial imagery
      identifies             Photo of the week   @jodimeister
      crop health

 11
      Annual Rotary
      book sale
      bigger than ever

 12
      Jaimee McLeod Art
      becomes full
      time job

 14
      Flame burns
      bright on the
      drag strip

 17
      Paul Perry’s
      Shimmering Gold
      wins state award

 18   Childers garden
      oozes old-world
      charm

20    Sports -
      Surf League
Weekender - Bucca boy leads Queensland drone spraying innovations Exciting Boreham Park upgrade starts soon
NEWS

Adventure style play will be part of the Boreham Park upgrade following community requests.

Exciting Boreham Park
upgrade starts soon
Megan Dean

Work starts soon on exciting Boreham                                                          “We thank those community members that came
Park upgrades which will introduce                                                            forward to help form this design, identifying that
                                                                                              water and nature-based play was what local
new play equipment including an                                                               families were looking for.
adventure tower, water play and peddle
loop path.
                                                                                                   We thank those
The timeline for the project has been revealed
and is expected to be ready for families to enjoy                                             community members that
by mid-2021.
Bundaberg Regional Council’s parks and                                                          came forward to help
gardens portfolio spokesperson Cr Wayne
Honor said the significant project would take
                                                                                                  form this design.
about nine months to complete.
“Residents will notice work beginning soon to                                                 “Exciting features like the adventure tower with
remove some of the older equipment to make                                                    rope bridge, large slide and climbing elements
way for our new play area,” Cr Honor said.                                                    and in ground trampolines combined with zero
“This work will be under way until the end of the                                             depth water play and existing equipment will
year with construction and installation of the                                                make this park a premier play destination for
new play equipment to begin early in the New                                                  kids of all ages.”
Year.                                                                                         Construction fencing will be erected in mid-
“Excluding any unforeseen delays or inclement                                                 October with the removal of the monorail, ‘Hip
weather we hope to have the entire upgrade                                                    Hop’ and small see saw to be completed by
completed by June 30.”                                                                        December.
Divisional representative Cr John Learmonth                                                   The pump track will not be accessible during the
said extensive community consultation had                                                     upgrades as it will be fenced off for safety.
been undertaken to ensure the Boreham Park                                                    Pathway lighting will also be installed along the
upgrade catered to the needs of residents.                                                    central pathway to improve accessibility for
“It’s so rewarding to see this project coming                                                 park users.
together – it really has been a whole of                                                      This project is a joint initiative of the Queensland

                                                                                                                                                     3
community effort,” Cr Learmonth said.                                                         Government and Bundaberg Regional Council.
Weekender - Bucca boy leads Queensland drone spraying innovations Exciting Boreham Park upgrade starts soon
BUSINESS

    The Cookie Daze officially launched in July and orders are now flying out the oven door as Carmen believes she has filled a hole in the local market.

    The Cookie Daze fresh
    as a daisy
    Emma Reid

    Inspired by the birth of her                                                                     “Then I also have choc chunk cookies, peanut
    granddaughter Daisy, Bargara’s Carmen                                                            butter brownie cookies, and oatmeal and raisin
                                                                                                     cookies.”
    Delorie is baking a new business with
                                                                                                     Keep an eye out for cookie of the month
    The Cookie Daze.
                                                                                                     The grandmother said she would also be
    Carmen’s background is in computers, where                                                       releasing a special edition recipe with a cookie
    she worked as an IT engineer for 18 years,                                                       of the month.
    but she found after moving to the Bundaberg                                                      October is set to be a caramel-filled cookie,
    Region from Maitland early this year, a change                                                   and a rum and raisin cookie is in the works to
    of lifestyle brought about her new passion in the                                                celebrate the festive season during Christmas
    kitchen.                                                                                         time in December.
    The Cookie Daze officially launched in July                                                      “Business has really taken off, and I think it’s
    and orders are now flying out the oven door                                                      mostly word of mouth, I sell my cookies via
    as Carmen believes she has filled a niche in the                                                 Facebook and Instagram,” she said.
    local market.                                                                                    “I’m a bake-at-home business, and I bake every
    “The reason why I started The Cookie Daze was                                                    week on demand.
    because when my daughter (Alex) gave birth                                                       “I bake to sell, I don’t bake to store, so all my
    to her second child, she was gifted a box of                                                     cookies are fresh and best eaten within four
    cookies, and I thought that was rather special,”                                                 days.”
    Carmen said.                                                                                     Carmen said she can bake a batch of pre-ordered
    “I made a batch and my daughter said I should                                                    cookies in the morning and have them ready in
    start to sell them, and I decided to name the                                                    the post the same day, with overnight delivery
    business The Cookie Daze, after her daughter                                                     to most parts of Queensland, or collected locally
    Daisy.”                                                                                          that afternoon.
    Carmen said she currently has four varieties                                                     “I never imagined I would be doing anything like
    of New York styled cookies, with the signature                                                   this,” Carmen said.
    recipe being The Cookie Daze choc chip and                                                       “Without the birth of Daisy I definitely wouldn’t
    macadamia, using local macadamias.                                                               be, it never crossed my mind to step away from
    “I use locally sourced macadamias from                                                           IT and turn toward baking, but I really love it.”
    Marquis Macadamias, and these choc chip and                                                      To find out more about The Cookie Daze click

4
    macadamia cookies are quite popular,” she said.                                                  here.
Weekender - Bucca boy leads Queensland drone spraying innovations Exciting Boreham Park upgrade starts soon
NEWS

Federal Hotel with Bill Emerick Snr, Proprietor. Photo credit: Picture Bundaberg.

End of an era for the
Federal Backpackers Hostel
Megan Dean

Demolition of the Federal Backpackers                                               According to Nev Rackemann, in his compilation
Hostel will be finalised in early October                                           titled Bundaberg and District Buildings and
                                                                                    Structures with Notes of Historical Significance,
marking the end of an era for the                                                   the hotel cost just $4800 to construct at the
historical CBD building.                                                            time.
Fire ripped through the hostel earlier this year                                    “This hotel was erected to take advantage of the
leaving the building at imminent risk of collapse.                                  northern railway link from Maryborough,” Nev
After an assessment by structural engineers                                         wrote.
the building was deemed dangerous and initial                                       “Early in the 1900s contractor N C Steffensen
demolition was carried out to make the area                                         added a third storey.
safe.
                                                                                    “When the hotel was placed on the market in
                                                                                    August 1986, it was valued at $700,000.”
   The remainder of the                                                             The fire is not the first disaster to strike the
                                                                                    Federal Backpackers Hostel.
 demolition will be carried                                                         On April 7, 1921 the Maryborough Chronicle,
    out in coming days.                                                             Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser reported
                                                                                    the hotel lost its roof in the “severest cyclonic
                                                                                    disturbance in the history of Bundaberg”.
The remainder of the demolition will be carried
out in coming days, along with the demolition                                       “The rear portion of the Federal Hotel roof was
of the Spotted Dog Tavern which was also                                            blown off into Bourbon [sic] Street,” the article
impacted by the fire.                                                               said.
Originally the Federal Hotel, the building has                                      “In front of the Federal Hotel the electric lighting
featured prominently in the CBD landscape                                           wires were snapped by portion of the falling

                                                                                                                                           5
since 1889.                                                                         roof.”
Weekender - Bucca boy leads Queensland drone spraying innovations Exciting Boreham Park upgrade starts soon
6   Oct    Introduction to 3D Printing
                                     Bundaberg Library
                                     2:30 PM Tuesday 6th October

                           29 Aug    A Bridge Through Time
                                     A Brief History of Bundaberg’s Iconic
                          - 18 Oct   Bridges by the Queensland Department
                                     of Transport and Main Roads.

                           29 Aug    FOUND! Studio Dog Exhibition
                                     Local artist Adrienne Williams has
                          - 18 Oct   curated the works of 40 artists in
                                     Gallery One & Vault spaces.

                          29 Aug     Art as an Act of Optimism
                                     A retrospective of the #artsbundyathome
                          - 9 Nov    initiative and the artworks created during
                                     shutdown due to COVID-19.

                          19 Sept    2020 Hinkler Hometown
                                     Holiday Special
                          - 5 Oct    Are you a local resident of the
                                     Bundaberg Region and looking for
                                     some school holiday fun?

                          4 Oct      2020 Carinbundi Foundation
                                     Charity Golf Day
                                     The Carinbundi Foundation charity
                                     golf day is happening again.

                                     2020 Bullyard Country Markets
                                     Great little country market with an array
                                     of stall types.

Be the                               2020 Rum City Hardtop Rumble
                                     Show & Shine

first to know
                                     Are you a car enthusiast?

                          9 Oct      2020 Gidji Art Community
                                     Mosaic Workshop
whatsonbundaberg.com.au              This event is a tiling mosaic which will
                                     be held weekly, every Friday up until
                                     project is completed.

6
Weekender - Bucca boy leads Queensland drone spraying innovations Exciting Boreham Park upgrade starts soon
NEWS

Cr Jason Bartels, Mayor Jack Dempsey with long term Moore Park Beach residents Lyndsey Brown and Peter Gillies on Moore Park Road.

State road upgrades an
advocacy priority
Megan Dean

State road upgrades should be an                                                             “There’s 2600 people that live at the end of that
election priority according to local                                                         road and there are three sections that have very,
                                                                                             very low flood immunity.
residents who feel funding hasn’t kept
pace with growing communities.                                                               “Just a short, sharp storm can close that road
                                                                                             very quickly.
Four state roads have been highlighted in
                                                                                             “That’s not really good enough for a community
Bundaberg Regional Council’s 2020 Advocacy
                                                                                             the size of Moore Park Beach.”
Priorities document including Moore Park,
Goodwood, Rosedale and Gin Gin Roads.                                                        Resident Lindsay Brown agrees.
Bundaberg Regional Council General Manager                                                   He’s called Moore Park Beach home for a
Infrastructure Services Stuart Randle said the                                               quarter of a century and drives that stretch of
state-controlled roads provided vital links for                                              road regularly.
smaller communities within the region.                                                       “Moore Park Road, for the amount of traffic it
“For quite some time we’ve been asking for the                                               carries, it’s just underserviced, it’s in great need
State Government to spend a bit more money                                                   of upgrading,” Lindsay said.
on the key routes that service the Bundaberg                                                 “The amount of traffic it’s carrying these days,
Region,” Stuart said.                                                                        I’ve been here for 25 years and the improvements
                                                                                             haven’t kept up with the increase in traffic load.”
“Goodwood Road, which runs between
Bundaberg and Childers as the backup to the                                                  He said he would estimate he’s been cut off
Isis Highway, has seen a 28 per cent increase in                                             from Bundaberg about 12 times - if he were
traffic volume in the last ten years.                                                        being conservative.
“We think this road should be reclassified as a                                              “Perhaps they should look at their priorities and
higher order state road which would increase its                                             upgrade it according to the amount of traffic
chances of securing appropriate funding.”                                                    that is using it these days.”
He said Moore Park Beach Road was also in                                                    View the 2020 Advocacy Priorities document,
                                                                                             including more information on state road

                                                                                                                                                    7
need of upgrading.
                                                                                             upgrades, here.
Weekender - Bucca boy leads Queensland drone spraying innovations Exciting Boreham Park upgrade starts soon
BUSINESS
Ag tech innovations

     Drones
   and data in
    high tech
     farming

     A local macadamia farm is trialing the use of local ag tech innovations to improve tree health and yield. PHOTO: Australian Macadamia Society, Chris Sweetapple Photography.

     Local grower goes nuts for ag tech
     Megan Dean

     From drones to data collection,                                                                “This is our second season into the trial.
     a Bundaberg macadamia farm                                                                     “The trial last year was successful but we wanted
     has entered its second year of an                                                              to incorporate a little bit more technology this
                                                                                                    time, so we’re using this as a showcase of the
     extensive ag tech trial that combines                                                          technology.”
     the expertise of a number of local
                                                                                                    Paul said there were so many ag tech companies
     businesses.                                                                                    cropping up throughout Bundaberg that it was
     Suncoast Gold Macadamias grower services                                                       a great opportunity for local growers to take
     officer Paul Hibbert said the combination of                                                   advantage of the opportunity to save time and
     high-tech products and software had made                                                       money.
     the Hummock Road farm a showcase for other                                                     “There’s a lot of guys jumping on board here
     growers.                                                                                       and a lot of clever people around.
     “We’re really focusing on technology in this                                                   “My idea with this trial is to try and bring it
     area and we believe that it’s definitely the way                                               together and see if we can all work as a team
     forward,” Paul said.                                                                           and get to that end further and quicker.
     “We’ve seen really good advances in yield and                                                  “There’s some great companies here and I think
     quality by incorporating technology.”                                                          it’s going to get even better.”
     The varied range of gizmos and gadgets                                                         Paul said the trial had already seen an
     measures everything from tree health, soil                                                     improvement in tree health compared to the
     moisture and temperature, sap flow and even                                                    control but this early in the trial their goal was
     pest, weed and disease presence before                                                         simply to continue monitoring the data.
     bringing the data together on an online platform
     for analysis.                                                                                  He encouraged other growers to consider the
                                                                                                    benefits of ag tech.
     “We’re flying over RedEdge cameras with the
     drones to check various levels in the tree and                                                 “I want to just get the industry moving forward
     health levels.                                                                                 with this.

     “Then we’ll incorporate all of that together onto                                              “The technology’s been around for quite a while,
     a software to assess what yield and quality has                                                but it’s now affordable, and it’s more understood
                                                                                                    than it used to be.”.

8
     improved through there.
Weekender - Bucca boy leads Queensland drone spraying innovations Exciting Boreham Park upgrade starts soon
BUSINESS
                                                                                                                           Ag tech innovations

                                                                                                                                     Drones
                                                                                                                                   and data in
Jamin Fleming can target specific trees or crop areas for treatment with pinpoint accuracy.
                                                                                                                                    high tech
                                                                                                                                     farming
Bucca boy leads Queensland
drone spraying innovations
Megan Dean

Growing up on a Bucca cattle farm                                                             “You can fly five drones at once, so cover a lot
Jamin Fleming’s no stranger to the                                                            more area with that as well.”
agriculture industry but he’s bringing                                                        He’s already contracted with farms throughout
                                                                                              Queensland assisting with crops ranging from
innovation to the field with his Oztech                                                       corns, sweet potatoes and orchards.
Drones spraying technology.
                                                                                              His drone has a seeder on board which can even
The 26-year-old launched the business last                                                    help farmers sow their crops from the air.
year and it wasn’t long before it really took off,                                            The drone technology offers time and cost
becoming a full-time job.                                                                     efficiencies, identifying problem areas with
“When we started it was just to help out but                                                  pinpoint accuracy for specific treatments.
now it’s become a real business opportunity,”                                                 “It’s all automated, we plan, we map out the
Jamin said.                                                                                   area, find where the field is, and all the affected
“We do different spray applications in hard to                                                areas that we need to spray.
reach areas, wet areas, just areas that they don’t                                            “Then the drone just goes and sprays those
want to damage their crop.                                                                    areas.
“Everything’s automated so that it makes it                                                   “All we do is just mark it on the on the map that
more accurate so that we know exactly how                                                     we’ve already taken on the app, and then the
much chemical we’re putting on.                                                               drone just goes out and sprays that tree.
“So we can reduce the chemical rate and also                                                  “If it’s you know, 10 hectares or 100 hectares
we’re not spreading any chemical where it                                                     that we want treated in that area, we can spray
doesn’t need to go.”                                                                          all that.”
Oztech Drones is one of the only operators in                                                 He said it was also beneficial for the treatment
the state offering agricultural drone spraying                                                of diseased areas where ground rigs may spread
and Jamin said they’ll soon be one of the first in                                            the disease during treatment.
Queensland to launch swarm operations.

                                                                                                                                                    9
Weekender - Bucca boy leads Queensland drone spraying innovations Exciting Boreham Park upgrade starts soon
BUSINESS
Ag tech innovations

                                                                                                                                        Drones
     Craig Corpe from Bellamish Aerial Imaging Solutions produces thermal imaging to identify unhealthy trees for local farmers.      and data in
                                                                                                                                       high tech
     Aerial imagery identifies                                                                                                          farming

     crop health
     Megan Dean

     Craig Corpe can tell farmers how their                                                         “So we can find the stress level of trees based
     crop is performing with the press of a                                                         on the chlorophyll output.
     button, sending his thermal imaging                                                            “Pests within the trees will come back with a
                                                                                                    different intensity, a different light, so that we
     drone whirring across fields.                                                                  can see where they are at.
     Recently launching his business Bellamish Aerial                                               “But generally, crop health is the big thing that
     Imaging Solutions Craig said he can provide                                                    we’re getting using a red edge camera.”
     farmers with an overview of crop health with
     relative ease.                                                                                 When combining Bellamish Aerial Imaging
                                                                                                    Solutions with other smart technology Craig
     His drone has an imager with five cameras which                                                said it can provide benefits for broadacre crops.
     records five specific bands of the light spectrum.
                                                                                                    “Not only can we get crop health, but we can
     “We upload those images into specific software                                                 also feed in a request information based on the
     and algorithms are run,” Craig said.                                                           levels of health.
     “By selecting a variety of those spectral bands,                                               “And we’ll get a what looks like a topographic
     we’re able to calculate crop health, and a series                                              map, but it’s a fertiliser map and that then can
     of crop indices, as they’re called, to tell us where                                           be loaded into their tractors.
     the crop is at from a health point of view, early
     stage growth, we can also detect weeds in in                                                   “Then they will self-automate how much fertiliser
     the crops.”                                                                                    is required on the less healthy areas.
     Craig recently identified a section of stressed                                                “It’ll spread more fertiliser, and as it runs into
     trees on a local citrus farm allowing the grower                                               a healthier area, it may even choose to put no
     to revive them before their health declined                                                    fertiliser on.
     beyond repair.                                                                                 “So instead of them saying yeah, I need to
     “We actually isolated 11 trees that we felt that                                               spread 100 kilos per hectare, some parts might
     more than likely the watering system wasn’t                                                    be higher than that in other parts way less than
     working, they were very stressed trees.                                                        that.
                                                                                                    “The amount of fertiliser required is put where

10
                                                                                                    it’s needed.”
COMMUNITY

Dave Baldry with some books that will be available at the annual Rotary Book Sale.

Annual Rotary book sale
bigger than ever
Wayne Heidrich

It’s been a longer wait than usual for                                               “We do men’s shelter packs, we do water
the annual Rotary book sale but an                                                   wells in Cambodia, we do drought relief funds,
                                                                                     indigenous camp, youth projects, we sponsor a
“Aladdin’s Cave of book treasures”                                                   student to the science fair.”
awaits in what will be the biggest                                                   Entrance to the book sale to be held at the
event yet.                                                                           Recreation Precinct is via University Drive.
This year’s book sale, which is a joint initiative
between Bundaberg Regional Libraries and
Rotary Club of Bundaberg Central will be held
at the Recreation Precinct from 9-11 October.                                             We’ve got more
Rotary Club of Bundaberg Central president
David Baldry said residents could expect a large
                                                                                        books and we’ve got a
range of books, magazines, puzzles, DVDs and
CDs across a wide variety of genres.
                                                                                         bigger premises so
“We normally have it in July so it’s been three                                              it’ll be huge
months longer this time,” David said.
“So we’ve got more books and we’ve got a
bigger premises so it’ll be huge.”                                                   Rotary asks that anyone feeling unwell does not
                                                                                     attend this event, with normal COVID restrictions
Funds raised from the annual Rotary book sale                                        to apply.
are split with 60 per cent going towards Rotary
initiatives and 40 per cent assisting with the
library’s literacy programs.                                                                 Cash and Eftpos payment
David said the funds were vital for many of                                                      will be available.

                                                                                                                                         11
Rotary’s regular projects.
ARTS

 Jaimee McLeod is currently painting a large native flower mural for Three Pines Honey, and then she will move on to a mural for the new local gym FitStop.

 Jaimee McLeod Art becomes
 full time job
 Emma Reid

 Softly spoken Jaimee McLeod is                                                                  Business is booming for Jaimee McLeod Art
 ambitious, at 21 she has the world at                                                           “It was the end of the financial year, during June
 feet, a strong head on her shoulders,                                                           this year, I posted a sale on my social media
 and paint brush in hand.                                                                        when I realised I could paint for a living,” Jaimee
                                                                                                 said.
 Last week Jaimee left her job of eight years at                                                 “From the sale I ended up having to hand
 Rise the Bakehouse to become a full-time artist.                                                paint 70 orders – I was just blown away by the
 Launching Jaimee McLeod Art the future is                                                       response.
 already bright for the self-taught painter, who is
 elbow-deep in commissioned work.
 “Things have all changed dramatically for me, I’m
 redoing my art space at the moment, painting a
                                                                                                        Last week Jaimee
 large mural and my pet portraits,” she said.                                                      left her job of eight years
 “I actually never thought I would become a full-
 time artist, it just happened.                                                                      at Rise the Bakehouse
 “I was criticised a lot for my art during school –                                                       to become a
 but I guess this just made me more determined.
 “I guess now, it was that push I needed to follow                                                       full-time artist.
 through with my art.”
 Jaimee began painting as a young girl.                                                          “My pet portrait earring are my best sellers, I
 She started her business Jaimee McLeod Art in                                                   brought them out in June and they have really
 May 2019, and now it’s booming with a creative                                                  taken off.
 range of works, including earrings, pet portraits                                               “People loves their pets, not only in Bundaberg,
 and she’s even illustrated a local children’s book.                                             but I have shipped work to America and

12
Singapore – I don’t even know how some of the
customers found out about me!”
Along with small commissioned artwork Jaimee
is currently painting a large native flower mural
for Three Pines Honey, and then she will move
on to a mural for the new local gym FitStop.
“At the end of last month, I finished illustrating
Matt Barker’s second book, which was a first for
me and really fun,” she said.

                                                                           Apple Tree Creek Honey’s Gillian Enslin is
                                                                           taking advantage of owning 45 beehives
                                                                           as she whips up meals using her pure
                                                                           honey, including this succulent honey and
                                                                           lemon chicken recipe.

                                                                           Succulent
                                                                           honey and
Customer made Christmas pet portrait earrings made by Jaimee McLeod Art.
                                                                           lemon chicken
          “At the end of                                                   Ingredients
                                                                           3 juicy lemons
      last month, I finished                                               50g butter
   illustrating Matt Barker’s                                              3 tbsp clear honey
                                                                           leaves from 4 rosemary sprigs
        second book . . .”                                                 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
                                                                           8 chicken pieces, such as thighs and
“I’ve had lots of reoccurring customers especially                         drumsticks, with skin
from people in Bundaberg who love their pets.                              750g potatoes, peeled and cut into
“Doing the pet portraits, I’ve actually learnt                             smallish chunks
more about particular breeds of dogs and cats –                            Green salad, to serve
I never thought I would and I really love it.”
                                                                           Method
                                                                           STEP 1
                                                                           Preheat the oven to 2000C/Gas 6/fan
                                                                           1800C.
                                                                           Squeeze the juice from two lemons into a
                                                                           small pan and heat with the butter, honey,
                                                                           rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper, until
                                                                           the butter melts and it smells fragrant.
                                                                           STEP 2
                                                                           Lay the chicken in a roasting tin – don’t
                                                                           pile it up or it won’t cook so well.
                                                                           Add the potatoes and drizzle with lemon
                                                                           butter to coat evenly.
                                                                           Cut the third lemon into eight wedges and
                                                                           tuck them in.
                                                                           STEP 3
                                                                           Roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the
                                                                           chicken is cooked, and the potatoes are
                                                                           crisp and golden.
             To find out more about                                        Succulent honey and lemon chicken is
               Jaimee McLeod Art                                           delicious and goes well with a serve of
                                                                           green salad.
                              CLICK HERE

                                                                                                                         13
LIFESTYLE

   Flame Howard on her Harley headed for another slick time at Benaraby Dragway.

   Flame burns bright
   on the drag strip
   Wayne Heidrich

   Childers dynamo Flame Howard                                                    “People ask me if I’m scared going that fast. I
   scorches down the dragstrip and                                                 say, only for 11 seconds,” she said.
   makes a striking impression with her                                            Being a woman and being older have never
                                                                                   been barriers for Flame.
   bright personality wherever she goes.
                                                                                   “I only started drag racing six years ago at age
   Sitting on a Harley Davidson and tearing along                                  50,” she said.
   at 200kmh is just part of the ride which life has
   given the aptly named Flame.
   Flame Howard, who is instantly recognisable
   wherever she goes due to her vibrant hair colour,
                                                                                         . . . tearing along at
   has more facets and sparkle to her personality
   than a newly cut diamond.
                                                                                        200kmh is just part
   Bike devotee, drag racer, rock and roll singer/                                      of the ride which life
   musician, Andalusian horse trainer, guard dog
   trainer, partner and mother are some of the                                                  has given.
   pathways that have shaped Flame’s passion for
   life and her highly infectious can-do attitude.                                 “Someone said to me ‘Don’t know about you
   Currently number one on the competition ladder                                  doing that old girl – you could make a fool of
   following five rounds in the Central Queensland                                 yourself’.
   Drag Racing Championships, Flame Howard                                         “That sort of negativity inspires me. Anyone and
   recently achieved a personal best by producing                                  everyone, I don’t care who you are, is capable of
   a run of 11.2 seconds, clocking an eye-popping                                  achieving anything. You just have to have a go.
   122mph (196.34kph).
                                                                                   “I have learned a lot about myself through this

14
                                                                                   sport. I believe my reflexes for racing are good
and I have a good ability to focus which is                                                   Her group, Flame Classic Rock, is still playing the
important in drag racing.”                                                                    odd function but she really misses the regular
Flame says she likes to encourage young people                                                gigs performed pre-virus.
in particular to head to speedways if they want                                               “I started off playing country music and have
to hoon.                                                                                      performed with the likes of Slim Dusty. Getting
“It’s a safe and controlled environment,” she                                                 into rock ’n roll I had some great times with
said.                                                                                         bands like the Angels and Ted Mulry. I performed
                                                                                              quite a bit with the late Phil Emmanuel.”
“They can do burnouts and speed to their heart’s
content without risking their lives, upsetting the                                            Training Andalusian or Pure Spanish Horses is
community, or drawing the attention of police.                                                something Blaze has occasionally engaged with
                                                                                              and is currently working with a couple of horses.
“I was raised on a property near Broken Hill and
living remotely you had to learn to do everything                                             “Years ago I trained them for use in movies and
for yourself.                                                                                 the circus.”
                                                                                              With a couple of rounds remaining in the CQ
                                                                                              Drag Racing Championships Flame is confident
      “I started riding bikes                                                                 her racing bike, a street registered Harley
                                                                                              Davidson Street Bob, will maintain its near-
       at seven years of age                                                                  perfect mechanical condition.

      and when it broke you                                                                   “It’s a sweet machine running on quality S&S
                                                                                              parts and over the past six years only the clutch
         had to know how                                                                      has required replacing.”
                                                                                              The bike is a 385kg beast. How does a slightly
              to fix it.”                                                                     built woman like Flame handle something of
                                                                                              that weight?
“I started riding bikes at seven years of age and                                             “The trick is not to drop the bloody thing,” she
when it broke you had to know how to fix it.                                                  confided.
Entertainment was not an option, so we had to                                                 “I have a couple more competition rounds
entertain ourselves.                                                                          at Benaraby Dragway and also an October
“Everyone in the family was musical and we had                                                meeting at Willowbank in Brisbane so, although
some terrific jam sessions as a family.”                                                      I currently head the leader board, there’s still
Music is still a big part of her life although                                                work to be done.”
COVID-19 has put a wrecking ball through the                                                  If a positive attitude is any measure of success
live music industry.                                                                          then Flame Howard is already a winner.

                                                                                                                                              15
Horses have always been a passion for Flame who was raised on her family’s property near Broken Hill.
COME
TO
ARTS

Bargara Artist, Paul Perry with his art work Shimmering Gold that was received this year’s People’s Choice Award in the Queensland Regional Art Awards.

Paul Perry’s Shimmering Gold
wins state award
Derek Schlennstedt

                                                                                              Using a range of glittering and glistening tiles to
                                                                                              create the sea and the goldfish, Paul transformed
Bargara Artist Paul Perry has been                                                            the brown paper bag into a decadent mosaic
recognised for his ‘Shimmering Gold’                                                          artwork that puts the gold in goldfish.
art work which has been awarded the                                                           “The theme was decadence, so the decadence
People’s Choice Award in this year’s                                                          was gold. Gold transformed into goldfish and
                                                                                              then shimmering, fancy pearl eyes, glass and
Queensland Regional Art Awards.                                                               mirrors,” Paul said.
The aptly called ‘Shimmering Gold’ artwork                                                    “It’s a façade though. On the outside it all looks
displays a resplendent goldfish that has been                                                 good, but on the inside it’s hollow and may just
intricately plastered onto the side of a brown                                                be life inside of a paper bag.”
paper bag.
                                                                                              “There’s a deeper meaning to the piece and it’s
The goldfish is glistening, glittering, and even                                              about asking us to think about, well, what does
glowing from the small pieces of cracked tiles                                                it feel like to be inside that cooped up space. Is
that it’s made up of, but as Paul describes at the                                            it just that we’re putting on a good façade?”
core it’s still just life in a paper bag.
                                                                                              The artwork which not only received the
“The COVID restrictions had a lot of psychological                                            people’s choice award at Cross Gallery but also
impacts on people and a lot of artists I knew                                                 the Queensland Regional Art People’s Choice
became quite uncreative as they got into a                                                    Award took about 80 hours to complete.
mental block with artistic creation,” Paul said.
                                                                                              Much of Paul’s colourful mosaic artwork already
“I got this sense that a goldfish in a paper bag                                              features across the Bargara foreshore and Paul
was very much how many people were feeling                                                    said he was honoured to be awarded the People’s
this year.”                                                                                   choice award, and that hopefully it would further
The theme for the Queensland awards was                                                       cement the work of regional artists.
decadence, and Paul had also used the artwork                                                 “The award is a Regional Queensland Award
for an earlier exhibition at the Cross Gallery                                                and its really about showcasing the local
which required a paper bag.                                                                   creativity from artists in regional areas and from
He combined the two exhibition themes                                                         that perspective it was for me an honour to be
together merging his love of mosaic with the                                                  awarded this, because I really felt that this was
Cross-Gallery’s paper bag requirement to create                                               a way of putting Bargara and Bundaberg on the

                                                                                                                                                            17
Shimmering Gold.                                                                              art map.”
LIFESTYLE

   Welcome to 59 Station Road, Horton where you’ll find a garden oozing charm. Inset: Helen White is
   fascinated by roses with many growing in her garden beds handed down through the generations.

   Childers garden
   oozes old-world
   charm
   Wayne Heidrich

   There’s more than a touch of old-world                                                        “Our first job when we moved in was to clear
   charm embedded in the beautiful                                                               several large fig trees from close proximity to
                                                                                                 the house. They were causing damage as well as
   gardens created by Helen and Alan                                                             harbouring a colony of flying foxes,” Helen said.
   White on their spacious Station Road                                                          “We wanted open lawn and with the trees gone
   property at Horton near Childers.                                                             there was still the problem of the exposed tree
   Roses, currently at a luscious full bloom, have                                               roots which is common with Moreton Bay Figs.
   regal names like Lady Diana, Princess of Wales                                                “The solution was pretty simple, we just built
   and Queen Elizabeth while the garden furniture                                                gardens around and over them.”
   is of the rustic type the envy of many gardeners.
   Station Road is a quiet country road adjacent to
   the Isis Golf Course and the property at number
   59 has been in the White family for generations.                                                     Their home, an old
   Alan and Helen have been at the property for
   around six years and those 72 months have
                                                                                                       Queenslander, comes
   delivered beautiful gardens which border and                                                        with its own slice of
   dot the lawns and attest to a Helen’s creative
   abilities.                                                                                              rich history.
   Alan does the heavy lifting. Helen does the
   gardening and the artistic elements.                                                          The results are sensational with Helen’s
   Their home, an old Queenslander, comes with                                                   gardening skills and the judicious placement of
   its own slice of rich history. It was the original                                            rustic yesteryear furniture providing a beautiful
   Childers State School head teacher’s residence                                                balance of garden loveliness and historic
   prior to being re-sited at Horton.                                                            storytelling.

18
Celebrating
                                                        Australian
                                                      Wildlife Week

There’s a bed with Grandma White’s favourite
roses and geraniums in full bloom. In another
bed is a bicycle, once the conveyance of Alan’s
grandfather who delivered mail for what is now
Australia Post.
Old farming equipment, spoked wheels, a
windmill, garden ornaments and bird feeders all
play a role in creating a stunning story about the
past.
The beds of annuals, bromeliads and orchids
nestle beautifully around the base of many
remaining fig trees while multiple rose blooms
take centre stage in many of the garden beds.
Mindful of the ravages of dry weather Helen
has sourced bales of local cane trash to mulch
her garden beds. At $5 a bale it is significantly
cheaper than commercial mulch and does a
similar job.
Gardening is Helen’s passion. “I’d much rather
be out here than looking after housework,” she
laughed.
The couple’s efforts have created a space that
provides open grassed areas that show off the
charm of their home while the gardens add
interest, vibrancy, and a place where the beauty
of Nature is showcased.

                                                          Book here
                                                      for activities in
                                                      Alexandra Park
                                                        3.30pm on
                                                        9 October

                                                     Bookings
                                                     essential

                                                                          19
SPORT

 Bundaberg Christian College competitors Libby Jordan, Keeley Dunn, Amelia D’Amico and Megan Terry at the Surf League.                                  Photos by Vince Habermann.

 Sports - Surf League
 Vince Habermann

 Students took to the sand and surf recently for                                              St Luke’s Anglican School came in at second
 the Surf Life Saving Queensland School Surf                                                  on 172, followed by Kepnock State High 95,
 League (Wide Bay). Shalom College continued                                                  Bundaberg Christian College 39, Bundaberg
 its total domination of the annual event by again                                            State High 37, Bundaberg North State High 32.5,
 claiming big wins, amassing 462.5 points and                                                 Fraser Coast Anglican 22 and Urangan State
 being named Champion School.                                                                 High 8.

 Shalom’s Tom Morcom (right) claims the Under-15 Male Beach Flags from Scott Black            Riley Dingle (left) edges out Shalom team-mate Kharla Hills in the 16+ Years Female
 (Bundaberg Christian College) in the Wide Bay Schools Surf League at Bargara.                Flags.

20
FREE

Action was fast and furious in the Beach Sprints.

                                                                                                 3D
                                                                                          Introduction
                                                                                               to

                                                                                           printing

                                                                                           Bundaberg
                                                                                            Library
                                                                                          49 Woondooma Street,
                                                                                               Bundaberg
St Luke’s students (back) Angus Hill, Joey Vella, Lily Vella, Chris Rudd and (front)
Matthew Thomas at the Surf League.
                                                                                             6 October
                                                                                          9.30am - 10.30am
                                                                                            Booking essential

                                                                                              BOOK HERE

                                                                                                                 21
Bill Maule (Kepnock) (right) grabs the 16+years Male Beach Flags in advance of Shalom’s
Jakob Wardlaw.
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