A welcome from the Home Hill Business Community - No. 16—Aug 2016

Festival planning moves

THE Home Hill Rotary Club has recognised the

contribution of one of its own members with the

presentation of one of the organisation’s high-

est honours, a Paul Harris Fellow Award.

The presentation was made at the recent Rota-

ry Club Changeover night, with President Da-

vid Jackson making the award announcement

to a surprised recipient.

Ray McKaig joined the Rotary Club in October

2004 and has been a regular attender at the

club’s community service activities, while also

holding several positions on the club’s Board of

Directors, including that of treasurer for more

than two years.

Named after the founder of Rotary Internation-

al, Paul Harris, the award comes after a dona-

tion by the club of $1000(US) to the Rotary

Foundation, which will help to fund projects

and programs to improve the lives of people

around the world and enhance international

friendship and understanding.

RIGHT—Ray McKaig (left) accepts his award from

Rotary Club President, David Jackson.

HOME HILL NEWS

competing against their across-the-

river rivals, Ayr.

As well, the annual Bride of the

Year Competition will take place on

Saturday evening, October 22, with

a number of local brides vying for

the title.

So far, the Festival Committee has

four candidates nominated - Kim-

berley Bourke representing the Bur-

dekin Netball Association, Kate Neal

who will represent the Home Hill

Rotary Club, Alysse Steele who is

the nominee for the Burdekin Race

Club and Natalie Land who will rep-

resent the Home Hill Lions Club.

More nominations were expected

prior to the commencement of fund-

raising.

Wilmar is the Harvest Festival’s

naming rights sponsor, while other

major sponsors include the

Queensland Country Credit Union

and Southern Cross Austereo.

The committee is also hoping to

gain sponsorship from the Burde-

kin Shire Council.

The 2016 Festival will be officially

launched on Friday, August 5 at

the Bridge Restaurant in Home

Hill.

Festival President, John Woods

said the committee had this year

added an additional prize for their

queen entrants with a participation

award.

“We have also increased the gifts

that each entrant will receive and

we are currently finalising those

gifts,” he advised.

FUNDRAISING for the annual Home

Hill Harvest Festival will commence

from August 1 as planning moves

forward for the popular event.

The Festival will take place from Fri-

day, October 28 through to Saturday,

November 5, with lead-in events in-

cluding the annual Bride of the Year

competition and the Town of Origin

rugby league games.

The crowning of the Harvest Festival

Queens will take place on Friday,

November 4 and the winning queens

will lead the procession on Saturday,

November 5 prior to the night of

Mardi Gras activities.

The lead-in events for the festival

program involve the popular Town of

Origin Rugby League games, featur-

ing teams from the Home Hill Devils

Founder’s honour for local Rotarian

The finer points of Home Hill . . ISN’T it intriguing that cities

around the nation can have

hundreds of millions of dollars

thrown at them by political par-

ties for major developments

while regional areas have to

beg and scrape for every mor-

sal they can gather?

Take the situation in Townsville

where a new sporting stadium

and entertainment centre is

needed to give the city a boost

in tourism, sport and employ-

ment. State and Federal Gov-

ernments came to the party

and promised multi-millions of

dollars towards the project in

the recent federal election and

it seems that it could go ahead

in the future, no matter which

political party is in power at

whichever level of government.

Now compare that situation to

the Burdekin where there is a

strong need for a sporting sta-

dium in Ayr to replace aging

facilities for basketball and oth-

er sports, while there is an

even more desperate need in

Home Hill for a multi-purpose

shelter at the Home Hill High

School, which could also be

used as a place of refuge dur-

ing cyclones, a venue for enter-

tainment and sporting events

and a much-needed education-

al facility for the students of the

school.

The Ayr project has an offer of

a council interest-free loan and

political support over three lev-

els of government, but not

much else to help it on its way.

The Home Hill project gained

welcome financial commit-

ments from the State Govern-

ment and the LNP candidate

for Dawson, George Christen-

sen towards the project to add

to the many hard-earned dol-

lars they have gathered togeth-

er towards getting the shelter.

However, don’t ever expect to

find shelter in a cyclone in what

the current funds will produce

because there would not be

much more that a floor and roof

with the required supports,

based on the totals in the bank at the

present time.

Towns and cities along the coastline

were able to gain cyclone shelters in

the past while schools in the same

areas have the added advantage of

modern covered shelters for various

forms of education activities—and

Ayr was fortunate to gain their cy-

clone shelter through contributions

from state and local governments.

But should Home Hill be the centre of

a forthcoming cyclone, local citizens

are going to be left to fend for them-

selves because for some reason, our

town is not regarded as worth saving

by the higher levels of government.

The people of Home Hill have always

strongly supported projects that ben-

efit our community and that will be

the case into the future—but the full

benefits of a multi-purpose shelter in

the town will only come this way

through much stronger financial con-

tributions from state and federal

treasuries.

PARKING seems to be an ongoing

problem in the central business dis-

trict of Ayr—but shoppers can easily

alleviate any problems with finding

suitable parking spaces by heading

to Home Hill. After all, a parking

problem in Home Hill would be an

excellent one to have, as it would

mean people are supporting the busi-

nesses in the town.

IT IS great to see the large numbers

of visiting grey nomads and back-

packers walking around the central

business district of Home Hill on a

regular basis, with many of them car-

rying shopping bags from Home Hill

businesses.

With the many visitors making use of

the Comfort Stop, the former show-

grounds and Ford Park at the south-

ern entrance to the town, it is certain-

ly adding to our local economy in a

big way—especially with the slow-

down in local spending because of

the recent hold-up in the crushing

from the unwanted and unseasonal

rain.

However, there seems to be one im-

portant item that our visitors are crav-

ing—and they don’t seem to be able to

find it mainly on a Monday.

That is their desire to sit down and

relax with a cup of coffee at a local

business.

Now we know Home Hill now has sev-

eral fine eateries that are serving our

community and many of them have

only been set up since the advent of

the Comfort Stop. Smoko is available

in the town because we were told

once by some grey nomads that they

had “coffee and scones to die for” at

one of our eating establishments.

And while we do not know the actual

trading hours of individual eateries, it

may be advantageous if they were to

get together to stagger their opening

times and respective days off, so the

desires of our travellers for a coffee

and relaxation are met. We do know

our local newsagency did put in a cof-

fee machine to meet those needs for a

coffee break.

IF local businesses are finding it diffi-

cult and costly to get their message

across in encouraging local residents

to shop locally, they have an answer

through advertising in this Chamber of

Commerce publication, the “Home Hill

News”. It seems that some people

seem to believe they have to be a

member of the Chamber to be able to

advertise—but that is not the case,

although the Chamber would welcome

the support of all local businesses by

becoming financial members. Howev-

er, for $50, local businesses can get

their message across in a quarter

page advertisement that is being circu-

lated to a major portion of the town

and surrounding areas, including Ayr.

The only restrictions to advertising is

on businesses from out of town whose

message could be detrimental to a

current member of the chamber.

Any business wanting to get their mes-

sage across should contact the cham-

ber to arrange their advertisement in

future editions—for just $50—or even

less if necessary.

- DAVID JACKSON

THE Home Hill Rotary Club

has commenced its new year

with a new Board of Directors,

following their annual Change-

over Night held at the Malpass

Hotel at the end of June.

The club has started the year

with the same president, with

David Jackson entering his

fourth year in the leadership

position and second in succes-

sion.

However, there were changes

to the new Board of Directors,

which comprises President-

elect Rod Alford, Secretary

Ken Mackney, Treasurer Ray

McKaig, and directors, Mike

Newton and Richard Creek

(community service), Peter

Quinlan and Ray Menkens

(club service), Judith White

(international service) and Alf

Musumeci (vocational service).

The highlight of the evening

was the presentation of a Paul

Harris Fellowship to the club’s

treasurer, Ray McKaig for his

services to the club and the

community over the years he

has been a member.

Presenting his annual report,

Mr Jackson took the opportuni-

ty to thank all club members

for their contribution to the

club’s activities, including un-

dertaking their various roles to

ensure the smooth running of

the club and the monthly club

meetings at the club house,

which has been growing in

popularity amongst the mem-

bers and their partners.

He also noted the contribution

of the club’s Harvest Festival

Queen entrant, Emily Poli and

her family towards the club’s

very successful year.

Community Service Director,

Fred Morcom reported on the

club’s service to the communi-

ty which resulted in donations

totalling almost $12,000 to the

community and to international

and youth services.

He also noted the efforts that went into

various events, including a trivia night

and a progressive dinner, the festival

Ball and Mardi Gras activities and a

bowls night.

He also noted the co-operation that

existed between the Rotary and Lions

Clubs in the town while participating in

joint fundraising activities. That resulted

in a donation being made to the Home

Hill Community Kindergarten from the

proceeds to upgrade their “mud kitch-

en”.

That joint service also resulted in a po-

table Oxygen Generator being present-

ed to a Home Hill resident to help im-

prove his lifestyle and allow him to go

out with his family.

Queen entrant, Emily Poli had also

made a donation of $2500 to the

Golden Octopus Foundation from her

festival fundraising activities.

Reports were also provided by the

club’s International and Vocational

Service Directors on their areas of

service to the community and to the

Rotary Foundation.

The Home Hill Rotary Club meets

every Tuesday at the Malpass Hotel

with meetings commencing at

6.30pm.

The club would welcome any mem-

bers of the community who would like

to be involved in fundraising activities

as well as the fellowship events that

include the families of members.

Anyone interested should contact any

member of the club.

The new Home Hill Rotary Club Board of Directors comprises (from left) Alf Musumeci, Richard

Creek, Ray McKaig, Ken Mackney, David Jackson, Mike Newton, Rod Alford and Ray Menkens.

Absent were Judith White and Peter Quinlan.

Rotary starts year with new Board of Directors

THE Home Hill Lions Club wel-

comed their District Governor, Brian

Hewitt to their recent Changeover

Night, where retiring president, Sam

Harris handed over the reins of of-

fice to his successor, John Donald.

The Changeover of officers, which

took place at the Crown Hotel in

Home Hill, resulted in the new exec-

utive team being installed into their

respective positions by long-serving

club member, Trevor Davies.

That leadership team comprises

President John Donald, Secretary

Nyree Woods, Treasurer Tom Pick-

ersgill, Membership Chairman Sam

Harris, Second Vice President Lau-

rie Land and Past President Sam

Harris.

District Governor Brian Hewitt ad-

dressed the Home Hill members on

Lions Club projects and activities

that are being undertaken through-

out the district.

Saturday, 20th August, 2016— 9am to 12pm

HiWay Motors, Eighth Avenue, Home Hill

Gold coin donation per vehicle

All proceeds to Home Hill Rotary Club

The Home Hill Lions Club changeover Night resulted in retiring president, Sam Harris (left)

handing over the position to his successor, John Donald (centre). Official guest at the hando-

ver was District Governor, Brian Hewitt of Townsville.

District Governor meets Lions leaders

Boat ramp desires surveyed IF FISHING enthusiasts in the Home Hill communi-

ty would like their favourite boat ramps on the

south side of the Burdekin Shire upgraded, now is

the time to let the Burdekin Shire Council know

about their specific desires.

The council has called for urgent community input

on the region’s boat ramps to help guide the

Shire’s priority works list.

Mayor Lyn McLaughlin said the Department of

Transport and Main Roads would meet with the

Council next month to discuss upgrade or mainte-

nance priorities at the shire boat ramps over the

coming five years. “The State Government is re-

sponsible for the actual ramps, and council is re-

sponsible for associated car parking, lighting and

the maintenance of the access roads,” she said.

“The Department of Transport and Main Roads

has engaged a consultant to conduct a state-wide

study of recreational boating facilities and to gauge

the future demand for these facilities.

Cr McLaughlin said it was important recreational

boat users took the time to fill in the survey as it

would help council build a list of priorities they can

then supply to the consultant. “We have placed a

survey on council’s website and our social media

sites,” she said. Council’s survey

(www.surveymonkey.com/r/BSCboatramps) will be

open until August at www.burdekin.qld.gov.au or

BurdekinSC on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Classified Advertisements

The Home Hill Chamber of Commerce

acknowledges and appreciates the support of

Wilmar Sugar’s Inkerman Mill with the printing

of the Home Hill News.

Liessmann & Sons

Hardware merchants

Plumbers and Drainers

Blocked drains — Gas Fitters

Phone 4782 1612

1 Fourth Street, Home Hill

Email: liessmann@bigpond.com

Second chance for safer number plates THE Home Hill Rotary Club is to give motorists another

chance to take action to prevent number plates being

stolen for use in criminal activities, with a second date

being set for their “Turning the Screws on Crime” pro-

ject.

Following the first attempt at the project undertaken in

July, where 50 motorists took advantage of the oppor-

tunity to have the non-reversible screws installed on

their number plates, the Rotary Club has decided to

carry out the project again on Saturday, August 20 from

9am to 12 noon.

On this occasion, there will be a change of venue, with

the project to be undertaken on the driveway of HiWay

Motors in Eighth Avenue, Home Hill, which will provide

easier access for motorists wishing to participate.

Rotary Club President, David Jackson said that while

they were grateful for the support they received from the

Home Hill High School in allowing the use of their sports

oval for the first event, holding the project at HiWay Mo-

tors would provide Bruce Highway access to the site for

motorists.

“With increasing reports of number plates being stolen off

motor vehicles to be used in drive-offs from service sta-

tions and other criminal activities, hopefully, more motor-

ists will be able to take advantage of the offer to install

the non-reversible screws on their vehicles,” he said.

For a gold coin donation, vehicle owners can go to Hi-

Way Motors in Home Hill on Saturday, August 20, be-

tween 9am and 12 noon and have the screws on their

cars changed.

All proceeds from the project will go towards the commu-

nity service work of the Home Hill Rotary Club.

ONE of the guests at the

Home Hill Rotary Club’s re-

cent annual changeover night

was a former exchange stu-

dent, Robbie Dick from the

United States. Mr Dick was

the first Rotary International

exchange student ever hosted

by the Home Hill Club and he

spent 12 months in the town

in 1981-82 with four local fam-

ilies, as well as attending the

Home Hill High School. Dur-

ing his recent stay in the

town, Mr Dick renewed ac-

quaintances with his former

host parents, including Rose-

mary and Ray Menkens, who

is the longest serving member

of the Home Hill Rotary Club.

Former exchange student

on return trip to Home Hill

Former exchange student, Robbie

Dick (centre) with host parents,

Rosemary and Ray Menkens.

I offer you an alternative for all those little jobs around the

house. I am a handyman with over 30 years experience, com-

mencing from when I built our second home. I have experience

building and fitting flat pack cupboards. I built the rocketship

cubbyhouse (pictured). They were tough customers demanding

exacting requirements, but were quite satisfied with the finished

product. I am skilled at hanging

doors, changing locks, repairing

holes in walls and minor painting

jobs. I have also built raised gar-

den beds in my garden. I have

installed roller and track style

blinds and various styles of curtain

rods and I can repair screens and

change fluorescent tubes and light

bulbs.

SENIOR students of the Home Hill

State Primary School hosted their

counterparts from the Ayr State Pri-

mary School and the Burdekin

School for a variety of NAIDOC

Week activities in July.

Home Hill Primary School principal,

Judith White told the visiting students

and teachers that NAIDOC (National

Aborigines and Islanders Day Ob-

servance Committee) Week, which is

held in the first full week of July, is a

time to celebrate Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander history, culture

and achievements.

She said it was an opportunity to

recognise the contributions that In-

digenous Australians make to our

country and our society.

Mrs White said the celebrations

worked to the theme of “Songlines:

the living narrative of our nation”,

with Songlines being the intricate

maps of land, sea and country.

“They are a part of the dreamtime

and are told through songs, dance,

stories and art, while telling the

creation of stories in the dreamtime

and their connection to our country.

“They have been passed down for

thousands of years and are central

to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander cultural practices.”

Mrs White said NAIDOC is a very

special time of the year and all

Australian were encouraged to

participate in the celebrations and

activities that take place across the

nation during NAIDOC week.

She welcomed all the students and

invited them to stay and enjoy the

celebrations, which included tradi-

tional dancing and singing, bead

making and a talk by members of

Gudjuda and the Reef Guardians.

However, the highlight of the day

was a traditional sampling of food

from a Kup Murri, with the students

enjoying a meal of roast meat and

vegetables cooked in the ground

over hot stones.

Teams of students visited the various activities

throughout the morning as they learnt more of

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Schools combine for NAIDOC Week

Gerald and Ollie Henaway entertain students from

the three schools with traditional music and songs.

Men from the Gudjuda Reference Group who prepared the Kup Murri food were

(from left) Joe Tallis, Elwyn Smallwood, Richard Devow (back) and Beau Lampton.

South Sea Islander dancers demonstrate their traditional dances to students from

the three local schools including Home Hill School captains in the background.

Burdekin Sugar Mills

Production Figures Week 6 and 7, ending July 23, 2016

Cane crushed Week six Season to date

Invicta 102,297 434,345

Pioneer 56,807 229,871

Kalamia 55,414 241,932

Inkerman 60,872 249,816

Burdekin 275,390 1,155,965

CCS

Invicta 12.84 12.46

Pioneer 12.64 12.40

Kalamia 12.4 12.20

Inkerman 12.52 12.14

Burdekin 12.64 12.32

Comments (week six):

The first million tonnes crushed milestone was

achieved on Tuesday, July 12. The Burdekin’s official

crop estimate is 8.3 million tonnes. However, paddocks

cut to date have yielded an average of 102 per cent of

the original estimate.

Crushing ceased at all mills on Friday morning follow-

ing the onset of showers on Thursday evening. At the

end of last week, 17 days had been lost to wet weather

for the season, compared to the 5.5 days forecast in

crush budgets. All eyes are on the skies and the

weather forecasts hoping for a good run of fine weather

to allow the season to progress. Current feedback from

suppliers is that we are likely to see little cane available

before the first week of August

Comments (Week seven)—There was no cane

crushed last week due to the wet weather, which did

not clear until Tuesday. It is hoped some harvesting

may be possible in the next week.

Wilmar is continuing to carry out maintenance on its

track and bin fleet during the interruption. Motorists are

reminded not to be complacent when approaching level

crossings, as trains may still be moving on the network.

Steve Postma ,

Cane Supply Manager, Burdekin Region

I AM finally back from leave and relieving at Townsville

and I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of

things here at Home Hill.

While working away at differing locations, I still look for-

ward to getting back to Home Hill where we still have the

luxury of being a small country town with good genuine

people who still respect one another and lack the selfish-

ness of larger centres.

Although we are kept busy with the undesirable element,

fortunately they only take up a small percentage of the

Divisional population. Personally I think they love the at-

tention they get from Police and therefore choose to com-

mit crime just to see our happy faces.

I can tell you that S/Constable Langford is away working

in the Townsville Police Communications Centre as part

of his career development and this will be for an extended

period of time. He seems to be enjoying the change and I

wish him all the best up there.

On behalf of myself, and my staff – Jason Robertson and

Andrew McDowell - we would like to thank you for the

efforts you put in to secure your houses and vehicles.

Although there are times where we occasionally find a car

unlocked in the street and at times come across a house

where the doors are unlocked, the effort you have taken

is reflected in the reduced statistics relating to house bur-

glaries and next to no car theft from within the Home Hill

Division over the past 12 months.

There are three areas of concern in which I wish to briefly

touch on. They are -

1. Domestic Violence: This scourge on our community

continues to show its ugly face time and time again. The

cowardly act of assaulting your partner, damaging proper-

ty, controlling behaviour and intimidatory behaviour still

continues in our society and is reflected in increased ap-

plications for Protection Orders and contravention of ex-

isting orders. I have instigated the policy here at Home

Hill Station that if you contravene an existing order, you

WILL go to the watchhouse in Townsville and be held

overnight to appear before the Magistrates Court the next

day. Hopefully this will act as a deterrent as the ‘walk of

shame’ back from Townsville is a long one.

2. Trail bikes and Quads: This continues to be an issue,

as just in the last two weeks, we have had one bike

seized, two evade police offences and two juveniles

charged for offences that do not need to take place. This

is unacceptable and we will continue to take action

against those who choose to continue these offences.

Again, you will lose your bike or quad and you will face

some serious fines in court. Just think about it, as the al-

ternative is a lot more painful and expensive.

3. Failing to Give Way to Emergency Vehicles: I have

spoken to my QAS and QFES counterparts and they all

share the same sentiments as I – When you see an

emergency vehicle approaching from the rear, slow

down, pull to the side of the roadway to allow them to

pass. The advantage we (emergency Services) obtain by

your courteous action could be the difference between

life and death, catching those persons unlawfully in

your house or extinguishing that fire before it takes

hold. We now have a camera set up in our police vehi-

cle and we may start taking enforcement action against

those that do not give way to emergency vehicles. Can

you afford the $731 fine for a private car or $1828 fine

for a heavy vehicle? I know I can’t. Give way – it’s sim-

ple and may stop you from receiving a ticket in the

mail.

Stay safe,

Sgt Brett Smith

OIC Home Hill

POLICE BEAT —OIC is back in town

Places to see, things to do in the Home Hill district The Burdekin Uniting Church Craft Fair—to be held at the Burdekin Memorial Hall in Home Hill from 9am to 3pm on Saturday, August 13, 2016. Craft of all shapes, sizes and types will be on display to the pubic. Home Hill Harvest Festival—A week of entertainment for all ages from Friday, October 28 through to Saturday, November 5, with the crowning of the Festival Queens at the Festival Ball on Friday night, November 4 and the Procession and Mardi Gras on Saturday evening, November 5. Lead-in events include the Town of Origin Rugby League matches between Home Hill and Ayr on Sunday, October 9 and the annual Bride of the Year competition on Saturday, October 22. The Big Canecutters—Visit the former Home Hill Showgrounds (at the southern end of town across the railway line) to see the representation of the former canecutters that cut the Burdekin district’s sugar cane crop before the advent of mechanical cane harvesting. Old Time Dancing at the St Helen’s Anglican Church Hall, Tenth Avenue, Home Hill every Saturday evening; Mount Inkerman—approximately 12km south of Home Hill, near the township of Inkerman. Access to the top is via a narrow road, which is not suitable for caravans Charlie’s Hill World War II site, about seven kilometres south of Home Hill – former radar station during the second world war—Old igloos and gun emplacement still in place; Pioneer Avenue Plaques – learn about the history of many of the pioneers of Home Hill and the Burdekin District by reading the plaques situated along the western side of the ti-trees in Home Hill’s main street Burdekin River and the Burdekin bridge - part of the Bruce Highway plus Home Hill Lions Club Diorama at southern end of bridge; Groper Creek—one of the many creeks in the Burdekin Delta allowing access to the numerous fishing areas throughout the Burdekin district—very popular with southern visitors who return each year to enjoy our climate over several months; Beachmount/Wunjunga—Visitors can move off the Bruce Highway south of Home Hill to spend time at the community’s beaches—Beachmount and the community of Wunjunga. Travel east off the highway south of Inkerman across gravel roads until meeting the sea in the vicinity of Funny Dunny Park where tourists can enjoy a stay in pleasant surroundings. Home Hill Swimming Pool (Eleventh Avenue) is open throughout the winter months. For the sports man and woman - Join in the friendly atmosphere at the Home Hill Golf Course (4782 1632—amongst the canefields on Iona Road) and on the Home Hill Bowling Green (4782 1185—in Ninth Avenue). Your comments on our town, and the services that are offered, would be appreciated. Email them to — ddjacko@bigpond.com or to —

secretary@homehillchamber.com .

TWO Home Hill-based organisations were amongst five local community groups, who were recognised by the Ayr

and District Orchid Society recently for the assistance provided in their own individual ways towards the success of

the recent 51st Tropical Queensland Orchid Council Conference. The conference, held on June 3, 4 and 5, 2016,

attracted large crowds throughout the duration of the event, as visitors from throughout Queensland and interstate

joined with local orchid enthusiasts in participating in conference sessions and inspecting the large number or orchids

that were on display. The Home Hill Chamber of Commerce was recognised for the publicity provided through the

“Home Hill News” for the event, while local Community Radio Station, 97.1 Sweet FM also contributed towards the

success of the event through their own advertising of the conference. Pictured at the handover of ‘thank you’ cheques

to the organisations were (from left) Orchid Society officers, Jane Muscari (treasurer), Violet Kachel (secretary), Sha-

ron Kenny (president) and recipients, Lyn Collins (Home Hill Chamber of Commerce), Kate Ferguson (Millaroo State

School), Jackie Kiloh (PCYC), Robert Lesca (Burdekin Community Association) and Cheryl Platt (Sweet FM).

Orchid Society recognises community assistance