Capricornia: Breakfast: Recent Episodes
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Join Jacquie Mackay from 6:30 weekday mornings for all your news, sport, arts, community and weather information, plus a whole lot of fun as well.
This morning we entered a very different world - the world of Shelly Nolan's imagination. Shelly is a local writer who has a whole fantasy world going on in her mind which has resulted in two books now in a series. The first 'Lost Reaper' was Shelly's debut novel and the second book 'Winged Reaper' is being officially released tomorrow. Download audio
Have you ever fancied yourself as a music video star? You have your chance to take part in one next week as part of the Banana Shire Council's Get Ready to Grab'n'go Campaign which will be filmed from Tuesday of next week. Josh Arnold, singer, songwriter and video film maker from Small Town Culture has been helping the Banana Shire put together a catchy little tune to go with the message of preparation. We heard a little of that tune, and heard from Josh about what will be happening next week. Download audio
The New Royal Hotel in Rubyvale will be having to get new shelving up for another award - they've taken out the Best Bush Pub in Queensland for the 3rd year in a row. The hotel will also have to get the sign writers out to add 2016 to their big sign out the front proclaiming themselves the Best Bush Pub. Wendy McFarlane the Owner of the New Royal Hotel is excited to say the least! Download audio
A lack of aged care facilities in the Gladstone region has prompted the State Member Glenn Butcher to write to the Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Sussan Ley. In the letter Mr Butcher asked what plans the Federal Government has to attract more aged care providers to the region. Glenn Butcher the member for Gladstone explained what need there is and what response he had. Download audio
Since the beginning of the year communications company South Western Wireless has been busily setting up it's repeater services in the Central Highlands Region. They have now set up 5 repeater stations around Emerald to provide faster speed internet services to the town. There are now plans to expand this service to other towns in the Central Highlands and I spoke with Geoff Peach the Managing Director of South Western Wireless for an update on what has been happening in the last few weeks. Download audio
It was an action packed meeting for the Central Highlands Regional Council yesterday with a number of interesting applications going before council for approval. One was an application by Ausco to build a workers accommodation facility of more than 200 rooms near the Jellinbah mine. Brad Duke the General Manager of Communities for the Central Highlands Regional Council says that this particular application was refused. Download audio
A 4.9 hectare parcel of land on the Capricorn Highway just beside the Emerald Agricultural College has been donated by Carl Morawitz to the community. The land has been accepted by the Central Highlands Regional Council on behalf of the community as Mr Morawitz had it in mind that the land be used for a very specific purpose for the community's benefit. Council in cooperation with the Central Highlands Development Corporation will now go ahead in progressing the planning for the use of the site. Sandra Hobbs the CHDC General Manager spoke about some of the thoughts about what the...
Twelve students from Blackwater State High School have had the opportunity of a lifetime this school holidays - they've had a trip over the united States to take part in a Space Camp. The students have been all over the country and have successfully completed the Advanced Space Academy in Huntsville Alabama where they got to learn the real-world applications of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths principles that they are doing at school through realistic simulations of space missions. The students are on their way back to Australia this morning but I chatted with Year 11 student Jani McIver...
The latest building approval figures have been released and the drop in building across the region is dramatic from that reported only three years ago. In 2012-13 building in the Central Highlands was worth $235 million dollars, but the 2015-16 figures are just a fifth of that, only $44 million. Dennis Bryant the Regional Manager for Central Queensland for the Master Builders Association says that this sort of drop in the last three years has been seen across the board in Central Queensland. Download audio
For the last few years, a group of students from the Queensland University of Technology have been donating their time and labour in a program they call the Big Lift. They have done volunteer work in the towns of Theodore and Moura and will be heading back to Central Queensland at the end of the year. Ria Bhagat the QUT Big Lift President chatted about what they've done in the past and what they might be able to do for other towns in December. Download audio If your town would like to register go to the QUT Big Lift Facebook...
About 8.30 last night it seems as if we might have had a meteorite pass over the Gladstone region - with reports of a bright light or flash as far south as Hervey Bay and as far north as Yeppoon with a small tremor also being reported. We had lots of callers this morning describing how beautiful the flash of light was for a couple of seconds and a couple of people in the Gladstone area also described the sonic boom that followed the flash as being enough to slightly shake houses. Dave Reneke the Editor and Publisher of Astro...
Already this Spring we have had a few rather warm days, and with the warmth comes the snakes. Many of us are frightened of snakes but if you come across a wounded snake, you've been asked to contact a snake catcher or wildlife organisation to see if the animal can try to rehabilitate it. Svetlana Mitin Wildlife Rockhampton carer says she already has a couple of pythons in care. JM - Svetlana Mitin - reptiles The Grand Echidna Ball will be on Saturday 19th November at the Robert Schwarten Pavilion -from 6pm. Fundraiser for the Wildlife Rockhampton group to make...
With a record of over 30 Top 40 singles and eight top 10 albums Icehouse is one of Australia's favourite bands. But did you know that Iva Davies, the founder, songwriter and lead singer of the group was a classically trained oboeist before he turned his hand to pop rock? Iva Davies and Icehouse will be performing in Rockhampton at the Great Western this Saturday night and he chatted with me about his early musical experiences and how he came to move into an entirely different music style. Download audio You can get tickets through this website - http://www.songkick.com/concerts/27552929-icehouse-at-great-western-hotel
Over the weekend the Waru gardens came alive to lots of different musical styles as a host of singers and musicians played their own works in the annual Omfest, Original Music Festival. Among them were young local musicians Amelia Kase and Martin Hagger who have been working on some of their own compositions as 'Amelia and the Grizzly'. Amelia recently took out the CQUniversity Village Festival Busking competition and she says she and Martin are back home in CQ for a little while putting their energies into creating original music. They chatted with me about busking, writing and being back...
Sometimes we become so used to the things around us that we become almost immune to their beauty. But for local artist Erin Dunne, a trip to an art gallery in Sydney led to her exploring her own environment to fall in love with the scenery around her. The result is an art exhibition called Love Letters to Central Queensland which is open at the moment at the Rockhampton Art Gallery and will be the topic of a lecture by Erin next week. I chatted with Erin recently about how this new exhibition came about. ? Download audio Erin will...
A teenage romance has led to 70 years of married life for 93 and 92 year old Jack and Dawn Livingston. The couple still live together in their own unit, taking care of each other. Jack's career with a bank took him all over the state, and they have shared it all together, they are both especially proud of their 30 year involvement with Scotia Place, work which earned Jack an OAM. They chatted with me about how it all began. Download audio The happy couple on their wedding day - 23rd September 1946.
I want you to picture Rosslyn Bay now - it's a very beautiful spot with the marina on one side, and Kemp beach on the other, but in between there's a lot of car-parking, but not much in the way of natural land. The exception to this is a parcel of land behind the service station which currently is owned by the Department of Main Roads and Capricorn Coast resident Ian Herbert says they have it earmarked for a car-park. However Ian says this block would be an excellent shady park, especially given there are few shady public spaces along...
Have you heard of Jay Hoad? I think he must be one of the hardest working musicians in the world! Over the last eight years he has toured the world performing his music and taking on elements of foreign music and cultures while doing that. Jay will be performing his music at the Glenmore Tavern tomorrow night in Rockhampton and also at a Yoga morning on Saturday morning in Yeppoon. I asked him about how busy he's been in the past couple of years. Download audio Jay will be performing at the Glenmore Tavern in Rockhampton on Fri Sept 23rd...
We're all familiar with cane toads, come the warmer months, they crop up everywhere. Around Central Queensland there are groups that go on toad busting expeditions to try and capture cane toads to keep their numbers under control, but there could be a much better way. Professor Rob Capon from the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience has discovered an environmentally sustainable cane toad control solution using natural toad pheromones - but he needs our help. Professor Capon explained how it works. Download audio For more information about the survey and how to get involved go to www.imb.uq.edu.au/canetoadchallenge.
This weekend the annual Omfest is on in Yeppoon, and if you've never been you may be thinking it has something to do with meditation and saying 'Om'. However the Om in Omfest stands for 'Original Music' and is a great opportunity for local and visiting musicians to play their own material. Steve Butler the organiser of Omfest says while the event has been going for many years and has increased in size, he's happy to keep it a more intimate kind of event. Download audio Omfest is on this Saturday at Waru Permaculture gardens at Yeppoon from midday to...
Rockhampton based artist and film-maker Kaylene Butler has been selected by Screen Queensland and Screen Producers Australia to take part in a new initiative, a program to guide and nurture the next generation of Australian film producers. The program is called 'Ones to Watch', a mentoring program for film-makers who create content for either big or small screens, with each film-maker matched with a successful experienced film industry producer to gain career guidance. Kaylene Butler has been making short films in the region for the past few years, which have been picked up by SBS and NITV television for national...
For many years Cherith Weis has been a mainstay at her local Gracemere branch of the Australian Pensioners' and Superannuants' League. Now, she's extending her area of interest just a bit - she's just been elected as the State President of that organisation. Cherith is down in Brisbane at the moment learning the ins and outs of being the President of a State wide body such as this and I asked her how she became interested in this organisation in the first place. Download audio
A little over a decade ago, a musical emerged in San Francisco that created an absolute sensation around the world. It is the musical 'Wicked' which looks at what happened in the land of Oz long before Dorothy arrives with the story focused on Elphaba a young woman born with emerald green skin and Galinda a bubbly and popular blond who initially hate each other but end up becoming unlikely friends. The original Broadway production won three Tony Awards and six Drama Desk Awards, while its original cast album received a Grammy Award, and is still running to this day...
Every parent thinks that their child is special, but in the case of Kevina Atkinson and Shane Morgan, that claim is very true. Their 7 year old daughter Chilli Morgan is one of only 9 children in the whole of Australia to have Kleefstra Syndrome, a genetic fault which means that she can't speak, and walks with difficulty. In order to help keep Chilli safe, Kevina and Shane have been doing the hard yards of fundraising to try to get Chilli an assistance dog - and they've had lots of help along the way. I recently spoke with them about...
For a busy tax accountant, having an ability to remember facts and figures is vital. For Peter Yorke, much of that skill was lost when he had his stroke. Peter hasn't experienced the sort of paralysis that often is associated with stroke, but the after effects of his brain bleed have been no less debilitating. I spoke with Peter about what his life is like now. Download audio
Anyone who has ever wanted to know anything about the history of the Central Queensland region has almost certainly consulted one of the works of historian Dr Lorna McDonald. While Lorna was born in Victoria she and her husband Hugh moved to Rockhampton in 1963 and there followed a passion for the history of the region which resulted in much further study including a PhD in history 30 years ago and 20 publications over the years, with another one due to be launched next month. Lorna celebrated her 100th birthday on Wednesday and had quite a week of social activities...
Earlier this year you may recall Project Booyah began in Rockhampton - it's a police run leadership and mentoring program that helps teens make better decisions and gives them training to help them into future employment. The first group who went through Project Booyah at the beginning of the year had some good results, and the second group kicked off a few weeks ago. Already there are some promising improvements in the young blokes taking part, as I found out when I went to TAFE to meet up with the mentors and students. Download audio
This week, National Stroke Week, we're hearing the stories of stroke survivors, and you may be surprised to learn that nearly two thirds of people who have had a stroke also suffer a disability that impedes their ability to carry out daily living activities unassisted. Evelyn Morieson is someone who can relate to that. Since her stroke twelve years ago she has had to rely very heavily on her husband to help her with tasks that she used to take for granted, but she told me that it hasn't changed the person she is on the inside. Download audio Yeppoon...
Earlier this year Andrew Jeffrey decided enough was enough, he'd been experiencing depression and he realised he was going to shake the black dog by going for a walk. However the walk he decided to go on wasn't just around the block or even to the next town, he started off on the 18th July on a trek from Brisbane and will eventually end up in Broome. Andrew has made it as far as Central Queensland and has just had the last couple of days in Thangool, Biloela and Jambin - he spoke with me this morning about why he's...