Hamilton speaks out against pharmacy changes
"Having spoken at length to several pharmacists in my electorate, my greatest concern is for residents of small communities like Goombungee, Kingsthorpe, Cambooya and Westbrook," Mr Hamilton said. "The small local pharmacies in these towns simply are not large enough to sustain significant changes to their business model."
Councillor ‘devastated’ about war memorial
Toowoomba Region Councillor and former Cambooya Shire Mayor Carol Taylor has expressed her sadness following the recent destruction of the Cambooya War Memorial by a car. Cr Taylor has a strong connection with Cambooya and the surrounding district and has attended numerous Anzac Day services at the memorial, including this year.
War memorial destroyed
Standing since 1921, the Cambooya War Memorial will need to be rebuilt after a vehicle drove into it early last Saturday, causing significant damage including toppling over the obelisk. A Queensland Police Service spokesperson said between 5.50am and 6.10am on Saturday, a single vehicle left the road and hit the War Memorial.
LifeFlight better equipped to save animals
LifeFlight Australia’s helicopter crews are well known for saving human lives but now they have the capability to safely rescue beloved, furry family members too, including from the Toowoomba base. In an Australian-first, LifeFlight Engineering has created a purpose-built Animal Rescue Capsule (ARC) which can be used to rescue, winch and transport pets securely from life-threatening situations, such as floods.
Premier backs ‘vital’ regional newspapers
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has described regional newspapers as ‘absolutely vital’ and as the ‘lifeblood of their communities’ before offering to help ensure that a larger share of the Queensland state government advertising budget be directed at communicating with regional Queenslanders through independent regional newspapers.
Helping with housing rural workers
The Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority is offering loans to help growers build small-scale rural workers’ accommodation. QRIDA Regional Area Manager for South East Queensland Brian Coe said providing accommodation for workers could give farm businesses a competitive edge with Australia’s low unemployment rate and rural housing shortage.
Ambulance mental health care enhanced
Toowoomba patients in crisis now have access to enhanced mental health services in their own home, thanks to the joint efforts of the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) and Queensland Health. The Toowoomba Mental Health Co-Responder Service, which became operational last Wednesday, pairs a QAS senior paramedic with a senior mental health clinician from Darling Downs Health in order to deliver fast, collaborative specialist care.
Battling youth offending
With existing measures seemingly having minimal effect on perpetrators of youth crime, a 24/7 youth co-responder team was introduced to Toowoomba last weekend in an effort make a positive difference. In Toowoomba to launch the team last Saturday, new Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer said it was one of five new co-responder teams being established across Queensland, alongside Mount Isa, Hervey Bay, South Brisbane and Ipswich.
