Qld

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Fraser Coast residents will now be able to opt for a natural burial at the new Nikenbah Natural Cemetery. A natural burial is a funeral that seeks to make as little impact upon the environment as possible and to return a body to the earth in as natural a way as possible.

The Allora District was deeply affected by the passing of Lyn Wright on Tuesday 8th November. As well as being a good friend to many locals, Lyn put her heart into making Allora a better place ... One of Lyn’s biggest achievements was the 150 Years Allora celebration week, as President of the Historical Society.

After being honoured at the Allora Regional Sports Museum earlier this year, the accolades continue for Allora born and bred netballer Laura Geitz, who was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame recently ... "Drawn to netball by her older sister’s purple netball shoes, she stands an imposing 1.9m and is an extraordinary mix of athleticism and aura, competitiveness and charisma, grit and glamour. And she is one of Australia’s all-time greats": Queensland Sport.

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The Brisbane Entertainment Centre became the classroom for Urbenville Public School students on Saturday, December 3. The students were special guests of rockstar Keith Urban. Teacher Mel Sifko said they “had the most magical night. We were ushered in through a VIP entrance to our own special room."

Peak industry body for Queensland horticulture, Growcom is calling on the federal government to engage in genuine and meaningful discussion after the passing of the new Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill 2022 so industry can understand how it will be implemented. Growcom CEO Rachel Chambers said when discussing a Bill called ‘secure jobs, better pay’ you need to have the business owners, the people who create the jobs for employees, around the table. Without employers there is no employment.

Truck companies are up in arms following a shock decision by the Department of Transport and Main Roads to put restrictions on the PDR after just a few days of December rain. On Friday morning, no trucks were allowed to travel on the Peninsula Developmental Road without a permit.

Sarah Martin. Seasoned sailors have warned of the importance of remote telecommunications and being prepared following a freak storm that left dozens of yachts damaged at Lizard Island. Watson’s Bay, a popular anchorage on the northern side of Lizard Island and home to some of the world’s most pristine reefs, had about 25 vessels anchored when a freak storm with winds over 100km/h burst in from the north.

Thousands of generations of shared history across Cape York and the Torres Strait has been formally recognised by the Federal Court of Australia. Celebrations were held on Thursday Island as Justice Debbie Mortimer announced the historic Native Title consent determination, which covers about 65,000 square kilometres of land and sea.

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Providing rooming accommodation will now be easier after the Palaszczuk Government lifted a requirement for local government planning approval under certain conditions. Deputy Premier and Minister for Planning Steven Miles said the change to the Planning Regulation would provide more housing options in lower density residential zones.

A spirited collaboration between Devils Thumb Distillery and Far Northern Milling has culminated in Best Cane Spirit (sugarcane juice) at the inaugural 2022 Australian Rum Awards held in Brisbane this month ... Dependent on proximity to the raw ingredient of sugar cane juice gives Australian Cane Spirit a distinctive quality and means Far North Queensland’s Devils Thumb is uniquely placed to produce cane spirit which in other countries is known as Agricole (Martinique) or Cachaça (South America).

It’s been an egg-cellent start to the Sunshine Coast turtle nesting season, with six nests laid in seven days. At sunrise on Friday, November 25, expert citizen scientist and Turtle Care volunteer Lesley Dimmock spotted the first turtle tracks on Buddina beach.

As car thieves and other juvenile and youth offenders are disengaged with society and seeking notoriety by using social media, police call for public assistance in securing vehicles and identifying stolen cars. Last week, Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon addressed the media as questions surrounding the nature of youth crime on the Downs were circling in the community.

In less than 48 hours, Bracknell Lodge was transformed into an arena, hosting the ‘Ride for a Roof’ event raising money for the newly-formed Common Ground Foundation. The event was organised to raise money to purchase a house in Toowoomba in which families can stay while they have a loved one in hospital. And raise money it did.

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The Southern Downs Regional Council has been working on flood disaster recovery since March 2020. In addition to the normal Council works budget, more than $16 million has been spent on the flood repair program to date and a large portion of the works now expected to reach completion by June 2024.

More window displays are popping up in local businesses. Take a tour down the main street.

The Allora Swimming Club annual David Rackley Memorial Swim was held under a stunning sunset sky on Friday 25th November. Pictured with Patron Marg Rackley is the 2022 Winner Maggie Philp.

Ryan Saunders died in hospital. He was nearly three years old. His parents were worried he was getting worse and didn’t feel their concerns were being acted upon by medical staff. They were right ... When Ryan’s death was found to have been preventable, the Queensland Department of Health made a commitment to introduce a patient escalation process to minimise the possibility of a similar event occurring. It is called Ryan’s Rule.

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