Nikita – Local Singer and Songwriter

Entertainers of The Island

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March 16, 2018

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Tags: Singers. Songwriters. Entertainers. Musicians. Bribie Island. Brisbane. Queensland

Entertainers of the Island

Nikita Chee

I have discovered that one of the most common talents that are shared by many popular entertainers is the ability to be proficient with more than one instrument and the bubbly young lady who features as the “Entertainer of the Island” for this issue is definitely no exception. In fact, Nikita Chee is equally confident when playing any one of seven instruments that include saxophone, piano, flute and guitar as well as the Irish tin whistle, ukulele and the Bodrum.

Featured Image(above): Nikita keeping patrons entertained at Locals Only

(Irish drum) Nikita is about as local as anyone can be, being born in the house where she currently lives with mum Lisa and dad Gerry. As Nikita told me about her family’s historic love of music through generations, I found it easy to understand why she has such a passion for all things musical. ‘My whole family has such a wonderful appreciation of music. Mum loves to sing, my dad’s parents loved singing and my sister is in a band in Cairns that is called “After Three,”’ explained Nikita.

‘As well as being a vocalist, she plays keyboards and bass guitar. When I was little, there was always music in the house and I remember listening to Michael Jackson tracks that were playing in the background,’ she said. Although having a love of music, it was not until she was in year six at school that this now talented performer began to take music seriously and learn to play an instrument.

I was entertained with the Aloha Bribie song that Nikita co-wrote with her mother

‘I had the choice of either the drums or the saxophone and so the first instrument that I learned to play properly was the saxophone,’ Nikita told me. ‘I was inspired by the TV character Lisa Simpson. She played the saxophone and I wanted to be like her,’ she added. From the saxophone, Nikita the turned her attention to the piano and learned her keyboard skills from none other than Bribie Island Orchestra Director, Martin White.

She said that she also learned to play the flute and along with her musical ability came the opportunity to be involved in school bands and events. With her school years behind her and needing a break from study, Nikita concentrated more on her desire to become a singer/ songwriter, learning to play more instruments and also began to perform at events such as the Blue Pacific Hotel’s “Locals Only” where new performers can take to the stage and become accustomed to being in front of an audience.

Nikita is also well known for her appearances at the annual “Blessing of the Surf” where she and children from both Banksia Beach State School and Bribie Island State School entertain the crowd with Hawaiian dancing and singing. For this event in 2017, Nikita and her mother co-wrote a beautiful song entitled “Aloha Bribie” which I had the opportunity to hear Nikita sing when I paid her a visit recently.

Of course, as an appropriate way to accompany her vocals, Nikita played along with the ukulele. With mum Lisa keeping time with the Bodrum, Nikita treated me to a great Irish tune with the Irish tin whistle. As a musician who can turn her hand to so many instruments, Nikita also enjoys a variety of genres although she said that she really likes easy listening styles the most. ‘I probably prefer artists such as Ed Sheeran and Jack Johnson but I also enjoy songs with a bit of soul,’ said Nikita. ‘As well as that, I don’t mind something a bit jazzy such as “Dream a Little Dream of Me,”’ she told me.

An example of Nikita’s skill with the brush

While visiting Nikita, it really came as no real surprise that along with her musical ability, she is also a very competent watercolour artist and I was able to see some beautiful examples of her works that adorn the walls of the family home. This up and coming entertainer with a wonderful personality is employed at the Sandstone Point Hotel and is also a valued contributor to The Bribie Islander.

She is now at the stage where she is keen to be a truly accomplished artist, Nikita is currently studying for her music degree at the Sunshine Coast University and she pointed out that her aim is to eventually become a regular performer at some of the venues in the area. My advice would be to keep an eye out for any opportunity to hear her perform because, believe me, Nikita Chee is definitely on the way to being recognised as one of our truly great local entertainers.

LIONS YOUTH OF THE YEAR

Local news and articles

David Sweedman

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March 15, 2018

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Tags: Lions Charity Club. Queensland. Brisbane. The youth of the year. Not for Profit. Lions Howard Waterman Award

Lions Youth of the Year project is designed to encourage, foster and development leadership in conjunction with other citizenship quality in our youth, at the age when they are about to enter the fields of employment or higher education, and provide students with the incentive to pay greater attention to the general qualities, so vital in developing our youths into first class citizens.

Featured Image(above): Lexie Waddel-Bajor, overall winner of Youth of the Year
and Lachlan Alleyne public speaking section winner.

The qualities sought, apart from academics attainments are those of leadership, personality, sportsmanship, public speaking and good citizenship. The students meet in fellowship and have the opportunity of open discussion, exchange of ideas and meet professional people of a community service club organisation.

Lions Youth of the Year is an excellent means of assisting Australia’s youth and promoting the essential role of leadership development and community service organisations in maintaining Australia’s high standard of living. Bribie Island Lions staged the local final on 22nd February.

Jessica Spink – winner of Lions Howard Waterman Award.

The overall winner was Lexie Waddel-Bajor and the public speaking section of the contest was Lachlan Alleyne, students from Bribie Island High School. Lexie will now go on to the next level of the contest, the Regional final, in Morayfield. The next stage is the District final in Brisbane then State final in Rockhampton, and the National final at the Lions National Convention in Townsville in May.

As well as The Youth of the Year contest Bribie Island Lions have a special award “Howard Waterman Bursary” This award is dedicated to the late District Governor and member of Bribie Island Lions. The bursary is presented to the Club’s Youth of the year entrant from the Bribie Island High School who attains the highest OP rating at the end of year 12.

The purpose of the bursary is to recognize the achievements of the student and in some way towards their further studies. The winner of this year’s award was Jessica Spink with an OP rating of 1. Jessica is now continuing her University studies of Optometry at QUT in Brisbane.

History – Aviation and Aircraft – The Red Baron Shot Down

David Sweedman

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March 13, 2018

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History – Aviation and Aircraft – The Red Baron Shot Down

Tags: History. Aviation. The Red Baron. WWI. War. Aircraft. Show.

In The Air – AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN AT CABOOLTURE

Just after 11 am on April 21st in 1918, the Fokker Tri-Plane flown by German air ace Baron Manfred Von Richtofen (The Red Baron) was shot down over France by Sergeant Cedric Popkin, an Australian from 54th Machine Gun Company and, exactly one hundred years on from when this occurred, the event will be re-enacted to mark the start of the Great War Flying Display, a two day spectacular which will be held at the Caboolture Airfield.

Featured Image(above): The event will open with the shooting down of the Red Baron

The 2018 Great War Flying Display is being presented by The Australian Vintage Aviation Society (TAVAS), a Caboolture based not for profit organisation that is totally dedicated to preserving the history of early aviation and to educating all Australians about the impact that the early flying machines and the people who flew them had during World War One. This is the third year that TAVAS has held the event and organisation founder Andrew Carter explained to me about why this will be the biggest and probably the last one.

The old and the new. A Super Hornet will accompany a Bristol F.2 B on a flypast

‘This year, the Great War Flying Display will be the final time that we can celebrate one hundred years of military aviation and Australia’s involvement. Not only were Australian aviators heavily involved in World War One, we were the only dominion in the Commonwealth to form our own flying corps,’ said Andrew. ‘The displays in the two previous years were basically dress rehearsals in the lead up to this one.

This year there will be more flying displays, much more on the ground for people to see, more aircraft and better facilities such as parking,’ he said. Andrew told me that an interesting part of the story relating to the shooting down of the Red Baron is that at first it was thought that a Canadian pilot by the name of Roy Brown was responsible but by 1997, ballistics, forensic science and computer modelling have conclusively proved otherwise.

Visitors to the Great War Flying Display will see simulated aerial combat

He said that after the event is re-enacted at the opening of this year’s display, those who attend will be kept entertained by World War One aircraft in simulated combat, ground displays of aircraft from throughout the ages and will be able to choose from a great range of refreshments. He advises that although there will be an ATM on site during the event, it will have a limited money supply so it would be best to bring sufficient cash.

Ticket sales at the gate will be by cash only. During the preparation for the display, the band of volunteers at TAVAS have been working hard to ensure that the aircraft will be ready for the April weekend. This has included the assembling the three extra aircraft, a Nieuport 24 in the colours of French air ace Georges Guynemer, a black Fokker Tri-Plane in the colours of German ace Josef Jacobs and a Henri Farman 3 which was the forerunner to the Bristol Box Kite which was used to train the first Australian airmen.

German ace Josef Jacobs shot down 40 enemy planes with his black Fokker tri-plane

Although Baron Von Richtofen was recognised as being responsible for the most kills of the war (a total of eighty), his tally while flying his red tri-plane was only nineteen whilst Josef Jacobs became the German ace with the most kills from a tri-plane with a forty of his total of forty-eight being carried out in the black Fokker.

A very special part of the weekend will be when the crowd will be treated to the joint flypast of a 1918 Bristol F2 B fighter and a 2018 Super Hornet as a celebration of one hundred years of military aviation. Other aircraft that will be either flying or part of the ground display will include a Fokker E.III Eindecker, a Fokker D. VIII and a Pietenpol Aircamper as well as a Tiger Moth, a Cessna O-1 BirdDog, a Wirraway and a Mig 17 jet fighter. Andrew told me that there will also be an aerial display by RAAF 816 Squadron and 4 Squadron from Williamstown will be there with their forward air control PC 9 aircraft.

The 2018 Great War Flying Display offers visitors the chance to see the only collection of flying Great War aircraft in Australia as well as more from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the current era over a very unique family weekend.

There will also be the opportunity to go on an adventure flight. Gates will open from 9 am on each of the two days and, whilst tickets will be available at the gate, they can also be purchased online by going to the website www.gwfd.tavas.com.au and, as a great bonus, each person who purchases a ticket to the Great War Flying Display will receive a “two for One” ticket to the newly established TAVAS Museum for any time after the weekend event. The TAVAS Museum is another part of the organisation’s efforts to cement the history of aviation and is in its final stages of completion.

The Nieuport 24 in the colours of French ace Georges Guynemer

Visitors will be able to see the story of aviation told on wall placards around the building and also the section that is dedicated to our Australian aces of World War One. There will be four aircraft suspended from the ceiling and there will be a replica 1901 Number 21 Condor, (the aircraft that was flown by Gustav Whitehead two years prior to the flight by the Wright brothers), a 1909 Johnson Monoplane (manufactured by the Johnson Brothers before they began to produce marine outboards), a 1917 SE 5A fighter in the colours of Australia’s one-legged fighter ace, Frank Alberry and a 1933 Flying Flea.

As well as these, there will be a selection of aircraft that date from 1910 until 1932 for viewing at floor level. During the time that I spent talking to Andrew recently, he made a point of paying tribute to the wonderful efforts of the volunteers who spend so much of their time working on the aircraft and other preparations that are necessary to make the event a success.

He told me that without the expertise of Dave Walsh, there would not be a flying display and said how grateful he was for the help of TAVAS cofounder Nathalie Gochel who has taken care of much of the necessary documentation. He also mentioned about the job done by Ray Vuillermin who does a great job looking after issues such as the sourcing of pilots and other flying associated matters.

The TAVAS workshop is a busy place in the lead up to the display

While I was taking a walk through the busy TAVAS workshop area, I met VOLUNTEER James Smith who Andrew tells me has recently retired from the navy and is now spending a lot of time preparing the museum and helping with the work on the aircraft.

The Great War Flying Display will surely be the type of very special event that should not be missed by either young or old and all those who are associated with the TAVAS organisation are to be congratulated for their dedication to the history of aviation.

History of a man and his glider

In the Air

David Sweedman

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March 12, 2018

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Tags: Gliders. Aviation. History. Aeroplanes.

In The Air

with BERT PERSSON

When I mentioned Garrett Russel’s 1959 Chilton Olympia glider in the very first of the ‘In the Air” series, I was completely unaware that three months further on, I would be writing about a man who flew that glider in the National Gliding Championships at Gawler in South Australia fifty years earlier but, this article is in fact about that man.

Featured image(above): The beautifully maintained self-launching glider

Record-breaking glider pilot and aircraft engineer Bert Persson grew up in Swedish Lappland, an area that is commonly known to many as the home of the midnight sun and the Northern Lights and Bert explained that in the summer months, there was very little dark at night. ‘Where I lived with my parents was on the Arctic Circle and although summer was mostly always light, in the winter I left for school in the dark and came home in the dark,’ said Bert.

‘We did not have a vehicle and I travelled to and from school on skis,’ he said. On leaving school, Bert began work in the tool room of a large manufacturing plant where he enjoyed learning many engineering skills and, once he had been working for a while, he began gliding lessons in the summer of 1956. ‘The air force was keen to sponsor young people who wanted to learn gliding and they also paid one half the cost of a two-seat glider for clubs. This really helped the clubs to get going,’ Bert told me.

Record-breaking glider pilot, Bert Persson

‘They had found that anyone who could fly a glider had much less chance of failing their flying courses,’ he added. In the same year, Bert also became licensed to fly powered aircraft. One day at his place of employment, Bert witnessed an old man being given a gold watch and the cost of a taxi home as a reward for fifty years of service, Bert realised that he wanted much more from life than that. He then proceeded to sell everything that he owned in order to fund his airfare to Australia and, after a journey that took him from Sweden to England, the United States, Fiji and then Australia, he finally arrived in Sydney where he found work at a BMC automobile factory.

Bert found this work repetitive and boring and before long, he had successfully applied for a position that involved maintaining the fleet of a large Alice Springs transport company. ‘They got me to spend three days at their Sydney depot to make sure that I could do the job and then flew me up to Alice Springs. I didn’t know what had hit me when they opened the door of the plane on arrival,’ Bert told me.

‘It was forty-something degrees and when you have spent most of your life in Sweden, that comes as quite a shock,’ he pointed out. He said that he quickly became used to the climate and enjoyed his position in charge of the maintenance of ten trucks and a lot of trailers. Bert also discovered that there was a local gliding club and soon went there to do some flying.

The flight from Romania to Australia was a pioneering event

‘They sent me on a few check flights to make sure that I could fly and they were only just high enough to do a circuit and land,’ said Bert. ‘On the third one when we were on the downwind leg, the glider came across a thermal and I had to battle the instructor so I could take advantage of the situation.

That ended up with us getting up to five thousand feet and staying up for about an hour and it was during this time that I realised the instructor had never been in a thermal,’ he said. Now accepted as a competent glider pilot, Bert pioneered cross-country gliding in the area and, as he tells it, he also began to break records left, right and centre. Some of these were for absolute altitude, height gain and for overall distance flown. He said that some of these are still current and others have been broken.

It was at the time when Bert was due to go on holidays that the local club had made arrangements to purchase a single seat glider from South Australia and, being keen to assist, Bert offered to bring it back on his return to Alice Springs. The glider had been built by Kevin Sedgeman in Gawler and I made arrangements to go there to pick it up. It came with a trailer,’ explained Bert. ‘When I got there, Kevin asked me if I wanted to stay and compete in the National Championships that were about to begin so I flew the Chilton Olympia in the event.

I could not believe it when Caboolture Gliding Club member Garrett Russell brought it to Caboolture many years later,’ he said. After some time with the transport company, Bert went to work for South Australian Air Taxis and whilst there, gained his qualifications as an aircraft engineer. From Alice Springs, Bert moved to Tocumwal and continued to amaze the gliding world with his ability to set records.

Acknowledging one of Bert’s achievements

He mentioned that at one time a girl that was a very good glider pilot who he knew from Sweden came for a visit and they flew every chance they had, breaking more records along the way. He told me that this great young aviator was involved in a serious crash after her return to Sweden and suffered massive injuries that she has never recovered from. One of Bert’s many notable achievements was when he, friend and aircraft sales agent Bill Riley and William Schoon travelled to Romania to pick up three motor gliders and fly them back to Australia.

This 22,000-kilometre flight from Brasov in Romania to Tocumwal in Australia which took 154 flying hours is recognised as a pioneering event in the world of gliding. Bert relocated from Tocumwal to the Redcliffe Peninsula in the 1980’s and still enjoys the serenity of the Scarborough environment today. When he first moved to the area, he had his Cessna 150 hangared at the Redcliffe Airfield but, after an invitation by then Caboolture Aero Club President Garry Poole, he moved it to Caboolture.

Bert’s records are also recognised by his home country of Sweden

At that time, Bert used to travel back to Alice Springs to carry out the required maintenance for the gliding club and he told me about what happened when he left the keys of the Cessna with a friend in Caboolture. “I told him that if anybody wanted to buy it, let them. I said that the price was $25,000,’ Bert told me. ‘When I got back, my Cessna had been sold to someone in Tasmania.

It was in absolutely top condition and they had bought it far too cheaply,’ he said sadly. Not wanting to be without an aircraft, Bert found a Wittman Tailwind for sale and bought it on the spot. He told me that this was a really quick plane and he often flew it when he went to places like Mangalore. ‘I could leave Caboolture in the morning and be in Mangalore in time for a counter lunch,’ he said.

Bert now has his own hangar at the Caboolture Airfield and kept sheltered within is his beautiful single seat self-launching glider which he bought new eleven years ago. This lovely little aircraft has a retractable forty horsepower engine that enables the pilot to launch unassisted and climb to an altitude where thermals can be found. Bert said that the two-stroke engine only uses a couple of litres of fuel each flight and, once he has reached the desired altitude, he retracts the engine back inside the glider’s fuselage.

Bert told me that he normally gets to fly his glider once each fortnight and that his skills as an engineer are always in demand when aircraft owners require repairs. For as long as this series of articles about the people and planes that take to the air for pleasure continues, I very much doubt that I will ever be able to tell a more interesting story than the one about Bert Persson.

Thanks for allowing me to do this article, Bert.

Children visit aged care facility on Bribie Island

David Sweedman

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March 8, 2018

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Children visit aged care facility on Bribie Island

Tags: Aged Care Services Lifestyle. Fundraiser. Bribie Island Community Kindergarten. Churches of Christ Bribie Island Aged Care Services.

I HOPE THAT THIS WILL HELP

Profits from a lemonade stand in Brennan Park and the overwhelming desire to be able to help people were the main reasons for five-year-old Zayne Curtis to accompany children from Bribie Island Community Kindergarten on their visit to the Bribie Island Aged Care Facility in Foley Street recently.

When I spoke to Zayne on the day he was selling lemonade and bottled water from his lemonade stand, he told me that he was trying to make some money to help sick children and old people and naturally, once he had money to give, he had to decide where it would help the most and the reason for his decision is best explained by describing an activity that Zayne participated in during his time at the kindergarten.

Featured Image(above): Joining in the singing as Peter Szekelyhidi entertains the
residents

Now in the third year, a joint program between the Bribie Island Community Kindergarten and the Churches of Christ Bribie Island Aged Care Services is the weekly visits to the facility in Foley Street by children from the kindy.

Aged Care Services Lifestyle Coordinator Debra Connolly said that although the program is still in the early stages, it is evident that the residents and the children are forming relationships which are very special. ‘The excitement and laughter of the children on their arrival initiated smiles from the residents and enhances their overall well-being,’ said Debra. ‘It is a wonderful and heartwarming experience to observe the children interact with our residents, joining with them in activities such as reading, discussion and singing,’ she added.

Zayne Curtis presenting the profits from the lemonade stand to Lifestyle Coordinator Debra Connolly

Debra told me society provides very little opportunity for interaction between the generations, especially the very young and aged people so programs such as this are an innovative way to close the gap.

Zayne’s proud mum Amanda said that she feels the nurturing environment that her son has experienced during his time at the Bribie Island Community Kindergarten is a large part of the way he has developed such a caring nature. ‘Narelle Dawson and the staff are so good with the children,’ Amanda told me. ‘I do feel that without him having attended the kindy, our lives would not be as rich,’ she said.

Allan making the most of the children’s visit

When speaking about the Bribie Island Community Kindergarten and their award of an “Excellent” rating for the second time, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) Michael Petrie congratulated the kindy on their ongoing commitment to high-quality education and care.

Doing a few paintings for the residents

‘Bribie Island Community Kindergarten was one of the original services to receive the Excellent rating and they remain a leader in our sector through their ongoing commitment to exceptional practice,’ said Mr Petrie. During Zayne’s visit to the Aged Care Services facility, a small group of onlookers watched as he presented the profits from the lemonade stand to Ms Connolly before taking part in the morning’s activities.

As a journalist, I feel privileged to have been able to write this article and as a Bribie Islander, I feel proud to be part of a community which includes children as caring as Zayne Curtis.

The Bongaree Ladies Bowling Club – Bribie Island

Local Clubs & Groups

David Sweedman

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March 2, 2018

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The Bongaree Ladies Bowling Club – Bribie Island

Tags: The Bongaree Ladies Bowling Club. Lawn Bowls. Local Clubs and groups. Bribie Island. Brisbane.

PUT YOUR MONEY IN THE TIN

Making a mistake when delivering a bowl or swearing by members of the Bongaree Bowls Club has resulted in a donation of $500 being presented to the “BIKES” (Bribie Island Kids Education Support) organisation recently. The guilty bowlers have put money in the collection tin on each occasion that they have offended.

Featured Image(above): Bongaree ladies singles 2018 championship finalists Imelda
Valentine and Elna Jensen. The championship was won by Imelda

The amount that was donated will go towards assisting the students of Bribie Island who have been identified as needing to be supplied with essential items such as uniforms as well as funds for school excursions and swimming lessons.

The board of the Bongaree Bowls Club has made a decision to support this worthwhile charity on an annual basis. The Bongaree Bowls Club was founded in 1949 by a group of local bowls enthusiasts who were former members of the Bribie Island Bowls Club and, after much-dedicated labour by the original members of the fledgling club, the greens and clubhouse were completed in 1952 and games were played at the club from September of the same year.

The official opening of the club was in July of 1953 and the event was attended by members often visiting bowls clubs as well as representatives from the Queensland Bowling Association. Arthur Winston became the first president and he remained in the position until 1964. The first green was named in his honour.

The Bongaree Ladies Bowling Club was also formed in 1952 with the official opening being in November of that year. The second green was completed in 1972 and named after the president at the time, E. Richardson and the third green (named after foundation and life member Fred Kling) was opened in October 1980 and in 2007, this became the first green on the island to feature a retractable shade. I recently had the opportunity to talk to two of the current members of the club who have both served as club presidents and are obviously passionate about both their club and their bowls.

Dennis Piddington told me that in its early years, the Bongaree Bowls Club was the biggest club on the island and he explained that it remained that way for quite some time until, as the result of changing times, ownership was acquired by the Bribie RSL. He said that whilst the club is staffed by the RSL, the bowls club still has it’s own identity.

Avid bowler Arthur Hangan told me that the club currently has well in excess of two hundred members and is constantly attracting new members. He said that a number of these are from the U3a. He pointed out that the club offers free coaching to those who wish to learn the game and this is by qualified bowls coaches.

Bongaree Bowls Club Board Chairman Barry France (R) presented a $500 cheque to BIKES representative Jon Wood

Dennis and Arthur also told me that on the first Sunday of each month, the club is the venue for Brekkie Bowls which is a morning where both men and women gather for breakfast and then a game of bowls. “This is always a popular event,’ Dennis said. In a recent closely competed event, the finals of the Club Ladies Championship were played off between Imelda Valentine and Elna Jensen with Imelda being announced as the eventual winner and 2018 club champion.

New members are always welcome at the Bongaree Bowls Club and anyone who would like to find out more about the club can call 3408 0005 or go to the Facebook page for all the details.

Touring Australia – FROM AGNES WATERS TO KINKA BEACH

The Long Way Round To Bribie

David Sweedman

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March 2, 2018

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Touring Australia – FROM AGNES WATERS TO KINKA BEACH

Tags: Tourism. Travel. Tourist destinations. Queensland. Australia.

THE LONG WAY ROUND TO BRIBIE!

EPISODE 3 By Sabine Von Graz

AGNES WATERS

Hi there, here is just a quick rehash in case you have missed the first episodes from ‘The Bribie Islander’. My short stories are all about our family, Richard my hubby, Ginger our daughter and myself, going on a 15 month trip of misadventure in a “big rig” around Australia, on a mission to find the place to call home.

After getting the Wagon our support car repaired at Woodgate, we were ready to head north to Agnes Waters, a little village next to the town of 1770. As usual, we would pull up with the rig a street before the caravan park and then walk around with the map in hand to check out the allocated space and plot our parking approach for the house on wheels.

Although we booked the caravan park with a detailed description of the 32-foot fifth wheeler, it turned out they actually didn’t have any sites for big rigs and we were allocated just a normal tight campsite spot! Our choice was to shape up our ‘beginners parking skills’ or ship out! However, with Richard heading back to work to Brisbane within the next couple of hours, we stashed away our urge to run and hide and gave it a burl.

We had to ask all the surrounding neighbours to move their cars, which made a lot more sense once they saw what was coming around the corner. By some miracle, we managed to squeeze into the spot with one wheel off and one wheel on the slab and just enough room for the slides and annexe. – What a relief, where is that Schnapps! Richard chose a ‘red bull’ instead and once he was on his way back to Brissi, Ginger and I had time to check out the surrounds.

Shell Kangaroo

It turned out that Agnes Waters lies on the last surf beach when heading North, which is the reason for the prolific surf school and their daily ritual, showing up with 18 – 30 daily students lagging their boards past our caravan park. While still on the dry sand, huffing and puffing and trying to master how to jump on the board, they receive a serious lecture by the fit surf instructors.

This is then followed by lining up for hours in the cold water waiting for their push onto a wave …leaving behind their instructors with their motivational screams and gestures. All this inspired my ‘Logo Painting for Agnes Waters’ with our yellow Kangaroo surfing the found ‘seedpod’ waves! Worn out by this site, Ginger and I decided to get creative instead, with a glue gun, making a shell Kangaroo to mirror our yellow mascot roo. Although we tried to be careful, we ended up burning our fingers really badly… actually so bad that Ginger was clinging to a chilled bottle of wine all night!

Surfschool

Having moved from a big house into the confined space of a caravan caused a few restless nights for Richard. One night, after he kept us awake with his snoring for hours, I decided to wake him up. I wanted to shake his legs as he could not hear me, however, in the darkness I could not see him and all of a sudden he was screaming and his hands were waving around my face and I thought where did those hands come from?

It turned out he swapped position for the night and I was shaking his head instead! It was funny and scary at the same time like some sort of Exorcist experience!

KINKA BEACH

Tired or not, the next day was ‘moving day’ and we were heading to Kinka Beach about 16 km south of Yeppoon. As a family run caravan park, it had heaps to offer – including a couple of swimming pools, amazing toilets with led lights and a trendy bar for Happy Hour, all across from a great walking beach, although swimming could be a challenge as the water only goes to knee deep forever.

We settled in next to a small lake, making it a must to watch the ducks, swans and frogs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. These however were not the only animals at Kinka Beach caravan park as the owners also had a 2 meter pig, an emu called Martin, a couple of ponies, fish, dogs, guinea pigs, cockatiels and last but not least peacocks, which loved to frolic, sit and sh… on Richards shiny black Dodge!

But this is nothing compared to the christening by the Bribie pelicans when driving over the bridge. As we say in Austria, it’s your lucky day if a birdy blob gets you! The more pelicans Ginger counts when driving by, the happier we are and even the Dodge does not mind. Although this is the end of this episode, I hope you can join me in the next edition of ‘The Bribie Islander’, when we head North to Clairview on ‘The Long Way Round to Bribie’!

Martin

Omelette(left) and Kinka Beach Frog(right)

Ladies Open Day at the Bribie Island Golf Club

Local news and articles

David Sweedman

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March 2, 2018

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Ladies Open Day at the Bribie Island Golf Club

Tags: Ladies open day. Bribie Island Golf Club.

In what seemed to be a message from the weather gods to remind them that they can’t have it their way all the time, those who competed in the Remax Ladies Open Day at the Bribie Island Golf Club recently, battled sporadic rain squalls for most of the event, resulting in the field moving slower than would have normally been expected.

Featured Image(above): Gross winners Josie Ryan and Lesley Eggleston with Cate
Thomas (C) of Remax

Ladies Captain Lyn Ball told me that, despite the slow-moving field, most of the players did finish. ‘There was to have been a full field of 144 but thought of the rain did turn a few away and we ended up with 128 players starting on the day,’ said Lyn. ‘It was pleasing to see representatives of thirteen clubs from around the district competing on the day,’ she said. Lyn pointed out that this was the third year that Remax Bribie Island had sponsored the event. ‘We are so very grateful for their generosity,’ she told me.

Nett runners-up Bridget John and Michelle Wormwell with Cate Thomas of Remax

At the end of the day, the gross winner for Division One was Josie Ryan from Headland Golf Club with Lesley Eggleston from Beerwah taking out Division Two and Joy Jordan from the host club being successful in Division Three. The nett winners were Dot Smith of Pelican Waters in Division One, Suzanne Fowler in Division Two and Lyn Cockerell for Division. Both Lyn and Suzanne are from the Bribie Island club.

Open Day Nett Winners Dot Smith and Lyn Cockerell posing for the camera with Remax Bribie Island representative, Cate Thomas

The nett Runners Up on the day was June Wills from Pacific Harbour Golf Club in Division One, Michelle Wormwell of Beerwah for Division Two and Bridget John also from Beerwah in Division Three. Despite the rather adverse weather conditions, all who competed enjoyed the day and there is no doubt that the competition will attract a full field again next year. Remax Bribie Island was represented at the event by Cate Thomas and should be congratulated for their continued support of sport within the community.

Fishing Report Bribie Island June 2017

Fishing Bribie

David Sweedman

-

June 5, 2017

0

tags: Fishing report. Bribie Island. Fishing spots. Tide Times.

Fishing Bribie

Well what a beautiful month of weather we have just had. Nice steady stable weather patterns, have meant calm conditions throughout most of May, hopefully this weather continues into June and July.

The whales have just shown up off the Cape, as we speak, which usually means water temperature will be dropping very soon. The current out offshore has been slowly pushing up the East Coast, making it a great time to target those inshore reefs and wrecks. At the moment there has been good numbers and species holding on all the local systems. The list of species you can encounter off Bribie is endless.

Featured Image(above): A nice pair of bay snapper

There are so many areas and spots to target, Smiths, Roberts, Brennan’s, Hutchies, Tempest, Wide Caloundra, 12 mile, and Square Patch are a few systems in close proximity to Bribie. Most of these areas are quite large structures with plenty of bombies and pinnacles spread throughout. Sounding around all contour lines and reef pressure points will certainly find you some nice spots.

A pinnacle or rock patch the size of a car, can potentially hold up to 20-30 fish. Spending time sounding up these spots is essential. As once you have found them, you can then drop in and have a quick drift or anchor up and set up a nice Berkeley trail. It’s amazing how much a difference, having a good berley trail can improve your catch rates. Depending on the depth and current will depend on which berley technique you use.

Up to 30m and slight current, throw out a few handfuls of cut up fish, prawns, crab shells, oyster shells, sand, bread and tuna oil mix. If over 30m to 100m, drop down berley bombs, on your anchor chain top d-shackle. I use the same mix in a mesh cylinder style berley bomb, attached to the shackle. Then every 20mins or so, give your anchor rope a jiggle, this technique works great in deep water. Grass/spangles/Redthroat , Sweetlip, snapper, Pearlies, Moses Perch, Goldspot Wrasse, Husser, Large and small mouth Nannagi, Red Emperor, Coronation Trout, Coral Trout, Venus Tuskfish, Green Jobfish, plus about four or five different species of Cod are all species encountered on these grounds.

Beautiful eating brown Maori cod caught inside the bay(left) and Gold-spot wrasse, yummo!(right)

Living in this part of the world means we get a good mix of Northern and Southern species. These are some of the best eating species. Kingfish, Trevally, Mowong, Tuna, Amberjack and various Sharks also caught around these reefs. The Bay too has been fishing well, with plenty of nice Snapper, Sweetlip, Cobia, Cod, Tuna, Kingies, and Trevally being caught throughout. The ledges, wrecks and rock formations in the Bay, holding the bait, therefore holding the fish. Using lighter rigs and fluorocarbon lines will ensure you will outsmart these finneky fish. But, it’s that happy medium!

Going too light could cost you that trophy fish. The Mackeral and Tuna have still been smashing the bait schools in the Bay and the Caloundra shallows. Sharks still following closely, especially as the annual mullet schools run up the East beach around this time of year. The Passage has been fishing really good, with Whiting, Bream and Flatties making up the bulk of the catches.

There’s also been some nice Snapper and Jewies being caught. Cooks, The Bridge, 112’s the ripples and along the Buckleys Ledge is a good place to start looking for Jew and Snaps. Live baits, cuttlefish, Pillies and flesh baits are the best baits. Whiting love bloodworms and yabbies. Bream generally not that fussy, mullet gut, prawns, chook gut and most flesh baits working well.

Night time seems to be better for the bream and whiting. Flatties taking plastics, Hardbodies and Pillies. Sand crabs have been thick as and really never have an offseason. We target and catch good numbers of Sandcrabs all year. Still muddies about, try any of the passage creeks or drains. So yet again another great month to head out and enjoy what this wonderful area has to offer! Tight lines and don’t destroy what you came to enjoy.

Tide Times

Click here to see Bribie Island Tide Times

May 2017 Crime Report

Crime Report

David Sweedman

-

May 5, 2017

0

Tags: crime report Bribie Island

Last month officers from Bribie Island conducted several raids of properties across the division in connection with the use and supply of dangerous drugs, after receiving information from the local community about suspicious activity in the area. Officers also executed search warrants in connection with recent property offences, locating stolen property. Consistently the Bribie Island community has worked closely with local police to address matters of property crime and drug offences, and I would encourage anyone with information which may assist police in investigating those matters to contact the station on 3410 9222 or to call Crime Stoppers.

You may always remain anonymous if you wish. During May officers were called to attend a number of domestic violence incidents. If you or someone you know is living with domestic violence, please know that help is available. Contact the station on 3410 9222 for more information. Always ring Triple Zero (000) in an emergency.

Rain affected the stations traffic operations, however the activities continued nonetheless with vehicles intercepted for roadside breath testing, and infringement notices being issued for a range of offences, including speeding and using a mobile phone whilst driving. Officers from the road policing unit were also in attendance on several occasions, and issued further infringement notices, again mainly for speeding.

In recent weeks there has been a number of complaints about driver behaviour in the vicinity of both of our state schools, and increased enforcement activity is being conducted whenever possible. I would ask that all parents who are engaging in school pick-up and drop off to obey the traffic signs, be patient and courteous, and above all else, to drive safely. A number of offenders were apprehended during May for a range of offences including:

A 17-year-old Bongaree man was apprehended for possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils at Ningi. He was subsequently drug diverted.
A 46-year-old Cleveland man was charged with drink driving and other traffic offences in a vessel on the Pumicestone Passage after returning an alleged reading of .069%. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 25.
A 25-year-old Banksia Beach woman was charged with drink driving at Ningi after returning an alleged reading of .062%. She will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 22.
A 33-year-old Bundaberg man was charged with public nuisance at Bongaree. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 30.
A 45-year-old Caboolture woman was fined for public nuisance at Bongaree.
A 24-year-old Morayfield woman was fined for driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle at Godwin Beach.
A 43-year-old Bellara man was charged with public nuisance at Bellara. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 9.
A 58-year-old Banksia Beach man was charged with driving whilst unlicensed together with drink driving at Banksia Beach, after returning an alleged reading of .209%. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 23.
A 38-year-old Woorim man was charged with public nuisance at Woorim. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 6.
A 41-year-old Woorim man was fined for public nuisance at Woorim.
A 22-year-old Woorim man was charged with obstructing police at Woorim. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 1.
A 30-year-old Woorim man was charged with driving whilst unlicensed, together with driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle at Bongaree. The vehicle was seized for forfeiture proceedings. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 29.
A 38-year-old Woorim man was fined for public nuisance at Bongaree.
A 48-year-old Bellara man was charged with driving whilst unlicensed at Bellara, and the vehicle seized for forfeiture proceedings. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 8. A 38-year-old Woorim man was fined for public nuisance at Bongaree, after police were called to a disturbance at a High School.
A 48-year-old Bellara man was charged with unlicensed driving at Bellara, and the vehicle seized for forfeiture proceedings. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 8.
A 18-year-old Bongaree man was fined for public nuisance at Bongaree.
An 18-year-old woman from Banksia Beach, an 18-year-old woman from Sandstone Point and a 17-year-old woman from Banksia Beach, were apprehended for possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils at Woorim. They were all subsequently drug diverted.
A 60-year-old Bellara man was charged with drink driving at Bellara after returning an alleged reading of.123%. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 8.
A 31-year-old Meridan Plains man was charged with unlicensed driving at Bongaree and the vehicles plates seized for seven days. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 25.
A 39-year-old woman from Victoria was charged with possessing drug utensils and drink driving at Bellara after returning an alleged reading of .091%. She will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 8.
A 53-year-old Woorim woman was fined for driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle at Bongaree. A 44-year-old Bongaree woman was charged with possessing dangerous drugs at Bellara. She will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 1.
A 23-year-old Banksia Beach man was charged with public nuisance and Liquor Act offences at a Sandstone Point Hotel. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 30.
A 23-year-old man was charged with obstructing police and Liquor Act offences at a Sandstone Point Hotel. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 30.
A 39-year-old woman from Victoria was charged with drink driving at Banksia Beach after returning an alleged reading of .058%. She will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 8.
A 66-year-old Banksia Beach man was charged with public nuisance after police were called to a disturbance at Banksia Beach. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 23.
A 43-year-old Bellmere man was charged with driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle at Ningi. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 7.
A 39-year-old woman from Victoria was charged with drink driving at Banksia Beach after returning an alleged reading of .058%. She will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 8.
A 66-year-old Banksia Beach man was charged with public nuisance after police were called to a disturbance at Banksia Beach. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 23.
A 43-year-old Bellmere man was charged with driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle at Ningi. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 7.
A 39-year-old Margate man was charged with Burglary at Woorim. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 5.
A 52-year-old Bribie Island man was charged with possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils after police executed a search warrant at Woorim.
A 31-year-old man from Fitzgibbon was charged with speeding and drink driving at Bongaree after returning an alleged reading of .140%. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 22.
A 57-year-old Caloundra man was fined for unlicensed driving at Bongaree.
A 32-year-old Ningi man and a 32-yearold Ningi woman were charged with possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils after police executed a search warrant at Ningi. They will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 15.
A 30-year-old Ningi man was charged with possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils at Ningi after police executed a search warrant. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 8.
A 21-year-old Bongaree man was charged with possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils at Bongaree after police executed a search warrant. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 22.
A 29-year-old Morayfield woman was apprehended for possessing dangerous drugs on Bribie Island Road. She was subsequently drug diverted.
A 22-year-old man from Marks Point, New South Wales was apprehended for possessing dangerous drugs in the car park of a Bribie Island Hotel. He was subsequently drug diverted, and also fined for consuming liquor in a public place.
A 26-year-old Sandstone Point man was charged with drink driving at Sandstone Point after returning an alleged reading of .0137%. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 22.
A 44-year-old Lawnton woman was arrested for public nuisance at Woorim, stealing from a shop and a number of drug offences. She will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 12.
A 20-year-old North Lakes man was charged with drink driving at Bellara after returning an alleged reading of .077%. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 22. A 37-year-old Banksia Beach man was fined for driving whilst unlicensed at Bellara.

If you have information for police, contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form 24hrs per day. You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, by calling 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.

Fishing Report Bribie Island May 2017

Fishing Bribie

David Sweedman

-

May 5, 2017

0

Tags: Fishing report Bribie Island. Fishing Spots. Tide times.

Fishing Bribie

Well, sometimes the weather is good , and sometimes it’s not. The last month’s weather was controlled by Tropical Cyclone Debbie, wreaking havoc, as it slowly moved southwards, along the entire East Coast.

The first point of main contact was the Whitsunday Islands. Wind gusts of 142 knots or 263km were recorded at Hamilton Island. The intensity of the wind was made worse,as it was a very slow approaching system.

Featured Image(above): a Nice mixed bag of reefies

That built up severe ferocity on very warm Coral Sea waters. This system had average wind gusts over 100 knots for nearly half the day..it then proceeded to dump phenomenal amounts of rainfall, from Airlie Beach right down to Northern New South Wales. Rockhampton, Logan the Gold Coast and Northern New South Wales seemed to wear the brunt of the floods. Devastating towns and low lying areas…

The damage to the Northern Queensland farming industry was once again hit hard, as most farming areas in the Cyclone’s path were destroyed by hurricane strength winds. The overall recovery costs of rebuilding towns is expected to be in the hundreds of millions. The worst part is the damage caused by the runoff as the floods subside.

The Great Barrier Reef, Moreton and Hervey Bay once again will be under fire from a blanket of sedimentation and agricultural pesticides. Which in turn reduces water quality, smothering pristine estuaries and reefs with toxic materials. Not to mention the tonnes of rubbish that’s been swept into our pristine waterways, along with the countless sewage treatment water runoff sites being released into vital estuary systems all throughout the bay and coastlines every day.

Unfortunately there seems to be no real action taken by anyone, and yet again the natural environment will ultimately pay the price. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s natural wonders, that also supports a multi-million dollar tourism industry. With cyclones, mining, floods, agricultural runoff and sewage wastewaters will we still have a Reef in 40 years..? I believe that if more drastic actions aren’t taken immediately, then maybe not. Look at the Qantas disaster, that type of poisoning is taking place right in our backyard. There would be countless other cases like this occurring every year.

Quality muddies from the passage(left) and Bretto with some nice whiting n bream taken from the passage(right)

It is absolutely disgusting how some people and businesses have no regard for our natural environment. It’s time the authorities and the government make stricter laws and penalties for those found guilty of these environmental disasters. The environment and the waterways, in my book, always should come first. And every individual should try and do their part to help clean up and preserve and protect our beautiful coastlines and oceans. Well, the fishing and crabbing around the local area have been going well.

With winter just around the corner,and the EAC pushing cold southern waters north, this means the water temperature will drop. Whales migrate north again and hopefully we get some beautiful weather patterns to head out fishing. Plenty of sand crabs throughout the Bay and Passage. Some good quality muddies coming from up the Passage. Flatties widespread from Bongaree to Caloundra.

The bridge has been holding some nice Jewies, cod, squire and sweeties. Live baits and big fresh cut baits usually get the bigger fish.. Working plastics and vibes will also produce the goods. Out in the Bay, the Tuna and Mackerel numbers have been consistent. The offshore fishing has been great with good quality mixed reefies getting caught.

Pillies, cuttlefish, squid, tailor, bonito and whiting the best baits to use. Standard bottom dropping paternoster rigs and floating rigs getting the most fish. Using decent 3 way swivels, lumo beads and fluorocarbon leader will ensure your paternoster rig won’t twist up and tangle. In the Bay, Cod, Cobia and some nice Snapper getting caught.

Once again another great month to get out and enjoy the local waterways and beaches, and hopefully catch a feed or two. Safe boating and great fishing…

April 2017 crime report

Crime Report

David Sweedman

-

May 5, 2017

0

Tags: Crime Report Bribie Island

During the month, burglary offences were reported at Clipper Street, Bongaree and on Sylvan Beach Esplanade at Bellara. Patrols are continuing across the division in relation to the ongoing offences and I would ask that if any residents observe anyone loitering or behaving suspiciously in their area to ring the station immediately.

Please be mindful of your home security, as in some cases offenders have gained access to residences while occupants slept inside. Bribie Island has a number of services which are available to install tamper-proof screens on screen door locks, and in some instances the services are free for senior citizens.

Please call the station for more information, or telephone Bribie Island Home Assist on 3408 0416. Many drivers were intercepted during the week for random breath testing, and several traffic infringement notices were issued for a range of offences including speeding, driving a defective motor vehicle and drivers licence offences. Officers from the Road Policing Unit attended the area during the month and issued seven infringement notices as well. Several of the stations staff have recently received additional training in the stations LIDAR speed detection equipment, as an additional LIDAR unit has been assigned to the station.

A number of traffic operations are scheduled for the coming weeks, so I would again encourage all motorists to drive safely and obey the road rules. Police from Bribie Island attended a number of domestic violence incidents during the month.

If you or someone you know is living with domestic violence, help is available. Please contact the station on 3410 9222 or ring Triple Zero (000) in an emergency.

A 23-year-old Morayfield man was charged with obstructing police and liquor offences at the Sandstone Point Hotel. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on April 18.
A 45-year-old Bundaberg man was apprehended for possessing dangerous drugs at Sandstone Point. He was subsequently drug diverted.
A 44-year-old Sandstone Point man was charged with drink driving at Sandstone Point after returning an alleged reading of 0.111 per BAC. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 4.
A 65-year-old Bongaree man was charged with drink driving at Woorim after returning an alleged reading of 0.061 per cent BAC. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on April 20.
A 38-year-old Ningi man was charged with driving whilst disqualified at Bongaree. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on April 27.
A 36-year-old Bongaree woman was charged with possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils at Bongaree after police executed a search warrant. She will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on April 20.
A 32-year-old Mount Gravatt man was charged with unlicensed driving at Ningi. He will appear at Caboolture Sunday, April 2
A 65-year-old Bongaree man was charged with drink driving at Woorim after returning an alleged reading of 0.061. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on April 20.
A 38-year-old Ningi man was charged with driving whilst disqualified at Bongaree. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on April 27.
A 36-year-old Bongaree woman was charged with possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils at Bongaree after police executed a search warrant. She will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on April 20.
A 32-year-old Mount Gravatt man was charged with unlicensed driving at Ningi. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 11.
A 17-year-old Bongaree man was charged with unlicensed driving at Bongaree. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 11.
A 30-year-old Ningi man was charged with possessing dangerous drugs at Ningi after police executed a search warrant. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 9.
A 40-year-old Woorim man was charged with obstructing police at Woorim. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 9.
A 69-year-old Ningi woman was charged with drink driving at Ningi after returning an alleged reading of .113%.
A 15-year-old girl from Maleny was charged with stealing and entering a premises with intent to commit an indictable offence.
A 71-year-old Bellara man was charged with drink driving at Bongaree after returning an alleged reading of .072%. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on April 27.
A 21-year-old Caboolture man was charged with driving whilst unlicensed at Caboolture, and the vehicles plates seized for seven days. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on April 27. Magistrates C
A 26-year-old woman from Rangeville was charged with driving whilst unlicensed at Ningi, and the vehicle’s plates seized for seven days. She will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 18.
A 40-year-old Ningi man was fined for driving whilst unlicensed at Ningi.
A 20-year-old Banksia Beach man was charged with driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle at Ningi. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 11.
A 55-year-old Sandstone Point woman was charged with drink driving at Bellara after returning an alleged reading of .074%. She will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 11.
A 56-year-old Caboolture woman was charged with drink driving at Bongaree after returning an alleged reading of .079%.
A 65-year-old Bongaree woman was fined for driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle at Bongaree.
A 37-year-old Caboolture man was fined for driving whilst unlicensed at Woorim.
A 40-year-old Bribie Island man was charged with being drunk in a public place at Bellara. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court.
A 37-year-old Jimboomba man was fined for driving whilst unlicensed at Woorim.
A 37-year-old Bellara man was charged with possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils at Bellara. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 18.
A 30-year-old Ningi man was charged with driving whilst unlicensed, refusing to stop and speeding at Bongaree. He will appear at Noosa Magistrates Court on May 23.
A 46-year-old man from Beachmere and a 55-year-old man from Ipswich were charged with possessing dangerous drugs at Bellara. They will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 25 and 30 respectively.
A 49-year-old Caboolture man was charged with possessing dangerous drugs at Bellara. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 25.
A 18-year-old Banksia Beach man and an 18-year-old Bongaree man were apprehended at Bongaree for possessing dangerous drugs. The Banksia Beach man will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 25. The other man was drug diverted and released without further charge.
A 44-year-old Ferny Hills man was charged with possessing dangerous drugs and other drug offences at Woorim. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on June 1.
A 58-year-old Deception Bay man and a 49-year-old Everton Park woman were apprehended for possessing dangerous drugs and drug utensils at Bongaree. The man will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 25.
A 48-year-old Bongaree man was charged with assault and Liquor Act offences at a Sandstone Point Hotel. He will appear at Caboolture Magistrates Court on May 25.
A 25-year-old Caboolture man was fined for driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle at Sandstone Point.

If you have information for police, contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form 24hrs per day. You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, by calling 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.

Penfolds wine and dining out

The Bribie Winelander

David Sweedman

-

May 5, 2017

0

Tags: Penfolds wine and dining out. Wines. Sparkling. Reds and Whites.

THE BRIBIE WINELANDER

The latest Beefsteak and Burgundy Club dinner was held with the new owners of the Kai Restaurant and featured Penfolds wines. As the only sparkling wine in the Penfolds stable is Minchinbury I decided that this wine is not up to the standard of our evenings.

On arrival with the canapes I put on The Freixinet Cordon Negro Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine that is reputed to be amongst the largest selling sparkling wines in the world made in the methode traditionnelle I would recommend this as a pleasant way to any special dinner. Although Penfolds have a reputation for making some of the finest red wines in the world they have never been able to replicate this fame with their white wines and they have quite a limited range so to go with the first course of Moroccan chicken with a roast vegetable salad (here things didn’t go quite to plan but that’s another story) we had The Koonunga Hill Chardonnay and despite not specifying the vineyards the wine was very good.

For the main-course Kevin produced individual beef and mushroom pies with a filo crust and greens which we matched with the Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz Mataro 2013 and The Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon2012, two wines which show why the company has such a great reputation for red wine making.

The Bin 2 was first introduced in 1962 and the 2013 showed a deep red colour and pleasant spicy aromas whilst the Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon showed that Penfolds can produce other great reds than Shiraz. To complete the night we enjoyed one of the country’s finest 10.Y.O. ports, the Penfolds Father Grand Tawny. The unfortunate thing is that since we have had to remove the words of Port and Sherry from our fortified wines they have slumped dramatically in sales which is a shame because there are barrels full of aged stock lying in the wineries and the prices in return for quality make Australian fortified the best value for money in the world.

Should you wish to come along to one of our evenings drop me a line on [email protected] (sorry but we missed the au. the other month if you tried to send a message.) This month we will look at Taylors Wines from The Clare Valley which has been one of the great success stories in The Australian Wine industry over the last fifty years. By Australian standards Taylors are a relative newcomer to the Australian winemaking scene having started in 1969 a mere three generations of winemaking.

The family found 178 hectares by the Wakefield River in the Clare Valley and from the first vintage produced a Cabernet Sauvignon wine that won the Montgomery Trophy for the best red wine at the Royal Adelaide Show, following this up with a gold medal at every national wine show in 1973.

To date the winery has now won over 5500 medals at wine shows around the world including 70 trophies, 974 gold medals and 1575 silver medals and have been voted as one of the top five wineries in the world by The World Association of Writers and Journalists of Wines and Spirits, and the most impressive point is that most of their wines are very affordable! At the China Wine and Spirit awards in 2016, which is one of the largest in the world, Taylors won the following awards:

Taylors Estate Merlot 2014 Trophy and Double Gold,
Taylors Estate Riesling 2014 Trophy and Double Gold,
Taylors Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2014 Double Gold,
Promised Land Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Double Gold,
Promised Land Merlot 2014 Double Gold,
Taylors Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Gold,
Taylors Estate Tempranillo 2014 Gold,
Taylors Estate Pinot Gris 2014 Gold,
Promised Land Riesling 2014 Gold,
Promised Land Pinot Grigio 2014 Gold
Promised Land Unwooded Chardonnay 2014 Gold.

Taylors Estate Wines can be found for around $14.00 per bottle, Promised Land $10.50 and St. Andrews $52.00. a family winery that produces fine wines for any occasion, we enjoyed a 2016 Riesling at the Surf Club recently and the wine was outstanding.

An Englishman is
responsible for this entry
in the visitors’ book at the
Quinta la Rosa Winery in
Douro Portugal.
Oh God of Wine deliver me
Now half way across life’s
stormy sea
From Snares and Sins
of every sort
And bring me safely back to Port
Or
From the Beggars’ Opera.
Wine can clear the vapours
of despair
And make us light as air.
Poetry in motion?

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