Home Blog Page 39

Taking Control of Your Financial Future

Many of us would like to see the back of 2020, as it will go down as one of the most challenging years in history. So, what investment strategies should we be implementing to counteract this instability and give us greater control over our financial future? Let’s break things down a little. We can find ourselves getting caught up in the emotion of the time and the vast amount of negative media that we see might make us believe that the world is ending, we should grab our money with both hands and stick it under the bed. Smart people know that this isn’t the best long term answer, so what should we do? The answer to this question is what everyone wants to know. Will markets go up or down in the short term? Will property go up or down in the short term? Are bank interest rates going to go lower? There are lots of questions, but not many answers out there. We all know though, that the answers to these questions are not straightforward.

Even the experts have different opinions and the reality is that no one really knows what will happen in this crisis in the short term as there are just too many variables that could have an impact on the end resultI’m not going to tell you anything different to what you’ve been told before. But I am going to help give you some clarity on the things you should be thinking about and perhaps some practical help on navigating your way through all this change.

The reality is that we need to try and pull back from the emotion that we’re seeing every day and take a longer term, more objective view and stop worrying so much about the short term. Historically, investments like shares have always gone up and down, but over the long term, they continue to increase in value. The mistake that many people make with growth assets such as shares is taking a short term attitude where they try to time markets, wanting the ups but not the downs. When the downs inevitably come, they seem surprised and even somewhat angry or just scared that they’ve “lost” some of their investment. Growth assets are for the long term and a sensible investor needs a cool head to be able to withstand the ups and downs.

Sticking to your long term investment plan is generally the best option, but you need to make sure that first, you do have a long term plan and also that you have a long time to invest. That’s where we come in. Our job is work with you to work out what’s really important to you and to then ensure that you put in place a plan which will see your dreams become a reality. We’re also someone that you can talk to in the tough times, like a personal trainer, to keep you on track, to have the tough discussions, and to ensure that you don’t make an impulsive decision in a moment of fear that undoes all the good work you’ve put in.

We also need to ensure that we work out how much risk is the right amount of risk for you. This is different for everyone and should be different at different stages of life. Some people are just more comfortable than others when it comes to risk; some people worry less than others and are naturally more resilient in tougher times. It’s important to understand how you might react when the tough times come. We also need to make sure that you have the time to ride the ups and downs. There’s no point in investing in volatile investments if you need the monies back to use in the short term. You’re now gambling that markets will be on your side, you might get lucky, but you might not.

As you can see, there is a lot to think about when it comes to investing and I could write much more on the subject. If you’d like to discuss taking control of your financial future please book a time to come and chat with us. We’d like to offer you an obligation-free, cost-free initial appointment, to have a chat and see if we can help you further. We’ve been on Bribie Island for many years now and have many loyal and happy clients in the area.

The opinions and recommendations provided are not intended to be relied upon as personal advice as they do not take into account your personal circumstances. You need to assess your own position or call us for professional advice. Rise Wealth Qld Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative of RI Advance Group Pty Ltd ABN 23 001 7744 0125 AFSL 238429

Mental Health Matters

That statement as strong as it is is also stigmatised. Some people do not understand mental health and that is not their fault. Maybe it’s the lack of resources and knowledge that haven’t been taught from a young age, maybe it’s a lack of publication from the media or maybe you may just avoid the topic. Either way you put it, the stigma for mental health is still there, or not recognised or ‘Mental Health Experience’ would like to bring more attention and awareness to mental health. We are all human, we work better together. If you are suffering from mental health then seeking support is crucial in steps to recovery. Receiving help is not weak, just like breaking an arm, you are not weak for wanting to heal and get back to living your life again. The mental health recovery journey can be different time frames for different people. If your mental health is stable, the most important thing to do is to make sure you are doing things to keep it that way, do not wait until it’s too late to start looking after yourself. We may have loved ones who are suffering and we may not know how to help them, support them by encouraging them to seek help.

Visit a GP, psychologist, counsellor, even call mental health helpline numbers, these are in place to help us stay as healthy as we can. Take some weight off your shoulders and seek help, you are not a burden and it also does not make you weak. Some days can be bad, it’s how we react to those bad days, what do we do when we feel depressed, anxious, and many other issues we may deal with? We react and it is how we react to that. React with the intention of a positive outcome. Self-care is important, read a book, write down in a journal, exercise, walk, talk to a loved one. Whichever is your healthy self-care then keep that in place and utilise it.

You are the most important person in your life, look after yourself. Focus on the present and vision your future and what you would like it to look like. Try to implement positive changes throughout your day even the smallest of things and watch yourself evolve. If you have a bad day that is completely fine, we are all human and can’t be 100% 24/7, it goes back to how you react to those moments and times. Please seek help if you need it or want it. I am wishing all the best to the people reading this, you should be proud of yourself.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS BBQ AT BRENNAN PARK – BRIBIE ISLAND THE FIRST SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT 10 AM. WE WELCOME ANY GENDER, AGE OR RACE TO COME DOWN. WE ARE ALL HUMAN, LET’S SUPPORT EACH OTHER!

Greens Getting Attention in Pumicestone

It’s an exciting time in Queensland in the run-up to the State election. We can really send a loud message to the State government about our sense of place here on Bribie Island. What a unique place we’re living in, and we must take responsibility for it. We have to make sure it isn’t ruined by overdevelopment and inappropriate misuse, so that future generations can enjoy it too.

As your Greens candidate, I’m pushing for protective measures for Pumicestone Passage so that dolphins, turtles, and dugong aren’t destroyed. That’s why I’m calling for stringent checks on development so vested interests aren’t always given priority. We need traffic calming measures for Welsby Parade, to foster a cafe and small business precinct. I know the small businesses very well, having run a successful chamber of commerce for several years.

We agree with BIEPA, that our Island should be re-imagined as an eco-discovery destination respected for its unique flora and fauna, and not trashed. Our nesting turtles are an amazing natural wonder on our doorstep, and we’re allowing them to be killed before they even get started on their journey. We are failing in our international duty under the RAMSAR treaty to look after this special place.

2020 is a turning point. We’ve faced drought, bushfires, Covid-19, unemployment, and now economic free-fall. To come out of it better, we must make changes. Business, as usual, has got us here, but there are so many ways we can improve things.

The Greens are pushing for a major manufacturing restart, with factories for solar panels and wind turbines in regional areas. We want to build state-of-the-art social housing, creating a construction boom with 1700 jobs right here in Moreton Bay. We have just announced our plan to scrap fares on all public transport. And it’s all possible if we transform our economy. But we must stop the influence of big business on our government, which is why we are calling for an end to corporate donations to political parties. The big banks have made $172 billion in four years in Queensland. We are suggesting they pay a tiny levy on each transaction of just 0.05% to raise money to help Queenslanders enjoy the benefits. By investing in clean technologies we will create four times as many jobs as depending on coal and gas. And in the meantime, during the transition, we say the big miners should be paying proper royalties to the Queensland government on the $480 billion of resources they export from our state in just a decade.

So if you believe it’s time for things to change, send a signal to the State government this election: vote for the Greens

Bribie Simply Healthy

Vitamin C Shower.

This NEW product has just arrived at Bribie Simply Healthy. The Sonaki Vitamin C Shower Filter removes 99.9% of chemical residues and impurities in tap water. This product is good for those people who suffer from dry, itchy, and allergic skin conditions and prevent anti-aging and eczema. The Sonaki Vitamin C Shower Filter would be especially beneficial for asthmatics and people with respiratory problems. Our tap water is treated with harsh chemicals such as chlorine, chloramines, and more to kill bacteria and small organisms. Long-term exposure to chlorinated water has a harmful effect on our health. When chlorine and chloramines penetrate our blood system, calcification will occur in our bones causing stiffness of joints and bones, it will also go into the Pineal gland. The Pineal gland releases serotonin and melatonin and is responsible for how you think and feel.

Serotonin is known as a happy chemical that controls our mood, appetite, and memory. Melatonin regulates our sleep pattern and when we don’t get the required levels of melatonin, our sleep pattern will be disturbed. Chlorine and chloramines also aggravate and increase hair loss and fine lines.

Many of us try our best to avoid harmful chemical intake, using high-quality water filtering systems. However, we have to realise that our skin is the largest organ with over 3 trillion pores breathing in and out. Each time we take a shower, we are also absorbing chemicals through respiration, which goes directly into our bloodstream; it only takes a fraction of time for our skin to absorb chemicals, like a sponge. The average person absorbs more chlorine into their body during a shower than they would drink 8 glass of pool water a day. Also, when we wash organic fruits and vegetables under tap water they will also soak harmful chemicals, which defeats the purpose of eating organic food. Not too long ago, I installed the Vitamin C Shower and soon felt the results. Usually, after a shower, your skin feels quite squeaky clean and I never objected until after I began using The Vitamin C Shower filter and noticed my skin began to feel, much softer. We need our natural body oil to protect the skin by strengthening and maintaining its lipid barrier; this lipid barrier accelerates the skin’s natural healing and repairing process.

Sonaki Vitamin C shower filters are affordable, they contain 100% pure Vitamin C with no added artificial colours or scents. You can even use Vitamin C filtered water direct to fish tanks with no need to treat water with any other chemicals and fish will not die. Vitamin C is proven to be the most superior filter media – 100% organic and softens water by reducing hard minerals and heavy metals. This shower system generates negative ions and promotes nature’s powerful antioxidants. Vitamin C shower will prevent premature fine lines and wrinkles. A great relief of dry, itchy, eczema and other allergic skin conditions.

Note: also Iodine is great supplement to decalcification of Chlorine and Fluorides in our system; iodine has the same chemical components as chlorine and fluorides, it pushes away and replaces itself to the same habitation.

2020 Vision

I’ve been wearing glasses for 25 years. Since I was 40-ish. Well, go on, do the math.

In fact, I remember my forties well – my middle age. (To be honest, I still think of myself as middleaged. Who am I kidding? If this were true, I could expect to shuffle off this mortal coil at the ripe old age of about 135.)

Middle age. That was when the rot really set in. My previously clear and accurate, indeed 20-20 vision began to play tricks on me. Print got smaller, people in the distance got blurrier, and I often ended up sitting with total strangers on the beach, wondering where my brightly striped towel had got to, and why they wouldn’t talk to me.

I drove around for weeks with a pair of knickers on my dashboard. Don’t ask. I thought they were a chamois.

Oh, what a time that was! My skin began to develop protuberances (apparently they’re called barnacles) and I started to sprout the occasional wiry black hair from my chin. Oh, yes, and the hot flushes. Let’s not forget them.

But it was my eyes that really bothered me. And my eyesight has progressively worsened over the years.

Wearing glasses has been the bane of my existence since then. I started with reading glasses; then added distance glasses. I wear disposable single prescription contact lenses occasionally when I’m feeling particularly vain. I need special reading glasses to wear over the contacts when I read. A few years ago I progressed (regressed?) to progressive glasses. But I need a special pair of glasses for computer work.

Let’s face it … I have more glasses than Imelda Marcos had shoes. When I was young my blue eyes were one of my better features, according to some more discerning members of the opposite sex. Perhaps the occasional young man saw promise in those baby blues. Now I’m older and wearing spectacles, men rarely make passes. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, it’s been ages since anyone has looked into mine. The glasses get in the way and you look like someone’s gran. Plus I now have cataracts.

The only sexy bespectacled woman I can think of is the marvelous Tina Fey. And she often removes the face furniture for photos.

Perhaps there are some advantages to wearing spectacles. You’re not subjected to that oh so accurate, and a little bit frightening reflection of yourself in the full-length mirror first thing in the morning. Most housework, including cleaning the bathroom sink has become irrelevant. Hey, if I can’t see the grime, it ain’t there!

So here we are in 2020. It’s been a terrible year. But it’s about to get a whole lot better for me. You see I’ve decided to hell with lockdown and pandemics. I’m taking the plunge and having cataract surgery, where they replace your old, clapped-out lenses with perfect, pristine, plastic ones. After this Friday I will be glasses-free. No more struggling to read menus, medicine bottles, and manuals. When I go to the beach I will run gaily back to my designated spot and throw myself enthusiastically onto my own towel. No more sand in my glasses case.

I’ll say goodbye to smudges and fogged up spectacles when cooking. If I decide to give you the glad eye, you’ll be well and truly eyeballed. Look into my eyes and you will have an unimpeded view straight to my soul.

I may have to up my cleaning standards though. My, how that bathroom sink will shine!

Who is Songdahla?

Songdahla is about High-Frequency Health. For the last 25 years Dianne Butler has actively shared/taught healing techniques on the Central Coast in NSW. 2 years ago, she moved to Sandstone Lakes near Bribie Island in Queensland with her partner Bruce Bubb and together they facilitate Songdahla. Songdahla is anyone who joins in and sings their song too. Together we create the new songlines for this moment in time. It could be described as a mandala of sound co-creating a world and body of love.

Songdahla share sound wellness and high-frequency healing circles and 1 on 1 session. They incorporate the music that sings you back to wellness. They facilitate house concerts, house clearings, meditation gatherings, blessings, and ceremonies. They are often found at Woorim Beach Lions Markets on the hill in Tintookie Park Jacana Ave Bribie Island held the 2nd Saturday each month.

Songdahla believes we are all connected, and our mission is to share the love, raise our frequency, and co-create a world of love, peace, and harmony. They share the message that we each do the work on ourselves and then this in turn helps your family friends and community to heal as it ripples across the planet and beyond. Be the light …

Dianne and Bruce write original songs incorporating mantra, parapsychology and light language. This talks to your soul via the Heart/Soul/Energy and assists in releasing the lower frequencies from your world. They share the music each month in group circles and meditation sessions at Sandstone Lakes.

A Gift for you…

Songdahla has a website http://www.songdahla.com.au and if you go on their mailing list you can have a free download of healing music that will assist to clear your home or workspace and raise your frequency.

The Powerful healing mantra Ho’Po’Pono In Song ~ Dianne and Bruce ~ Songdahla 2020

North Harbour Marina Precinct could be Queensland’s next PDA

Plans for a massive $2.74 billion marina and recreational precinct for queensland’s moreton bay region will be significantly advanced if the state government backs a new council push to declare the project a priority development area (pda).

North Harbour proponents have applauded the Moreton Bay Regional Council’s unanimous decision this week to seek a PDA from the Government, which would be the culmination of a long-held vision to create a worldclass integrated development for the thriving region.

The marina precinct at Burpengary East is a joint proposal by two major private developers, North Harbour Holdings and Trask Land Corporation.

It includes a 400-berth marina with associated marine industries and a substantial marina village with retail, tourism and entertainment uses. The precinct will also provide 600 new apartments 600 detached homes as part of the marina village, 800 dwellings in a canal estate, an extensive 319 hectares of recreational and regional open space, and 7,735 jobs in the construction phase.

“This is tremendous news for our project, which has been rightly described by the Council as an economic and community ‘gamechanger’ for the region,” said North Harbour Project Director Bryan Finney.

“The North Harbour Marina PDA will be a world-class landmark destination that advances the identity, ecological health and prosperity of South-East Queensland,” said Mr Finney.

The declaration of a PDA will also deliver substantial additional benefits, including a marine industry boom that will attract a significant slice of Australia’s $68 billion marine industry to Moreton Bay. “It will also provide 8.9% of the new jobs needed in the Moreton Bay region, an ongoing $882 million annual economic contribution and the delay of $300 million in Unitywater infrastructure – a significant saving for ratepayers.

“The wider community will benefit from an incredible new network of parkland and pathways, a heritage precinct and a water sports precinct on 12km of prime riverfront land that has been in private ownership for the past 160 years. Trask Land Corporation Managing Director David Trask said the Moreton Bay Regional Council, Mayor Peter Flannery and Division 2 Councillor Mark Booth had provided excellent leadership in advocating for a PDA. “We have had strong support from all levels of government,” Mr Trask said. “Local MP Chris Whiting has also been a strong champion of our project and his support has been essential to creating 7,735 jobs over the life of the project.

“With key enabling infrastructure already in place, we are ready to create this vital legacy project for Queensland once appropriate planning approvals are received.” More detail about the council decision is available at www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/News/Media/North-Harbour-MarinaCould-Become-a-Priority-Development-Area.

Sticky Pear Pudding With Caramel Sauce

INGREDIENTS
• 825g can pear halves in syrup, drained
• 90g butter, chopped
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup golden syrup
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup plain flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped honey cashews
• Vanilla ice-cream, to serve

CARAMEL SAUCE
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 50g butter, chopped
• 300ml thickened cream

METHOD

  • Step 1 – Preheat oven to 170C/150C fan-forced. Grease a 4cm-deep, 18cm round (base) metal pie dish. Drain pears on paper towel to remove excess moisture. Set aside 6 pear halves. Roughly chop remaining pear halves.
  • Step 2 – Place butter, sugar, golden syrup and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly.
  • Step 3 – Whisk flour, ginger, cinnamon and egg into cooled mixture. Stir in chopped pear. Pour into prepared dish. Arrange pear halves, cut-side up, on top of mixture (don’t push into the mixture). Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cashews. Bake for a further 30 to
    35 minutes or until top is just firm to the touch (cover top loosely with foil if overbrowning during cooking). Stand for 10 minutes.
  • Step 4 – Meanwhile, make Caramel Sauce: Place sugar, butter and cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes or until mixture is smooth. Bring to the boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Serve pudding with Caramel Sauce and ice-cream.

After Hours GP Services for Bribie Island

0

Bribie Islanders will have access to the medical care they need thanks a new three-year trial of after-hours primary care. The Australian Government is investing $500,000 to deliver the much-needed service which will be rolled out in January 2021. “For years, residents on the island have been calling for better access to medical services and I am delighted to announce this trial program,” Member for Longman Terry Young said. “Currently, Bribie Island locals don’t have an established afterhours health care service available through their GPs or medical deputising arrangements. “With this investment, patients won’t have to travel 20km to Caboolture Hospital for care outside normal office hours but will have access to a GP right here on Bribie Island.”

The Government will provide $500,000 to the Brisbane North Primary Health Network to codesign and develop the service with input from stakeholders. The local provider will be determined through a tender process. Ensuring all Australians have access to safe, quality, and accessible health care is an Australian Government priority. We will continue to work with our GPs, specialists and consumers to improve the delivery of care. As part of the Government’s Long Term National Health Plan, our Primary Health Care 10-Year Plan will set a vision and path to guide future primary health care reform. This is in addition to our broader health care reform agenda to make the health system more person-centred, integrated, efficient and equitable for all Australians no matter where they live.

Fishing Report – September 11, 2020

Hi Everyone…. The weather has been fantastic for fishing and boating over the last couple of weeks, especially since the westerly winds have been dying off. Finally, there have been good numbers of Tailor turning up in the passage at night. Harold caught these nice ones in shallow water best results on lures, trolled behind a boat and pilchards used with Gang hooks which we supply at Bribie Bait and Tackle. They also are turning up on Woorim Beach not as plentiful but good sizes. Mia caught this 60cm Tailor early morning whilst throwing metal slugs along the surf beach.

Still, good numbers of Flathead and Bream along the edges of the weed banks, caught on small poppers, like the Bassday Sugar Pen 75mm with Assist hooks. Still, plenty of numbers of Winter Whiting on the Cockle banks with most people bagging out easily within an hour and some really good Summer Whiting along the southern end of Woorim beach and around Skirmish Point caught on blood worms which we have in the shop and live Yabbies, which are plentiful in the passage on the flats.

With the school holidays approaching it is a prime time to get out there and catch a good feed of Whiting, please only take what you need!

Just after the full moon is a great time to wet a line and catch some fish, remembering the best times to catch a feed is early morning and late afternoon, when there are very little noise and traffic on the water. Hopefully, with the improving weather anglers can have good conditions to catch plenty of fish. That’s all for now, stay safe and remember even if you are not catching fish, it is a great way to relax!

Vanilla Butterfly Cakes

INGREDIENTS:
• 125g Unsalted Butter, softened
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 150ml thickened cream, whipped
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
• Icing sugar, to dust

METHOD:
1. With Mum or Dad’s help, preheat the oven to 180°C and place 12 paper cases into a cupcake tin

2. Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium until pale and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs and mix well. Add the flour, baking powder, vanilla and milk, and continue to mix until smooth. Be careful not to mix too quickly or the ingredients will fly out of the bowl

3. Carefully spoon the batter evenly between the paper cases, and then ask Mum or Dad to transfer them into the oven to bake for 20 minutes or until cooked and lightly golden. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool on a wire rack

4. When the cupcakes have cooled completely, use a knife to cut a 2cm circle from the top of each cupcake. Cut the tops in half and set aside. Spoon one teaspoon of whipped cream into each cupcake hole, and then top with a little bit of jam. Finish the butterfly cakes by placing two halved cake pieces over the cream to create wings

5. Dust with icing sugar and then the cupcakes are ready

How to Spring Clean Your Health

0

As spring starts again, many individuals engage in spring cleaning throughout their home, using this change to warmer weather to open, dust and clean windows, letting stale air out and fresh in, along with many other deep cleaning tasks.

New life outside, clean life inside, after all. But although physically cleaning the house is a good idea, many individuals forget about cleaning their bodies and making sure they are in good health. Why not also apply the spring cleaning philosophy to health as well?

Toss Out The Old And Expired

Even with the best intentions, many individuals end up with old and expired products and medications. The most popular among women, of course, are old tubes of lipstick, mascara, and other makeup. Those who keep switching skincare products often also end up with expired half empty containers. Many also find they have over-the-counter painkillers that expire before they use them all Take this time to search through all your drawers and cabinets. Gather all these products and check their labels. Throw away anything past its expiry date according to directions on the bottle. If in doubt with medication, consult a pharmacist for assistance to be on the safe side.

Schedule Health Appointments

A variety of health appointments are necessary for individuals to ensure they remain as healthy as possible and to detect potential illnesses early. These appointments include an annual physical, dental and eye exam. Of course, some individuals will also need to schedule appointments for a mammogram, colonoscopy and other health issues more specific to age, gender and often at a different frequency than once a year.

Although there is a selection of appointments necessary every year, many individuals let them slide. Some forget while others believe they are simply not a priority. Even if there is nothing wrong, scheduling these regular appointments is vital to ensure everything stays that way. Spring is the perfect time to call up your doctor, dentist and other healthcare professionals to schedule appointments you may have missed in the past.

Take It Outside

Although there are plenty of opportunities to be outside and active during the winter, due to the cold weather, many find themselves unwilling to venture out. Additionally, since the days are shorter and typically there are fewer sunny days during the winter, individuals get far less vitamin D than they do in the spring and summer. Thus, when spring rolls around, it is important to take activities outside. Exercising outside, such as going for a walk or run, or doing simple things like planting a garden or reading in a lawn chair are great.

Change Up Your Diet

Spring is the perfect time of year to get your diet on track. One of the most popular choices is to visit local farmer’s markets, which typically start opening in the spring, to buy fresh produce. Even if food must be transported, it also helps to eat based on the season and try new fruits and vegetables each week. Furthermore, the warmer weather lessens the need and desire for heavier comfort foods and shifts the optimum meals to lighter and healthier choices. When it comes down to it, spring is the perfect time to brush the dust off and make sure your health is where it should be.

Go Team Bribie Island Aquatic Leisure Centre and the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Nippers

Bribie Island Aquatic Leisure Centre is again sponsoring & supporting the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Nippers for the 20/21 season. The club continues a long patrolling history at Woorim Beach, which commenced in 1923 by the Metropolitan Swimming Club.

Woorim Beach is a part of a long stretch of beach on the eastern side (surfside) of Bribie Island. Partially protected by Moreton Island, the beach experiences relatively small swell and is generally a safe and very popular swimming environment for families.

The club is also home to a large and very successful Junior Activities section, with a membership of approximately 200. Children from age 7-13 years enjoy this arena developing confidence in the surf, learning surf safety skills and having the opportunity to compete in the Surf Sports Arena.

As a kid, mum and dad would bring my brother and I up to Bribie surf beach for a swim during the summer, and I would watch the Sunday morning lifesaving activities. I always found it fascinating, watching what they were doing. Fast forward 25 years, and I now bring my two year old son to Bribie beach as well as working on the island as the Aquatic Centre Manager.

As a kid, mum and dad would bring my brother and I up to Bribie surf beach for a swim during the summer, and I would watch the Sunday morning lifesaving activities. I always found it fascinating, watching what they were doing. Fast forward 25 years, and I now bring my two year old son to Bribie beach as well as working on the island as the Aquatic Centre Manager.

Nippers includes the Junior Development Program which is designed to ensure children have fun at the beach while participating in lessons that will provide them with a pathway to become a qualified surf lifesaver and a junior competitor (surf sport). Competition plays an essential role in helping to strengthen and develop the skills of surf lifesavers.

Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club create and tailor a program to suit the needs of its members and their beach conditions. The program is focused on participation and enjoyment and will not just be built around competition. The goal is to increase the confidence and skill base of the nippers in the water and the sand, and that’s where the pool helps out. Surf, sun and saving lives is a potent combination and something that I have been passionate about for a very long time. Here at Bribie Aquatic Centre, we run a learn to swim program from 6 months of age through to the introduction to squad level where we provide pool space for the Steve Fern Squad program. I’ve always wanted to work with the surf club (in particular the nippers) in providing support and pool training but wasn’t quite sure how the logistics could work. Steve Zmuda, who not only is a learn to swim parent but is a part of the Bribie Island Nippers Program approached me, and the rest is now history. We are currently in season #2 of the Pool/Nippers partnership, and we are delighted with the progression that the nippers are showing, we would love to see more nippers come on board.

The nippers program is every Tuesday and Thursday at 3.45 pm, we also offer a discount to the nippers families that have signed up, their membership also allows any enrolled swimmer plus one parent to use the facility outside their lesson completely free of charge, it’s our way of saying thanks to the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club (along with Surf Life Saving Australia) as the organisation is one of the most dedicated volunteer organisations in the world.