If you had asked anyone on New Year’s Day 2020, if they thought by March the entire World would have shut down, they would have laughed at you;
however, as the days and weeks have moved on, I am drawn to Marcus Aurelius’ comment, some 2000 years ago, ‘remember, that very little is needed to make a happy life’.
On 31 December 2019, when China reported the ‘unknown pneumonia’, to the World Health Organisation (WHO) they said just 59 people were infected, all in Wuhan, China. How quickly things changed. On 11 February WHO named this new pneumonia COVID-19 – Coronavirus Disease of 2019. Then on 11 March Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of WHO, declared that it was a global pandemic. As a result, people all over the world went into isolation. Countries and states closed their borders and everyone who could, started working and studying from home. Essential workers such as health professionals, emergency service workers and supermarket employees became `our heroes.
Today, after two months in isolation, I look back to New Year’s Day and realise just how vastly different the world looks now. I was in Brisbane with my family and texting 16-year-old Ema, who was Bribie Rotary’s 2020 National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) student. Ema was on her way to Canberra to attend the forum. She was so thrilled, and her enthusiasm was contagious. Unfortunately, due to the fires, NYSF was cut short. Then this pandemic happened, and everyone’s life and dreams went on hold.
To me, Ema and her fellow school captains at Bribie Island State High School, Amelia, Brooklyn, Elijah and Jazmine, represented the excitement and possibilities of a new decade. They were about to start their final year at school. Brooke and Jaz were to be Bribie Rotary’s representatives at this year’s Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) in Canberra in August; however, MUNA has been postponed and because most Rotary Clubs have had to stop fundraising activities, it may not take place in 2020. All our Year 12 students have been ‘robbed’ of so many possibilities. Some are finding home schooling stressful. They are all relieved that classes resumed on 11 May. After recently texting them I found they are positive and know that this is just a hiccup in their life journey.
During this time in isolation, I have been regularly checking on family and friends. My dear friends Bill Peacock and Peter Sheehan never cease to amaze me with their energy and positivity. Bill is in a wheelchair as he suffers from post-polio syndrome. He is also a Disability Advocate and an active member of Rotary d9560 Passport Club. As well as continually advocating for those with disabilities, who have their own set of unique problems and vulnerabilities, in this pandemic they have completed various projects around the house. Peter has also created a beautiful new garden sanctuary. Cicero’s view that ‘if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need’ applies here.
My cousin Kathryn Borrelli, who is a preparatory teacher in Melbourne and a regular visitor to Bribie – she has helped at the Rotary markets – is being highly creative with her remote teaching sessions. Her husband is also working from home and has taken over the study with two computer screens, his laptop, and headphones. So, Kathryn prepares her sessions with her laptop mounted on storage boxes. Kathryn’s mother, my Aunt Eileen, turned 101 on 29 April and although in isolation in a Nursing Home is in fine spirits.
In rural Victoria, my cousin Megan is online teaching Grades 5 and 6 from her home. At the same time, she is supervising her own 3 teenage children who have computers set up in their bedrooms. At the end of the school day, Megan then has online sessions with school staff. Husband and Father Jeff has a 35-minute drive to and from his workplace. Megan’s parents Pauline and Brian, also regular visitors to Bribie, are helping with meals and shopping. A busy, hectic time for all. They are coping well but will be glad when things return to normal.
As for me, fortunately I am living with two ‘introverts’ and a very loving Golden Retriever, who make sure their ‘extrovert’ wife and mother is coping with social isolation. I am also grateful to an incredibly special group of friends on Bribie Island who keep me occupied with various jokes and email challenges.
It is heartbreaking that so many have lost their jobs and that our local businesses are struggling to survive. So many are finding isolation difficult and not coping without going to restaurants, pubs, theatres and night clubs; however, compared to the hardships of previous generations who suffered through WWI, the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression, WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, this pandemic is causing minimal hardship and will not drag on for years. Recovery will take time, but it is starting to happen and I think the majority of us will come out with a better understanding of what is important in life.
Here on Bribie Island we can be grateful for our beautiful surrounds, our warm weather, our peace and tranquillity, and the wildlife. Over the past weeks, we have been following the progress of a kangaroo and her joey as it ventures out of the pouch. They “live” at our back fence and we marvel at nature, and our amazing sunsets.So Bribarians don’t give up hope. An old Persian adage tells us, ‘this too shall pass’!
My regular readers will, by now, have worked out that I am no longer in the first flush of youth. Far from it, yet I do not yearn for my younger years, there are many advantages to getting older. Yes, the physical sometimes interfere, but on the whole, my health is reasonable for my age and my mind remains clear with only the occasional hiccup.
I, like many of my contemporaries, have a habit of mislaying objects. You put them down and then they disappear into the ether before popping up again right in front of your nose. Generally speaking, that is. There is a pale blue purse in my house that I distinctly remember hiding but cannot remember where. God knows where or why I hid it, as there was not a fortune contained within, so I can only warn any masked, balaclava-clad midnight visitors that it is not worth their time or trouble trying to turn over my home in the attempt to find it. Believe you me, I have been there before you. I worried about the purse not so much because of the contents but because I thought this might be the first slip on the slide to dementia. However, when I told some friends whose mental acuity I have no reason to doubt, they reassured me that they too might have similar problems if they did not take the following precautions. They gave me several helpful hints to prevent the Mislayingsyndrome from ever happening again. One said that she always made a cryptic clue in her diary as to where she has hidden any precious item that she has hidden, another friend said this would not necessarily be a good plan for him as he was not an expert at cryptic crosswords and he would find it difficult to decipher. However, a straight-forward entry would have been a good idea as it would have helped him to recover the photo he has been looking for in the last few months. Again, he remembers putting it somewhere safe. Always a Fatal Move! No doubt, it is lurking with my blue purse.
Another friend said that as the years rolled by, she was taking an increased interest in the Hereafter. Thinking that perhaps she was getting a little morbid, I asked if I could help. “No,” she replied, “it is only that when I enter a room, I have to think, “What am I here after?” Dah!
The advantages of being older are numerous. Only yesterday, when faced with an ATM different to the one that I am familiar with, some kind, younger person offered me guidance as to how to navigate it’s intricacies. Later, the Hereto-Help Lady assisted me in cashing out my groceries and Jack and Susie at my post office always address my parcels and letters for me, “ in order to give the Postman a sporting chance”. I smile sweetly and am genuinely grateful for all the help I receive as a result of my advanced age. Perhaps I am most proud of the piece of paper stating that I am competent in mind, memory and understanding. I will not go into the details as to why it was necessary for me to obtain this accolade, suffice it to say, I have been known to wave it in front of my son and my daughter and ask them to show me their equivalent! I have shown you mine, now you show me yours.
Yes, I know I am fortunate and perhaps a little smug, but I love being older. I would not exchange this time of my life for Youth with all its insecurities and angst. Selfishly perhaps, but I do not have to worry about the State of the World as it will not be that long before I make my final exit off-stage. Meanwhile, I appreciate my friends, family, and the love and laughter they bring me.
Issue 114 OUT NOW. Get all your community news and information. Bribie Islands only community gloss magazine NOW EVERY TWO WEEKS! – Articles on boating, camping, fishing, life, drama, travel destinations, sports and what to see and do on Bribie Island. Covering charities, organisations, places, children’s activities, arts and crafts, tourist destinations, heritage parks, technology, science, music, gardening, and much more.
Every day here on Bribie begins with knowing how fortunate we are to be able to live in such a unique environment. Surrounded by water with views to the Glasshouse Mountains across Pumestone passage and from Worrim across to Moreton Island. The community begins its day with the sounds of life with excellent schools, workplaces and activities to suit all ages, those who have to travel to work or do business elsewhere are able to access roads and transport without the obstructions in so many other places.
We may want to complain but we have all chosen to live on Bribie Island to fulfil a dream. There will always be room for improvement and with the continuing infrastructure, development and environmental care our future looks bright even in these difficult times of restrictions and social distancing. The awesome work of Global Care Bribie Island and Corey at Café 191 truly demonstrates the spirit of Bribie Island.
The community initiatives have demonstrated what a caring and compassionate community we are. Now with the easing of some restrictions we will once again have access to the exceptional Library, Art Centre and limited access to the restaurants, clubs, and other activities we have been missing. We need to continue to wherever possible shop locally and support those businesses who have seen us through some of the toughest times.
Sadly, we have seen many businesses having to close and they will influence our recovering commercial environment. The community has been cared for by our State (Pumestone) and Federal (Longman) Parliamentary members and the Division 1 Moreton Bay Regional Council representative. The local press continues to enlighten along with the strength of editorial input to ensure that we never lose the power of the word to encourage, entertain and give us knowledge through advertisers to meet our local needs. We are proud of the small business’s that have hung in there, it is now our time to continue to support them and shop local as often as possible.
Often we are reminded of a few incidents that have made life difficult for some people and the anger and frustration of isolation has brought out the ugly side of human nature but these incidents are very few as it is mostly smiles compassion, understanding and care. We must salute all our Doctors, Nurses, Dentists, Pharmacies and their staff, Health Care workers, the staff in sales and to all of the Bribie Island Community for keeping us safe.
We are all accountable to see that our community becomes stronger in service, economy, and contributors to all that we love about this community that we cherish in this our Island home.
Many visitors to the Island have enjoyed the experience as a holiday destination, the facilities and the accessibility of our parklands and water ways. There are many requests to have the Bribie Islander forwarded on after they leave, and many copies are posted out interstate and around the world as a sense of being part of the life on Bribie Island, and this is Our Home how fortunate are.
I long to go to the sea again the lonely sea and the sky, and all I ask is a tall ship to steer her by. John Masefield.
Once long ago in a hemisphere half a world away I was engaged in winning business for Australia in the land of the Poms. My sad story takes place in a notorious seaside place by the name of Torquay. Older readers may remember this town as being the home of Mr Basil Fawlty the infamous hotelier. The action does not take place in his particular hostelry but when perusing my story gentle readers you may detect a familiar measure of his influence.
Those who have experience of travelling abroad on business trips will be familiar with the fact that to be able to travel as light as possible forward planning is necessary as regards clothing to be carried bearing in mind that available time for laundry/dry cleaning is often non existent. Also if events of prominence are to be attended where smart appearance is necessary to give the best impression to prospective business contacts then all the more forethought has to be applied. I write this now when of course the influence of Jobs and Gates have made the wearing of Jeans and maybe a jacket de rigueur – but back to times past.
I had arrived fully equipped, suitcase manageable but ready for anything – I thought. The event was the annual British Local Government equipment exhibition held in Torbay, the area of Torquay. Of special note was that each year just three exhibition stands were to be visited by the presidential party of the National Association. As a new exhibitor and a first ever from the Antipodes we had been selected as one of the preferred stands.
To best present I had chosen to take an outfit for the occasion that I thought would show our company to be one of quality and professionalism. After taking advice from an expert (my lovely wife) I was taking a pale grey suit with a pale blue shirt and a darker blue tie. I knew that I could mix and match each piece after the main event to continue to look the part. This methodology is a well-known ploy for the ladies but as a mere male I was learning as I went.
Now this is where things started to go awry. I was staying in a hotel in Torquay not unlike that portrayed in the famous TV series. The lady manager was fussy but friendly and efficient with nary a hint of the dangers posed by Mr Fawlty that is until the morning of ‘The Presidential Visit’. I dressed and checked my appearance in the mirror in the room. The term sartorial elegance came to mind as I inspected myself in the glass.
Walking down the staircase I entered the dining room to partake of breakfast that comprised the usual English cooked offering. Now at the showground there was little in the way of food to be had because of the strict rules in place that forbad the provision of food and drink to visitors by the exhibitors. This was thought to be possible bribery of local government officials who were mainly the visitors and potential buyers. Therefore it made sense to eat a hearty breakfast rather than have to leave the stand and walk into town for refreshments mid way through the show times. Little did I realise that this particular hearty breakfast was prepared for a condemned man.
The friendly waitress placed the meal in front of me with a smile. I started to enjoy the mix of eggs and tomatoes and bacon. Lying in wait, as I later discovered, was the dread missile. Not being particularly fond of breakfast sausages I ate all around the beast leaving it all forlorn on the side of the plate. Then foolishly as it turned out I considered the fact that the presidential party may take their time going around the exhibition site and that might leave me hungry and less relaxed by the time they arrived – big mistake.
I decided to devour the snag. I raised my fork to pierce the skin when, (now I know some readers will be well ahead of the game here but please be patient; there are some who prefer to savour the moment in the manner of a chocolate lover leaving the soft centres until the end). Yes you guessed it – EXPLOSION! The greasy contents of what seemed the entire snag now decorated my carefully executed attire. At this point the watching Manageress I think lost her composure and raced across to my table and began trying to wipe the detritus from my now destroyed outfit.
RUINATION – gone was my confident air of professionalism, gone was my thoughts of looking like a director from British Aerospace. The chattering lady had ceased wiping me down realising that matters were only getting worse. She was profuse in apology and assured me that of course they would have my jacket dry cleaned and my shirt laundered. But when? Panic set in as I raced back upstairs to replot the day’s attire.
Some time later the presidential party finally walked onto the stand. The President himself was adorned in a fine tailored suit replete with gold chain of office draped around his neck to inspect our products and to meet me, me dressed in a mishmash of multi coloured kit like some East African would be potentate, so well aware of my not so professional appearance. I very quickly took the party over to inspect the equipment talking all the while in my most persuasive tone hoping to divert attention towards more important issues. I think I managed to pull the thing off albeit not in the way I had intended. I consoled myself afterwards by thinking that they’d probably thought nothing of the affair – after all I was a colonial! Ever after that occasion I have always treated breakfast sausages with the respect they deserve.
Fear is a powerful and primitive human emotion; its role is to alert us to the presence of danger. Fear is a natural emotion and a survival mechanism. Fear can be divided into two responses:
1. BIOCHEMICAL The biochemical response is universal. This physical response is also known as the “fight or flight” response, in which your body prepares itself to either enter combat or run away. This biochemical reaction is likely an evolutionary development. It is an automatic response that is crucial to our survival.
2. EMOTIONAL The emotional response is highly individual. The emotional response to fear is highly personalized., Because fear involves some of the same chemical reactions in our brains that positive emotions like happiness and excitement do, feeling fear under certain circumstances can be seen as fun, like when you watch scary movies. Some people thrive on extreme sports and other fear-inducing thrill situations, while others have a negative reaction to the feeling of fear and will avoid fear-inducing situations. Although the physical reaction is the same, fear may be perceived as either positive or negative, depending on the person.
FEAR Fear is incredibly complex. Some fears may be a result of experiences or trauma, while others may represent a fear of something else entirely, such as a loss of control. Still, other fears may occur because they cause physical symptoms, such as being afraid of heights as you feel dizzy and sick to your stomach. Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing heart, fast breathing and energized muscles, among other things, also known as the fightor-flight response. Experiencing fear occasionally is a normal part of life, living with chronic fear can be both physically and emotionally debilitating. The brain is a complex organ with over 100 billion nerve cells comprised of an intricate network of communications that is the starting point of everything we sense, think, and do. Some of these communications lead to conscious though and action, while others produce autonomic responses. The fear response is almost entirely autonomic. We don’t consciously trigger it or even know what’s going on until it has run its course (https://www.Verywellmind. Com).
FEAR CONTAGION Fear contagion is an evolutionarily old phenomenon that researchers observe in many animal species. It can serve a valuable survival function. Fear contagion happens automatically and unconsciously, making it hard to really control. Once fear is triggered in a crowd there is no time or opportunity to verify the sources of terror. People must rely on each other, so the fear travels from one to the next, infecting each individual as it goes. Everyone starts running for their lives.
Studies have found that being in the presence of a calm and confident person may help overcome fear acquired through observation of others. For instance, a child terrified by a strange animal will calm down if a calm adult is present. This kind of safety modelling is especially effective when you have your eyes on someone close to you, or someone you depend on, such as a caretaker or an authority figure.
Suggestions for dealing with fear When we are under significant stress, it is harder to process details and nuances, so gather information (facts, from reliable sources) about the danger and about what is needed to keep us safe. But do not overdo it.
We do not need to know about each new case of the coronavirus or each new ominous sign for the health of the global economy. Following these events closely does nothing to make us safer or change the trajectory of the coronavirus. The problem is that this continuous flow of information devours your headspace and attention.
The most important component of putting the pandemic in perspective is balancing what we should and should not do.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR MANAGING FEAR:
Identify the source(s) of your anxiety. Refrain from shaming and blaming Do not be afraid to ask for help Do not procrastinate about being prepared for the worst – social distancing, hand hygiene. Connect, connect, connect Practice self-compassion Do not skip self-care Do not let fear and anxiety become pandemic as well. Evolution hardwired human beings to share threats and fears with others. But it also equipped us with the ability to cope with these threats together.
We have much loved all our pets, all our lives, but our little champion was just so different from all our previous fur children. He was the most intelligent, a true comedian, who kept us laughing each day, and gave us an unprecedented love. He even tried to catch flies, just a few hours before he died on Tuesday when his heart and breathing were so bad, we had to rush him to the Queensland Veterinary Specialists Hospital in Brisbane. It all happened so fast. We were laughing in the morning and crying at night.
Since being published in The Bribie Islander Magazine last year, we have had many wonderful little encounters with the public. Total strangers on the street, when John took Nougat for a walk, would greet him with comments like this: “Hello Nougat, you are the most famous dog on the Island.”
And only last week a woman stopped John walking with our little prince:
“Hi there, you are that dog from the Bribie Islander Magazine. How beautiful you are!” And that he was.
About a year ago, we had a lovely couple stay with us at GAIA ON BRIBIE ISLAND. Months later, there was a knock on the door and this couple turned up unannounced with this beautiful pastel in a glass and timber frame. We could not even remember their names and did not know the woman was a professional artist. They must have been here in April when the stories on Nouguie were published in the BRIBIE ISLANDER MAGAZINE and were inspired by the main photo. Klasina Manteit would not accept a payment, so I gave her an evening bag and lots of makeup I sell on eBay. I have dedicated the original pastel with frame to the QUEENSLAND VETERINARY SPECIALISTS HOSPITAL now, who have looked after Nouguie for over six years, and we will deliver it personally to them tomorrow.
We here at the Bribie Islander Magazine are very sad to hear of Nouguie’s passing, he was one very special little dog.
The Covid crisis has given me time to think. What exactly is a necessity? And what is a luxury?
The term is used in advertising – “Luxury Cruises” and Luxury Accommodation” come to mind. But after living for over seventy years, I have seen some luxuries become necessities. Healthy foods like fresh fruit and vegetables have improved our well-being. Just think back to the past when tea, sugar and flour were the staples. If we were to lose fresh foods, many “lifestyle” diseases would overwhelm society.
When I was a small child, bananas were a luxury; but these days, many people have one every day for breakfast to maintain their potassium levels. Chocolates, truffles and wine have always been luxuries, but if there is a problem in the wine industry, such as a drought, glut, or smoke-taint, we all hear about, and are willing to provide taxpayer support to the growers, as if it were a necessity. Only very expensive wine is now considered a luxury
Servants were once a luxury, and their loss during the gold rushes caused much pain for even the middle classes. In Australia, servants have mostly been replaced by casuals, like cleaning ladies, home handymen and tradies, though some outback properties still employ a cook for their workforce, especially during mustering or sheering.
Employment of servants by those who can still afford it, is a great way to redistribute that wealth, so we can cross all those workers off our list of luxuries.
Another luxury item of my childhood was a shop-bought dress. Fabrics and haberdashery were available everywhere at reasonable prices, and children were taught sewing at school. In high school they could include dress-design and various decorative crafts in their assessment. For years, my generation could make clothes for half the price of ready-made items, so dressed ourselves for home, work and even special occasions. Some of us still do. But dress-making has given way to other jobs for the average Australian.
Thanks to the sweat-shops of Asia, ready-made clothes are no longer a luxury item. But they can cause a problems, as Craig Reucassel has demonstrated.
Whatever has happened to quality standard items which will last for years? Fashion is a luxury we can do without.
It has been interesting to see the price of cotton has been falling lately, since new clothes are not a necessity in the short term. Thanks to the invention of synthetic fibers, wool is perhaps still a luxury, though we rarely need it in Queensland. Synthetic jumpers are much better at resisting clothes moths.
When I was a teenager, television was a luxury, and we didn’t own one for fifteen years. We even had to hire one for the Moon landing, but we eventually bought a set and became addicts like the rest of society. Have you ever just listened to the TV while getting on with other jobs? Most of my generation still listen to the radio, as words are often more important that the pictures. I even know one person who has resisted the “need “for TV.
But there is no doubt that TV has been a great educator, so is no longer a luxury. In the current crisis, the graphs provided on screen are vital to our understanding of the pandemic, and therefore, how we should respond. A screen, whatever it is connected to, is no longer a luxury.
In the 1970s a home computer was definitely a luxury, so much so that second-hand ones were passed on to family members when upgrading. We had to educate ourselves in how to use them – too hard for many people, and it wasn’t until about 1986 that schools started to instruct the non-geeks who hadn’t taught themselves. Many in the generations born before 1970, are still struggling unless they have found a patient instructor. The advent of the Internet has turned the computer into a necessity, so that subsequent generations now often rely on computers for work. However, for many Australians (and others) an Internet connection has remained a luxury, thanks to failure of timely government investment. With the current economic downturn, these people could wait years to move into the 21st Century, while the rest of us wonder where we be in this Covid crisis without the Internet.
Next week I will look at some other things which may or may not be necessities.
On my first meeting with Wendy Nelson at a recent International Women’s day lunch, I felt compelled to learn more about this amazing young Bribie Island School Chaplain who started out life growing up in the Northern Territory town of Humpty Doo. Her exposure to a passion for helping others came from growing up in church culture, whilst doing good deeds such as for the 40-hour famine for World Vision and raising money for wells in Africa.
Becoming part of a Christian mission organization called “Youth with a Mission”, Wendy had the opportunity to travel the world at a young age helping others in need. Today she has an undergraduate degree in Community Development and Youth work and is making her way towards a Masters in Social Science and Leadership.
This adventurous woman threw herself into a life of volunteering to aid less fortunate people in countries such as Thailand, India, and Mexico, with most of her time in Papua New Guinea, supplying educational resources and working on medical ships that provided care to remote Islands in her role as the Community Liaison Officer. Taking on a variety of roles gave her the hands-on practical experience she needed to cement the formal framework of her degree.
All her years of effort were volunteer-based. Being able to continue her passion for helping others didn’t come without the support of fundraising efforts, the church, family, and friends, who often joked that Wendy was their sponsor child.
I asked Wendy, how have you managed to live your life and your mission so heavily reliant on donations and peoples’ goodwill, yet continued without what many of us would deem as the necessities being job security, a home, day to day stuff? She responded with “faith had a lot to do with growing up, knowing there is more to life. Having a good family who bails you out if things go wrong and I knew I was with a group of people I trusted, and they had my back and looked after me.”
During these times, they required learning to live with extraordinarily little and out of a suitcase, which Wendy says “it’s really nice now to have a wardrobe, a bathroom and a bed to sleep in every night. Back then, I certainly got good at using squatty potties and built up good leg muscles” she laughs with fond memories. If she could meet anyone, this crazy Richmond supporter said it would be Dustin Martin the AFL football Brownlow medal recipient of 2017.
The most interesting people Wendy has met are in remote villages. The ones who have never seen white people. “Seeing people who are of different colour skin and they see your skin colour for the first time. It’s such a fascinating response, because they just reach out, seeing white skin and blonde hair”
Putting down her roots here on Bribie Island about 3 years ago to live with her grandparents while continuing her studies, she tells me she loves working with the students in her “Chappie” role at the school saying “it brings me a lot of joy encouraging the next generation”. With her Masters thesis being around Cross-Cultural Competence, her passion is for teaching people about how to interact with other cultures, believing that by understanding other cultures we demystify the differences and learn to live together better in a more functional society. It is not about losing different cultures, just understanding them better.
If you could change one thing in the world what would it be? “It has to do with how we can be so happy with so little. There is a framework, academic rhetoric, and literature out there about how we can understand people better, but at the end of the day, it’s just being kind, understanding, and putting other people first”.
“I love Bribie. I love the ocean. I love the lifestyle” says this member of the Mahalo Outrigging Canoe Club and allround active breath of fresh air who lives amongst us.
Issue 113 OUT NOW. Get all your community news and information. Bribie Islands only community gloss magazine NOW EVERY TWO WEEKS! – Articles on boating, camping, fishing, life, drama, travel destinations, sports and what to see and do on Bribie Island. Covering charities, organisations, places, children’s activities, arts and crafts, tourist destinations, heritage parks, technology, science, music, gardening, and much more.
Issue 112 OUT NOW. Get all your community news and information. Bribie Islands only community gloss magazine NOW EVERY TWO WEEKS! – Articles on boating, camping, fishing, life, drama, travel destinations, sports and what to see and do on Bribie Island. Covering charities, organisations, places, children’s activities, arts and crafts, tourist destinations, heritage parks, technology, science, music, gardening, and much more.
Issue 111 OUT NOW. Get all your community news and information. Bribie Islands only community gloss magazine NOW EVERY TWO WEEKS! – Articles on boating, camping, fishing, life, drama, travel destinations, sports and what to see and do on Bribie Island. Covering charities, organisations, places, children’s activities, arts and crafts, tourist destinations, heritage parks, technology, science, music, gardening, and much more.
This booklet is a compilation of photos and information collected from different history books and members sharing the Bribie Lions Club’s hard work and service for our community and surrounds over the past 50 years. It was made possible by the businesses that are advertised within the book and a thank you page on the back full of businesses that also donated for this booklet to be printed.
Unfortunately, there are way too many incredible works and projects that have been achieved by the Bribie lions to possibly fit everything in. We hope we have done their amazing service justice.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
In the 1968 – 70 Lions Years, an investigation was commenced by the Redcliffe Peninsular Lions Club, into the possibility of chartering a Lions Club on Bribie Island. Active participants in the Redcliffe Peninsular Lions Club were Lion Reg Wright and Lion Noel Kropp. Bribie Island interested locals were Bluey Piva amongst other businessmen. Bluey had purchased the Blue Pacific Hotel on the island several years before and had previous experience in Lionism in Ayr and Home Hill.
A survey of Island businesspeople revealed a lack of enough interest at the time, so the plan was deferred for twelve months. In the 1969 – 70 Lions Year with the assistance of another local identity, Otto Fluck, enough interest was generated, and the Bribie Island Lions Club was chartered on the 19th of March 1970. Otto had been a Lions club member previously in Melbourne.
Back Row from left: Roy Barraud, Tony Zahner, John Hansen, Gus Young, Andrew Benny, Edwin Schragg, Harry do Grono Centre Row: Harold Mazies, Harry WIlson, Len Reeece Hoyes, Ted Bellamy, Otto Fluck, Ernie Hislop, Cee Burns. Front row: Tony Whitehouse, Herman Whitehead, Laurie Jensen, Bob Brewer, Absent: Tom Swyer, Paul Ride, Bluey Piva
Des Cook, Keith Hadley and Kerry Wright
The Blue Pacific Hotel then became the home of the Bribie Island Lions Club and still is today. Where the Piva family for many decades played host for many a function run by the Lions Club.
Through the ’60s and ’70s, the hotel became the community hub of Bribie Island and over the years with a keen eye for new members, Bluey was able to introduce 15 members to the club. On Friday nights and Saturdays, you will still find the Lions Club members running their raffles at the hotel where they still hold all of their meetings to this day.
HEARING TEST FOR PREP SCHOOL STUDENTS
For nearly a decade the Bribie Island Lions have met the cost to get the prep school-aged children from the Bribie Island Primary School hearing tested. Audiologist Ms. Stephanie Morris from the UQ Health and Rehabilitation said “Hearing is very important for a child’s development in learning, language communication, etc. As a lot of the problems are through middle ear infection, hearing is tested when a child is born and again before they start school. In 2019, 90 children were tested, 17 were found to have issues. This is obviously a much-needed service.
MISS PERSONALITY
Only 3 local identities have managed to be found that were at some stage Miss Personality entrants. The Miss Personality fundraising was a Lions Quest that went towards their fundraising efforts. These were Judy Piva, Jacky Wright, and Melissa Wing-Young.
BRIBIE ISLAND VISITOR’S VISA
On the 12th of November 1976, the Bribie Island Lions Club decided to go ahead with plans for a Republic of Bribie Island as a fundraiser. By the 15th of March 1977, a total of $13,915.83 had been raised by selling visitors passes.
Len Reece-Hoyes
Club President Michael Bierton – at the Lions Monumental Rock for deceased Lions.
LION Cec Weldon with minister for health The Hon Brian Austin unveiling the plaque at the Golden Age Centre
ANNUAL ART SHOW
With the passing of Lion Veronica Cook in November 2001, Liz Heber, who was long-standing friend, offered to hold her annual Art Show preview in March 2002 in her honour, (prizes donated by the artists), with the proceeds of sales and raffles to assist Breast Cancer Research at the Wesley Hospital in memory of Lion Veronica. That year $4500 was raised. This event was held each year up until 2010 when the change of format to the Art Show by the organisers, 2010 was the last occasion the Lions Club participated.
CHILDREN OF COURAGE
“Aiming for the stars”. The Lions Children of Courage Awards is not a competition but having said that, every child nominated receives an award. All children just want to be accepted by others regardless of any special needs they may have. The awards will portray the recipients as children who have successfully overcome additional barriers that face them in the world.
BUS SHELTERS
As early as 1976 the Lions Club began the project of installing bus shelters on Bribie Island with numbers increasing steadily over the next few decades due to the advertising revenue initially defraying the erection costs and subsequently providing valuable resources for the club and community projects. In December 1988 the Lions Club entered into a formal agreement with the Caboolture Shire Council where the construction, maintenance, and advertising rights were established.
During the following year, 17 new bus shelters were built adding a substantial revenue base to the club. With the amalgamation of the Pumicestone/Ningi & Bribie Island Lions Clubs in July 2007, all the bus shelters at Ningi and Sandstone point came under the control of the Lions Club of Bribie Island. Bringing the number of bus shelters up to 34.
In 2008, a 5-year option as per agreement was extended to the Lions Club which would expire in 2013, at which time the number of bus shelters would be reviewed. The Moreton Bay Regional Council then had a consultation with the Lions Club regarding the new compliance standards required for bus shelters and possible changes to advertising rights. At the time the bus shelters advertising was approximately generating $20,000 per annum for community projects.
Unfortunately, in 2018 TransLink began replacing the bus shelters with the new compliance standard shelters, which meant the Lions Club lost this valuable source of income which always went back into the Bribie Island community.
THE BRIBIE GOLDEN AGE CENTRE
was a massive undertaking for the Bribie Island Lions Club. The project which commenced in 1972 and with a cost of over $500,000 came to completion when opened by the HON BD Austin, MLA, Minister for Health on 19 March 1983. Bribie Island Lions through their involvement with local citizens became aware of the need for a community centre and for a meal on wheels kitchen to provide a service to those senior citizens requiring it.
Following an application to the Lands Dept on 8th April 1972 under Lion President Edwin Schrag, approximately 6 acres of land was made available by the State Government on the ocean side of the Island. This came to fruition on the 26th of October of that year with five Lions members being appointed as trustees of the area. There were copious amounts of red tape to get through, but this didn’t deter the lions club.
They dug in and with a lot of hours volunteered by the Lions Members raising funds, along with others the project was finally finished, and the Golden Age Community Centre became a reality. Throughout the years proving it is still just as valuable of an asset to the community as ever, housing Meals on Wheels and serving as a much needed centre for our senior citizens to have access too.
The facility is second to none, holding many concerts and functions over the years, and no doubt has many fond memories for a lot of us to look back on. Today the building is known as the Bribie Respite & Support Services Inc.(Golden Age Day Respite)
CAMP QUALITY
On Sunday the 16th of December 1990 members for the Bribie Island Lions Club Kerry Wright and Anther Hayes held a Christmas Party for 33 terminally ill children from the Royal Brisbane Hospital, at the Bribie Island Funland Waterpark. Each Lion adopted a child for the day and Santa visited with gifts for them all.
For the next two years, it was a zone project but in 1993 it was elevated to a district project with Lions Clubs in the area becoming involved. On the 28th of November 1993, seventeen Lions and Lioness Clubs put on the Lions Camp Quality Christmas Picnic day at Bribie Island. They provided all the fun, food and entertainment free, for 600 people which included 147 Camp Quality children, their families, and Lions club families.
Every year since then, it has brought a moment of happiness for these children, their families, and carers, as well as older children upon their return. This special day, which is held on the last Sunday in November, at Brennan Park, Bribie Island Lions Club provides a full range of treats and activities, including the arrival of Father Christmas, with gifts for all the children.
Lion’s club member Kerry Wright remained District Co-Ordinator until 2003, with Lion Kevin Williams from the Bribie Island Lions Club becoming the District Co-Ordinator in 2004. Now known as the Liaison officer, Kevin Williams still holds this position, helping to provide a wonderful day out for those less fortunate.
In 2019 the event hosted 200 people from Camp Quality and the Lions Club and 200 General public, totaling 400 people approximately. This year they will proudly celebrate as it will be the 30th year of giving to the children through this great Lions initiative, the special day being Sunday the 29th of November.
BRIBIE MEMORIAL GARDENS
In November 1987, Harry de Gono, a member of the Bribie Island Lions Club proposed that the construction of a columbarium and memorial gardens should become a project of the club. This led to a request being made to the Caboolture Shire Council for a suitable site in early 1988.
By the 25th of November 1990, it was deemed ready for an official Consecration Day which was performed by Pastor John Nichols who represented the Ministers Fraternal of all churches on the Island. Early in 1991, the first ashes were inserted in the Tristania Wall and the Memorial Gardens became official.
Under project Chairman Lion member Bryce King instruction, Lions members Alan Suffolk and Brian Deadman took over as curators and landscapers and the surrounding gardens began to take shape, limited only by the inefficient water supply. The Caboolture Shire Council who constructed the entrance road and the car parks also donated a gazebo which was erected by the Lions Committee. The Lions Club then also completed the connecting pathways. The Bribie Lions Club still maintain the Memorial Gardens today.
SENIOR CHRISTMAS LUNCH
Another Great Lions Club initiative was to hold an annual seniors Christmas lunch. It was a dream of one of the presidents Phil Carne which became a reality on the first Saturday in December 2012. It is a very special day on the Lions Club calendar each year, also a much-anticipated date for many of their guests, as not everyone has family or friends to spend Christmas day with.
So, this is it for many of them and what a way to spend it, laughing and enjoying the day. Sadly, Phil passed away in 2016, so the Bribie Lions Club dedicated this great tradition in his honour and re-named it the Phil Carnes Memorial Senior Xmas Lunch.
LIONS YOUTH OF THE YEAR
The Lions Youth of the Year Quest aims to select an outstanding young individual to be an Australian ambassador allowing them to travel overseas under the auspices of Lions Club International. Through all levels of participation, the Quest seeks to assist secondary school students in developing citizenship and leadership qualities as they prepare for entry to the workforce or higher education.
On perusal of the historical documents of this event in the early 1990s, it came to light that Janelle Williams was the only youth to win the award twice. Janelle won the award two consecutive years and happens to now be the General Manager of the Bribie Island RSL.
LIONS INTERNATIONAL PEACE POSTER & ESSAY CONTEST
For over 3 decades, Lions clubs around the globe have been sponsoring a very special art contest in schools and youth groups. Creating peace posters gives children everywhere the chance to express their visions of peace and inspire the world through art and creativity. The Peace Essay Contest was created to provide an opportunity for visually impaired young people to express their feelings of peace and is, along with the Peace Poster Contest, a staple of Lions clubs around the world.
Under the leadership of the Art Teacher at the Bribie Island State school, Cheryl Thornley takes part in this contest each year. The 2019 winner was Livina Curley. The theme was “Journey of Peace” Over the last 50 years, the Bribie Island Lions Club has held a proud record of serving the community by providing many much-needed amenities for the Island.
They have also been able to ensure assistance is available for many charities and worthwhile projects not only on Bribie Island but also District and Multi-District Lions projects serving the wider community with numerous fundraising efforts. The Local Lions Club has evolved over the years to meet the needs and expectations of our local community.
In the early years, the club was instrumental in many “hands-on” projects such as the Lions Park at Woorim, which provided picnic facilities for the visitors to the Island. The facility was recently upgraded by the regional council as part of the Beautification Project for Woorim, and whilst no longer maintained by the club, it still bears the name “Bribie Island Lions Park” in recognition of the Lions contribution over the many years. The Bellara Lions Park established in 1989 was also a project of the local Lions Club.
They have built and supplied our community with so many things, for example.
• Providing the House of Happiness with chairs, palm trees, electric BBQs and gas cylinders.
• The amenities block at the Bridge Lions Park and picnic tables in our parks.
• Blue nurses’ cars, new ambulance vehicles and equipment, helped purchase a new minibus for the Caboolture special needs school, bus shelters, Air-sea rescues boat, lifesavers rubber duckie and SLSC flagpole.
• Books for our Bribie Library, a line marker for the schools and sports grounds to use, book trolley for the children’s ward at the Caboolture Hospital and a World book set for Banksia Beach State School.
• BMX track, a kindergarten, St Vincent DePaul bikes and certainly not forgetting the original Golden Age Community Centre, our beautiful Bribie Island Memorial Gardens and Columbarium and so much more.
The Bribie Island Lions Club’s hard work and efforts have raised so much money for these projects and when you think that most of this money comes from running raffles and functions, it’s amazing just how many hours must have been donated by these hardworking Lions Club members.
The residents of Bribie Island and Caboolture Shire have been very fortunate to have such an active and effective organization as the Bribie Island Lions Club. For over 50 years they have vigorously supported, through physical and financial means many individuals, families, and organisations, continuing to do so to this day.
Their record clearly shows their dedication to recreational land and the environment, and their commitment to build the columbarium and memorial gardens genuinely shows their concern for our community.
