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.
Tags: Native wildlife. Birds. Black Kite Moreton Bay. Queensland. Australia.
Black Kites are seen very rarely on Bribie Island but are more common on the mainland around Caboolture. I have sometimes seen one flying between the Bribie Bridge and Ningi. They are a little smaller and darker than the Whistling Kites which are common on Bribie Island. They are one of Australia’s most common raptors and the most numerous of all raptors in the world.
They are rather nondescript, medium-sized dark brown raptors that appear black from a distance. Eyes are brown and bills are black with a smudge of yellow near the nostrils. Males are around 50cm long while females are about 55 cm. Wingspans are 1.2-1.5 m and they weigh 560-671 g. In-flight the wings with distinctive fingers at the tips glide and soar with occasional slow flaps.
Forked tails are probably their most distinguishing feature which they twist from side to side while working the updrafts. This action makes them easy to identify in flight. When the air is calm wings are held flat while they glide at lower altitudes among the treetops. When perched they sit upright with folded wings reaching almost to the tips of their tails. They are often seen in groups of up to hundreds of birds but are sometimes solitary.
Square-tailed Kites are similar in appearance but do not have the forked tail. Preferred habitats are forested areas, mangroves, swamps, cattle yards, rubbish tips and around fires. They are more common in the north of Australia and inland areas and less common as you travel southwards.
On a trip on the Bruce Highway to Cairns, you will see hundreds of Black Kites flying overhead, many searching for roadkill. They are also found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Much of their food is carrion and roadkill, insects especially grasshoppers, reptiles and small mammals. Fires are an attraction and as small creatures and insects try to escape the flames they are swooped upon by the hungry kites.
During the days when most cane farmers burnt off their crops before harvesting, there would be flocks of hundreds of kites swooping down with legs outstretched snatching at escaping prey and picking up the charred remains of animals unable to getaway. During grasshopper plagues, large flocks form and gorge on the prolific insects. No other raptor forms flocks such as these.
They are opportunistic hunters and take what is available. Breeding in the north is recorded to occur in all months while in the south it is mainly during the months from July to December. Nests are rough slightly rounded platforms of sticks high Black Kite Milvus migrans By in trees and lined with grasses and available soft materials. Both birds perform ritual courting dances in the air by loud calling, grabbing of talons, with falling and somersaulting before nesting.
Both parents build nests. Clutches of 2-3 speckled eggs are laid and the female incubates for about 35 days while the male provides her with food. When hatched the young are covered with grey down. Siblings are aggressive towards one another and the weaker ones are often killed. Parent birds are diligent in keeping their nests safe. After about 50 days the young will leave the nest to stand on nearby branches. After about 2 years they begin breeding themselves.
Sometimes the nests of other birds such as crows are used. Some nests are used for several years. Indigenous people of NT claim that raptors such as Black Kites, Whistling Kites, and Brown Falcons will start their own fires by picking up burning sticks and carrying them to a new location where they are dropped to start new fires. They then wait for a fresh crop of terrified creatures to run from the burning debris to be pounced upon by the waiting predators.
For this reason, they are sometimes called “Firebirds”. Another common name for obvious reasons is Fork-tailed Kite. Milvus is a Latin word meaning Red Kite while migrand means migrating. There are few natural predators, but unwanted deaths often occur as a result of human interference.
As kites are carrion feeders and swoop to feed on roadkill they often collide with oncoming vehicles. Sometimes when perching on electric wires they are electrocuted. Feeding on animals that have been poisoned can also cause death. Their conservation status is stated as secure. Populations appear to be decreasing but have not reached the status of vulnerable.
History of Bribie Island sports. Moreton Bay. Brisbane. Queensland
This article tells the start of some sporting clubs and activities on Bribie island. The Brisbane Tug & Steamship Co. opened up Bribie island to day-trippers and holidaymakers, when they leased land, built a jetty, and ran large steamships from Brisbane to Bribie from 1912. Before that the only people who came here for “sport” were catching dugong or shooting birds.
SURF LIFESAVING
In 1923 Tug Company was instrumental in setting up the Bribie Island Surf Lifesaving Club providing staff and equipment to enable protection and safety for bathers and surfers. At that time Woorim was the closest surf beach to Brisbane, even with the long steamship trip, before easy access to what is now the Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise. There were many more high sand dunes and breaking waves on the beach in those days. It became a very busy and popular destination after the first basic road was cleared from Bongaree to the Ocean Beach in 1924, and trucks provided basic transport across the island.
BRIBIE BOWLS & TENNIS
In 1929 the Bribie Island Bowling Club and Tennis Courts were established. The Tug Company brought a large old timber building from Moreton Island and placed it on “The Hill” where the Water Tower now stands at Bongaree. Initially used as a School, before the State School was built in 1924, it was also the Community Hall for Dances and all sorts of functions at weekends and evenings.
The building was later moved down the Hill to become the initial Clubhouse for the Bribie Island Bowls Club. The first President of the Bowls Club was Alf Johnson and the Bowling Greens were subsequently named for prominent members including Campbell, Bell, Cressy, Loi, and Pettitt. In the 1930s Tennis had become a very popular sport for all family members, and Tennis Courts were constructed at the south end of the Bowling greens.
Early Members of the Bribie Island Bowls Club were largely non-residents, who came by Steamship from Brisbane at weekends and holidays. In 1947 a Bowler’s Hostel was established, providing accommodation for up to 30 visiting Bowlers, in a building that had also been brought to the island, as the first School Headmasters house. That building still stands today and has had several different uses over the years, and is now the “Bribie Doctors”
BONGAREE BOWLS
By the early 1950s, Bribie residents had increased to more than 300 and they campaigned to create a Bowls Club specifically for residents. The Bongaree Bowls Club was formed in 1949 and using a horse to clear land and filling the swamp, it was opened by President Arthur Winston in 1952.
The Greens were later named to honour pioneer members including Winston, Richardson, and Kling. Six months after the opening of the Bongaree Bowls Club in June 1952, the ladies of Bribie formalised their involvement, at the inaugural meeting of the Bongaree Ladies Bowling Club, held at the Church of England Hall. The foundation President was Marion Winston with a committee of local ladies including Shields, Stanley, Rasmussen, Thornley, Tesch, Kling ad Whitney.
FISHING
From the earliest times, Bribie was known for its remarkable fishing. As early as 1908 a Fish Canning operation had been established at Bongaree, where the IGA Store stands today. Operated by Mrs. Sarah Balls, an outstanding businesswoman who also operated refreshment rooms at many of the new railway stations throughout Queensland. The oldest Fishing Club in Queensland, the Amateur Fishermen’s Association, established in 1904, built a Clubhouse at Bongaree in 1925 for its visiting members.
This building still stands on the waterfront along South Esplanade and still used by members. Thomas Welsby, a Brisbane businessman, Historian, and author of many fishing books, was an early President, serving for 17 years from 1906 to 1923. It was Thomas Welsby who later wrote the book “Bribie the Basket Maker” creating the legend of a runaway convict who lived with the aboriginal people of the island.
Over the years, the AFA conducted Fishing Competitions in the waters around Bribie, often involving hundreds of people being towed out in boats to a designated fishing area.
Doug Winston Olympian 1956
AFA Fishing Competition 1950
Lady Bowlers 1940’s
Bribie Island Tennis Club 1930’s
Bribie Surf Beach 1930’s
BRIBIE OLYMPIAN
As far as I am aware, there has only been one current Bribie Island resident to compete in the Olympic Games, at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. This was Doug Winston, who represented Australia in the 200m and 4 X 100m relay. The Winston family were pioneers on early Bribie, establishing a Tobacco Farm at Bongaree in the 1930s, and running the General Store opposite the Jetty at Bongaree.
BRIBIE SPORTS CLUB
Back in 1961, before the Bribie Island bridge, was constructed, the island was a very different place with a permanent population of fewer than 500 people. A number of concerned residents were keen to provide some recreation facilities for the youth of the island and conducted Gymnastics and Boxing in various locations. In 1963 tentative approaches were made to the Lands Department for land as a recreation area.
This led to the promise of land near the old “Town Dump”, on the south side of Ocean Beach Rd, (now First Ave.) and where the Recreation Hall now stands The present building known as the Recreation Hall was constructed over a period of many years. Initially, funds would only allow the building of two sides and a rear wall, and it was finally completed and enclosed in 1979.
Over the years, the Hall has seen many different groups use the Recreation Hall, and numerous functions, events, and celebrations have been held there. Today it is used by Vietnam Vets and U3A where several more modern “Sports” such as Pickleball, Boule, and Burlesque on a Chair are played.
MORE BRIBIE HISTORY
If you have questions or information to provide, please contact us. The Historical Society has monthly public meetings at the RSL Club on the second Wednesday of each month commencing at 6;30pm. with guest speakers on a wide range of topics. Come along, visitors welcome. You can see many more photos and articles on our Blog Site at http://bribieislandhistory.blogspot.com or contact us on [email protected]
It’s a bad start to our first meeting in Austria in 1969, interviewing novelist screen writer-director-producer of KING RAT, TAI-PAN, SHOGUN and NOBLE HOUSE fame, JAMES CLAVELL. Each novel is an instant bestseller and all, in the 70s and 80s, will be released globally as movies or TV series with a 120 million audience. But I find James arrogant, condescending, dismissive, and yes, in fact, quite rude. And interviewing him is as fruitful as trying to penetrate the skin of an armadillo.
Two years later, the LONDON OBSERVER also ask me to interview James in London, and this time I am prepared to retaliate. But instead, James’ welcome, friendliness, and courtesy leave me both speechless and angry. “Why are you so nice to me today, when you treated me abominably in Austria last time we met?” I blurt out indignantly. James pauses, shrugs his shoulders, and, with a guilty smile, his brash, but honest reply makes me laugh. “You’re the Observer now!”
And so a curious friendship develops with a most inspirational and superb writer, but a man I could never imagine wanting to be friends with. When my son is born in 1973, weighing just over two pounds and being 12 weeks premature, even a flowerpot of hydrangeas arrives from James on my London hospital bedside table. This flowering bush grows 2m high in my garden, when, in 1980, I leave London, returning to Australia after completing my pilot licence on the Isle of Guernsey.
But in 1971 we are sitting in a small London office, cluttered to the ceiling with files, books, parcels, papers, and posters. James has just finished his latest production with all offices, administrative staff, and paperwork completed, but is tidying up the last remnants himself, as he explains. “You pull in your tentacles from five offices and I’m now running my empire from behind this miserable curtain.
It drives me barmy. Instead of being able to go dream a bit, I’m doing the work of a 20-pounds-week clerk and am trying to be a businessman, which I’m not.” Although he now owns homes in L.A., Vancouver, and London, 50-year-old James insists there is no time to live in any of them, as he is always on location. And I am not the only person finding this Australian born, half-Irish HELLY’S CELEBRITIES OF THE 20TH CENTURY with Scottish overtones Englishman with American citizenship, difficult. James likes being the boss and he is not the most loved man in the film industry.
On film sets, you can feel the tension between James, his actors, and his crew. To the charges of being cold, hard, ruthless and ready to kill, he responds to me with glee. “I’d like to spread that around a bit. It’s a great reputation. I’m not really trying to be the favourite man in the business. What I am concerned about is getting the best out of people.” But does he??
As screenwriter and director, he certainly achieves this in the 1967 TO SIR WITH LOVE, starring Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracey, as well as being co-writer for 1963 THE GREAT ESCAPE with Steve McQueen. As a director it is clearly the exercise of power which traps James. “It’s certainly not material success,” he agrees. “After a very small threshold, once you have your drop-dead money, wealth is just a point of view.” Longish, greyish hair falls over James’ ears, as the genius bends forward on his desk and having made his point with relish, he straightens up, his strange blue eyes narrowing, and he drops a clenched fist on the desk.
You are suddenly conscious of the former Captain in the Royal Artillery, as he was in World War II, captured in 1942 by the Japanese in Java and incarcerated in the infamous Changi Prison in Singapore, where only 1 prisoner in 15 survived – the setting of his first novel, KING RAT. But in 1971 the real challenge for James, who will succumb to cancer in 1994, is the actual writing not the directing. “I’m a soul stealer, a story-teller. I wanted to be a director because a director is a writer in the film form.
The director is the story-teller. But it’s time for another book now – some real work. It means cutting myself off completely from what I’m doing. I’ve told everybody. Eventually, they’ll believe me. “Writing is the hardest work I know and it stretches me the most. The greatest satisfaction has known has been in my novels. If you write the truth, you’re fulfilling your function. But my truth is not necessarily yours.”
“Greetings one and all, dearest and fair, mighty and little, Island-folk”.
Honesty compels me to come clean and confess my – unpatriotic to the last article – behaviour. Help, help! For I have succumbed to the pressure of summer heat and have not only been sitting in the lap of luxury but indulging in its whole being; many hours per day have I been immovable from the A/C. All this talk last time of being planet-conscious and here I am daily enjoying the pleasure of man-made cool air.
Maybe I’ll make up for it by not using the heater in winter…Anyway, I’ve forgotten what I was going to talk with you about. Hmm, Oh yes, The Illusion of Away. One thing I will carry on from our last chat is the concept of being resourceful. There’s a long way ahead of me until I become an expert on the topic, but I have my ideas and that’s why we are here. So thank you, kind local-news reader, for giving me a second shot.
Think about this: We seem to be inundated by media and general talk that persuades us to chase fulfillment in far-away places. People goggle at success, travel, and status, with the pinnacles of such mountains always in the distance and never on our doorstep.
Why are these things dangled in front of us like they’re so desirable? I can just hear some of our little subconsciousness in annoying mosquito-like voices, “Because power, popularity and overseas holidays are desirable”. Aha-ha, yes, maybe, or maybe it is the illusion that’s desirable. Are our lives that stressful and/or unfulfilling in the present that happiness is always in the future or on another continent? Something about the push, strive, the unsatisfied culture we live is disturbing and – as I hinted toward in the last letter to you all – is controlled by the ‘powers that be’.
That is, controlled via two effective methods: slavery and seduction. These methods hustle people into the need for lavish escapes through stress-driven work as well as seduce us into trying to make incarnate a marketed fantasy-life. The problem with this control is that it is forever dangling the bait in front of us and just as we seem to reach the prize, it is moved along, yet again being out of our grasp. What diligent, little creatures we are. If only we all worked for a good boss.
Well my dear co-working community members, I’m here to say that living free from control is possible! We are at an interesting time in earth’s history where, once we break-away from the platforms of mind-control, we can choose joy in a free, unstructured way unique to our personalities. Satisfaction, then, will no longer be dictated by destructive external- powers but peaceful internal-transformation. Life is not a box. It doesn’t come from a box and it doesn’t put you in a box.
True life is complete freedom and freedom is recognizing that life has not been running from you, but perusing you! Life was surrounding you all along, yet it was you that hadn’t taken hold of it yet. Never too late is it, my dears, to stop and become resourceful. Look around at what life has already placed inside your hands and in your heart. The very word resourceful is wonderful. The prefix‘re’ means to go back to, ‘source’ is where someone or something originated and ‘-ful’ is something being filled. Couldn’t that mean: go back to where something originated from and be filled with it.
And because the resource has positive life-giving connotations, you could even say: go back to the simple, original, good things of life and be filled with them. From there, you will have an abundance to keep going, keep giving, all the while, being satisfied. Moreover, if you’re rich in those simple things, then you’re as rich as you could ever be. You’d be surprised what treasures already lay in your room, your home, your street, your neighbourhood, and your community.
These treasures can give you what you need to go and be your ultimate self in the world! Best of all, you’d be surprised what treasures already lay up in your heart. I do like these topic Islanders, what do you say we keep going in the same direction next chat?
