AUSTRALIA’S first ever Vertical Wind Tunnel has opened in Port Macquarie thanks to the vision of the local Extreme Velocity team said Independent MP for Lyne Robert Oakeshott today.

“Christian Corse has built this thrilling, skydiving simulation ride from the ground up as part of his long term vision of creating an Extreme Fun Park on 22 acres of land opposite the airport in Port Macquarie,” said Mr Oakeshott.

“This is a first for Australia and a second for the Southern Hemisphere, making the Mid North Coast a leader in extreme leisure rides.

“It is great to see another local business literally taking the plunge and adding to the tourism value of our region.

“Along with State MP Peter Besseling, I took a leap of faith today and gave the Wind Tunnel a go. It is a lot of fun and well worth checking out,” said Mr Oakeshott.

The Extreme Velocity Vertical Wind Tunnel opens its doors to the public on Saturday August 28th and is currently taking bookings.

For more information please contact either Christian Corse or David Bartush from Extreme Velocity on 0447 359 669 or go to www.extremevelocity.com.au

The Wauchope Lions Club in association with Hastings Valley Bottle and Collectables Club is proud to bring to Wauchope an Antique Bottle and Collectables Show and Trading Fair. The Fair will be held at Wauchope Showground on Saturday 11/9/10 and Sunday 12/9/10 starting at 9.00am each day. It is hoped that the Show will become a regular item on the collector’s annual schedule and that Wauchope will feature as one of the major centres due to its location and good climate during September.

A host of traders and hundreds of the general public are expected to visit the Fair, some to buy items, others just to view the amazing collection of old wares.

Spokesperson Henry Higgins said that there were over 100 different classifications of entries including such classes as kerosene lamps, gramophones, cameras, tin toys, silver ware, kitchen ware, ceramics, avon collectables, teapots, spoons,australiana and a vast range of glass containers and bottle types.

Exhibitors and dealers should contact either Jim Tierney 6582 0271, Henry Higgins 65853276 or Secretary, Wauchope Lions Club, PO Box 144, Wauchope for entry forms and table and display set up details. Security will be provided at the Showground over the weekend.

A small entry fee will apply for access to the Fair and there will be plenty of parking. Wauchope Lions Club will have a sausage sizzle available at reasonable prices.

Wauchope Lions Club invite everybody to this very interesting and colourful Fair.

The Wauchope Seventh-day Adventist Church is getting behind a program called ‘EndItNow’, which is a world wide push by our church to end the violence and abuse of women and genital mutilation of girls the world over. This has had horrific consequenses to women and girls and must stop. “It is estimated that one of every three women globally will be beaten, raped, or otherwise abused during her lifetime”.

It is reported that 1 million girls annually are abducted from India and sold into slavery, prostitution or for child brides to China. These figures are shocking and is not just in third world countries where this is happening. In Australia, 23% of women who had ever been married or in a de-facto relationship, experienced violence by a partner at some time during the relationship.
To get the people involved, our church’s women’s ministries team is holding a public rally to bring attention to the plight of these women and girls, and we would ask your support in doing so.

The rally will be held at the Senior Citazen’s Hall in High Street, Wauchope on Aug 21, from 2-5pm, where we are hoping to add to the 1,000,000 signatures that the world wide church hopes to get to send to the United Nations. Three prominent female guest speakers from NSW Department of Health, ADRA and NSW Police Service will be addressing the rally.

We need the people to come forward and voice their disapproval of the abuse of women, by adding their signature to the petitions and the 20 foot long banner we will have there.

More info is available at www.enditnow.org

How appropriate that the name of Australia’s most famous woman aviator, Nancy Bird-Walton, has been memorialised on the new road signs to her birthplace, Kew.

Nancy Bird died nearly 18 months ago, at the age of 94. Always chic, stylish and feminine, it is hard to grasp that this slightly built, charming lady, who had lived through an amazing age of technological explosion in aviation, lived a life at the cutting edge of it, instead of enjoying a life of ease and safety.

When she learned to fly, with the renowned Charles Kingsford-Smith, aircraft were dangerous, flimsy contraptions made of wood and canvas, with noisy engines and open cockpits – not the usual environment for a lady of that time, who were more used to a predictable life of domesticity. Rather than doing the washing, Nancy was more interested in soaring through the outback skies, working out wind speeds and directions from the washing on people’s lines, while lining up to land on rabbit hole peppered paddocks. Nancy was Australia’s first commercial female pilot; her de Havilland Leopard Moth carried 3 people including the pilot, weighed 640 kg, at a speed of 137 mph for 715 miles at 21,500 ft.

Another memorial to Nancy Bird is the giant QANTAS A380 Airbus, that has every conceivable electronic and mechanical aid to navigation and aerodynamics. These devices are needed to launch this 560,000 kg leviathan into the sky, where it cruises 525 passengers at 677 mph, (1090 km/h) non stop for 9,400 miles at 43,000 ft altitude, without wandering from its set course. All this development happened in the lifetime of one person.

In this day we are easily dazzled by such examples of the ingenuity of mankind. We seem to overlook the fact that birds have been exhibiting technological aerodynamic attributes since the dawn of time. Birds have similar lifting devices, infinitely variable aerodynamic shapes, air brakes, high speed air intakes and other abilities that still dwarf the technical achievements of men. After all, it was the humble seagull that inspired R.J. Mitchell to develop the Spitfire’s elliptical wing, and the dainty hummingbird that puzzled scientists with its multi dimensional flight abilities.

It is interesting that Nancy’s surname includes the word Bird. The development of the aircraft is well documented; however, humanity in the main is confounded about the origin of the incredible information contained in a bird’s egg that holds more amazing technological aerodynamic information than an A320 Airbus. Now if the Airbus could lay an egg and reproduce itself – that would be amazing technology indeed!

Above all, it is the lady herself who inspires us more than anything, and as we enjoy the new highway now bypassing Kew, it is good to see the inspiration of Nancy Bird-Walton living on.

Alistair Welch – Johns River.

Australian towns have been well-documented in songs over the decades – Road to Gundagai, Tenterfield Saddler, Texas QLD 4385 – and in the lead up to the 2011 Tamworth Country Music Festival, ABC Radio is inviting Australians to pen a song about their town.

Your Town, Your Song is a national competition calling for lyrics that capture the essence of listeners’ home towns. The winning entry will be given star treatment with Golden Guitar winners Ian Quinn creating a melody and Felicity Urquhart recording the song, which will be broadcast across ABC Radio.

The competition launches on August 2 and runs through to September 30, with the winning entry announced in November.

The winning lyricist and a friend will kick up their heels at the 2011 Tamworth Country Music Festival, with flights, three nights accommodation and selected tickets (including seats at the Golden Guitar Awards) all taken care of. The winner will also be special guest at an exclusive ABC Radio concert during the Festival, where Saturday Night Country’s Felicity Urquhart will perform the song for the first time live onstage.

For more information on how to enter the competition go to www.abc.net.au/country

Momentum, a fascinating new exhibition has opened in the Glasshouse Regional Gallery. Momentum, 18th Tamworth Fibre Textile Biennial, is recognised as Australia’s preeminent textile-related exhibition and includes work from across the nation.

From the early 1970’s the Tamworth Fibre Textile Biennial has provided audiences with an exciting and vibrant survey exhibition of contemporary fibre textiles. Curator, Valerie Kirk, has put together an exhibition that looks at the influences new technologies have had on traditional fibre textile practice and how artists have combined their individual practice to incorporate new techniques.

“Artists are in a position to choose if and how to access high-tech materials and processes to enhance their work,” Valerie commented. “Textile artists work inventively because of the rapidly changing context of their world, pushing the boundaries and communicating through their original expressive forms. They challenge our perceptions and move forward into unknown territories” … “the strength of their work comes from the artist’s ability to respect tradition and history while engaging with the momentum of progress”

This is an exciting exhibition of new works that push the boundaries of traditional practice. There is an interesting mix of emerging and more established artists, all with fresh ideas and new approaches.

The exhibition is also offering unique hands-on experiences for the community through student and adult workshops. Local schools have already booked out the student workshops on offer however school tours are still available. In September adults can participate in a full-day workshop with fibre artist Louise Saxton where participants will create unique printing blocks from textile remnants and explore fabric printing, collage and assemblage techniques. Visit www.glasshouse.org.au for more information.

Artists: Christine Atkins, Babbarra Designs, Jane Bowden, Alana Clifton-Cunningham, Annabelle Collett, Fiona Gavino, Robyn Glade-Wright, Hilary Green, Mandy Gunn, Cecilia Heffer, Melissa Hirsch, Liz Jeneid, Jill Kinnear, Kelly Leonard, Rodney Love, Penny Malone, Elisa Markes-Young, Lucille Martin, Vicki Mason, Ainslie Murray, Debra Porch, Louise Saxton, Demelza Sherwood, Annie Trevillian, Elefteria Vlavianos.

Image caption: Christine Atkins, From the Heart I, 2007, Machine thread, wool felt, 1300mm x 1000mm x 100mm, Image credit: Shutterbug

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has commenced a formal review of the parking strategy this week with the launch of a community survey and online discussion forum.

The survey will be just one method Council uses to engage with the community and find out their expectations and experiences when it comes to parking. This information gathering will help direct Council’s revised strategy before it is taken back to the community.

“Since my arrival parking has been an issue raised frequently by the community and in light of those concerns I have given priority to the creation of a revised parking strategy”, says Councils Administrator Mr Gary Payne

Council adopted the existing car parking strategy on 1st December 2003 and according to Council’s Director of Environment and Planning Matt Rogers, only minor changes have been made since that time.

“Some adjustments have been made, however, given the changes in the population and economy since the adoption of the Strategy its currency is questionable” said Mr Rogers.

“Parking within the urban centres has a long history, with the primary focus being on the Port Macquarie CBD. In the years since the strategy was adopted Council has worked on significant planning initiatives in such as the Landuse Strategy 2030, the new Local Environmental Plan and Community Strategic Plan 2030.

“It is now time to review Councils parking strategy across the local government area to account for these initiatives and recent community concerns,” says Mr Rogers.

Preparation of the revised parking strategy will involve extensive consultation with the community including the initial community survey and online discussion, workshops and face to face sessions with members of Council’s Community Reference Group.

The survey can be completed from Council’s website www.pmhc.nsw.gov.au or hardcopies are available at Council offices and libraries. The website also provides background information and an overview of how and when the review is to be undertaken. The online discussion is available at www.pmhclistening.com.au/parking

The revised parking strategy is expected to be completed by March 2011.

Should you be investing your marketing dollars in social media and if so, what’s your strategy? These were the issues considered when local business representatives shared their experiences and expertise on social media at the recent Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce lunch marking the launch of their new website.

Delving into the world of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other forms of social media may seem daunting to businesses who have only engaged in traditional forms of marketing, but the speakers at the lunch demonstrated there are benefits to be had by engaging in some simple social media marketing techniques. They also proved that as a business owner or manager, you don’t have to be GenY to play in this space.

“There is so much attention on social media and it was something we as a local Chamber of Commerce considered when looking at how we engage our members into the future. Clearly a lot of businesses are trying to figure out whether an investment of time in social media will be worthwhile. For us, our strategy is to focus on other priorities such as our new website but we were keen to share information with other businesses to help them make informed decisions,” said Chamber Executive Officer, Liesa Davies.

According to statistics presented by Daniel Jordan, Director of Joyer, the internet now accounts for about 34 per cent of the media consumption pie and, marketing on-line and via social media can get great results. But his advice on the subject was clear – like any other marketing initiative, you’ll get the best results with a carefully considered strategy. “When you look at statistics on how much time people spend on-line compared to engagement through other traditional media you really can’t afford to ignore this market place. Additionally, when you delve into the next level, once on-line, the data indicates that social media sites such as Facebook are where people spend a lot of time,” Daniel said.

Increased sales, brand awareness, generation of customer confidence and referrals were among the list of benefits listed by local business representatives who spoke of their experience. Nicole Graham of Emergency ID Australia, an on-line retailer of emergency medical jewellery, now has 350 Facebook fans – generated in only 3 months since establishing a Facebook site. By Nicole’s reckoning, on the basis that the average Facebook user has 130 friends, there are now an additional 45,500 people connected in some form to her business.

For Jordan Humphries, Marketing and Functions Manager at Port City Bowling Club, using technology to reach her market is second nature and Facebook has enabled the Club to connect with a new audience in the local market place. For Kylie Biltris of Childish Photography, her blogging and Facebook presence is an important element of staying connected with clients and receiving referrals.

Businesses wanting to hear more about the discussions can find Daniel Jordan’s presentation on social media marketing and much more on the new Port Chamber website: www.portchamber.com.au.

The recent attack on the campaign signs of The Nationals Candidate for Lyne, Dr David Gillespie, has been referred to the police.

Dr David Gillespie said he was extremely disappointed by the ‘dirty tactics’ used by a person or persons in vandalising The Nationals campaign material and believed it to be part of a wider smear campaign.

“I am very disappointed that within 24 hours of the posters going up, our material has been targeted in this way,” Dr Gillespie said.

“Within that small space of time, the posters were vandalised, a complaint was made about the authorisation address on those posters (which was an inadvertent error and promptly fixed), and the local media contacted about this same matter in an obvious attempt to publicly discredit me and the campaign.

“One can only wonder who made the complaint and who defaced our material? That’s obviously a matter for the police to investigate.”

Dr Gillespie said everyone had a right to a point of view without being subjected to such dirty tactics from his opponents.

“I have wished all the other candidates well, I respect their right to similar and differing points of views. I am simply making a case to be our local representative and change the government,” he added.

The Country Energy Australian Surf Festival combines the Australian Longboard Titles, the Australian Surfmasters Titles and the Australian Stand Up Paddle Titles, expanding into a unique celebration of the Australian surf lifestyle. Don’t miss this great event and the best surfers across the nation, as they converge upon the wave-rich Port Macquarie region to contest with barrels, wipeouts and hang tens – which are sure to impress.

The Country Energy Australian Surf Festival returns in 2010 with an expanded Festival Program. Last year the festival included a surf art and photography exhibition, historical surfboard timeline, live music, surf film screenings and much more over two full weeks. This year is sure to impress.

KING TIDE + MOJO BLUESMEN

Friday 27 August @ 8.00pm.

Sydney band King Tide is what happens when a bunch of absurdly talented musos surrender to the Rasta beats of reggae. Several years and another album on the global appeal of King Tide’s infectious, high energy music has seen the ever popular band be the first Australian band to be signed to prestigious UK record label, Urban Sedated.

Don’t miss the rare opportunity to witness King Tide’s masterful sounds, which will be hitting the stage at the 2010 Australian Surf Festival.

> THE MOJO BLUESMEN

The Mojo Bluesmen, made up of Kiam Adcock and Tim Everett are a busking duo whose passion for taking the original blues to people in the street, has seen them travel Australia wide as free spirits, promoting their unique musical style.

The popular pair from the Mid North Coast of New South Wales will share their inspiration, achievements, ambitions and dreams with audiences at this year’s Australian Surf Festival.

To hear a sample of the Mojo Bluesmen, go to www.myspace.com/mojobluesmen

King Tide and the Mojo Bluesmen will be performing as part of the Country Energy Australian Surf Festival at the Glasshouse.

Note: the bar will be open from 7.00pm.

DATE: Fri 27th Aug – 8:00pm.

VENUE: Main Theatre

PRICE: $17.50

> REG MOMBASSA: SELECTED WORKS

Mombassa, aka Chris O’Doherty, will present a diverse selection of his art practice as well as a number of surf wear designs.

O’Doherty explores the Australian psyche through his use of religious and political content and themes of popular culture. The use of colour and wickedly absurd humour are now synonymous with O’Doherty’s work and the Australian surfing culture.

Complementing O’Doherty’s eclectic art will be a selection of vintage and retro surfboards from the extensive collection of Mark Ingleby from Coffs Harbour’s Emerald Beach.

Joining Mombassa at the Glasshouse will be the screenings of ‘Going Vertical – The Shortboard Revolution’ and Tim Bonython’s ‘Sessions 2’.

‘Going Vertical’ was filmed in various world locations and features extraordinary archival footage of surf legends of the past four decades, as well as the hottest surfers today.

Set to a pumping soundtrack, ‘Going Vertical’

is the story of an era, of a revolution and the extraordinary characters who made it happen.

‘Sessions 2’ will expose punters to some of Australia’s best fearless surfers, taking on what we mortals would think as pure craziness.