Archive for the Cairns Regional Council Category

« Older Entries

Name the Sugarworld slides at official opening on Sunday!

Posted in Bentley Park, Cairns, Cairns Regional Council with tags , on 25/02/2012 by The Rock News

The challenge is going out to Sugarworld visitors to name the new slides at the revamped water park.  

The official opening will be held this Sunday, February 26, at which time visitors will be able to use the brand new Kids Interactive Play System (KIPS) for the first time.

“The original slides had great names, like the Banana Bender, and now its up to visitors of the park to come up with some new names,” Mayor Val Schier said.

“The three large slides, including a four-person mat racer, have proved very popular since the park re-opened in December. Now a set of smaller slides will be open for the younger visitors.”

Cr Schier will officially open the water park at 11am on Sunday, after the first of four two-hour slide sessions to maximise public access to the facility.

“Each two-hour session will be limited to 600 visitors, meaning up to 2400 people will get to use water park on Sunday,” Cr Schier said.

Face painting, a barbecue and entertainment will add to the fun between 11.15am and 2pm.

Division 2 Councillor Nancy Lanskey said she hoped to see lots of creative ideas for the slides’ names.

“We want the slides to be named by the people who are using them – and I’m sure there are lots of good ideas out there,” she said.

“But you do have to be at the park on Sunday to enter, so we hope to see everyone there.”

Winners of the slide name competition will each receive a family pass to Sugarworld.

Entry to Sugarworld Waterpark on Sunday is $5 per person, with sessions from 9am-11am, 11.30am-1.30pm, 2pm-4pm and 4.30pm-6.30pm. All patrons will be required to leave the park at the conclusion of each session. Pre-bookings are encouraged and can be made by contacting Sugarworld.

Patrons need to be at least 110cm in height to use the main slides.

During March, twilight sessions from 4pm-7pm will be held on Thursdays and Fridays, along with a KIPS/pools only Friday morning session for young children.

For more information on Sugarworld Waterpark, visit www.sugarworld.com.au

Media are invited to attend Sunday’s official opening, which will include the unveiling of a plaque.

HOME

Leave A Comment »

CAIRNS Festival producer Eric Holowacz has quit.

Posted in Cairns, Cairns Regional Council with tags , on 24/02/2012 by The Rock News

By Jesse Kuch in The Cairns Post

Festival producer Eric Holowacz has quit, citing budget cuts, the shutting down of Festival HQ and a lack of management support behind the decision.

The shock move puts a cloud over this year’s event, one of the biggest annual celebrations in the city.

Last year’s 17-day festival in August attracted an audience of about 110,000 people with an economic impact of more than $5 million for the region across 106 events.

Mr Holowacz said after such successful 2010 and 2011 events, including last year’s Cairns Festival 50th anniversary celebration, it was a shame Cairns Regional Council had cut support for the city’s flagship community and cultural festival.

“Given the decreasing internal council support for the festival and the good work of our small team, it was the right time to move on,” Mr Holowacz toldThe Cairns Post.

“I just didn’t have the energy to keep fighting for decent resources, program support, community engagement ideas, and a more co-operative work environment.”

Eric Holowacz Pic. Francis Brendan

Eric Holowacz Pic. Francis Brendan

The Cairns Festival 2011 Evaluation Report, released last year, shows Cairns Festival’s 2011 event ran $131,760 over its projected budget of $606,313.

“Recent budget adjustments have diminished capacity in the current fiscal year, and will impact seasonal staffing, technical production, marketing, and scope of events for the 2012 festival,” the report said.

The council’s Community, Sport and Cultural Services general manager Ian Lowth declined to comment on Mr Holowacz’s resignation.

But he said “Cairns Festival has always been a team effort and a combination of internal and contracted staff will work together to ensure the 2012 festival goes ahead without disruption”.

“The budget for the 2012 Cairns Festival remains in the vicinity of $600,000,” Mr Lowth said.

“As in all areas of council at the introduction of the last budget, reductions in operating costs have needed to be implemented.

“This is not expected to impact on the quality of the festival, as it is more aimed towards increasing efficiencies and streamlining operations throughout council as a whole.”

He also addressed the closure of Festival HQ in City Place.

“When the botanic gardens visitor centre was completed, the festival team joined their branch colleagues in the new offices,” Mr Lowth said.

Mr Holowacz said he planned to stay in the region to “develop a few new projects for Far North Queensland into the near future”.

Among Mr Holowacz’s accomplishments are the Opening Notes project, the Man vs Fascinator exhibition, free concerts and film events at Fogarty Park.

By Jesse Kuch in The Cairns Post

HOME

1 Comment »

National Year of Reading 2012 in Cairns!

Posted in Cairns, Cairns Regional Council with tags , on 23/02/2012 by The Rock News

The National Year of Reading is a project joining public libraries, government, community groups, media and commercial partners, and of course the public.

This year you will see a whole heap of amazing, fun, reading activities taking place here in Cairns, around Australia and online.

HOME

Leave A Comment »

‘The True Spirit of Cyclone Yasi’ book launch and SES Fundraiser at the Cairns Gold Club on Friday!

Posted in Woree, Cairns Regional Council, Cairns with tags , on 21/02/2012 by The Rock News

From: Lisa Robbie:

The SES is a volunteer organisation that exists to help our local communities in times of emergency and disaster.  SES volunteers care about their communities and are not paid for the great work that they do, furthermore, they do much of their own fundraising to keep their volunteer service running.

Each year the SES receives thousands of calls for assistance.  One day it might be you.  Please come along and show your support for these SES volunteers who provide such a valuable and important service for us all.

All it will take is $15 & 2 hours out of your Friday evening to come along, enjoy a welcome drink and cocktail nibbles while you look over the beautiful golf course, hear from our own Mayor Val Schier, and ABC Far North’s Fiona Sewell and Phil Staley who went above and beyond to bring us the stories from the Yasi affected community.

The Official Launch of the book, “The True Spirit of Cyclone Yasi” will complement the night.  Meet the six local Cairns contributors, the book’s creator Bernadette Lawson and many of the SES volunteers who gave their time to help those families affected by Yasi.

Bernadette created this beautiful 192 page full colour book to inspire people with ways they can help in the event of disaster, and to assist the healing in those who are still coming to terms with their loss and grief in the wake of Yasi.

Books are $30 and 10% is donated directly back to families who are still struggling one year on.

Tickets and Books are available at:
SHEDSONE, Rodda St, Bungalow – 4041 3303
COMPOUND, 78 Grafton St, Cairns – 4051 3616
WESTPAC, Lake St, Cairns (BOOKS ONLY)
Or you can contact Lisa Robbie on 0402 210 330

Many thanks to Cairns Golf Club who have thrown their support behind this Fundraiser and Launch and have generously sponsored the event.

Please feel free to forward this flier & information.

HOME

Leave A Comment »

Holland Demands “Democratic reform in Cairns Regional Council”.

Posted in Cairns Regional Council, Cairns with tags , on 21/02/2012 by The Rock News

We support this request by Geoff Holland for increased Transparency and Accountability on Council:

Lyn Russell, CEO
Cairns Regional Council

Dear CEO,

Some may wonder what all the fuss is about re Register of Interests and Gifts (Campaign Donations) Register. 

Many people feel that some developers have undue influence in Council by making significant donations to Councillors who then vote and act on their behalf, where a conflict of interest is not recognised, and the democratic process is compromised and weakened.

This forms part of a bigger picture where policy and community development lacks adequate Community Engagement, and is detemined by a Corporate Agenda, rather than the Corporate Agenda working with, and serving the needs of the Community Agenda.  Development options may be ignored because decision-making is skewed to benefit the  self-interest of a range of corporations, developers and (large) businesses, directly and through their representative organisations.

1. CRC CEO says that campaign donations from last election do not have to go up on the CRC website because they do not have to.  The question is whether we really need to go to State Govt. or whether CRC can go beyond the minimum requirements given support by the majority of Councillors.

2. Another issue is that some Councillors and other candidates are members of a team.  That team may have received Campaign Donations which are not reflected in the Gift (Campaign Donations) Register, yet the candidate would most likely have benefitted from these Campaign Donations.  If a loophole can be found, the loophole will be used.  This is one such loophole.

I suggest campaign donations to a team have equal proportional allocation to each Team Member.  For example $100,000 campaign donations to a team of 10 candidates means each candidate needs to declare $10,000 (but also list the entire campaign donations to the team).

3. We need to verify whether the Register of Interests on the CRC website reflects total interests or merely CHANGES to one’s Register of Interests.  If it merely reflects CHANGES to one’s Register of Interests, then the whole CRC exercise of putting this information onthe website is a bit cynical.

Some Councillor’s Register of Interests apperas to reflect only their changes, not their full declaration of interests.

Getting reforms happening in CRC is like pushing a sitting elephant.  It would be nice if CRC was a little proactive instead of appearing resistant to change, reform and greater accountability and transparency.

Geoff Holland.

Leave A Comment »

« Older Entries