NBN rollout to reach Cairns within a year!!!

29/03/2012 — The Rock News

The rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) will reach Cairns’ city suburbs within the next year, with work to start in other areas of Cairns within three years.

Cairns Regional Council has welcomed this morning’s announcement that Cairns will feature in the next phase of optical fibre rollout by NBN Co and the Federal Government.

“This is fantastic news for all residents of this region,” Council CEO Lyn Russell said.

“The rollout will provide a major boost to employment and business activity, which will feed into other areas of the regional economy.”

Council’s Economic Development and Innovation Manager Fiona Wilson said the NBN represented the next generation in broadband technology and services for business and residential consumers.

“The NBN will bring opportunities for Cairns and Far North Queensland businesses to explore new ways to do business – such as online sales or eCommerce, sophisticated online marketing to the rest of the world, and online collaboration with other businesses using high-speed and high-quality video conferencing and transfer of documents,” Ms Wilson said.

“For residential consumers, the NBN means opportunities to use online health services, access to high-quality online education and resources, and new entertainment options. It effectively means the removal of the digital divide between FNQ and capital cities.”

Work is set to start within the next 12 months on the fibre optic network in the Cairns suburbs of Bungalow, Cairns City, Cairns North, Manunda, Mount Sheridan, Parramatta Park, Portsmith, Westcourt and White Rock.

The network will then roll out to Bayview Heights, Bentley Park, Brinsmead, Clifton Beach, Earlville, Edge Hill, Edmonton, Freshwater, Gordonvale, Holloways Beach, Kewarra Beach, Machans Beach, Palm Cove, Redlynch, Smithfield, Stratford, Trinity Beach, Trinity Park, Whitfield and Woree. Work will start in these areas between December 2013 and December 2014.

Once the infrastructure is delivered, consumers in the optical fibre rollout areas will be able to buy high-speed broadband services with download speeds of up to 100 Mbps from their service provider of choice.

Council and NBN Co will provide more information to building owners closer to the rollout.

The inclusion of Cairns in this latest announcement is an acknowledgement of the work by FNQ Regional Organisation of Councils, including Cairns Regional Council, in working with NBN Co to demonstrate the benefits of building the network in the Far North.

“The forthcoming rollout is just the first step in the program and more activity will follow in future years,” Ms Wilson said.

“We have been working toward this for a long time and we look forward to further rollout throughout the Cairns region and the rest of Far North Queensland.”

For more information on the NBN rollout or the services that will be available, visit www.nbnco.com.au or call 1800 881 816. Visit the website for information on tender and employment opportunities associated with the roll-out.

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Rob Pyne’s chance meeting with life saver!

12/03/2012 — The Rock News

Laura Packham, Monday, March 12, 2012 © The Cairns Post

Fate or coincidence? Either way, when Cr Rob Pyne knocked on Barry O’Brien’s door recently, he was stunned to come face-to-face with the man who helped save his life 21 years ago.

Remember me?: Cr Rob Pyne met Barry O’Brien, who helped save his life when he broke his neck 21 years ago, while campaigning for re-election. Picture: MARC McCORMACK

Remember me?: Cr Rob Pyne met Barry O’Brien, who helped save his life when he broke his neck 21 years ago, while campaigning for re-election. Picture: MARC McCORMACK

Cr Pyne was doorknocking at White Rock as part of his local government re-election campaign.

It was the first time the pair had met since the accident, which left Cr Pyne a quadriplegic.

“He opened the door and said, ‘You wouldn’t remember me, but my son and I were fishing and we came to help you the day you broke your neck’,” Cr Pyne said.

“It was 21 years ago and was a bit of a haze, so I certainly didn’t recognise him.”

Mr O’Brien was equally astonished by the chance meeting and said he still had the tinnie he used in the rescue.

“I’ve never spoken to him from the day it happened,” Mr O’Brien said.

“I thought he may not want to relive the whole thing and have it bang around in his mind, so I just left it.”

Cr Pyne had been sailing with his now wife, Jenny, and her parents on Trinity Inlet on December 1, 1991, when he dived from the boat into shallow water.

“I was overcome by the heat and I dived into the water, only to hit my head on a sandbank,” he said.

“I floated face down in the water, unable to breathe, and I was rolled onto my back, with paralysis taking over my limbs.

“My hand came over into my face and from that second on I knew things had changed – it felt like someone else’s hand.”

Mr O’Brien said the event was something he was never likely to forget.

Mr O’Brien had been fishing with his seven-year-old son on Trinity Inlet, when he noticed what he thought was a boat in distress.

“When we arrived, Rob was in the water and the tide was coming in,” he said.

After trying to pull the man on to his tinnie, Mr O’Brien used a spare sail to try to roll Cr Pyne on to the deck of the other boat.

“He was a fairly big lad but we got the sail under him and rolled him on to the deck – he was in a terrible amount of pain and he was screaming out.”

Mr O’Brien then travelled back to the channel and flagged down a trawler to radio for help.

Mr Pyne said he was deeply grateful to Mr O’Brien and was proud there were people like him in the community who ould not think twice about helping a stranger.

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White Rock School Safety Fence, Pathway and Coffee Club!

07/03/2012 — The Rock News

Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt and Councillor Rob Pyne met yesterday to inspect a joint State/Council project delivered at White Rock State School addressing a known local issue, drain safety!

New fencing has been erected to reduce the drowning risk for children attending the new White Rock Kindergarten.

Cr. Pyne said, “The Dillon Close drain runs beside the school and carries significant stormwater from Mt Sheridan. The drain is usually empty, which can create complacency, but locals know when a storm comes the drain has a very fast and deep flow.”

“I will sleep a little better knowing the fence has gone in.”

Sandy, who is in charge of the Kindy was also pleased with the outcome and stopped for a picture.

While Curtis and Rob were there, Council Officers, John and Dallas were laying down a small section of concrete pathway on the opposite side of Progress Road and taking levels to adress a drainage issue. Looking after the school community remains priority number one!

The MP and Councillor made it back to the school at 2:30pm to catch up with parents at the school’s Coffee Club, which is held on Tuesday afternoons at then school.

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New Basketball Courts and Tennis Courts for White Rock!

28/02/2012 — The Rock News

Member for Mulgrave, Curtis Pitt, has joined Local Councillor Rob Pyne, in an effort to ensure White Rock residents are not disadvantaged by the loss of Bak Park which has been earmarked for compulsory acquisition by the Department of Transport and Main Roads. 

Mr Pitt wrote to Minister for Main Roads, Craig Wallace, to highlight the strong sense of community ownership of the park and expressed his concern that the residents would lose a valuable community resource.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads has a requirement for the property and to pay compensation. Mr. Pitt said, “Although small in size, Bak Park has played a big part in the lives of many local residents and has long been a focal point for recreational activity for young people in the area – particularly those who play tennis and basketball.”

Mr. Pitt said, “When the property is acquired for the highway upgrade,  the Council would be entitled to compensation from the State Government to relocate the facilities to a new location for the benefit of the local community.”

Mr. Pitt concluded, “Compensation would be paid to the Council, however it would be Council’s responsibility to decide how that compensation is used. White Rock residents need an assurance that facilities will be replaced like-for-like or to a better standard in their local area, and not moved elsewhere.”

Councillor Rob Pyne has called on Mayor Val Schier and Council Officers to commit to move the facilities to Khalu Park and Reys Park in White Rock. He said, “Curtis and I agree that Khalu Park, named in honour of the respected local family would be a suitable location to receive attention from any state-funded upgrade.”

Cr Pyne said, “Public consultation would then need to be undertaken with local residents to seek their views on providing new courts at Reys Park or Khalu Park.”

In conclusion, Cr. Pyne said, “I want a commitment from the Mayor on this. Once we have that, I believe the state government may even consider funding the new courts prior to the resumption of Bak Park.”

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White Rock kindergarten celebrates opening!

27/01/2012 — The Rock News

The new kindergarten service at the White Rock State School was officially opened today.

Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt said the $1.3 million service was funded and built by the Bligh Government as part of a major initiative to improve access to kindergarten programs for Queenslanders.

“This is a significant investment in early childhood education in the White Rock area,” Mr Pitt said.

“This new service was originally scheduled to open in 2013 but was fast tracked to ensure more children in the southern corridor benefit earlier from a quality early childhood education.

“The service is operated by C&K and is part of our government’s commitment to provide extra kindergarten services in areas of need by 2014 to help give Queensland children a flying start to life.

Mr Pitt said the White Rock C&K Community Kindergarten caters for 44 children and has the capacity to offer two kindergarten programs delivered by an early childhood teacher for 15 hours each week.

“This service helps to meet the high demand for early childhood education services in this area.

“It offers parents and children the full range of educational facilities in one convenient location on the state school site.”

“This continues our commitment to deliver universal access to kindergarten programs for children in the year prior to Prep,” he said.

“A total of 108 extra services are planned to be established under this initiative by the end of 2012 with the locations for a further 13 services confirmed to open in 2013 on Catholic school sites.”

Mr Pitt said the Queensland and Australian governments had committed to increasing the percentage of four-year-olds participating in a kindergarten program to 95 per cent by mid-2013.

“Sixty nine per cent of kindy-aged children were enrolled in a kindergarten program in 2011 which exceeded our target of 65 per cent for the year, “he said.

C&K chief executive Barrie Elvish said kindergarten provided children with socialisation skills, early learning and numeracy skills which help to set their path for the ongoing learning journey through school.

“C&K is excited to be part of this significant project,” Mr Elvish said.

Cr. Rob Pyne also welcomed the opening saying, “Well done to the State Government and thank you to Curtis Pitt for bringing this kindergarten online 12 months earlier than the Department had scheduled it. It is a great result for White Rock!”

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