April 7, 2014
The Kingaroy Show was on the brink of losing its entire sideshow alley in 2011, Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry members heard on Monday night.
The surprise revelation was made by South Burnett National Show Society President Cliff Seiler at the KCCI’s latest Meet & Greet which was held at the Kingaroy Showgrounds
Mr Seiler said that when he and his committee took over running the show that year, returns for sideshow operators had fallen so low that if the 2011 Kingaroy Show hadn’t been a success, the operators told the society they’d stop coming in future.
But the new committee gave the show a major makeover that year and it was a raging success. Subsequent shows have only grown bigger.
Mr Seiler said 2011 marked such a turning point in the Show Society’s fortunes that last year’s sideshow alley was “the biggest the show has ever seen”.
In the past three years the group has also been undertaking major renovations at the showgrounds; forming a newer, more streamlined management group; and forging friendly working arrangements with all the different groups who use the facility.
Over time, as funds permit, it has also been refurbishing buildings and upgrading electrical systems and other facilities.
While he and junior president Gary Barron felt there was still a way to go, Mr Seiler said the committee was confident that within a few years the entire community would be genuinely proud of the Kingaroy Showgrounds.
Mr Seiler said he was looking forward to this Saturday’s Kingaroy Show Ball, which will crown 2014’s Miss Kingaroy Showgirl and Rural Ambassador, and the upcoming Kingaroy Show in May.
“We decided back in 2011 that we should bring the show back to basics,” he said.
“We’ve been focussing hard on introducing new things and also making it family friendly, and the changes we’ve made seem to be striking a real chord with the community.”
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Queensland businesses have a wide scope for enhancing their online retail and e-commerce capabilities, KCCI members heard tonight.
Roger Gorrel, from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ), said the group’s most recent study of the digital marketplace found that 60 per cent of Queensland businesses now receive between 1 and 10 per cent of their revenues through online sales.
And while nearly all companies (94 per cent) are optimistic the digital economy will open new opportunities for their business, 58.4 per cent rely on external specialists to manage their online presence and worry over potential skill shortages in the future.
These findings come from the CCIQ’s 2013 Digital Readiness Study which can be downloaded from the CCIQ’s website (708kb PDF)
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Mental health support group Pathway 2 Hope would like people to volunteer to sit on its management board.
Pathway 2 Hope founder Kay Hibbs said the group hopes to become self-supporting in the future and would also welcome any donations that would assist them in their long-term aim of acquiring their own property.
Donations can be made at the group’s new premises at 30 King Street in Kingaroy or through the group’s website
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The second annual South Burnett Red Boots Ride will be held on Sunday, July 27, to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House.
KCCI President Rod Steele said last year’s motorcycle ride raised $4200 – $1700 more than originally thought – and this year he wanted to expand it to include cars and possibly even cyclists.
The ride will leave Murgon on the Sunday morning and make its way to the Bunya Mountains for lunch, before returning to Kingaroy in the late afternoon.
Registration fees to join the ride are $25, and anyone who’d like to become involved is very welcome to email him for more details.
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Nanango’s Country Focus community newspaper now reaches at least 8500 readers from Benarkin to Tingoora every fortnight, publisher Ross Towell told the meeting.
The seven-year-old newspaper prints 9700 copies and employs local people to handle its home delivery. It has subscribers all over Australia and in several foreign countries, and reaches 8500 South Burnett residents.
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CROW-FM 90.7 will be holding an on-air auction on Friday morning, April 11, to raise funds for Murgon’s dual amputee Shona Muckert, Mayor Wayne Kratzmann told KCCI members.
The mayor said local fundraising to allow Shona to undergo surgery which will enable her to walk again had so far raised $70,000, which was “an incredible effort”.
The CROW-FM on-air auction is designed to generate a final funding push.
The Mayor said he would be participating in the auction himself, and he encouraged as many local businesses as possible to get involved.
Pledges of donations of goods or services can be phoned through to CROW-FM on (07) 4169-0700 or emailed to the radio station.
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Mayor Kratzmann also confirmed this evening that South Burnett Directions will be organising region-wide business awards later this year.
The awards will recognise excellence in business performance and will be open to businesses of all types and sizes.
Nominees will be required to undergo a detailed assessment process. Details about this will be made available in the next few months.
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The next KCCI Meet & Greet will be held in the Bunya Mountains on June 2 for the opening of Lyrics Restaurant.
A $5 per head bus will be leaving the Glendon Street Bus Depot at 5:00pm and returning at around 9:00pm, President Rod Steele said.
Further details about the meeting will be forwarded to KCCI members in due course.
[UPDATED with correction]
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