April 14, 2016
A defibrillator donated by Murgon’s Baptist Church to the town’s residents may soon be available to anyone using Murgon’s CBD.
At the Murgon Business and Development Association’s (MBDA) March meeting, members heard from Bob and Kerry Baldwin the church had raised money to purchase a defibrillator for the town, and wanted the MBDA’s help to get it placed in the CBD.
Defibrillators deliver a therapeutic dose of electrical energy to the heart which helps restore its normal rhythm when it’s beating too quickly or slowly, or when someone has suffered cardiac arrest.
Studies have shown that prompt access to a defibrillator can save the lives of almost 4 in 10 people suffering a heart attack, and as many as 6 in 10 suffering irregular heartbeats.
The meeting was told that for maximum effectiveness, the machine needed to be somewhere that could be easily accessed in case of an emergency.
“There is one in Goomeri and this is housed outside the Fire Station,” Bob said.
The meeting was told the machine was virtually foolproof – it would not work if a patient’s condition wasn’t suitable for defibrillation.
In addition to paying for the machine, the church will also fund the machine’s servicing for two years after it’s installed.
The meeting also heard Murgon’s Local Ambulance Committee was willing to conduct CPR training courses for a gold coin donation.
The MBDA felt a good place to house the machine would be in a sheltered box outside the Visitor Information Centre in Lamb Street, and will take the matter up with Council.
MBDA president Leo Geraghty thanked the Murgon Baptist Church for their generous donation.
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Moreton Resources CEO Jason Elks addressed the meeting about his company’s proposal to build an open cut coal mine near Kingaroy, providing the company receives approval to do so.
Mr Elks told the meeting that if approved, the mine would use the latest technology and this would address a number of concerns raised by the Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group at a public meeting held in Kingaroy on February 10.
Mr Elks said he believed the mine would lead to new employment opportunities in the region.
Later in the meeting, Mr Elks’ company donated the cost of bringing former Murgon Mustangs footballer Gavin Cooper back to Murgon with the NRL trophy in late March.
Mr Elks also booked several tables at a special dinner to honour Gavin Cooper at the South Burnett PCYC, which had been organised by local businessman Mark Smith.
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Murgon State High School’s Principal also addressed the MBDA meeting to report he expects 65 students to graduate from Year 12 this year, a number that will be 15 per cent higher than last year.
However, only 30-40 per cent are likely to go on to higher education, while the remainder will prefer to move into full-time work.
Because of this, the High School is currently developing an in-school program to help senior students get job ready when they leave.
A representative from the school will be looking in on Murgon businesses soon to discuss what the school can do to help students choose careers.
He told the meeting a new building is also being built at Murgon State High School, thanks to a State Government grant.
It will be used by the Clontarf Foundation, which offers support and guidance for young indigenous males to help them connect better with the school.
The school is now looking for funding to provide a parallel program to assist girls.
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A fishing competition held at Bjelke-Petersen Dam in February was a great success and attracted a record number of entrants, the MBDA was told.
However there is no news on any sale of the former Murgon Meatworks site at present, and any rumours to the contrary are incorrect.
Meanwhile, work on the Murgon-Kingaroy Rail Trail is progressing steadily and the Murgon Men’s Shed – which occupies the former Murgon railway station – are waiting for carriages to arrive so they can begin developing Murgon’s railhead as part of the project.
Finally, a joint fundraising day for the Burrumbuttock Hay Run held at both the Murgon Bowls Club and the Murgon Golf Club in late February was very well supported.
It raised $25,000 for the drought relief project that has since seen several South Burnett crews join a 140km long convoy to Ilfracombe to deliver hay and other supplies to drought-stricken farmers in Western Queensland.
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