Cr Danita Potter
The South Burnett Regional Council will back the RSPCA’s annual state-wide desexing drive “Operation Wanted” because it plays an important role in helping reduce unwanted litters.
Communities portfolio chair Cr Danita Potter told last week’s SBRC meeting the program, which will run from June 1 to August 31 this year, offers incentives to pet owners to have their pets desexed.
Incentives start with a 20 per cent discount on desexing at participating local vets.
But everyone who desexes a pet in the program will also go into the draw for a chance to win a Harley Davidson motorcycle (1st prize), a pet friendly 7 day beach holiday (2nd prize), a $500 RSPCA World for Pets Superstore Voucher (3rd prize) or one of twenty-six $200 vet vouchers.
Last year a South Burnett pet owner won the major incentive prize, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, Cr Potter said.
Participating South Burnett vets can be found on the Operation Wanted website.
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The SBRC’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Management Advisory Committee received six applications for the fourth round of this year’s RADF grants program, and approved five of them when it met late last month.
The successful applicants were:
- Butt Arts Gallery Inc – $1600 for a charcoal drawing workshop for beginners and experienced artists, led by Noel Lanes
- Butt Arts Gallery Inc – $1150 for a Family Art and Fun Weekend at the Blackbutt Memorial Hall
- Kirsten Butters – $2184 for “Good Old Fashioned Gratification”
- South Burnett Chorale – $495 for a conducting workshop
- South Burnett Woodcrafters Inc – $1190 for a course in specialist woodturning techniques
The committee rejected an application for an event planned for Tingoora State School because it did not meet RADF guidelines, but encouraged the applicant to apply under the Council’s Community Assistance Grants program, which will open in July.
The committee also accepted a report on this year’s Heritage Bank Nanango Film Festival, and voted to donate the proceeds of the festival’s Gala Charity night to the Lynda Geiger Young Mums Program.
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Cr Potter told last week’s Council meeting the SBRC is now preparing its bid for Arts Queensland to secure RADF funding for 2016-17.
Arts Queensland will be revising its funding guidelines and application process in 2016-17, and Cr Potter said she was excited about where the review might take the RADF in the future.
The RADF program has drawn criticism in past years for being too narrow, but may broaden its funding criteria in the future.
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The region’s libraries have been very busy over the last month.
National Simultaneous Story Time was held in late May, and the South Burnett’s five libraries joined 3000 other libraries nation-wide to read this year’s chosen book “I Got This Hat” by Kate and Jol Temple.
Afterwards, the 170 children who attended the event got to make and decorate their own pirate hat to take home.
Another NSST session held at Kingaroy’s Memorial Park for under 8’s by the First 5 Forever co-ordinator was attended by a further 35 children.
And this month, Kingaroy hosted a visit by talking book narrator Stig Weymss, with more than 600 of the region’s children attending the two shows Stig gave at Kingaroy Town Hall.
The SBRC will also be bidding farewell to Proston librarian Margaret Westermann, who will be retiring soon after 17 years at the Proston Library.
Recently 100 community members gathered at the Proston Hall for a morning tea to celebrate the years of service she has given the Proston district.
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Kingaroy Library is now offering local artists the opportunity to exhibit their works on the library walls for a one month period.
The library sent word to the local arts community, and bookings are already filled to June 2017.
Kingaroy library visitors will be able to vote for a People’s Choice award each month.
