June 13, 2017
It’s been terrific visiting new parts of the extended Nanango Electorate, and I was thrilled to head to Goomeri on the last Sunday in May to take part in the legendary Pumpkin Roll at the annual Pumpkin Festival.
It was an amazing day, with massive crowds, lots of food and pumpkin rolling, all put on by a wonderful community and many volunteers.
The Pumpkin Festival – which celebrated its 21st birthday this year – is a one-of-a-kind event that has really put Goomeri on the map.
But I doubt many people realise just how much hard work goes in to put it together each year, and how many volunteers are needed to make sure it all runs like clockwork.
I’d like to congratulate Kym Boyter and her committee for such a successful day – well done!
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Swickers Workers Back … At Last!
I think everyone in the South Burnett would agree that it is great to have all the Swickers workers back in Kingaroy.
Everyone involved has made such a huge effort to ensure Swickers had every chance of getting back on its feet, and it was a big ask for people to live away for six months.
I know there are many families who will finally be able to get back to normal family life!
Local small businesses had been feeling the impact of so many workers being out of town, too, so it will be an exciting time to have all the workers back on site here in Kingaroy and to start this new chapter in Swickers history.
A big thumbs up to the Swickers management team, who have done an extraordinary job to get where they are just six months after the fire.
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St John’s Just Keeps Growing
Congratulations to St John’s Lutheran School on their growing educational facility.
It was a pleasure to attend the official opening of the school’s new administration block last month with Federal Member for Maranoa David Littleproud and Principal Helen Folker, school captains Chloe Wilks and Zayne Jensen (and many more).
I know the school’s administration and P&F work very hard, and St John’s have expanded their school quite a lot over the past decade.
Their new admin block is just the latest addition to this ever-growing campus – well done!
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Tim Nicholls Tempted At Kingaroy Show
The Kingaroy Show is always a fantastic event, and I had a lot of fun at this year’s Show on May 6.
The Show was also a great opportunity to welcome Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls to our region and introduce him to many wonderful members of our community, like the Kingaroy CWA ladies who tempted him with one of their famous Devonshire Teas.
Tim was also very honoured to officially open the Show.
I’d like to thank Cliff Seiler and his team for doing our community proud.
The amount of work the South Burnett Show Society put into this event is awesome.
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New Electorate Boundaries Confirmed
Recent changes to Queensland’s state electorate boundaries are now complete.
The changes mean that the entire South Burnett Regional Council area, as well as some western parts of the Gympie Regional Council area, have been realigned into the Nanango Electorate.
This is the first time in decades that the entire South Burnett has been in one electorate.
While I’ll miss representing some parts of the former Rosalie Shire and Crows Nest that I’ve been looking after since I was first elected, I’m sure my LNP colleagues will step into my shoes.
In the same fashion, I’ll do my best to step into Jeff Seeney’s shoes in the northern parts of the South Burnett that have been added to the Nanango electorate, and to work just as hard for their interests as I have elsewhere in our region.
Here is a link to the new map (2.5Mb PDF)
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Big Day At Burrandowan
You just can’t beat a country race day, and one of the best is the Burrandowan Picnic Races.
Burrandowan had perfect weather this year and a great crowd.
This must have been a great relief to the organisers, given that it rained a bit in Kingaroy on race day morning.
Well done to Carolyn Stone and her committee!
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Have Your Say And Win A Garden Pack!
I’ve recently launched an online Facebook survey for residents of the Nanango Electorate – and one lucky participant will win a $300 wheelbarrow garden pack, put together by local business Airds Hardware.
I want to better understand what the current issues are for people living in our region, and what you believe needs to be done to make it an even better place to live.
The survey is fairly short and should only take a few minutes to complete – just click here!
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Rewarding 40 Years Of JP Service
It was a pleasure to meet Mr Edward Guy of Blackbutt recently to present him with a certificate recognising 40 year’s service to the community as a Justice of the Peace.
It is the silent achievers like Mr Guy who support our communities and make our region a great place to live, work and raise a family.
[Photos: Nanango Electorate Office]
