July 26, 2018
It is wonderful to see the Year 4 and 5 students of Blackbutt State School have finally got a new classroom.
In 2016, I visited Blackbutt SS, and saw first-hand how difficult and cramped the conditions were in several of the classrooms.
The old, demountable-style classroom block had to go, and I wrote to the Education Department requesting urgent consideration of funding.
It was great news when $250,000 was secured in June 2017 to make the upgrades a reality, and the wide smiles at the official opening last month showed how happy the students and teachers are in their new surroundings.
It’s also a boost for the Blackbutt community and demonstrates that children from our region deserve the best facilities available.
Congratulations must go to Principal Gayle Williamson on her work to bring this to fruition.
The new Year 4 and 5 classroom has air-conditioning, is colourful and modern, and I know the students and teachers will excel in this fantastic learning environment.
* * *
Under 35kg Rugby League Carnival
Hundreds of people descended on Kingaroy during the school holidays for the annual week long Under 35kg Rugby League carnival.
The event was fantastic for the region and involved nine teams from across Zone 5, from Cunnamulla to Wynnum!
To represent the region, all players had to be born in 2008/09 and weigh under 35kg.
This was the first time the South Burnett has hosted the carnival during its 49-year history and I must congratulate Scott Prendergast and Karl Braithwaite, who did a great job organising the event.
* * *
Proston State School at Parliament
I always enjoy hosting students from my local schools when they tour Parliament House in Brisbane.
This month the Year Ten students from Proston State School dropped in as part of their Careers Camp, along with their teacher Nick Blanch.
They were a great group with firm ideas for their future, and it was a pleasure to show them round the building.
* * *
Grab A Reusable Bag
The deadline for single-use plastic bags started on July 1, and I know it caught many shoppers by surprise.
So I’d like to thank SupaIGA in Kingaroy where I recently spent an afternoon handing out some of my reusable bags.
It was great to catch up with Damien Martoo of the Martoo Review who was helping to remind our community about the changeover date.
If you’d like one of my bags, you’re more than welcome to pop into my electorate office to pick one up, or give us a call on (07) 4190-7100.
* * *
Supporting Murgon Kindy
I have always said if you can be involved in your local kindy you can tackle anything!
Kindy mums and dads have to raise a lot of money to keep kindergartens afloat, but sometimes it’s not all hard slog.
I was honoured to be invited to the C&K Murgon Kindy’s 9th annual Ladies Luncheon at Moffatdale Ridge Winery recently, which is one of the popular fundraisers that Murgon’s kindy runs.
Well done to Amanda Dennien and crew, it was a brilliant afternoon.
* * *
Tick Line Review Overdue
Two years have come and gone and graziers are still waiting for the Palaszczuk State Labor Government to deliver its promised review of Queensland’s cattle tick management laws.
When Labor changed Queensland’s tick line in 2016, graziers and affected communities were promised an opportunity to have their say on what worked and what hadn’t.
The LNP Opposition has called on the Labor Government to deliver on their promise to Queenslanders and deliver a tick line review.
Tick line management should be bread and butter business for the Ag Department, but the Department is under-resourced and officers are struggling to keep up with their basic day-to-day operations.
[Photos: Nanango Electorate Office]
