THANKS FOR THE COMPLIMENTS The October edition of your Friendly Bay Islander, in our humble opinion, was one of the best we have ever produced. Fortunately, many of you also thought so as well. We have received so many messages from readers via the internet and text, as well as being stopped in the island streets on several occasions complimenting us on our efforts in producing The Friendly Bay Islander. “I can’t wait to get it every month’, ‘It’s a quality publication’, ‘Thanks for keeping us informed on island issues’, and ‘I love catching up and reading about all our islands’, are just some of the compliments we have received. We certainly do work hard and thank you to our advertisers and supporters, and our quality printers, Greenridge Press. In fact, we got to meet them in person a couple of weeks ago when we had to visit Toowoomba (where Greenridge are located). Also took to opportunity to check out the beautiful flowering Spring Gardens! DRONE DOING ENERGEX WORK If you are out and about on our islands, and you see a drone hovering above your head near a power line, never fear, it is Energex at work. The electricity provider has advised that their repair crews are now flying the latest drones to prepare the Energex and Ergon Energy power networks for summer. Apparently these new drones are very ‘cool’ and can do amazing things including tasks that, until now, could only be done by hand. The tasks the drones have been doing are at the request of the State Emergency Service to make their flood boat responses safer along waterways. This will occur on powerlines located near waterways.
E SCOOTERS AND HELMETS! Despite the use of E Scooters on our islands, many users are not wearing helmets! The other day, we saw one rider on Macleay Island hurtling down Kate Street under the shade of trees. He was wearing dark clothing and could barely be seen. To make it worse, he also was not wearing a helmet. Others we have noticed getting on and off our ferries are also not wearing helmets. This is despite many people receiving critical head injuries from accidents involving the new mode of transport. It has been revealed that in some places in Australia E-Scooters have replaced car rides by up to 60 per cent. While nifty E-scooters are proving to be a popular mode of transport, data has shown riding them is not without risk of serious injury for themselves and others. On our islands, two young people have lost their lives while riding bikes without a helmet. The evidence is clear, if you ride a bike or an E-Scooter, WEAR A HELMET! PASSPORT HELL Federal Member for Bowman, Henry Pike, has warned local residents that due to the Passport Office backlog anyone looking to travel over the summer should immediately check that their passport is up to date. “With the relaxation of COVID restrictions we have witnessed a massive increase in passport applications for international travel”, Mr Pike said. “This has led to an overwhelming demand on the Passport Office and processing times blowing out to over 10 weeks. My office has been absolutely inundated with panicked travellers still awaiting their passports and we have been helping local families to try to speed up the process.” For locals seeking to travel internationally over the next few months, Pike offered some simple tips to avoid delays in passport applications. Locals should check now that their passport is up to date, remembering that some countries require 3 to 6 months still valid on your passport to be able to travel,” Mr Pike suggested. A streamlined renewal process is now available online for Australians over the age of 18 with a recently expired passport.
Nominations open for 2023 Redlands Coast Australia Day Awards
The Redlands Coast community is being urged to celebrate local heroes by nominating them for a 2023 Redlands Coast Australia Day award.
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the prestigious awards offered an exciting opportunity to recognise residents who had made inspiring and valuable contributions to our community.
Council’s annual Redlands Coast Australia Day Awards are designed to honour local people who have brought a sense of community to our city.
There are nine award categories recognising different accomplishments or involvements, such as working on Reconciliation with Traditional Owners, caring for our environment, or developing cultural activities and projects across Redlands Coast.
Online nominations are open for the following award categories: Citizen of the Year; Senior Citizen of the Year (60 years of age or older); Young Citizen of the Year (30 years of age or younger); Local Hero; Reconciliation; Community Organisation; Cultural; Sports; Environment and Sustainability
For more information on each category or to make a nomination, visit Council’s website. Nominations close on Friday 2 December 2022. Finalists will be notified and invited to attend the 2023 Redlands Coast Australia Day Awards, which are being held in January 2023.