Happy New Year, Reader,
As I sit in my office, hammering out these words, it’s so nice to see the sun beaming down outside – now that my holidays are over! I can’t complain though, we had a lovely break and spent some fun time with friends and family.
This will be a mercifully brief email today. Not surprisingly, the year is getting started a bit slowly, but we’ll soon be back up to speed.
Stephen Creigh, from Southern Cross TEN Network sent me some interesting news:
For the first time, the Gold Coast has beaten southern destinations as
“Sydney and Melbourne had taken out the top spot on the company's annual top 20 Christmas holiday list in the past, but beach holidays were particularly popular this year. Among the coast escapes found in the top 20 were
I can’t help thinking that maybe a lot of those people who visited the Gold Coast might prefer the somewhat drier surroundings of Port Macquarie next year.
This town was certainly buzzing, with big crowds of holidaymakers all over the place. I think it is reasonable to expect that next year, with additional air services and more attractions open, we will do even better.
Having family members visiting gave me the excuse to “do the tourist thing” and we were generally satisfied. Though the lack of after hours shopping and food services in the main tourist centre does astound me. Try coming into town at 8.00 pm from a day’s activities and look for some food options. Not a lot available! I think we still have a lot to learn about catering for tourists and holidaymakers who don’t want to live the “9.00 to 5.00 rule”.
One consistent story I heard from visitors was the negative image presented by Port Macquarie taxi drivers. Several times I heard the same story, that during the drive from the airport into town, all the taxi driver did was run down and whinge about everything in Port Macquarie. The first time I heard it, I wrote it off as a guy having a bad day. The second time got me wondering, and after the third time I started to think that we need to do something about it. After all, the taxi driver is often the first “local” an incoming tourist meets. They need to be ambassadors for the town, not depression inducing agents.
OK. Having got that one off my chest, let’s move on to the coming events:
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Certificate 1 in Information Technology (the starting point for formal IT qualifications)
Wed Feb 6th to April 9th – 10 sessions 9.30 am to 2.30 pm – full course cost $550
Certificate II in Information Technology ( skills for the workforce in general office IT skills)
Tues Feb 12th to June 24th – 20 sessions 9.00am to 3.30pm – full course cost $1,300
Word and Excel for Business (suitable for anyone joining or rejoining the workforce)
Tues Feb 5th to April 15th – 11 sessions 6.30pm to 9.30pm – full course cost $420
Contact the College for bookings 6583 7288 or www.portace.com.au
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Please action your membership renewal (to keep us solvent). If you have not received your membership renewal, or you would like to join us at Hastings BEC, please email me for membership details at admin@hastingsbec.com.au .
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HBEC Networking Breakfast – Thursday January 17th
We will kick off the year with our first Networking Breakfast on Thursday 17th January
I’m hoping to get David Relf, from the Telstra Licensed Shop, and some of the Telstra Country Wide guys to explain for us luddites what the change over from CDMA to Next G is all about.
As usual, start at 7.00 am to finish by 8.30 am
At: Panthers Pier One Restaurant
Cost: unchanged – Members $20 and Guests/visitors $25
RSVP to admin@hastingsbec.com.au
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TO ALL COUNTRY MUSIC FANS
A country music festival has been arranged for Wauchope which will become a yearly event for Wauchope. The event is being organised by Joy Lewis from Joy’s Music World and John Wilcox. Details as follows:
Date: 12th and 13th January 2008
Place: Wauchope Showground
Bring the family along to support this great event for Wauchope, the festival coincides with the lead up to the Tamworth Country Music Festival and will also compliment the new
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Auction proceeds to Koala Hospital
This Friday, 11th January, I will join with representatives from Hastings Business Women’s Network, NSW Business Chamber and Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce to present a cheque for a little over $1,400 to the PM Koala Hospital. This money was collected through an auction held during the Combined Networks Christmas Party at Douglas Vale Winery in December.
Many thanks to the organisations that generously donated products and services to the auction, and to the network members who made the winning bids. I understand that the money will be put toward a “Koala Ambulance”.
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Wisborough “Positive and Powerful Leadership Programme”
Chrissie McGinn and Richard Hewitt will be presenting a series of 3 workshops entitled “Positive and Powerful Leadership Programme”, in early February. Chrissie and Richard spend most of their year doing high-level corporate training in
Please let me know of your (no commitment) interest, so I can get Chrissie to pass on details to you. You can see examples of their work on their website www.wisborough.com
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How to Have a Positive Workplace
* "Manage attitudes to maintain optimism. Focus on the good things that happen, not the bad.
* When bad things happen, stimulate a feeling of security by focusing on anything you can do to weather the storm or to improve the weather.
* Recognize effort and focus on strengths.
* Nurture a spirit of playfulness in yourself and your people - It turns problems into opportunities"
Reference: Hiam, A. (2005). “The Starfish Files: one leader's account of insight & inspiration under duress.”
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I recently received a copy of the Energy & Water Ombudsman’s newsletter. It is available on-line at http://www.ewon.com.au/online/news_16/index.html and contains some interesting items. Help yourself!
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LATE NEWS - Save your right to vote
I just received an email from HBEC Member, Peter Loveday, who is driving a serious effort to save the democratic right of
Regardless of your views on the Glasshouse, Peter’s campaign is opposing the removal of our elected Council, and its replacement by an administrator who could do anything they liked, and who would not be answerable in any way to the people of the
Your choice! Do you want to be ruled by a minister-appointed bureaucrat, or do you want a say in the management of your region?
My view, for what it’s worth: I served in the Australian Public Service for many years, and I am very familiar with bureaucrats of the like of Frank Willan (inquiry commissioner and former administrator of Tweed Shire Council). I have ZERO confidence in their ability to successfully administer a vibrant, growing and complex region like Port Macquarie-Hastings. And failure of administration would be disastrous for the future of businesses in this region.
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And that should be enough to get me into trouble first week back. Hope you had a good break, and are ready for a Great 08!
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