05 May 2008

Sparkling sunny greetings, Reader,

I hope you’re standing at attention while I play the Internationale to celebrate May Day.

We’re also celebrating another milestone today. Hastings BEC has hit the Blogosphere! Starting today, you will be able to catch up with the current Update, and all this year’s back issues, on our blog at http://hbec.blogspot.com . What’s more, all Update readers are invited to comment on the blog and your comments will be displayed and archived along with the Updates.

As this brave new technology evolves, I’ll be including our Member recognition logos and business names etc. so come back frequently to spot the changes.

All HBEC Members are invited to contribute newsy items to the blog. Of course, for propriety’s sake, I’ll be doing a quick scan of submissions before they appear in public. Our blog will compliment the HBEC website, which will continue to display the more formal and structured information for HBEC. This way, we can use the blog for more immediate and entertaining content. All members are invited to provide contributions, and photos of BEC related things are welcome.

Yes, this will certainly provide HBEC Members with an extra opportunity to promote your own business. That’s the idea! And it’s another benefit of BEC membership (for no additional charge!). So, if you would like to let the Greater Port Macquarie business community (and the world!) know what you are doing, welcome to our blog!

Because I’ve hosted our blog with Google’s Blogspot service, our content will be indexed by Google and will be searchable by the world.

OK, now that we have the medium, let’s get on with the message…

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Port Macquarie Community College

Food Hygiene & Safety

This course covers safe food handling and safe food storage, effective use of detergents and sanitisers, waste and pest control Meets Food Safety Program requirements. Statement of Attainment THHGHS01B - Follow Workplace Hygiene Procedures from Certificate II in Hospitality (Operations).

806W003 Sat 10 May 1 session 9am-3pm

First Aid Certificate classes

Ring reception for dates as there are several available.

Introduction to Computers

This introduction course will provide you with entry level skills for the workplace. You will gain the confidence and skill to start a personal computer, shutdown, work with files and folders, correctly navigate the desktop and use a range of basic computer functions. Statement of Attainment for BSBCMN107A - Operate a personal computer from Certificate 1 in Business BSB10101.

805C004 Wed May 7 to Jun 11 6 sessions 6pm-9pm $220

MS Publisher Essentials

Topics include tools and features, business document design and structure, workplace publication, production and wizards. Create tags, logos, flyers, business cards, calendars and more.

Wed May 23 & 30 2 sessions 4:30pm-8:30pm $75

Introduction to Drawing Workshop

Ever wanted to draw but not quite sure where to start? This class will help you to learn skills to be able to draw. Start the day with an open mind and a pencil and be surprised at what you can achieve by the end of the day.

805CP004 Sat May 31 1 session 9:30am-3:30pm $65

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Hastings BEC Networking Breakfast – this Thursday, 8^th May at RYDGES Port Macquarie.

Don’t go to Panthers at 7.00am Thursday. It’s a nice place, but we won’t be there!

Come instead to Rydges, and meet the new General Manager, David Capper.

We will have a number of short presentations, by some really interesting people. Then you will have plenty of time for free networking, and to enjoy the lovely venue at Rydges.

RSVP (Reply So Very Promptly) to admin@hastingsbec.com.au so I can make sure we have a name tag and a meal for you.

As usual, Members, guests and visitors are welcome. $20 for Members, $25 for guests and visitors.

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Congratulations to Gordon and Kim Wiegold and their team of helpers for a wonderfully successful Slice of Haven yesterday.

From all reports the day was a great success, and a great finale to a very memorable Camden Haven Music Festival.

Well done all involved!

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The 2nd Customer Care Service Excellence Awards

The Customer Care Taskforce invite you & your key associates to a great night of entertainment, lucky door prizes & special awards.

Last year’s inaugural awards night was a fantastic event. Make sure you book your seats for an even better show this year.

Date: Friday, 13 June 2008

Time: 6:30pm for 7:00pm

Venue: Port Macquarie Panthers, Auditorium

Dress: Cocktail

Cost: $65.00 (or $600 for a table of 10) - (includes 3 course meal & initial drinks)

Show: The Haunting Tale of the Red Hot Poker

RSVP: by 30 May 2008 to Rachel Ross 6581 8036 or rachel.ross@pmhc.nsw.gov.au

Tickets must be pre-purchased from PMHC offices or direct from Port Macquarie Panthers reception.

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Free Seminar for Non-profit Organisations

Macleay Audit Service is offering its clients the opportunity to give their non profit organisations a boost by attending its free, interactive and informative seminar.

Learn from the experts how to minimize financial risks, correctly prepare for the audit and promote best practice in your organization.

We are pleased to invite you to attend this seminar on:

Wednesday 14^th May, 4pm – 6pm

At Kempsey Macleay RSL Club

The seminar will cover controls over finances, fraud prevention, financial statements, acquittals for government grants, preparing for an audit and tax compliance

This will be followed by a short presentation on Financial Planning by Wrights Services Financial Planning.

Please RSVP by cob Monday 5th May to Adriana or Belinda by calling (02) 65 66 22 00 or emailing us at accnts@wrightsca.com.au

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Camden Haven Chamber of Commerce Industry & Tourism Inc

next meeting is on Wednesday 7th May, 2008 at the LUSC. We would love to see you there to voice your opinion and vote (if a current member).

This is a special meeting as we are saying goodbye to NORFOLK PUNCH – Blair & Rhonda Montague-Drake

- although you can still buy their products

Please RSVP – 6559 5686 by Tuesday 6th May – as we are supplying a special supper and need numbers

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Small Business Field Officer Program closing.

Paul Noakes tells us that an announcement has been made about the Small Business Field Officer Program (SBFO) recently by AusIndustry.

“The SBFO Program will cease on the 30th June 2008 as the new Australian Government has decided not to re-fund the Program. Paul would like to Thank You all for your support over the last - close on 6 years, and it has been a pleasure being part of the MNC Regional Development Network.

The SBFO Program was very successful, Australia wide and provided very much needed capacity building for the business community in Regional Australia.”

As a sequel, Federal Small Business Minister Craig Emerson has suggested that support services for small businesses will be facilitated through the Business Enterprise Centre Australia network. More details on additional support for regional Business Enterprise Centres will be provided in the May Federal Budget. Minister Emerson also suggested there will be “good news” for Australian small businesses in the budget. Hmmmmmmm!!!

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Checklist for New Business (and a handy reference for existing businesses)

The Australian Taxation Office in their infinite benevolence has provided a helpful reference document for start-up businesses.

Some useful questions answered, and nicely hyper-linked connections to all the information you need to know.

Download the document from www.hastingsbec.com.au/downloads/ChecklistforNewBusiness.rtf

(Nice to see a government department moving away from proprietary Microsoft doc format to a (slightly) more open Rich Text format.)

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Statistics on Retail Trade

And, not to be left behind, those singing and dancing fun people at Australian Bureau of Statistics (entertaining statistician = oxymoron?) have provided one of their terrific reports - 8501.0 Retail Trade, Australia, Mar 2008 http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8501.0?OpenDocument

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And that’s it for Monday 5th May, 2008 – 57 years and 364 days into the life of a baby-boomer!

28 Apr 2008

Glorious sunny greetings, Reader,

27 degrees of sun yesterday. Yes!!! In Canberra, Anzac Day is the traditional day to turn on the home oil heaters. (Sound of hysterical laughter!!!)

After a week of extraordinary weather the skies cleared for the first weekend of the Camden Haven Music Festival, and the fun is underway. Lots still to come, through this week, so have a look at the program on www.camdenhavenmusicfestival.org.au for details.

And, of course, next Sunday May 4th the Slice of Haven Food & Wine Festival will be held at Laurieton United Services Club. Experience the fine food and wine that the Camden Haven area has to offer.

This is a week for telecommunications. Telstra will shut down its old CDMA network tonight. Noone should notice, because all CDMA users should have swung over to an alternative network long before this. There is no argument that Telstra’s “Next G” network is superior, and a logical progression in a big country where telecommunications is so vital.

In the same week, Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its most recent scorecard for Internet penetration in Australia. As of the December quarter 2007, Australia had more than 7.1 million Internet subscribers. This would suggest that the vast majority of Australia’s 21 million people have some form of Internet access available to them. (See http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8153.0?OpenDocument for details)

Interestingly, the old dial-up connections accounted for less than 1.9 million of the total. This means that the majority of Australian Internet users are enjoying at least half-way decent access speed. But only half-way decent!

Warning! I’m about to go all techo on you, but I have some translations below, including a few examples that you might find interesting.

Roughly 2.5 million subscribers enjoy speeds greater than 1.5 Mb/sec (ADSL-1 or faster), with the top 180,000 subscribers having speeds greater than 24 Mb/sec. This sounds very impressive, until you realise that technology leading countries are in the process of migrating from 100 Mb/sec to Gigabit per second speed. The gap between “have” and “have not” is widening rapidly, and by world standards we are not keeping up.

Of course, the usual guilty parties are primarily responsible – distance and small population. To roll out high bandwidth pathways is a very expensive business, and even the installation of high-speed switch equipment in exchanges is pricey. The much vaunted ADSL-2+ technology, promising “up to 24 Mb/sec speed” is largely a furphy in Australia – thanks to our aged and pretty ordinary copper network. If you live more than a kilometre or so from the nearest exchange you will be very lucky to ever see more than 6 or 8 Mb/sec – until a decent fibre-optic network is laid, and here comes the cost factor again.

In the meantime, for most general domestic purposes, ADSL-1 (1.5 Mb/sec) is a pretty useful speed, available over most standard phone lines, and well worth the upgrade if you are still suffering the screeching and whistling of your dial-up modem. Have a word with your Telstra Country Wide guys to see what is available for you.

On with this weeks activities and news:

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Port Macquarie Community College

Manual Bookkeeping
BSBCMN308A - Maintain Financial Records - This short course will show you how to maintain a cashbook, to handle your receipts and payments and also reconcile your bank statement. You will be able to manage a general ledger to manually post journal entries and produce a trial balance.
805W002 Tue May 6 to July 24 8 sessions 6pm-9pm $175

Introduction to Excel Workshop
You will learn how to create worksheets, format, use formulas, functions, printing, sorting and filtering. Topics will also cover copying, moving, the fill-in feature and conditional formatting.
805C005 Wed May 7 1 session 9am-3pm $90

Food Hygiene & Safety
This course covers safe food handling and safe storage, effective use of detergents and sanitisers, waste and pest control. Includes an overview of how the new food safety legislation will affect you. Statement of Attainment for THHGHS01B - Follow Workplace Hygiene Procedures from Certificate II in Hospitality (Operations).
804W006 - May 10 1 session 9am-3pm $95

Networking Skills for Shy People in Business
Effective Networking can really help build your business. If you're shy meeting new people, to increase your contacts and promote yourself can be a traumatic thought. Your attempts might be unsuccessful if people misinterpret your shyness as having no confidence in your abilities and no interest in them! Learn how to enjoy meeting new people.
805W004 Thur May 29 1 session 9am-4pm $65

Contact the College on 6583 7288 to book for any of these courses. See www.portace.com.au for full course guide.

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Camden Haven Music Festival

As mentioned above, the festival is in full swing, and the blue skies have returned to help it along. Aevum Living is sponsoring a couple of events at its villages this week. A bit late for today’s show at Parklands Village, but you could still have a shot at Wednesday’s concert by Elly Franchimont and Russell Dick at Queens Lake Village. Call Betty Ryder 6559 7089 to RSVP.

Tomorrow night, April 29th, 7.00pm at Uniting Church, Sherwood Rd Port Macquarie, will host a classical guitar extravaganza with a group called Saffire – comprising Karin Schaupp, Slava Grigoryan, Gareth Koch and Leonard Grigoryan. $40 for adults.

Heaps of other great events. See the program on www.camdenhavenmusicfestival.org.au for details.

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Hastings BEC Networking Breakfast

Next breakfast will be held on Thursday 8th May, 7.00 am at Rydges Port Macquarie.
I have a couple of little surprises planned for this one, so come along for the ride.
As usual, $20 for Members and $25 for Guests and Visitors.

Repondez S’il Vous Plait to admin@hastingsbec.com.au by cob Tuesday 6th May so I can advise Rydges on numbers.

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Don’t forget Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce Members’ Meeting, tomorrow night.

Details of the night are as follows:
Date: Tuesday 29th April 2008 Time: 6.00pm for 6.30pm
Venue: Quality Resort Sails, Port Macquarie
Cost: $10.00 per person
Drinks and savouries will be provided on the night
Non-members and guests are most welcome
For catering purposes please RSVP by 3:00pm Monday 28th April 2008
(02) 6583 4412 or Email: info@portchamber.com.au

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The Slice of Haven Food & Wine Festival, 12.00 till 4.00pm Sunday 4th May at Laurieton United Services Club. All welcome.

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Speaking of food, our new member Luxe FineFood – Café – Catering in the Peachtree Walk Arcade is expanding business to open nights from Tuesday to Saturday, starting Tuesday 6th May (an excellent choice). Chris will be serving some beautiful tapas for entrees and some yummy main meals.
Luxe FineFood is BYO.

Contact details: Phone: 02 6584 1120 and Email: dine@luxecafe.com.au

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Chris Smith, who has just joined Bendigo Bank, Port Macquarie as Business Banking Manager (congratulations Chris!), has advised:

Bendigo Bank Agency for Lake Cathie

Agreement has now been reached for a Bendigo Bank Agency to open for business in Lake Cathie on Monday 28th April.

The Agency will be located in the offices of Higgins & Dix, Lawyers and Conveyancers, at Shop 8, Lake Cathie Village Centre, 1613 Ocean Road.

Operating in conjunction with Bendigo Bank’s branch in Port Macquarie, the agency will offer a wide range of banking products and services.

We are looking to offer the highest possible level of banking service to Lake Cathie and surrounding communities and we are delighted to have such a highly regarded firm as Higgins and Dix as our Agents, said Sean Hallett, Bendigo’s Branch Manager at Port Macquarie.

For details contact Sean Hallett, 65815831

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TCF Australia Business Growth Project, Designedge Training & Mentoring Project, Coffs Harbour, NSW

FASHION INDUSTRY BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
Monday, 5th May 2008 10am – 4pm
COST: $45.00 (Full Day for up to 3 business partners)

Growing your Fashion Business – 10am-11am
Working IN or ON your business, develop a checklist to assist your business growth
Product Development – 11am – 12noon
Labeling, sizing, pricing, trademarks, packaging, on/off shore sourcing, supply chain

Lunch Break – 12noon - 1pm
Promotion & Marketing – 1pm – 2pm
Look books, media releases, designer profiles, brochures, logos, range images and presentation skills

Linking with Retailers & Agents – 2pm – 3pm
Online shopping web site, hosting of a site, tips on designing the site, usability, competitors, payment gateways
Designedge fashion incubator has available sponsorship for selected designers to establish an online shop

TCF Global – Sourcing off shore manufacturers – 3pm – 4pm
TCF global sourcing raw materials & manufacturers & TCF Global village community projects.
You may be eligible for 3 nights free accommodation for the first time buyers in TCFWA Buying Mission to
Hong Kong Fashion Week

PRE BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL:
Please return this registration form (download from www.hastingsbec.com.au/downloads/FIBW.pdf ) together with payment to
ETC Head Office, 80 Grafton St (PO Box 1371, Coffs Harbour or fax to 02 6652 1888 OR EMAIL businessinfo@etcltd.com.au

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Angela Lockwood has advised that “there have been new developments at Sunrise Occupational Therapy for Kids... we now have a new name! From January 2008, Sunrise Occupational Therapy for Kids became:
(that’s Sunrise health consultancy – for readers with images turned off)
The change in name now encompasses the range of services we offer to families, health professionals, schools and community groups in the Hastings, including the supply of therapy products and equipment.

Take a minute and have a look at our web site at www.sunriseot.com.au for more information on our service.”

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On Friday June 13th, Wesley Mission is bringing former Wallaby Captain Nick Farr-Jones to Port Macquarie for a corporate lunch at The Westport Club.

All money raised from this event will go directly to Wesley Mission for the establishment of an integrated local counselling service. Wesley Mission will be working in partnership with existing organisations to address the issue of suicide in our community.

Tickets are on sale now from The Westport Club on 6583 1499. Corporate table for 8 is $720, or individual tickets at $95 each. A stimulating afternoon of fine food and beverage, motivation and entertainment all for a worthy cause.

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And that’s about it for this week. Phew! There’s a lot going on in this quiet little fishing village ;-)

Before I go, for anyone interested, I’ve put up a little document I’ve written with a whole lot of plain English explanations of all that techo stuff that swamps you whenever you try to understand Internet connections. Have a look at www.hastingsbec.com.au/downloads/TechTalkApril2008.doc .

21 Apr 2008

Soggy greetings, Reader,

OK. Enough of the rain, already! My dog is waterlogged and the letter box is sprouting green shoots. But the bright side is that I could spend all weekend catching up on some indoor chores without feeling too guilty.

I attended a very interesting breakfast seminar this morning, organised by NSW Business Chamber, and presented by a young man named Michael McQueen. The topic was “Communicating with Generation Y” (ie those born between about 1981 and 2000). Without going into a lot of detail, I will applaud Michael for one of the most professional and enjoyable presentations I’ve attended for a long time. Leaving aside his subject matter (which was really interesting), Michael’s relaxed but energetic presentation manner, his effective use of a couple of pairs of reading glasses as props, and his excellent use of PowerPoint slides as prompts for his content were all absolutely top class.

It goes to show that, no matter how many presentations you have attended (and as an ex-Canberrite I’ve attended countless), there is always something more to learn – about the art of presenting, let alone the subject matter.

Port Macquarie business operators could do a lot worse than to have a quick look at Michael’s web site www.nexgenimpact.com for some insight on how to more effectively communicate with, manage and serve the emerging market – the Y Generation. Michael’s book “The New Rules of Engagement” provides a text-book of advice for all stakeholders interacting with the Y Generation. Generational change is a fascinating subject, possibly best demonstrated by the emerging SMS language – now permitted for use in all HSC subject exams except English. “fwiw u cn c hw hrd cmnc8tn cn b 4 bby bmrs w GYrs. GTG PAW”. (Translation below).

Sometimes I feel even older than I do at other times.

If today’s Update seems a bit disjointed, it is because my BEC email service has died, so I have lost my access to your submissions for this week’s email, as well as my reservoir of events items. I typically receive between 70 and 80 emails per day (up to 200 on a Monday), and send roughly the same number. Without email I feel as though my right arm has been cut off. Isn’t it frightening how dependent we have become on a technology that didn’t exist 25 years ago.

Let’s struggle on, with this week’s offerings:

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Port Macquarie Community College

805W002 Manual Bookkeeping (how appropriate, as my technology has failed me)

Maintain Financial Records - Tuesdays, May 6^th to June 24^th. 8 sessions 6.00pm – 8.00pm $175

805W004 Networking Skills for Shy People in Business

Effective networking is essential for successful business. Learn how to enjoy meeting new people.

Thursday May 29^th.1 session 9.00am – 4.00pm $65

805C012 Website Design and Maintenance (this is the course I enjoy presenting)

Learn how to understand and maintain the content of your own web site – for business people, not nerds!

Wednesday May 14^th to May 28^th. 3 sessions 6.00pm – 9.00pm $85.

To reserve your place, call the College on 6583 7288 or go to www.portace.com.au

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Hastings BEC Networking Breakfast

Our next Networking breakfast will be held on Thursday morning 8^th May, at Rydges Port Macquarie.

David Capper, Manager of Rydges, and his excellent staff will make us very welcome.

As usual, charge is $20 for members, and $25 for guests and visitors (payable at the door - cash, cheques and gold bullion only, please)

This month I will be assisted by Terri from the Events Management class at TAFE NCI, as a work experience exercise.

You can RSVP now if you would like, to admin@hastingsbec.com.au

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Farewell to Michael Young, formerly Exec Officer for Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce.

Mike has flown off – literally – to take up the role of manager of Business Development Enterprise in Broome WA.

Sorry to see you go Mike, and best wishes from HBEC.

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Please find below the URL for a copy of a presentation Sol Trujillo, Telstra CEO, gave to a Communications Day Summit on the 16 April, in Sydney.

http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/investor/asx_announcements.cfm

The theme of Sol’s speech is the importance of the gigabit age to Australia’s future and the critical role Telstra has to play in that future.

Michael Sharpe, General Manager, Mid North Coast for Telstra Country Wide wanted to send this to the thought leaders in our community to provide an understanding of how Australia compares to the world, and what are the current and future drivers. Please feel free to pass this on to any relevant people.

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Don’t forget that The Springboard Business Development Program is set to kick off this week. There is a place left for anyone interested in developing and growing their business. For more information go to: http://www.portace.com.au/Springboard.html or phone the College on 6583 7288.

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Women in Business Regional Program

The Women in Business Regional Program has been developed to improve the business skills of women who own or operate a small business in a regional community and assist them to grow their business. The Program is very practical and is designed to meet the needs of local businesswomen.

The program offers businesswomen a combination of:

· Business skills training workshops;

· Opportunities to work with an experienced business person, who will act as a mentor to small groups of women on the program; and

· Networking events, where you will be able to meet other businesswomen and representatives of local business organisations.

The program will be held in PORT MACQUARIE and will run over a 3-month period (Yet to be finalized, commencing May/June). The cost of the full program is only $150.00 (exclusive of GST).

For more information, download the full information brochure from www.hastingsbec.com.au/downloads/WIBRP.doc

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Didn’t I stir up a hornet’s nest last week by advocating the abolition of neck ties. Seems “the untied town” won’t be happening in PMQ for some time yet, judging from the brickbats that came flying through my email (when it was still working). As Michael McQueen may have said, “what a very Builder Generation reaction”.

By the way, the translation of “fwiw u cn c hw hrd cmnc8tn cn b 4 bby bmrs w GYrs. GTG PAW” is “For what it’s worth, you can see how hard communication can be for baby boomers with Generation Y’ers. Got to go. Parents are watching.”

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Nomination form for The 2nd Customer Care Service Excellence Awards are available. Download the form from www.hastingsbec.com.au/downloads/ccnomin2008.pdf .

Please note that the invitations for the Awards Evening on Friday, 13th June 2008 will not be sent out until early May.

The closing date for the nominations is Friday, 2nd May 2008, so please don't be waiting for the invitation before you complete your nomination form. You could miss out!

Rachel Ross has had quite a bit of interest from many accredited businesses and she would like to encourage every single business to enter. This year there are 9 categories (4 more than last year), so there is a category suited to every business.

The nomination consists of 4 questions only and will not take up much of your time. So give your business the opportunity to shine and don't delay in entering your nomination. Start today!

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Next Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce Members’ Night will be

Date: Tuesday 29^th April 2008 Time: 6.00pm for 6.30pm

Venue: Quality Resort Sails, Port Macquarie

Cost: $10.00 per person

Drinks and savouries will be provided on the night

Non-members and guests are most welcome

For catering purposes please RSVP by 3:00pm Monday 28^th April 2008

(02) 6583 4412 or Email: info@portchamber.com.au

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And that’s about it for this week.

In parting, prepare for another emerging bit of technology. Believe it or not, the image at the top of this post

can be scanned by the camera in most mobile phones, and the information contained is then stored in the phone as normal text and Internet links. The image contains my name, email address, phone number and business name. In other words, a business card. And it can be printed down to about 1 cm square and still be readable. The same square can contain more than 4,000 characters of information. If you’re interested in the possibilities, start at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code and marvel at the way our world is changing.