ANZAC Day
It was a pleasure to represent Council at Anzac services at the Canungra primary school, Tamborine Mountain State High School, Canungra (dawn and main services) and Beechmont.
It the current times of global unrest, it is important that we, as a nation, take time to honour and remember all those Australians who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice during war, peace operations and other conflicts.
It is sometimes easy to take for granted the freedom we have in Australia, and Anzac Day is a reminder that this freedom was hard won.
Eat Local Month is on again
Scenic Rim’s Eat Local Month was recently launched at Scenic Rim Farm Shop and Café, a local produce hub just outside Kalbar.
The event continues to go from strength to strength with 153 events programmed including 51 new experiences, with growers, farmers, makers, chefs and flavour masters of the Scenic Rim once again throwing open their gates, kitchens and paddocks across the month of June.
Tickets are now on sale at eatlocalmonth.com.au.
Stellar Night at Business Awards
It was a wonderful night at the Scenic Rim Business Excellence Awards held last month in Boonah.
I would like to recognise all the local businesses that entered the awards and congratulate those that won categories and received highly commended awards.
It was great to be able to recognise outstanding local businesses from across the region and celebrate with the owner/operators on the night!
Agritourism/Camping
Council has recently conducted two workshops on agritourism/camping on rural land in an attempt to resolve ongoing issues around the regulation of these activities.
The state government has provided guidance to local governments aimed at cutting red tape and making it easier for farmers and rural landholders to diversify into small scale tourism without the necessity of paying tens of thousands of dollars on reports and development fees.
Local operators presented a very strong case to council at the most recent workshop, highlighting not only the economic benefit of this style of tourism to the region, but also the importance of protecting the Scenic Rim ‘brand’, by ensuring high quality experiences for visitors.
It is hoped that a resolution that meets the needs of all stakeholders can be found sooner rather than later.
