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In Focus, 29 January 2015

Dear reader, welcome to the latest edition of In Focus, full of news, events and opportunities from your council.

Mayor's Message

Last week, I had the honour of announcing our Citizen of the Year and our other Australia Day Award recipients.

Citizen of the Year is a title steeped in history and the addition of Bill Cummings' name to that list is most fitting.

Looking through the list of nominations for each of the categories made me ever more proud to live in a region where people are encouraged to persue their dreams and where people are more than willing to help each other out.

I congratulate and thank all of our award nominees for their contribution to our wonderful community. 

The awards presentation led into an enjoyable Australia Day, which started with the welcoming of 73 new Australian citizens. This was a heartwarming event that highlighted just what it means to be an Australian.

I hope you had a most enjoyable Australia Day and are ready to join me in facing what is sure to be an exciting and prosperous 2015.

Mayor Bob Manning

Citizen of the Year
Australia Day award recipients

Congratulations to the 2015 Cairns Region Citizen of the Year - Bill Cummings (pictured above, far right, with his fellow award winners).

A lifelong commitment to supporting economic growth of the Cairns region earned Mr Cummings the highest of local Australia Day honours.

A highly experienced and respected regional business economist, Mr Cummings has been instrumental in the delivery of major infrastructure and has supported the growth of many of the region’s leading businesses and industries.

The Young Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Jack Boylan-Ascione – a young man who has proven to be a shining ambassador for Cairns across a broad range of areas.

He was recently awarded the 2015 RSL ANZAC Scholarship and has been twice awarded the RSL Youth Development Award for Service and Academic Performance.

A talented vocalist and musician, Mr Boylan-Ascione has been a member of the Gondwana Children’s Choir and has studied music under the direction of Australia’s finest conductors, which led to performing and collaborating with Sneaky Sound System and The Cat Empire at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Last year, he travelled to Tanzania as a volunteer in the Gap Medics Program where he assisted at a regional hospital and orphanage in the highlands of Africa.

Other Australia Day Award recipients are:

  • Volunteer of the Year – Marj Dun
  • Cultural Award (Sr) – Avril Duck
  • Cultural Award (Jr) – Jasmine Collier
  • Sportsperson of the Year – Glen Jacobs
  • Young Sportsperson of the Year – Joshua Lush

Read more about their achievements

Pool partnerships on offer
Tobruk pool concept

With the redevelopment of the Tobruk Memorial Pool complex well under way, Council is seeking potential business operators interested in being part of the new-look complex.

An opportunity exists for the development of an area within the North Cairns sporting precinct for complementary activities in the following industries:

• Health and Wellness
• Fitness
• Sport and Recreation
• Rehabilitation

Possible activities include (but are not limited to):
• Fitness Centre
• Strength and Conditioning
• Personal Training Services
• Retail
• Consulting Services
• Creche

Submissions must align with the industries mentioned above and complement surrounding services and businesses. For more information and how to apply, download the brochure or contact Council on 4044 3044.

Taking art to the streets
Changing Lanes logo

Cairns' inner city streets are being offered up as a blank canvas to artists wishing to turn them into unique works of art.

Applications are now open for the 2015 instalment of Changing Lanes, with artists invited to submit their concepts for temporary art installations in the Cairns CBD.

There's no set theme but high-quality, thought-provoking, interactive and entertaining urban artworks that define and celebrate Cairns will be considered.

Individual artists or groups are now invited to apply for the opportunity to create commissioned artworks for the CBD area, sharing in a total pool of $50,000.

Artworks need to be temporary and can be ephemeral, meaning that the materials used are designed to disintegrate, or they can be installed for a specific event and removed when necessary.

Applications close on 2 April. More information on how to apply and application form

Request to remove KRA

Cairns Regional Council will write to the Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, formally requesting the removal of an identified Key Resource Area (KRA) at Behana Gorge from the State Planning Policy.

The request is based on the large number of submissions received during the statutory consultation phase of the draft Planning Scheme preparation.

Approximately 6500 submissions opposed the inclusion of the KRA in the Planning Scheme. Council remains opposed to its inclusion but was directed by the State Government on the matter.

The removal of the KRA from the State Planning Policy will in turn allow Council to remove the reference from the draft Planning Scheme.

Defend against dengue
Dengue mosquito

There are currently 10 confirmed cases of dengue fever in Cairns and conditions are conducive to mosquito breeding.

To avoid spreading dengue, check around your home at least once a week for anything that is holding water and tip it out.

Use surface spray under furniture, behind curtains and in other dark places mozzies like to hide out and use insect repellent. Unlike other species, the dengue mozzie is most active during the day.

Symptoms of dengue fever can include: 

  • sudden onset of fever
  • headache or pain behind eyes
  • muscle and joint pain
  • loss of apetite, vomiting, diorrhoea 
  • skin rash
  • bleeding from nose or gums
  • fatigue

If you think you may have dengue fever, please see a doctor immediately. View the dengue fact sheet for more information.

Library Lovers Day
Book with pages in heart shape

Cairns Libraries members are invited to go on a blind date with a book this Valentines Day.

February 14 is also known as Library Lovers Day - a day to celebrate the role books play in bringing romance and wonder into our lives.

Plain-wrapped books will be available to borrow as a "blind date" from most library branches.

Children attending Storytime during February are encouraged to dress up as their favourite book character. 

For more information about what's on, contact your local library branch.

New time limits
Parking sign

A 3-hour parking limit will be in introduced in parts of Abbott and Aplin streets from next Monday, 2 February.

This will bring these streets into line with the balance of the CBD and will create higher turnover that will allow great visitor access to the city.

The change affects 126 parking bays:

  • Aplin Street - all bays (centre median and kerb side) in between Abbott and Lake streets
  • Abbott Street - western side between Aplin and Florence streets

Parking will remain free of charge in these areas but time limits will be enforced. There will be no impact on parking on the eastern side of Abbott St, which currently has a 3-hour limit, or centre median bays on Abbott St, which will remain unregulated. All day parking is available at the Lake Street multi-storey parking station.