Baby Welcome and Family Expo

Families will be treated to a day of market stalls and children’s activities in air-conditioned comfort from 10am to 2pm this Saturday, at Council’s 2015 Baby Welcome and Family Expo. This year’s event has moved indoors to The Pier shopping complex and will feature an expo of maternity and baby clothing, toys, beauty products, cook books, family services and more. Kids of all ages will be entertained with free face painting, balloon art and magic by renowned local performer Danny Simony and a PopUp Library thanks to Cairns Regional Council Libraries. Food and drink will be available for purchase at The Pier’s broad range of restaurants and coffee shops.

Free green waste drop-off this weekend

Cairns region residents are invited to get ready for the upcoming wet season by clearing excess vegetation and dropping it off for free at one of Council’s waste transfer stations. The annual pre-cyclone season free green waste disposal will be available to residents of the Cairns region from 31 October until 8 November. Domestic green waste including tree clippings, palm fronds and grass clippings, will be accepted free of charge at waste transfer stations. Full details and locations

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Coming up...

Buyback Shop Community Open Day - 7 Nov - Portsmith Waste Transfer Station - Sausage Sizzle, Zinc FM live broadcast, check out upgrades to facility.
Free movie night - 7 Nov - Kahlu Park, White Rock - Home showing on the big outdoor screen. Live music from 6pm, movie starts at 7pm. Sausage sizzle and drinks available.
Macrochroma Botanica - until 14 Dec - Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre - Botanical photography exhibition by local artist Sarah-Jane Botham.

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What's On Calendar

Be ready for cyclone season

Cyclone season starts this weekend but these two Redlynch State College students are already well prepared. Ella Cross and James Libke (pictured with Mayor Bob Manning) are the stars of a new advertisement that appears on the sides of buses in the local area. The duo are encouraging others to be ready for cyclone season by having a stocked emergency kit and a household plan. There are tools on Council's website to help with this, along with a property search feature to identify whether your home is in a storm tide risk area. Read more

Pilates returns to Active Living

Pilates is making a comeback in the summer Active Living program, which will take effect next week. Due to popular demand, the free Pilates class will be held on Tuesdays at 6.30am from the start of November.In other changes, Running Start – a class designed to teach the fundamentals of running and to encourage personal goals and improvement – is shifting to Friday mornings and Calligraphy Qigong Yoga moves to Wednesdays. The Active Living program timetable is refreshed regularly to provide varied exercise options. All classes are suitable for beginners and all are welcome. View the new timetable.

Christmas cheer

Cairns residents are once again being urged to dig deep to support those in their community who could use a little joy this Christmas. The 2015 Mayor’s Christmas Cheer Appeal was launched earlier this month by Mayor Bob Manning and some Christmas helpers. Each year, the appeal raises money to pack and distribute Christmas hampers to people who are doing it tough within the Cairns community. Donations can be made securely online; at Council’s customer service offices with cash, credit card, cheque or money order; or in one of the donation tins located at various local businesses. Donations over $2 are tax deductible.

School of Arts project launch

Construction will start on the redevelopment of the School of Arts building in March 2016. The upgrade will includes additional space for the Cairns Museum, with the building to be extended on the Shield Street side to provide two full floors plus a mezzanine level to be utilised by the Cairns Historical Society. Upgrades to meet current Australian standards for mechanical and electrical services and accessibility will occur, as will replacement of the air-conditioning system. The Art Deco awning and façade will be restored and the ground floor space will be upgraded and made available for commercial use. The upgrade is scheduled for completion in early 2017.

Christmas card comp

Entries are now open in the annual Christmas e-card competition. Open to local children aged 13 and under, this year’s competition is themed “Living in Cairns at Christmas”. The winning artwork will be made into Council’s Christmas e-card. The winners of all three age categories will also be invited to light the Cairns Esplanade Christmas Tree to kick off the festive season. Get an entry form from Council’s customer service offices, ibraries branches or download from Council’s website. Entries close on 19 November.

Help for businesses

A free information session next month will help business owners to understand target markets and local demographics. Council will present the free workshop on the economic and community data resource .id tools, which can provide decision makers in business and community groups with readily accessible and easy-to-use information about the people living in our community the characteristics of our local economy. The session will be held on Monday 9 November in Council's Civic Reception Rooms from 11.30am to 1pm. To book a spot, email economicdevelopment@cairns.qld.gov.au or phone 4044 3366.

Pool safety compliance

Pool owners have until 30 November to make sure their pools meet statewide safety standards. Five years ago, The Queensland Government introduced a single pool safety standard designed to address preventable accidents and drownings, especially among children. The deadline for full compliance is now approaching. If you're unsure whether your pool meets the safety standard, contact a licensed pool safety inspector. More information available on the Department of Housing and Public Works website.

Hi-tech parking approach

Car-mounted cameras using Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) software will start patrolling the Cairns CBD from next month. Known as "electronic chalking", the patrols will replace foot patrols in some regulated parking areas, boosting efficiency and ensuring greater turnover of parking spaces. This will allow officers to respond more quickly to complaints from members of the public and will benefit local businesses, as well as motorists looking for a parking spot. Find out more

Bike path scoops state award

Cairns’ most popular cycleway has received its first major award, with the Redlynch Connection Path taking out the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia Queensland (IPWEAQ) Excellence Award for design and construction of a local government project ($1 million to $5 million). The award was presented at the Queensland Excellence Awards Gala Dinner in Mackay. Award judges commended Council on the strong community involvement in the project and the innovative land swap with local farmers to secure the corridor preferred by local residents. The path travels 3.5 kilometres through rainforest, alongside a natural, clear freshwater creek, cane-fields and within the much-loved Goomboora Park and provides children with a safer, more convenient route to two of Cairns’ largest schools. Check out the video to see more of the path.

Cairns Regional Council
119 - 145 Spence St, Cairns
PO Box 359
Cairns Q 4870
Cairns: +61 7 4044 3044

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