2/25/2018 0 Comments STM: The inspirational story of how Penguin the Magpie saved Sam Bloom after a horrendous fallEVERY time she hears a magpie warble, Sam Blooms thoughts turn to a scruffy little injured chick called Penguin, who saved her life after a tragic accident while on a family holiday in Thailand five years ago.
https://www.perthnow.com.au/lifestyle/stm/stm-the-inspirational-story-of-how-penguin-the-magpie-saved-sam-bloom-after-a-horrendous-fall-ng-b88749362z
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IN your 20s, house-sharing meant splitting the chores, the bills, and the rent with strangers. But now a couple in their 30s are looking at a new kind of house-share splitting the mortgage with other like-minded couples to help them get a foothold in Sydneys overheated property market.
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/nsw/sydney-couple-hopes-to-pool-funds-with-others-to-buy-a-house-ng-d4fa605a972a759e66b75234ef4ce1ae ITS not every day that you walk into a beauty salon and walk out with a new interior designer. But thats what happened to Deanne Castronini when she stepped into Ross Fairhursts business. She and Peter Neave had bought two apartments off the plan in the historic Griffiths Teas building in Surry Hills with the…
https://www.perthnow.com.au/lifestyle/bringing-out-the-beauty-in-an-off-the-plan-apartment-in-a-historic-building-ng-11d66c608fd39f2489973d01d86d4cdf FOR most of us our New Years resolutions have long fell by the wayside. And for the majority this would have included a plan for our battle with the bulge a diet or weight loss program that was not realistic to sustain, unhealthy to follow and in some cases extreme.
https://www.perthnow.com.au/lifestyle/the-five-worst-diets-that-will-cause-you-harm-ng-d8ba74c12e6f830e2989d8ef127b7ae4 Vacate cleaning is very different from regular house cleaning. You have to clean every corner of your house thoroughly; even the areas which are hard to reach or are not readily visible. These may include ventilation windows, curtain rods, blinds, the lower side of the shelf or the ceiling fans. While regular house cleaning you may have missed these areas or left them for the next time (which never comes), but at the end of lease cleaning, your landlord will have an eye for these places. If you don't want to lose your bond money, here are some important areas to prioritise during bond cleaning. /www.bondcleaninginperth.com.au/8-important-areas-prioritise-vacate-cleaning/
Posted February 08, 2018 15:59:24
Photo: The racing industry has a heavy reliance on gambling revenue as a funding source. (AAP: Joe Castro) Four years after the sale of Western Australia's state-owned betting agency was first proposed, racing industry figures are desperately hoping there will soon be certainty around the fate of the TAB. Years of lingering uncertainty about the possible sale of the TAB have damaged confidence in the racing industry, prominent figures have repeatedly warned, as they called for a speedy resolution to a protracted debate. At one point, doubt over whether the TAB would be sold was described by a prominent racing figure as "a noose hanging over the industry's neck." "I'd dare say it was an uncomfortable neck tie in many ways and people definitely would have liked a bit more room to breathe," WA Racing Representative Group executive officer David Simonetti said. But the racing sector and the public more broadly are no clearer as to whether the TAB will remain in public hands, long after the former Barnett government put the proposal on the table in 2014. Treasurer Ben Wyatt, who inherited the issue after last year's election, conceded the situation has been left unresolved for far too long. Photo: Treasurer Ben Wyatt hopes to have a decision on the TAB's future by May. (ABC News: Greg Pollock) "There is uncertainty on the TAB end, there is uncertainty on the government end, we just need to make a decision," Mr Wyatt said. "I would like a decision on that around budget time [in May]." Potential TAB sale price slips The decision is particularly important for the racing industry, which has a heavy reliance on gambling revenue as a funding source. According to some in the industry, the uncertainty has had a big impact harming confidence and reducing investment. "There is no certainty about the industry going forward and how we will wind up financially," WA Racing Trainers' Association president Trevor Andrews said. "It doesn't give people any confidence to get involved in the industry." Another prominent racing industry figure, who asked not to be named, warned the impact of years of uncertainty had been enormous. "It has turned into a dog's breakfast," they said. "The industry is in a bad way at the moment and this has been allowed to drag on for too long." Mr Simonetti was pleased by the Treasurer's indication that a final decision on whether to sell the TAB would come soon, but cautioned the industry had heard similar pledges before. "It has been a question on the lips of the industry for a number of years now," Mr Simonetti said. "I think it did result in a decrease in confidence for the industry." Mr Simonetti said opinions differed in the racing industry as to whether the TAB should be sold, but the prevailing view was an openness to privatisation so long as the industry was not left worse off. Mr Wyatt conceded the TAB's potential sale price had declined since the privatisation was first proposed. "Are there sufficient buyers to create competitive tension? That I can't yet answer," Mr Wyatt said. "It is not a fiscal repair decision as such it is really a decision over where is the TAB best placed to do what it does." Topics:gambling,horse-racing,government-and-politics,perth-6000,wa http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-08/timeframe-on-tab-sale-as-uncertainty-hangs-over-racing-industry/9409250 2/7/2018 0 Comments John Lloyd to retire as head of Australian horticulture peak research, marketing bodyHorticulture Innovation Australia Ltd (HIA) will begin the search for a new chief executive, to run the $100 million a year spending program.
John Lloyd is stepping down after eight years, where he steered the peak research and marketing body through controversial changes. Horticulture Innovation was changed to be grower owned, after a review in 2014 found potential conflict of interest for peak industry bodies both deciding how to spend the levy money and applying for the projects. Under John Lloyd, HIA has invested heavily in new fruit fly control technology, in greenhouse research, and robotics. But the changes have left some of those grower groups, and individual growers extremely frustrated at the lack of consultation and transparency. Table grape board member from western Queensland, Richard Loman was pleased John Lloyd was retiring, and hoped some of the old guard would now move on. "From our point of view, John was in charge of HAL [Horticulture Australia Limited] prior to when it was supposedly broken, and now in charge of HIA which is in our opinion more broken," Mr Loman said. "It's harder to do anything now, we're missing deadlines, we're not getting marketing plans, not getting R&D programs up, there doesn't seem to be anything going on. In the older organisation, it wasn't perfect but we got stuff done." Horticulture Innovation was changed in 2014, from one owned by peak industry bodies to grower owned. An inquiry found they had a potential conflict of interest in controlling the spending. Around 50,000 growers have had to register as members to get a vote, and size matters, with smaller levy payers getting less say than horticulture giants such as Costa and Montagues or vegetable processors McCains and Simplot. But peak industry bodies representing cherries, avocadoes and table grapes complained they were not recognised for the work they did with growers. "Peak industry bodies understand their industry and those guys we employ know it inside out," Mr Loman said. "Now they've been isolated from all those everyday things that have to go on; a trade show in Tokyo or Hong Kong or wherever, have been put out to public tender. "Companies like SMK and PWC are nominating for these projects and they don't know anything about the industry, and we're being locked out, not always, quite often they're the only ones who can do it. "But we have to jump through a lot more hoops now to do what we used to do on a day-to-day basis." Citrus Australia and Ausveg have defended John Lloyd saying his task was mammoth, and the levy was not there to prop up peak industry bodies. "So what we've had to do is find our own income streams to mean that we are self sufficient," Citrus Australia chair and head of Voice of Horticulture Tania Chapman said. "We can still run projects but through competitive processes, and in a large number of cases PIBs are still the best people to run the projects." She said Horticulture Innovation under John Lloyd has run highly professional trade fairs. "The responses coming out of Asia Fruit Logistica Hong Kong last year was amazing." Unfair structure Cherry growers see things very differently. Chair of Cherry Growers Tom Eastlake questioned why HIA took individual commercial businesses to Asia Fruit Logistica, such as Costa, Montagues and Fresh Produce, instead of industry groups to represent their sector. He argued those large companies with vested commercial interests benefited from Government funding, while smaller growers languished behind. Mr Eastlake accused John Lloyd of hearing the growers' complaints but failing to take them to the minister. Ausveg, which has secured its own source of funding through partners and the annual conference, said overall John Lloyd had done a "pretty good job". "He has a good team around him, and he's managed to retain the support of the board which is a good cross section of the industry," Ausveg chief executive James Whiteside said. "He has kept the door open to even his harshest critics." John Lloyd is due to retire as chief executive of Horticulture Innovation Australia mid-year, and will help the board with a succession plan. In a statement, John Lloyd said: "Everything we do in horticulture allows people to live happier, healthier, longer and more productive lives this has been reflected in the tremendous growth of the sector over the past 10 years". Horticulture Innovation Australia declined to comment on this story. http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-02-05/change-of-horticulture-leadership-brings-out-the-critics/9396038 Updated February 04, 2018 22:15:03
Photo: Top draft pick Isabel Huntington (C) had a strong debut in the Western Bulldogs' win over Fremantle. (AAP: David Crosling) Related Story: AFLW: Lions get revenge over Crows in grand final rematch Map: Melbourne 3000 The Western Bulldogs have gone top of the AFLW ladder after round one, thanks to a 26-point win over the Fremantle Dockers at Whitten Oval. Led by returning skipper Katie Brennan, the Bulldogs were never troubled as they won 7.7 (49) to 3.5 (23). An ankle injury ended Brennan's AFLW season one after just two games. She returned to the fray at Whitten Oval, and showed exactly what the Dogs had been missing. Brennan kicked two goals in the first half (finishing with three majors), provided a strong marking target and was one of the Bulldogs' best. External Link:Western Bulldogs AFLW tweet: Winners selfie #AFLWDogsFreo The game was played with a solid breeze that favoured the Dockers in the opening quarter, but they failed to take advantage as the home side dominated all aspects of the game. The Victorians made good use of their strong forward line, with Brennan and number one draft pick Isabel Huntington taking marks inside 50 to put the Dockers under huge pressure. The Bulldogs kept Fremantle scoreless to half-time the contest looked almost over with the women from the West leading by 34 points. But the visitors came out after the main break with a much better intensity, making use of the breeze with three unanswered goals, including two in quick succession from Amy Lavell, to get within 15 points. The Bulldogs were a little nervous going into the final term, but goals to Bonnie Toogood and Aasta O'Connor the latter using the wind to boot one through from distance eased the pressure. Brennan finished with three goals, Ellie Blackburn had 23 disposals, seven marks and a goal, while Huntington (eight disposals, four marks, two tackles) did not get on the scoresheet, but her performance showed great promise. The Dockers showed resilience to stay in the contest, but they will need to find other forward options other than Lavell and Ashley Sharp (one goal). Next week the Dockers will host Collingwood in a sellout at Perth Stadium, while the Bulldogs will head north to face Brisbane. Topics:sport,australian-football-league,melbourne-3000,vic,fremantle-6160,perth-6000,wa,australia First posted February 04, 2018 19:03:28 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-04/bulldogs-beat-the-dockers-to-finish-aflw-round-one-on-top/9394836 Updated February 03, 2018 15:00:59
Photo: In high demand, Jarrah and Marri honey fetches a high price due to its medicinal properties (ABC News: Robert Koenig-Luck) Map: Rottnest Island 6161 Western Australia is experiencing a new gold rush, but it has nothing to do with precious metals. It's liquid gold honey sourced from the state's unique jarrah and other forests, rich in antimicrobial and other health giving properties. Farm gate prices have increased tenfold in the last decade and the strongest "medi-honeys" are now selling for as much as $100 a kilogram in China. Independent testing of jarrah and marri honey in New Zealand in 2016 found that it had stronger antimicrobial properties than the much prized manuka honey. Jarrah and marri honey samples were submitted for a phenol equivalence assay, which compared resistance against Staphylococcus aureus, otherwise known as golden staph. Photo: Some samples of Jarrah honey have 30 per cent more antimicrobial activity. (ABC News: Robert Koenig-Luck) The results confirm work being done by WA's government laboratory, the ChemCentre which has also found the forest honeys are anti-inflammatory, high in antioxidants and are good for human gut health. The ChemCentre's principal food scientist Ken Dods, said some of the WA samples had 30 per cent higher activity than manuka. "Jarrah and Marri honey, because of the nature of the activity that we have which is a peroxide based activity actually has quite a broad spectrum antimicrobial activity," Mr Dods said. "Rather than talking about one being better than another, what we would like to see in a therapeutic manner is in different situations you would use a different honey depending on what therapeutic basis is required. "Diversity is a very good thing because what we end up with is stronger therapeutic outcomes." Photo: Busy as always making honey rich in antimicrobial properties (ABC News: Robert Koenig-Luck) More on this story: Mr Dods is managing a $3.1 million research project on WA's bioactive honeys. He said the aim was to build science-based foundations for the industry including how to measure the range of bioactivity in the forest honeys. "What I'm doing is helping them produce something more consistently and more clearly identifying for them the key attributes of those honeys that they can then use in their marketing," Mr Dods said. "The ChemCentre is providing the international certification that gives the credibility that enables them to get a really good price for their product." Investors buzzing as popularity grows Prices are already surging on the back of unprecedented demand for WA's mono-floral honey, which is selling for about $30 a kilogram at the farm gate. According to chairman of the WA Bee Industry Council, Colin Fleay, five new extraction and packing plants have been built recently to take advantage of export opportunities, changing what has been a largely cottage-based industry selling blended honey. Photo: No gloves needed for chairman of the Bee Industry Council of Western Australia, Colin Fleay. (ABC News: Robert Koenig-Luck) "They [investors] are all coming in now, as soon as people realise the worth of the product because it sells itself," Mr Fleay said. "If you've got a good product with major health benefits people are going to want it and if there's a premium on it compared to the normal price of honey, anywhere there's money people will come." The state's biggest producer is Capilano, which bought into WA honey industry in 2013 and now includes media baron Kerry Stokes as a 20 per cent shareholder. Photo: Manuka honey is available in supermarkets and shoppers pay a premium price. (ABC Rural: Brian Hurst ) Managing director Michael Bellman said the company wanted to triple its production of jarrah and other forest honeys but was mindful of the market fraud which had beset New Zealand's manuka industry. He said WA producers were working together to certify international distributors and create consistent industry standards. "It's so important we maintain a presence in Western Australia, we keep packing in WA. We don't want to send bulk honey overseas, which can be adulterated like the New Zealand stuff has happened," Mr Bellman said. "It can end up being 10 tonne on the ground becoming 100 tonne because they put something else in it, so we want to make sure that whole custodian supply chain is maintained." Tackling issues plaguing the industry External Link:Bees hard at work Traceability and chain of custody models will be key areas of research for the newly formed Honey Bee Products Collaborative Research Centre (CRC), which was opened in Perth at the end of last year. With a budget of about $7 million the CRC will have up to 26 research projects running at once in areas such as bee health and nutrition, hive site management, plantations and professional certification. "What it does is connect us with everything that's happening internationally so we can translate immediately something we see out there and bring it into Australia and incorporate it into what we're doing," said the CRC's new chief executive Liz Barbour. Dr Barbour said the CRC may join an international research effort to breed bees resistant to the varroa mite parasite, which had devastated colonies around the world. Photo: Varroa mites on a honey bee pupae. A virus the mites carry is damaging to bees (Supplied: Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Australia was one of the only places where the parasite had not taken hold and the CRC could use cutting edge proteomics to study varroa resistant bees discovered in Brazil and Africa. Dr Barbour said researchers could investigate resistance without exposing any bees to the varroa mite. "Normally if you want to breed up resistance in a population you have to expose it to that disease," she said. "The new way of doing that scientifically is actually to look at the protein profile of a bee that is resistant, and instead of us actually exposing the bee to the disease we look for those protein profiles and then we start breeding bees up. "And of course the big advantage is we have one of the oldest breeding programs here in Western Australia." Photo: The queen bee is essential to the entire operation. (ABC News: Robert Koenig-Luck) WA has what is thought to be the world's oldest continuous queen bee breeding program on Rottnest Island which could be crucial if Australia has to survive a future incursion of varroa mite. The program began in 1980 when the Department of Agriculture started 20 new breeding lines because quarantine restrictions meant local bee keepers could no longer import queens from the eastern states. The Better Bee program is now a collaboration between eight commercial bee keepers who send drones and queens to Rottnest every year to help maintain the genetic health and diversity of their hives. Photo: Rottnest Island lies 16km off the coast of Perth and it's the perfect site for breeding bees. (Supplied: Rottnest Island Authority) Rottnest is 16 kilometres from the mainland, which is too far for bees to fly so the isolation guarantees the genetic integrity of the program. The queens bred on the holiday island are famed for their calm temperament and ability to produce bees which yield up to double the global average of honey per hive. According to Mr Fleay, who is one of the Rottnest breeders, the island could be crucial for the survival of the industry if there is a verroa mite incursion. "You could go and set up a permanent breeding program over there and supply the rest of the mainland and you could trial verroa resistant stock and things like that, so the Rottnest Island project is an integral part of the whole survival mechanism we've got in plan," Mr Fleay said. Watch the full story on Landline Sunday, February 11, at the new time of 12.30pm. Topics:medical-research,food-and-beverage,genetically-modified-food,food-and-cooking,rottnest-island-6161,wa,australia First posted February 03, 2018 07:06:59 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-03/wa-jarrah-marri-honey-gives-manuka-a-run-for-its-money/9211874 Updated February 02, 2018 09:15:28
Video: Kimberley region cut off by flooding(ABC News) An area twice the size of Victoria has been cut off in Western Australia's Kimberley region after a severe storm decimated the only highway servicing the region. The Kimberley received record rainfall in January, including 639mm in four days, flooding the Great Northern Highway and sweeping away bitumen. "This is the worst I've seen it. I've been working in the Kimberley since the year 2000," Main Roads roadworks manager Frank Morgan said. "The water has got underneath the bitumen and has eaten away at the gravel." Photo: The road has been swept away after major flooding at the Logue River on the Great Northern Highway connecting Broome to Derby. (ABC Kimberley: Emily Jane Smith) About 100km of the road between Broome and Derby has been damaged, with another 12km still underwater near Roebuck Plains south of Broome. The most significant damage is at Logue River near Willare, where water engulfed the bridge, washing away the road and the railing. "It's eaten out the shoulder and the embankment of the road," Mr Morgan said. Photo: Main Roads roadworks manager Frank Morgan says the damage is the worst he has seen. (ABC Kimberley: Emily Jane Smith) The Great Northern Highway is the only road connecting the Kimberley to the rest of Western Australia. It has been closed since Monday and Main Roads expects the road will not be open until Saturday morning, leaving residents and workers unable to enter or leave the Kimberley. Mains Roads has begun making temporary repairs so traffic can pass. Photo: A Main Roads Western Australia map shows the closure of the Great Northern Highway. (Supplied: Main Roads) Truckies stranded for days Photo: Truck driver Bill Traval has been stranded in Broome for days. (ABC Kimberley: Emily Jane Smith) As the severe storm swept through the west Kimberley on Monday, truck drivers became stranded at roadhouses. Bill Traval works for CTI Logistics and was dropping a shipment of goods in Broome when the rain hit. "I'm in my 60s and I've never seen so much water fall out of the sky in 24 hours," he said. "I've been trucking up here for 40-odd years and I've never seen a storm come through like this." Mr Traval has been waiting at Roebuck Roadhouse, 30km outside of Broome, since Sunday, hoping to return to his family in Perth. "I've just got to sit here and wait," he said. Photo: The Kimberley received record rainfall in January, sweeping away sections of the Great Northern Highway. (ABC Kimberley: Emily Jane Smith) Fresh food running low Supermarkets across the Kimberley are running low on fresh food because trucks transporting goods are unable to service the region. Anne Slowiak manages the IGA in Derby and said it would run out of fruit and vegetables by Friday night. "We were due for a truck [Thursday] but it won't be able to get in," she said. "I think everybody is taking it a day at a time, and at least by Sunday we'll have a truck get in." Photo: Shelves are emptying at Coles in Kununurra as food trucks are unable to pass through the town. (ABC Rural: Courtney Fowler) The only way out is to fly Ms Slowiak said the biggest problem was people who had flights to Perth. With the road between Broome and Derby closed, residents and visitors are unable to access flights to Perth from Broome. Ms Slowiak has a sick daughter in Perth receiving an operation. The only way she could get there in time was to jump on a chartered flight organised by people from the community. Video: Tropical low devastates west Kimberley(ABC News) "I'm sure there are others too who really need to get to places," she said. Henry John was stuck in Broome and was looking to charter a plane to get back to Derby. He said it would cost about $250 for the 40-minute flight. "I want to get back home and back to work." Topics:weather,floods,broome-6725,derby-6728,perth-6000 First posted February 02, 2018 07:57:34 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-02/kimberley-cut-off-after-highway-floods/9386352 |