cairns life september issue

CairnsLife Sept 2011 Sat arvo7:Layout 1 29/8/11 8:26 AM

3

CairnsLife magazine published by CairnsLife Pty Ltd. Shops 7 & 8 The Walk. 84 Lake Street. Cairns. 4870 • T: 4041 6981 F: 4041 6889 www.cairnslifemag.com.au

CONTENTS

6 What’s On: Events, Music, ArtWith festival season in full swing, we take a lookat what’s on from jazz to contemporary art.

12Readers’ PicksEach month we bring you an array of interestingand talented people from all walks of life. Thismonth we focus on Dynamic Duos, partners inbusiness or life.

24 LiteratureThis month we introduce AmandaCranston’s top 5 books. Reviewed withlove and detail.

26 Fashion, Beauty & StyleOur inhouse fashion editor Riyani has someinteresting insights into the tropical fashionlandscape.

48 Food, Wine & DineStephen Borzi takes us on a ride around the localrestaurant scene, talking to chefs, managers and evenhaving a really long lunch with our favourite legel eagleover a bottle or two of his favourite wines.

65 HomeLife This month we interview Karon Donato, JoannePyne, Steve Habjan and Adam Cain, Lisa Slatyerand the Vannella family


ContributorsAmanda Cranston

Julietta HendersonDanny Betros

Andrew GriffithsVlasta Eriksson

Leanne PeardPip Miller

Craig SquireBrett Claxton

Stephen Borzi

Display SalesJacqui Nolan

Business LifestyleRiyani MartorejoFashion Beauty

Alex Drewniak Eat Play Drink

GraphicsStephen Borzi

Gordi Avila

PhotographyBrad NewtonDaniel BlakeChris Baker

Paul Dymond

LETTERS

Letter of the month...

Danny BetrosCB Richard Ellis

I think one of the worst jobs around Cairnswould have to be the poor bloke who reads all ofthe Letters to the Editor at the Cairns Post beforedeciding which ones to publish. Gee there aresome real fruitcakes out there walking amongstus.I love the exaggerations and generalisations overthe past few weeks such as,“My whole street is sick of Cairns and the costincreases and we are leaving town”“99% of people won’t use a new entertainmentprecinct”, “no one supports this project”, or“all of the Grey Nomads are avoiding Cairnsbecause we treat them with contempt and theyare going elsewhere to stay for free”.What a lot of crap! These are just a few of myfavourites. They are miserable whinging peoplewho feel the need to publicly express their hastyover generalisations.As part of becoming a GOM (Grumpy Old Man)or pain in the arse (as my wife would prefer), my

attitude is short and sweet.If Cairns isn’t your place anymore for whatever“real “reason then please leave quickly and don’tslam the door as you go. Just go off and search foryour Utopia and then moan about something elsewhen you get there as you will never be happy.Our community needs to regain its positive andproud attitude and not be brought down bypeople who try to turn their own personalsituations into a failure by the community. Cairns needs a new Civic Theatre; call it whatyou like but for goodness sake let’s get on with it.The current place is a dump and the only thingthat kept me awake through my daughter’s lastdance concert, was how uncomfortable the seatswere. The money we are wasting on ads andconsultation for this and other projects(rectangular stadiums, channel dredging etc)could be put to better use on our CBD. Do all retirees who buy a van and travel aroundAustralia really expect to come to Cairns and staysomewhere for nothing? Do we all become thatmiserable after becoming grumpy? I don’t know alot about the cost of staying in a park but I doknow how expensive it is to own and run vanparks. People who want to stay in theShowground for $10 night are just plain hilarious.Could you imagine how this would end up? Icouldn’t think of anywhere worse to stay, it’s ahole of a place to camp. . Towns with free parksfor vans have nothing else to offer, that’s why it isoffered.Enough said as I don’t want to be accused ofbeing grumpy about people being miserable.

Put pen to paper orfingers to the keyboard.

Let thousands of our readers, publicleaders and concerned residentsknow what ticks you off or puts asmile on your face.

Letter of the month wins dinner fortwo at Salt House or Villa Romana

Letters to:CairnsLife magazine

Shop 7, 84 Lake StreetCairns CBD. 4870

or email [email protected]

MR and MR’s Misery Guts

What an action packed month! I’ve celebrated my 31st,found my first grey hair and interviewed some of Cairns’most talented Dynamic Duos. Let’s just say it was anoffice full of tears and laughter putting this editiontogether.

One part I truly love about being editor of Cairns Life ischoosing who we interview and hearing the interestingstories from the talented people in this city. Now we wantto introduce the “Readers Picks” initiative. This is youropportunity to let us know who you think is worthy to beprofiled in our publication.

Next month we are featuring ‘Women in Business’ andwant your input. Let us know who you would like to readabout or someone you know that we should let the rest ofCairns know about.Send to [email protected] can’t wait to hear your suggestions, ideas and opinions.

Happy reading,

Jacqui x


6

EVENTS

Alternatively (and very alternatively), on the 3rdyou could always make your way to HavanaMusic Café for the Lush Late Night SupperClub. Featuring a selection of burlesque andcabaret performances with a great range ofcocktails, canapés and food on offer, a night herewill definitely break up the nights at Gilligansand the Woolshed. ‘Queen Fanny Wood willmeet you at the door, and issue you with yourLush golden pass, whereupon our hostessCarmen Geddit will show you to your seat, andoffer you a festive treat or two! Relax, imbibeand be bamboozled by The Uncredible SiMann's card, rope and sleight of handamazements, before your toes start tapping tothe saucy tunes and thrilling melodies of TheHot N Wet Swing Set. The Saturday nighthangout will feature not one but two fabulous

burlesque artistes, the feathered antics of MzPanty Rebellion, the contortions of Lu Lu LaBent, the extraordinary circus feats of MonsieurPepe, the hot pole manoeuvres of The Boy Eros,the utterly edgy Balloon Boy and Grinder Grrl!’Starting late at 10pm, get there early for greatdrinks and great food, or swing by when it starts,just make you don’t miss any of the action! The amazing voice and performer that is LisaHunt is back in September. Come along at10pm to Vertigo Bar at the Reef Hotel Casinoon the 3rd to hear her belt out classics new andold. Last time it was PACKED… a testament toLisa Hunt’s popularity.At the Green Ant Cantina every Sunday night isAnarchy- an awesome combination of snakebitejugs with your favourite Indie and Brit Pop! (I’mgetting flashbacks to the UK already) Starts at

4pm till late. Don’t forget The Green Ant Cantina serves amazing food tosatisfy any craving so make a night of it!Casey Chambers, one of Australia’s most wellknown country music acts is coming to Cairnsafter cancelling her tour earlier in the yearfollowing the Brisbane floods. An ARIA awardwinner after her music made it into themainstream music scene she is a classic Aussieact that must not be missed if you want thatlittle extra slice of Australia. Performing on the4th at 8pm at the Cairns Civic Theatre.Also at the Reef Hotel Casino this month isChukale on the 8th, The Big Swing Thing onthe 9th and 10th and The Giles Smith Band onthe 30th. All gigs start at 9pm.

As the days start getting warmer and thatsummer heat is in the air, we start the monthof September with some hot jazz!

Renée Geyer & Sextet is certainly not one to be overlooked.ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, and Australian music legend,Renee Geyer will wow you with her sensual, velvety voice.With a career spanning four decades and with 23 albumsunder her belt, she is an inspiration for budding singers. ‘Aconsummate entertainer with a proud body of work, Renéeis a true and undeniably unique talent who transfixes aroom with the power of her song. Don’t miss Renée Geyer& Sextet, performing live for one night only, as headline actof the 2011 Jazz Up North series at Tanks.’ Tickets cost$45 and can be purchased from Ticketlink: 1300 855 835or www.ticketllink.com.au. The doors open at 6:30pm andthe show starts at 7:30pm in Tank 5 (MA15+).If jazz isn’t your thing then you may be interested infolk/blues/country singer Kirsty Larkin playing at Blue SkyBrewery on the 2nd and 3rd of September. ‘Kirsty's refreshingly honest and cheeky stage presence make all ofher performances entertaining and heartfelt, and this smallgirl's massive voice is sure to knock your socks off ! Kirsty's"We're all in this together" attitude has enabled her to drawon personal experiences to relate to her audience throughstories of heart ache, self empowerment and the beauty oflife.’ Not one to miss if you need a good fun night out. Hergig starts at 8pm both nights, but get to Blue Sky earlier tosample some of the home brews!


Mark Seymour is best known as the

songwriter and front man of Australian

Band, Hunters and Collectors. Now

pursuing a solo career, he heads up to

Cairns to play at Brothers Leagues Club on

Friday the 9th. He brings with him a

collection of work from his latest album

ʻThe Undertowʼ. ʻMusically itʼs an album of

root based blues with a touch of country

and folk, performed and collaborated with

Markʼs regular band mates, also known as

ʻThe Undertowʼ.ʼ Tickets cost $30, and can

be purchased from

www.brotherscairns.com.au. Doors open at

8pm with the show starting at 8:30pm.

The highlight of the month though, sits with Architecture in Helsinki as they come to Cairns for one night only!

This popular modernist pop quintet has been travelling Australia, USA and Europe gaining fans and support

along the way. Their recent album Moment Blends has gained much acclaim, especially the second single

Escapee that has recently been released. It sounds like the album they’ve waited their whole lives to make,

retaining the fizzing immediacy of its three predecessors but re-moulded with a more sophisticated touch. Do

not miss what will be an awesome gig! Tickets cost $40 and can be purchased through Ticketlink:

www.ticketlink.com.au or 1300 855 835. Doors open at 6:30pm and the show starts at 7:30pm in Tank 5.

To end the month in music we head back to the Tanks on Friday the 23rd of September, for Martinez,some of the greatest Avant Garde guitarists in the world. Hailing from Chile, the Martinez Family (Victor,Andro and Dauno) bring their charismatic and entrancing show to Cairns at the Tanks. ‘One minute theyplay in unison, the next in harmony, then across and against each other, it’s calm then chaotic, beautifulthen forceful. It’s difficult to fully describe them until you’ve heard them. The interplay and understandingthat flows through them is inspiring, endearing and infectious. They truly captivate their audience as theystretch each other’s ability. Anyone who plays a guitar, aspires to playing, or enjoys listening to guitar,must see these incredible players.’ The gig starts at 7:30pm with the doors and bar opening at 6:30pm.Tickets cost $30 and can be purchased through Ticketlink: www.ticketlink.com.au or 1300 855 35.


ART8

At Cell Art Space from the 3rd of September is Aquarium As Still Life, a ceramicinstallation by artists Lynette and Diann. Both passionate about art, theenvironment and the development of art practice in the Torres Strait, this pairbrings you a slice of Erub (Darney Island). ‘Erub is one of the most remotecommunities in Australia, located 260km north east of Queensland’s Cape YorkPeninsula. This beautiful volcanic island situated in the turquoise waters of theTorres Strait, is home to approximately 400 Meriam Mer people.’ Inspired bythese turquoise waters and their close association and connection to the sea andreef, Aquarium As Still Life, creates an aquatic, fantasy, wildlife environmentusing wood fired clay baked in the most northerly kiln in Australia.

For something a little more tropical we have Reef Cosmos:

Stephanie Milne, an exhibition that attempts to re-create the act

of visiting the reef (after your dive check it out to see if it

measures up!). The aim of the body of work is to capture the

complex environment, from the large spectacular coral reef walls

to the smallest of creatures or even an individual coral polyp. ‘In

addition to creating a variety of mixed media works, I am

planning to take a number of the pieces to the reef and to

photograph them underwater, on site in the environment which

inspired them. In an ideal world, I would love to leave the works

on the reef for an extended amount of time, to see how the reef

interacts with the piece and document the transformation.

However this is not possible, so the works will simply be

photographed as a temporary installation, to be shown alongside

the original work. A number of the works will contain reclaimed

objects which have been rescued from the reef. This inclusion

aims to comment on the continuing problem of refuse which

finds it’s way to the reef environment and how the reef has its

own natural reaction to these objects by reclaiming them so they

are often no longer distinguishable’ - Stephanie Milne. Opening

day is on the 19th of September at 2:30pm and you can view the

exhibition until the 16th of September,

so get in quick and don’t miss it!

Also on display this month at the Cairns Regional Gallery is Strike A Pose:Fashions of the 60’s and 70’s curated by Lee Lin Chin. This exhibition exploresthe history and world of Australian style and fashion 40 years ago, when traditionswere broken and fashion broke out of the confines of the 1950’s. “These picturesare not about art,” writes Lee Lin Chin in an introduction to the exhibition.“They are not even just about fashion because, from today’s perspective, they’verecorded a transcendent historical moment when nothing was going to be quitethe same again.” Including a collection of 89 photographs taken by AustralianGovernment photographers during the two decades, the exhibition consists ofposed fashion shots, capturing the essence of the period and the cultural changesand reactions to the change in the industry.


In the same vein as the Energy Exhibition,Creative Generation is a touring exhibitionshowcasing the work of 34 talented young

artists who were recipients of the 2010Creative Generations Excellence Awards

in Visual Arts and Design. Running for 21years, the awards are a chance for young

artists to be recognised, celebrated andhonoured. This exhibition also showcasesa selection of mixed media works, which

include paintings, sculptures, drawings andmore. Available to visit from 9am to

4:30pm weekdays and at Carnival onCollins. The exhibition runs from the 2ndto the 30th of September. This is a FREE

exhibition!

The annual Energy Exhibition is back at the Tanks Art Centre this month, showcasing art produced by schools in the region. The collectionincludes a range of artworks from paintings, drawings, photography, installations and other media. ‘It’s an eye-opening and heart warminginsight into the thoughts and inspirations of the youth of Far North Queensland.’ The exhibition runs from the 2nd to the 30th of Septemberand can be viewed in Tank 4 from 9am to 4:30pm weekdays and at Carnival on Collins. This is a FREE exhibition!

9


SOCIAL EVENTS: CAIRNS CUP 2011

S h o t by S t e p h e n B o r z i o n R a c e D a y

10


Local Artist of the Month

Regan O’Neill has had a love ofpainting since she was in primary school,

but it was in high school she wasencouraged by teachers to explore her

artistic abilities. At the age of 17 an artgallery director saw Regan’s work and

asked to hang one of her paintings in agallery in Cairns- it sold that same day.

Ever since then her work has beenselling galleries and shops in PortDouglas, Cairns, Mission Beach,

Brisbane and Yamba, NSW.

“My grandfather was very artisticallytalented which is where I think I got my

creative streak from” she says. Afterencouraging her father to enter a wood

carving in this year's Cairns Show ArtExhibition, he came second. “It must

run in the family.”“All my family and friends support me in

everything I do which means the worldto me.”

O’Neill workshops at primary schoolswhere she encourages students to have a

go and experiment with different stylesof painting. “I remember when I was

painting in an art gallery and a little girlcame up to me and was watching me,

then proceeded to run her fingersthrough the wet paint on my painting,

she was so interested and obviouslywanted to be part of it. I couldn't help

but laugh.”

In 2000-2001 whilst travelling throughEurope and the UK, O’Neill continued

to paint and sent paintings back toAustralia to an art gallery in Yamba,

NSW, where they sold and helped fundher working holiday overseas.

O’Neill has just returned from a holidaydown in Byron Bay, Bangalow andYamba, NSW, where she has been

inspired immensely. O’Neill’s art studiooverlooks the Cairns Inlet which

provides her with amazing ideas andinspiration for her work.

“I love experimenting and trying newthings with my art. One thing I hear

people say the most is that my work isconstantly changing and very diverse.

There is no theme to my artwork, whichI like and I hope that there's something

for everyone.”

Regan O’Neill has a solo exhibition forone night only.

Fri 30th Sept at Buddha Bar, 59 The Esplanade Cairns, upstairs.

Gala opening 6-8pm, canapés will beserved & drinks available.

All works will be available for purchase.

Regan O’Neill


12

Special Feature

TR

AIL

BL

AZ

ER

SPICKS

READERS’ PICKSEach issue we are asking r eaders to email us theirideas on who we should go out there and interview.Every issue we feature a different subject. In Augustwe highlighted Young Professionals, people hittinggoals at an early stage of their careers and this issuewe feature Dynamic Duos, partners in business orlife. Next issue we are featuring Women in Business.So if you have a fa vorite, send us y our choices [email protected]

All suggestions are welcome and hopefully yours willappear in our next issue as a “Readers’ Pick!”


SCairnsLife Sept 2011 Sat arvo7:Layout 1 29/8/11 8:28 AM

14

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN

DYNAMICDUO’S“Loving Cairns Life” Here’s what the boys from Happy DaysMedia are loving about Cairns right now.

Food:Skullsy: Villa Romana, for breakfast lunchand dinner!Mark: Early morning coffee from Silke orRe-Hab & a BBQ at home with the family

Nightlife: Skullsy: A good mix of the best venues inCairns with a cold Corona in my hand.Mark: Usually one step behind or in frontof Skullsy!

Fashion:Skullsy: Victor Mellicks – the girls thereknow how to sell you a suit or pair of jeansMark: Man Overboard, Victor Mellicks –whatever I like on the day!

Relaxation:Skullsy: Walking along the Esplanade, upnear the white boats, in the early morning isan absolute joy.Mark: 18 holes at Paradise Palms GolfCourse

Events:Skullsy and Mark: Saturday at BrothersLeagues Club for a beer and a bet

In the world of business it seems nice guysactually can finish fir st. Ste ve ‘Skullsy’Corradi and Mark Wollin from Happy DaysMedia, aren’t just leading the race , they’regiving the media industr y in Cair ns a shakeup with their positiv e spin and infectiousenthusiasm.Mark and Steve are of that rare breed thatnot only talk the talk, but walk the walk too,and down at the Happy Days office it evensmells like progress. The scent of fresh paintis do wn to e xpansion f or their new estinvestment in HR - a team of in-housecreatives and social media specialists . It’ sobvious that the success of Happy Days isdown to the people; the of fice hums withpositivity and smiles ar e in generous supply.“We aren’t hard taskmasters, our aim is tocreate a happ y w ork en vironment”, saysSteve. “We like to enjoy ourselves, but HappyDays is all about assisting our clients to get tothat point of ‘happy days’ themselves.” Happy Days are a full service agency, able tomanage a marketing campaign from conceptto completion. “We are solution providers”,says Mark. “We can be as little or as much asyou want. Obviously the g reater control wehave over the total marketing mix, the betterwe can work, but we are what we are.” Steveadds, “We focus our energies on why thingscan be done, not why they can’t.” With corevalues of ‘accountability , pr oactivity,flexibility and integ rity’, the compan ymantra, “Yes We Can”, is not just lip service. Both men ha ve e xtensive backg rounds intelevision and radio: “I hear d the mediagame was all long lunc hes and golf gamesand I signed up”, quips Mark; while Steve’scareer began when he realised while workingin pubs, all the $100 notes coming across thebar were from people working in television.“I wanted some of tha t!” he laughs . T his

match made in hea ven was sealed o ver aCorona at the legendary Verdi’s, and they’venever looked back. On the job, their dynamicis a winning formula, but the two are clearlybest ma tes as w ell. Mar k and Ste veunderstand the need f or a balance betw eenwork and life and make sur e that after thework is done the y celebra te the victories .However, while happ y to be labelled‘knockabouts’, when it comes to their clients,the boys are deadly serious.When the two went into business in the midstof the GFC, it was one of the toughest timesin Australia’s economic histor y. They cameout of the b locks at 100 miles an hour , andwhile the y admit things w eren’t easy, the yrolled with the punches. Steve says, “There’sno doubt w e did it tough, like all Cair nsbusinesses, but we just had to keep going andremain positive and aim f or the light a t theend of the tunnel.” Happy Days went on to forge success on theback of some innovative campaigns and thewillingness to go tha t bit further f or theirexisting clients. They also sought out othermarkets inter state and o verseas; b ut, withrepresentation in Brisbane and futur e plansfor a presence in Sydney and Melbourne, theboys are adamant head of fice will remain inCairns. “It was the people of Cairns that gotus through, by putting their faith in us”, Stevesays. “Cairns people are extremely resilientand don’t sit back and let things happen tothem. They go out and find solutions”. Markadds, “W e liv e in a city with a fantasticclimate and beautiful natural surrounds, andthis countr y has some of the w orld’s bestnatural r esources and str ongest banks . Wereally should all take time to r eflect on howlucky we are”So, can we believe then that, in Cairns, happydays are here again? “Yes we can”

READER’S PICKS: DYNAMIC DUO’S

by Julietta Henderson


15


16



“Loving Cairns Life”

Here’s what Greg and John fromPacific Toyota are loving about

Cairns right now.

Food:Water Bar, Villa Romana,

Tamarinds, Barnacle Bills, Han-namans at the Hilton

Fashion: Victor Mellick’s

Nightlife:The Salt House

Relaxation: Greg – Paradise Palms Golf

CourseJohn – On a boat out on the reef.

Events: Greg – The Port Food and Wine

FestivalJohn – The Amateurs

Greg Eastment and John Henrison Pacific Toyota Greg Eastment and John Henrison of Pacific Toyota arethe epitome of the ‘dynamic duo’ label - at the helm of asuccessful business with their eyes on the future. However,from the outset, the pair makes it very clear that they donot see themselves as simply a business duo; they credittheir entire team of committed senior and middlemanagement, sales people, and administration personnel asbeing crucial to, and indeed the reason for, the company’ssuccess. Before their venture in Pacific Toyota, Greg and John hadbeen work colleagues on the Gold Coast. When, in 2008,Greg approached John with the offer of a collaboration hejumped at the chance. With over 25 years combinedexperience in the car industry it makes for a formidablepairing: Greg as Managing Director developing strategyand direction, and John as Group Business Manger leadingthe team of finance managers and staff. As John puts it,“Our business is staff. Their happiness is the mostimportant thing.” Taking on a business in receivership at the height of theGFC may have seemed like folly to some, but for Greg andJohn it made good business sense and has, in fact, shapedtheir business model of today. “Cairns is a great place forthose who take up the challenges and the GFC actuallycreated an opportunity for us”, says John. Greg continues,“In every down turn there are doors closing and doorsopening; if you find the closing ones the hard times can bea time of opportunity.” He continues, “We structured thebusiness around what was there at the time, and that wasthe GFC. We asked ourselves, ‘how do we do it?’ - andwe’ve been doing it that way since we started. People whohave been in business at times of boom don’t always have

the advantage of knowing how to strategize for the hardtimes. But we are confident there are great times ahead andwe’re looking forward to them now!” Citing recent statisticsthat, in fact, the new car industry in Cairns is keeping upwith national record levels, their faith in the resurgence ofthe good times in the Far North seems well founded. Focusing firmly on the positive outlook for Cairns, Johnand Greg see Pacific Toyota’s future as more than justfinancials. “Cairns really rallies around their businesspeople and the locals have supported us since thebeginning. We’re looking forward to the return of the goodtimes allowing us to grow our contribution back into thecommunity. Our plans are to invest in helping the youth ofCairns with projects that lack government funding, as wellas continuing to offer traineeships and apprenticeships.” The Far North community is clearly important to familymen John and Greg and both have a vision for Cairns thatgoes beyond their business interests. John says, “All that myfriends in Europe hear about seems to be the naturaldisasters we have here. The world needs to cut Cairns abreak and start focusing on the positives – there are somany!” Greg agrees, continuing, “I would love to see morediversification of industry to create a more stableenvironment, but what’s really great about Cairns is thateveryone has time to stop and say ‘g’day’. I believe we havea more genuine class of people here in Far North.” John and Greg are leading their loyal team at PacificToyota by example with their positive attitude; their owncommitment to Cairns is perhaps best summed up by thesimple statement on their business cards - “Better by far,north QLD!”

“DR

IVIN

G C

AIR

NS’

SU

CC

ESS

”


17


“Loving Cairns Life”

Here’s what Fintan and Luifrom Salt House are lovingabout Cairns right now.

Food: Salt House, La Pizza on theEsplanade, Vanilla for icecream. (Those in the knowmay see a theme!)

Relax: Lui – Freshwater CreekFintan – An early morningcoffee on Green Island (trans-port: jetski)

Drinks: On the balcony at Fintan’splace.

Fashion: Victor Mellick, Paris (Lui’s sonworks in fashion in the Frenchcapital!)

Shopping: Boys don’t shop!

Events: Cairns Amateurs, Reggae Town

If ever there was a place thatCairns was waiting for, it’s SaltHouse. A pair of local entrepre-neurs identified the need for a din-ing and entertainment venue thatcould take advantage of the city’smost tangible assets: the enviableclimate and the wraparound tropi-cal landscape. Fintan Rafferty andLui Garozzo dreamed the dream,did the sums and came up with SaltHouse.When Salt House opened two yearsago it was unlike anything Cairnshad seen before, with a subtle blendof contemporary sophistication, alaidback tropical ambience and agenuine, unpretentious local vibe.Occupying its front row seat to theocean, Salt House is not so muchon the waterfront as of it, seam-lessly integrated into its surroundsas if it has always been there. But,as with everything, it takes a lot ofeffort to look this good and behindthe scenes these two men havepoured more than a little blood,sweat and tears into their venture. Do your sums and you’ll realise thatMay 2009 was not the easiest timeto be opening a business in Cairns.But Salt House was a dream thatwas three years in the planning and

far longer in the conception. “Fivemonths into business the GFCstruck, but we were too far gone,”says Lui. “To be honest, if we couldhave pulled out we probably wouldhave, but we were too heavily in-vested.” When you see the visionand passion that Lui and Fintanhave for Salt House, it’s clear thatfinances aren’t the only heavy in-vestment they’ve made. Friends for 23 years, many wouldask what took the two so long to gointo a joint venture. “We alwaysknew we would go into business to-gether,” says Fintan. “It was just a matter of finding theright project.” In fact, Fintan hadbeen quietly biding his time for overeight years, when he had originallyapproached the Port Authorityabout a different site. Enlisting theexpertise of renowned designerMichael McCann, the duo’s win-ning bid to develop the site whereSalt House now sits was one of fourmajor proposals, but the only trulylocal Cairns one. The old mates’ business relationshipworks so well not in spite of theirdifferences, but because of them.“What’s important to Fintan is notso important to me, and vice versa,”

says Lui. Fintan continues, “Wehave our differences but we alloweach other to table those differencesand we work through them. Busi-ness is based on trust and respectand we already had that as mates.”Proving that you can, in fact, mixbusiness with pleasure the two evengo on holidays together. If there is a magic formula behindtheir success, it is Lui and Fintan’sunerring commitment to the Cairnslocals. While they promote SaltHouse nationally and internation-ally, their focus is firmly on the localmarket; played out in the form of adiverse range of entertainment(check the website for the impres-sive line-up) from trivia nights,tango dancing, a wine club, exten-sive events facilities, live music andbig name comedy acts. Every curve, every corner, every fix-ture and every fitting of Salt Housewas purpose made for this magnifi-cent site. From their original vision,Fintan and Lui stuck to the recipewithout compromise or deviation.That devilish attention to detail costthem dearly but the results haveprovided Cairns with a truly world-class venue. Not bad for a couple oflocal lads.

“SEASONING THE CITY”

Lui Garozzo and Fintan Raffertyby Julietta Henderson



“Breakfast for Two” - Baz and Pacey – Sea FM Breakfast Show

Intro:

He’s the ‘naughty kid brother’who makes his fun by spreadingrumours about her (no, she’sNOT pregnant!), and she’s the‘bossy big sister’ who, in herown words, loves the sound ofher own voice. Barry Lea andNerissa Pace - AKA Baz andPacey - paired up six monthsago for the Sea FM’s BreakfastShow and they haven’t stoppedtalking since.They are the perfect foil foreach other and the pairing notonly works, but has endearedthem to us so much that youkind of feel like you could askthem over for a Sunday BBQ atthe beach. Baz, bring yourtinnie and we’ll show you howto catch those fish…

Q: Describe your day in five words or less.A: Chaotic, tiring, fun, unpredictableQ: What’s your tip for coping with earlymornings?Baz – I have no tips, I don’t cope! But my onepiece of advice is to hit snooze and worry later.Pacey - I loathe the 4am alarm and my only tip isdon’t work with Baz.Q: Tea or coffee?Baz - Coffee. I prefer to wait till it gets cold,sometimes carrying around the same coffee forseveral hours. Pacey - Tea, English breakfast. I blame Mum, whois a contender for the title of “World’s Biggest Teadrinker”.Q: Why does your on air relationship workso well?We are very up front with one another. It’s like anolder sister, younger brother type of relationship –nothing’s really sacred.Q: Most annoying thing about each other?Where do we start? Baz is a procrastinator andPacey is BOSSY.Q: Most endearing thing about each other?Baz will have a chinwag with everyone and any-one – it’s just hard to shut him up! Pacey’s gotBaz’s back when he has seniors’ moments.Q: Best thing about the job?We get paid to talk to heaps of great people fromall walks of life; no day’s the same.

Q: Worst thing about the job?Early mornings – we feel old 24/7.Q: Dream guest you have had on the show?Colin, the gorgeous British Bulldog pup who is astar of the new TV mini-series ‘The Straits’(where you’ll also be able to catch Baz). Pacey gota little bit clucky when Colin was a guest.Q: Dream guest you would have if youcould get them?Oprah. Still can’t believe she passed up the oppor-tunity when she was in Cairns.Q: Your ‘desert island disc’?We both love ‘Live – Throwing Copper’. Paceywould also take ‘Nirvana – Unplugged’, and Bazwould also take ‘The Best of Fleetwood Mac’ andGarth Brooks. Pacey would also have to grab thefull Beatles catalogue…Q: Worst thing that’s ever happened live onair?Baz getting a full body wax for Sea FM’s Give Me5 for Kids – it was for a good cause but Pacey stillhasn’t recovered…Q: If you weren’t in radio what would yoube doing?Pacey would be up the duff and Baz would be ahobo.Q: What do you love about Cairns?The wonderfully creative locals and the way thatpeople just have a go and make their own success– it’s uplifting. Right now is a great time of year –

the weather, the festival vibe and the success ofsome talented locals like Nikki Jensen and EmmaLouise.Q: What drives you crazy about Cairns?Pacey – The humidity of the wet season. I mean,seriously – the hair!Baz – The fact that everyone else can catch a fishand I still can’t. Q: What do you think is the outlook for thefuture in Cairns?Pacey – I think Cairns has an amazing future; it’san international destination, we have the GreatBarrier Reef, people will never stop wanting tocome here.Baz – Yes, name me one other place in the worldwhere they have a reef and a rainforest. Theworld is Cairns’ oyster; hang on, Cairns is thepearl in the world’s oyster! Or something likethat…Q: So…no plans to leave anytime soon?Pacey – Nope. I’ve bought a house and I havedogs! I’m never leaving now!Baz – No, I do what my wife tells me and she tellsme we’re staying!Q: Your message in a bottle – last words ofadvice to pass on?Only the good die young, so kick off your Sundayshoes and you better be home soon because it’s along way to the top if you want to Rock ‘n’ Roll.

We know it’s early, so we only asked Baz and Pacey the easy questions…



20

CAST YOUR VOTE

READER’S PICKS!SEND US AN EMAILWITH YOUR FAVOURITE

PICK OF A

WOMAN IN BUSINESS

IN OUR GREAT CITY!ALL WELCOME EDITOR WILLCHOOSE FROM YOUR VOTES

[email protected]


21

Behind the doors of an ordinary house inMooroobool, Jennifer McCabe and Rita Suavaiare two ladies forging an extraordinaryrelationship with the local community. You maynot have heard of the Mooroobool CommunitySupport Service, but over the last few years it hasbecome an integral part of the urban landscapeand Jennifer and Rita have been quietly gettingon with the job of helping the local residents.

Making a difference is what it’s all about forJennifer, who says, “One of the reasons I lovethis job is that it really is working at the grassroots level. There are people in thisneighbourhood living in poverty andexperiencing homelessness, and our servicereally can make a difference to their lives.” Ritaagrees, saying, “I do the job not only because Ilove the people, but it is so rewarding for me tosee a positive change when I can help them gethousing or emergency relief.”While officially their roles as Co-ordinator(Jennifer), and Family Support Worker (Rita) areto provide information, referrals and advice(they are funded by the Department ofCommunities), it is obvious that it goes muchdeeper than that. “We strive to create anurturing environment,” says Jennifer. “What weoffer is a chance to drop in for a cuppa or a chat;and while we always ask “how can we help youtoday?” sometimes that help is just providingcompany.” As well as Rita’s practical outreach work -transport to and from medical, Centrelink andhousing appointments - clients can utilise thelibrary, the community garden, the ‘plenty box’,and group activities. Jennifer’s ‘Flavours of theWorld’ cooking classes -funded by a grant fromthe Cairns Regional Council - have become afirm favourite. There is also a craft group, and a

‘Play and Progress’ group run by the CairnsWest School.While the welcoming environment of the centreis a testament to their professional success, thenurturing clearly extends to the relationshipbetween the two women themselves. Theirspecial bond is based, says Jennifer, on mutualadmiration and respect for each other’s roles inthe workplace. “We are a cohesive team with anequal sharing of power,” says Jennifer. “It’sincredibly busy and sometimes we have to makedo with a wave or a nod over the top of clients’heads. But it’s enough.” Jennifer continues, “The minute I walked intothis place two years ago, I took one look at Rita’sbeautiful smile and we just clicked. She takes thetime to personalise every individual that comesthrough the door, and she also cares for me -she’s one in a million.” Rita is equallycomplimentary, saying, “Jenny really opened meup to other ways of helping clients in a non-judgemental way. She’s made me feel moreconfident in my own abilities. She’s just awonderful person.” They are indeed two pretty inspirational women.Jennifer graduated with her social work degreeat the age of 49 and now, in addition to her workat the centre, also runs a successful privatecounselling practice. Superwoman Rita is theproud mother of five children with another onthe way. To the obvious question of time-management, she just laughs and says, “Myhusband Otto and I are very lucky to havesupportive families!”Whilst the service is clearly a much-neededproject meeting the needs of the community, onesuspects that the real roots of its success liefirmly with the ladies of the house.

“LADIES IN THE HOUSE”

–Jennifer McCabe and Rita Suavai - Mooroobool Community Support Service (UnitingCare Community)

“Loving Cairns Life”Here’s what Jennifer and Rita from theMooroobool Community Support Service areloving about Cairns right now.

Food:Jennifer – Dinner at the Bay Leaf for theirchicken sates. Coffee and cake has to be MamaCoco’s on Aumuller St for their ginger andorange cakes. Rita – Because I’m pregnant I’m craving homecooking at the moment, and the best thing is I’mmaking my husband Otto cook it!

Nightlife:Jennifer - The cocktail bar at Rydges.Rita – Ha ha! My only nightlife is lookingforward to heading to bed about five minutesafter the kids!

Fashion:Jennifer – Myer! I can always find something Ilike there.Rita – I love shopping at DFO.

Hair: Lee at Lee’s Enviro Hair in Edge Hill.My own personal stylist Toni Brown! She’swonderful.

Events: Jennifer - The Kulture Day at the MoorooboolCommunity Support Centre! It was FAB, seeyou there next year!Rita – Yes, of course our very own Kulture Day.We had Tara from Drum Up Big and Rick andGabby from the Ukulele Club; it was such anamazing experience for me.

Art: Jennifer – CIAF (Cairns Indigenous Art Fair) –so looking forward to it this afternoon! Also loveCOCA for their regular exhibitions. Rita – Yes, CIAF. I went along for the first timethis year and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but itwas fantastic.




22


Local Hairdresser of the Month

“I was only 12 years old when Istarted working in a salon as a

tea and tidy, so I guess that youcan say I knew what I wanted

at a very young age.”

Melissa’s passion forhairdressing has taken her

abroad, to places such asNorway and London. When

working in Norway with Adamand Eva, Melissa

experienced styling for theopening of an opera house,

numerous fashion shoots, andworking with a prestigious

academy.

“Working behind the scenes atFashion Week internationallyhas been the most frantic but

exciting experience. I especiallyloved the fact that the

Norwegians are not afraid topush the fashion to its limits.”

It’s this attitude that Melissabrings to her artistic directionat Adam and Eva Cairns. She

is always thinking forwardwithout letting her styling

overwhelm her client.

When in England Melissaworked right in the heart of

London's fashion district, forworld renowned Toni and Guy

on Oxford Street. “It was allabout doing fabulous hair cuts

then going shopping andspending all my money on

fabulous clothes!”

“I feel really lucky to be in ajob that still inspires me, not

only do I love the work but itsall the great people that I meet

along the way.”

Melissa is currently working asan Art Director at Adam and

Eva Cairns.

Melissa PeltzerArt Director


LITERATURE

24

by Amanda Cranston

AFRICAN DAWNTony Park, MacmillanFrom the master of adventure in theAfrican countryside, Tony Park’s latestbook will not disappoint and tells thestory of three families – the Bryants,the Quilter-Phippses and the Ngwenyas– who all equally share a history ascomplex and bloody as Zimbabweitself. Dedicated conservationists Pauland Philippa Bryant are struggling tosave their farm and a small herd ofendangered black rhinos from seizureby corrupt government ministerEmmerson Ngwenya. Twin brothers,ex-soldier Braedan andenvironmentalist Tate Quilter-Phippsjoin the fight. But when the brothersfall in love with same woman, NatalieBryant, their rivalry threatens to putthe lives of all involved at risk. Andwith Emmerson vowing to stop atnothing until he gets what he wants, abloody showdown seems inevitable. Inthe broken country that is Zimbabwe,only the strongest can survive.

THE SLAPChristos Tsiolkas, Allen & UnwinWith over 600,000 copies of The Slapsold around the world, this award-winningnovel will premier this month as a primetime TV series on ABC1. The story startsone afternoon at a suburban barbecuewhen a man slaps an unruly boy, but theboy is not his own. It is a single act of vio-lence, but the slap reverberates throughthe lives of everyone who witnesses it.Told through the eyes of those present atthe barbecue, this acclaimed bestseller isan unflinching interrogation of the life ofthe modern family. Poignant and provoca-tive, it makes us question the nature ofcommitment and happiness, compromiseand truth. Whose side are you on?

YOU’LL BE SORRY WHEN I’MDEADMarieke Hardy, Allen & UnwinFrom childhood dreams of prostitution toher unabashed passion for heavy drinking,from growing up wide-eyed on the set ofAustralian soaps to her infatuation withBob Ellis, these are the outrageously enter-taining and deeply revealing reminiscencesof a multimedia star. There is nothingMarieke Hardy will not write about, tellingof stalking and eventually meeting herYoung Talent Time idol when she wastwelve, to a particularly abhorrent en-counter at a high-quality swingers night,and a mildly perverse obsession with BobEllis. She shares her chronicle of brokenhearts, fervid pursuits, passionate friend-ships, deranged letter writing, the allure ofthe bottle, the singular charms of musi-cians, the lost song of youth, and threevery awkward evenings with varying prosti-tutes (exactly zero percent of which the au-thor’s parents will want to read).

IT TAKES A VILLAGEChristine Stinson, MacmillanGrowing up in conservative, postwar Aus-tralia isn’t easy for eight-year-old Sophie.She has just been told that she’s a ‘bas-tard’ and she feels she lives in a world ofsecrets, unanswered questions and whis-pers. Who is her father and why did hermother never tell anyone who he was?With only her reclusive grandfather toraise her, and more than one neighbourexpecting her to go off the rails like hermother – after all, apples rarely fall farfrom the tree – Sophie struggles to findher place in the world. In the author’s fol-low-up to her acclaimed Getting EvenWith Fran, she explores the idea ‘it takes avillage to raise a child’ and that sometimesit takes more than blood ties to make afamily.

THE COLOUR OF TEAHannah Tunnicliffe, Macmillan“I think of me and Mama lifting macarons from a white box as if they were jewels. Colours like precious stones – rubyred, soft turquoise blue, pale as a pearl. Letting the flavours rest on our tongues, closing our eyes to the decadent sweet-ness. Of course we would have no money to pay hotel bills later, but she bought Laduree mararons for breakfast. For achild, no less.” Lost among the gaudy, busy streets of Macau, Grace’s life is slowly unravelling. Her marriage to Pete,her Australian husband, is fraying and her dreams of having a family seem hopeless. With the heralding of a new yearshe resolves to do something bold, something her impetuous mama might do. In this pocket of China, filled with casi-nos and yum cha restaurants, she opens her own small cafe called Lillian’s. This sanctuary of macarons and tea be-comes a place where the women of Macau come together, bridging cultural divides, to share in each other’s joys andheartbreaks. For Grace, life seems to be finally coming together. But when Pete does the unthinkable, the secrets Gracethought she had buried rise to the surface, and it’s now or never to lay old ghosts to rest and trust her heart to lead her.


26

SOCIAL EVENTS: LEXUS GOLF DAY

S h o t by S t e p h e n B o r z i


28 CairnsLife28

Street FashionRyan Skrillex 28.5

What are you listening to?Watch the throne – Jay Z and Kanye WestHow do you drink your coffee?Long macchiatoWhere is your outfit from?Shirt is from CarharttShorts are InsightShoes are VergeHat is from online storeWhat favourite store in Cairns?Twenty Four

Thuraya Kasreh 17

What are listening to?Andy Bull and Paul Dempsey -

both Australian songwriters.How do you drink

your coffee?Long black with cold milk on the

sideWhere is your outfit from?

Shirt from Cotton On – altered.Converse from year 9

Skirt is from online store Urban Outfitters

What favourite store inCairns?

I Love Lucy.

Hayden Kemp (30 in two weeks)

What are you listening to?Ministry of Sound sessionsHow do you drink your coffee?Regular latte full of sugarWhere is your outfit from?My entire outfit from YDWhat favourite store in Cairns?YD Cairns Central


In a town where tourism dominates, Caitlin Eve and Annelise Carmenare determined to get recognition for their fashion label. The idea wasformed only six months ago whilst the two were pondering at theirdining table. Now with an entire collection up their sleeve theSpring/Summer collection, “Stella”, shows the duo has a great futureahead of them.They have multiple awards in fashion and art under their belt as well asquirky and fun personas. They both share the same interests and drawtheir inspiration from vintage clothing, art, music, femininity, and othersuccessful Australian labels such as Sass & Bide, Romance Was Born, andMarchesa. They love playing with different lengths, colours and textureswithout overcomplicating an outfit.

One to watch...


32

CairnsLife cardCairnsLifeL O Y A L T Y C A R D

Va l i d 11 / 11 / 2 0 1 5

C o n d i t i o n s a p p l y. S e e s t o r e f o r d e t a i l sCairnsLifeL O Y A L T Y C A R D

V a l i d 1 1 / 1 1 / 2 0 1 5

C o n d i t i o n s a p p l y . S e e s t o r e f o r d e t a i l s

Plastic card

Keyring

Let’s face it, we’re in tough times and things need a litttle push along.CairnsLife have come up with a loyalty programme to help save you a littlemoney, get retailers a little business and encourage everyone to buy locally.

CairnsLife Loyalty Card will be the first of its kind.You can use this card anywhere the shop owner displays the card in thewindow or next to their cash register.

This card can be used across all sorts of businesses from fashion stores,cafes, restaurants, accountants, car dealerships, beauty salons and hairdressers, to name a few.

Over the next year we will be infiltrating businesses who want to get withthe programme to contact us to come on board to offer something toCairnsLife Card holders. It could be that we start out with a few businessesthen move into the hundreds!

Send us an email to get your very own [email protected]

We have 10,000 cards ready to go, and need businesses who want to getwith the programme to contact us. It’s simple just offer a local deal... 10%off coffee, waiver a fee or add a bonus (buy one get one free, or a glass ofwine with the meal).

Cardholders, don’t be afraid to flash your card or keyring, we need to helpretailers get it back on track... together we can make a difference!


Beating the Winter Blues

For extra hydration and care comingout of the dry winter months Paivifrom The Skin Care Centre of Cairnssuggests Environ.AVST Hydrating Lotion· The gentle non-toxic Alpha Hydroxy

acids help to soften smooth the skin· Aids in hydrating and improving theappearance of rough, dry, callousedskin on areas of the body such as theelbows, knees, heels and feet· Helps to prepare the skin andimprove the effectiveness of thevitamins

extra hydration

Bio OilBio Oil is a specialist skincare oil that helpsimprove the appearance of scars, stretch marksand uneven skin tone. It is also effective foraging and dehydrated skin. The surface of the skin has an invisible oil layerwhich acts as a barrier to stop moisture fromescaping. In a very dry climate this lipid layer isoften unable to cope and too much moisture isdrawn out of the skin. Daily bathing orshowering may exacerbate this by strippingaway the lipid layer due to the astringent effectsof soap and water. Bio Oil supplements theskin’s natural oil layer, helping to restore itsbarrier function of retaining moisture.Bio Oil should be applied twice daily. Results will vary from individual to individual.

Top 5 makeup tips fromMakeup by Phennapha!1. On top of your daily cleansing routine,exfoliate 1 to 2 times a week. Especiallyduring winter!2. For a defined and sharp lip colour eg. red -use an angled liner brush for best precision.3. The key to the 'smokey eye' look is notbeing afraid to use black shadow or gel linerand blend with soft dome shaped brushes.4. When testing foundation colours let itwarm to your skin a few minutes. Foundationchanges colour to your body's heat.5. Never neglect your eyebrows. Comb outany powder that may have fallen on or fill inany sparse areas. Eyebrows frame your face.

Dry BrushingDry brushing helps detoxify

the skin and also stimulates theother methods of

detoxification due to itsinternal massage. Its benefits

include: removes cellulite,tightens the skin, tones the

muscle, helps digestion andremoves dead skin layers.Always dry brush before

bathing or showering and usestrokes towards your heart.

This helps lymph fluid drainback towards the heart.

OPI Black Shatter Top Coatbrings a new dimension to naildesign. Applied as a topcoat, thepolish shatters to create a crackedpattern similar to a leopard print.Shatter is apparent in less then aminute.

Nails

BEAUTY ADVICE/TIPS/TRENDS

34


Photographed by Chris Baker / Styled by Riyani Martorejo / Model Ellie-Cook Roges / Hair Kirby Marsh / Makeup by Phennapha

36


Its about time you learnt how to wear the pants… Don’t be afraid of the climate;mix textures and experiment with fabrics to keep on trend this season.

Gerry Shaw Sequined Jacket, $199 Shine Neemah boobtube, $55 ShineJoesph Ribkoff pant, $195 ShinePeter Lang black frill necklace, $219.95 Sassi


Rachel Gilbert sequined tee, $594.99 VivaDusk golden pant, $149 ShineNude Dina wedge, $169.95 Sassi

Morrison Claire Pant, $249.95 VivaLisa Brown Moriko braidback top, $370.99 Viva Tilly Rose Maddie heel, $299.95 Sassi Peter Lang necklace, $141.95 Sassi


39


Shilla wide leg pant, $109 Anise cream bodysuit, $89.95

Samantha wills necklace, $199 Siren orange pump, $129.95

All available at Affair


Lounge Apparel slouch top, $179 ShineSeduce pant, $149.95 Twenty FourNeemah silver necklace, $59 Shine


Mokdasi boulevard shirtOrient floral $140 Twenty Four

Mokdasi boulevard shirtTropical floral $130 Twenty Four

Pasucci Zebra tropic dress $210 The Eye

Kitchy Ku dress$129.95 The Eye

Digitsl prints


Peter Lang Noire Jewel ring $102.95 Sassi

Peter Lang Noire Jewel necklace$332.95 Sassi

Seven Sisters top$99 Tea Lilly

Amiesse Bag $110 Tea Lilly

Seven Sister $125 Tea Lilly


44

When I stumbled across this gem mysenses were immediately stimulated.Positioned in “graffiti lane” (as the localscall it) the six-week-old Coco Lane addsanother unique dimension to the popularGrafton Street precinct. With sequinedvests, fur berets and fluoro high tops. I hadentered a world reminiscent of a smallcrowded boutique on Brunswick Street,Melbourne.Along with Love Lucy and Kaotica ourother vintage stores, Coco Lane definitelypossesses its own distinct personality. CocoLane’s style moves towards art deco andart nouveau and features a lot of handmade pieces. Karleen, one half of CocoLane, has spent the last three to four yearscollecting all the clothing, accessories and

furniture and compiled it beautifully in thesmall arcade shop off Grafton Street. Thestore comprises everything from high-endAustralian designer dresses to retro sunniesand limited edition shoes.After previously owning Jade Anne Marieboutique, Karleen found that customersloved her clothing style but not the pricetag that comes with designer labels. Shedecided to open Coco Lane as a pre loved,vintage inspired store to continue sellingher hand picked clothing without the heftyprice tags.Karleen chooses all her stock with a veryspecific eye, ensuring the cuts, fabrics andcolours all inspire her in some way.Karleen and Nathan are planning toextend the menswear section of the storeand also branch out to costume hire.Movie replica costumes are being made atthe moment and will hit the store shortly.

“Vintage can be worn with current trends,people just need to have the confidence tomix the two.”

“ I don’t read fashion magazines, I feel likeit starts to affect your style and you end uplooking like everyone else.”

Coco LaneDesigner, Pre loved, Vintage Inspired.

Karleen Marie / Nathan Saunders


46

SOCIAL EVENTS: ATTIC MISS PIN UP 2011

P h o t o ’ s t a k e n a t T h e A t t i c o n F i n a l s N i g h t


48

LOCAL FOODIES FOOD & WINE

The Riebke Shiraz 2010

Let’s face it, times are tough and North Queenslanders areshouldering their fair share. With that in mind, when I was asked topen a few words about a good drop, it occurred to me that not manyof us are likely to be splashing out at the moment for albeit brilliant,but often pricey, iconic Australian wines. Funnily enough I’ve alwaysfound one of the greatest pleasures of collecting and drinking wine tobe identifying a bottle that is batting well above its average relative toprice. In other words, a cracker that’s a real bargain.

This month, with my brief to identify a great wine at a great price, I began my search in arguably one of the finest wine producingregions in the world, the Barossa Valley. The problem of course is torecommend but one, which lead me to a winery that has garnered areputation for consistently producing exceptional wines at areasonable price – Teusner, Barossa Valley.

The Teusner story began in 2001. Kym Teusner and Michael Page,who back then, in their words, were “a couple of monkeys playingwith grapes”, came to learn the Riebke brothers were planning totear up their old vine Grenache vineyard due to the unsustainableprices being paid for the grapes by wineries at the big end of town. It is recorded in the Teusner story that Kym and Michael hatched aplan and scratched together some money. A vineyard was saved and awinery was born with the first release of a Teusner wine in 2002.

Fortunately for us North Queenslanders much of the Teusner rangeis readily available at the major outlets and more particularly, thismonth’s wine, The Riebke Shiraz 2010, is on the shelves now foraround $17 a bottle. The long cool ripening conditions of the 2010vintage have resulted in a juicy Shiraz with the palate described asdensely packed, bursting with dark fruits, kirsch and plum, a touch ofAsian spice, licorice and a healthy dollop of Barossa earth. Itsconcentrated, opulent fruit finishes long, dry and savoury with chalkysuper ripe tannins. In summary a delicious, affordable wine,characteristic of the region and soils from which it derives. You could cellar this one for 5 or 6 years, but I’m guessing you won’t.

For more information on the full range, have a look on the website,www.teusner.com.au and if you pick a winner at the Amateurs Istrongly recommend you get your hands on the Albert Shiraz orRighteous Mataro.

Happy sampling. Steve.

Steve &

WIN

E

Stephen O'ReillyCriminal Lawyer / Wine Aficionado


& Stevo

In the past we were told that white wines were to be served with white meats and ofcourse red wines to be served with red meats. However, as both our palates andquality of our Australian wines have matured and developed, there is of course,other options. Broadly speaking there are two approaches to food and winematching – marriages and contrasts. The marriage approach is all about like withlike, striking harmony between flavours and textures on the plate and in the glass, ormatching the weight of a wine. Whether full, medium or light-bodied, wine shouldmatch the weight of the dish. The contrasts approach is about pitching wine andfood at opposite ends and striking a balance of flavour intensity and texture throughtheir interaction.So this month I have gone for the marriage approach, matching the spicy, earthy andfruity finishes of this Shiraz Steve has chosen with my dish…

Moroccan Lamb Shanks Preparation Time - 20 minutes / Cooking Time - 110 minutes

Ingredients (serves 6)1 tablespoon olive oil6 (about 1.2kg) small lamb shanks (you can French trim if you like)1 brown onion, finely chopped2 carrots coarsely chopped3 garlic cloves, crushed2 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon ground turmeric1 teaspoon sweet paprika1 x cinnamon stick3 bay leavesSalt & pepper1 cup of plain flour1L (4 cups) chicken stock2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped1 x 400g can diced tomatoes100g pitted dried dates, quartered100g dried apricots, quarteredServed with cooked couscous with slivered almonds and fresh coriander leaves.

MethodPreheat oven to 180 degrees.Season the flour with salt & pepper and lightly dust lamb shanks.Heat the oil in a heavy casserole dish over medium-high heat. Cook half the lamb,turning occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate. Repeatwith remaining lamb shanks.Add the onion, carrot and garlic to the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add thecumin, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon and bay leaves and cook for a further 30seconds or until aromatic. Put the lamb shanks back to the pot with its juices, then add the stock. Cover andbring to boil.Then add sweet potato, dates, apricots and tin tomatoes. Cover dish and put intopreheated oven and bake for about an hour or until the lamb is tender. Set aside for10 minutes to rest.If sauce is still a little runny, place casserole dish on cooktop over a high heat andbring to the boil. Simmer for a further 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Seasonwith salt and pepper.Cook the couscous as per instructions and add a sprinkling of slivered almonds. Addportions to individual plates, then top with lamb shanks and sauce. Sprinkle withcoriander leaves to serve.Buon Appetito!

with Couscous

FOO

D

Stephen BorziArtist / Designer / Amateur Cook


CairnsLife magazine is seeking to publish aCairnsLife cookbook, dedicated to all youhome chefs out there.

Get your recipes out and send us your verybest signature dish. Each issue of Cairns Lifewe will publish someone’s piece de resistance.

At the beginning of next year, we will collateall your recipes, and with photos of yourdishes publish "CairnsLife on a Plate"… your very own cookbook for the Tropics.

So get emailing. Send to [email protected]

CairnsLife COOKBOOK

We want you...

50


Well what can I say I'm so used to reviewing beers forfaults or for competition and of course tasting all of ourbeers on a daily basis to ensure the flavours are spot on!To be completely honest choosing my favourite beer isvery hard due to the nature of my job I have to appreci-ate all flavours and then pick and choose the ones I thinkwill appeal to the general public here in Sunny Cairns.

Being winter at the moment I have selected our True BlueStout as my flavour of the week and I must say the cur-rent batch is outstanding! I'm so proud of our Stout be-cause of all the hard work the Brewing Team - MarkBorg, Benn Britton, Morgan Hind , Sean Seymour and Ihave put in to perfecting it. The True Blue Stout startedits life at 6.4% Alc and with much more heavy malt andhop flavours, comparatively the latest batch has 4.6%Alc/volume and whilst it still has the full flavour it ismuch more balanced and much smoother! I would de-scribe the flavour profile of the Stout as rich chocolatearoma and after-taste, slight roasted coffee aroma, asmooth velvety flavour with a hint of bitterness for bal-ance.

I would match the Stout with raw oysters, most cheesesand a mud cake!

Cheers,Hayden MokarakaBrewmaster


54 CairnsLife

Q&ARestaurant: Ciao Italia

Born 1971 in Napoli, ItaliaTrained in Italian cuisine at Alma InternationalSchool of Italian Cuisine, under its great rectorGualtiero Marchesi, the man who enlightenedthe Italian cuisine scene. Alberto became aprofessional chef after having been anadventurer for many years. He then worked in afew Michelin rated restaurants where he learntwhat cuisine truly is…a faith.

Alberto Torcia

54

Your personality in three words:Passionate, faithful, reliable

Inspiration for cooking?My cuisine mentor, Gualtiero Marchesi, a great man ofculture as much as a great chef

Your food in three words:Perfect, traditional Italian

Your go-to comfort food?Any kind of pasta with any kind of sauce

The most daring dish ever attempted?Sferificazione di carpione, the spherification is a new alchemyfrom the great Spanish chef Ferràn Adrià

Top three dinner guests?I’ve never had this kind of ambition, even if I serve some veryimportant people for me they are not any better than anyoneelse capable of understanding the good cuisine

Biggest mistake a chef can make?Bad behaviour with his staff and with his boss

Food you could not be paid to eat?Any food cooked without care or love

Sweet or savoury?Why do I have to pick one? Following a very old southernItalian tradition, in my city, we often used to eat sweet andsavoury together. But I choose savoury, if I have to.

Your favourite food trend right now?I like my personal trend, a kind of Australian revisedtraditional Italian cuisine, a kind of crazy...


When Cair ns Life Mag azine caught up withparamedic Jan Johnstone at the Cairns AmbulanceStation, she had alr eady been called out on tw ojobs that morning and had just enough time for aquick coffee with us before heading off on anotherjob.Warm hearted, energetic and matter-of-fact, Janhas seen many things and sa ys while the job canbe tough at times, paramedics are able to put theirown emotions aside to get the job done. Althoughit doesn’t mean she hasn’t been tested at times. Theworst possible job for any paramedic is being calledout to an emer gency involving one of their ownfamily members, and that’s exactly what happenedto J an man y y ears back. “I used to w ork as aCommunity Ambulance Officer in Mallacoota, asmall remote town in Victoria where I raised m ythree children,” Jan says. “One afternoon I had acall come through from the communication centresaying there had been an accident with an 18 yearold suffering a suspected spinal injury after fallingoff a hor se. T hen they added, I think it’ s yourdaughter!” Jan confirms it was her daughter andthat she had br oken her T12 v ertebrae w hichresulted in a long r ecovery, but she says nothingcan prepare you for that kind of scenario. Here inCairns, Jan also supports her 27 year old disabledson and sa ys she is lucky to w ork in suc h asupportive organisation that allows her a r oster

that fits in with her family commitments.Jan says after a three years working at the AthertonStation, she joined the Cairns Ambulance Stationin November 2010 and sa ys she lo ves the teamenvironment and peer support within the job. Sheexplains that every paramedic must update theirskills e very 12 months to kee p abr east of newprocedures, new equipment, new drug pr otocolsand to al ways be familiar with the emer gencyvehicles. There are also weekly lectures given at thestation on topics of interest. “As part of our rolewe also giv e man y hour s mentoring studentscompleting their Deg rees or Diploma inParamedical Science (amb ulance),” she sa ys.Added to this ar e logistical jobs tha t J an doesensuring tha t the stocks of equipment, drugquantities and uniform orders are sufficient andordered. A typical day at work for Jan would start at 6.45amchecking over the vehicles to make sur e they areoperational and stocked, then b y 7.05am shewould call in on the radio to let the communicationcentre kno w they ar e r eady to go . “If jobs ar epending we head straight out, and on average mostjobs take up to 45 minutes,” Jan says. She explainseach job comprises tra vel time to and fr om thelocations, assessment and treatment if required ofthe patient, logistics of getting the pa tient to theambulance, notifying the comm unication centre

for back up crew if needed, the notification to thereceiving hospital of the situation when leaving thescene and the completion of associa teddocumentation relevant to this case.Every day is different and Jan says they get calledout to all types of jobs. “The most common jobsare to a ttend and or transport people with c hestpains and those suffering shortness of breath whichcan be asthma-r elated or due to a r espiratoryinfection,” she says. “But we also deal with peoplesuffering e xacerbation of e xisting conditions ,traumas from the very young to the elder ly, roadaccidents and non-urgent jobs where people wantadvice. We also never know where we may be sentlike helping cover other sta tions from Innisfail inthe south, Kuranda to Mossman, and up to theTablelands, or to complete emergency callouts orto attend sporting e vents such as hor se races orrodeos or emergency standbys at grass fires.” During Cyclone Yasi the paramedics w ere busytransporting people to e vacuation centres, somewere sta tioned a t these e vacuation centr es andothers were involved in e vacuating the hospital.Jan adds that no matter what the job is or hour ofthe day, the public can always be guaranteed thenext available ambulance. And to be honest, shecouldn’t think of another mor e r ewarding anddiverse job she would prefer to be doing.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

As we celebrate ‘Ambulance Week’ this month, it is a good time to reflect on thetireless work our paramedics do and just why we couldn’t survive without them.

A PARAMEDIC

56


LAW

A Family Consultant recentlycommented:“The majority of parents love their children andalways try to put their welfare first. Most parentsare reasonable, kind and c hild-centred in theirdecision-making BUT divorce and se parationbrings out the worst in people too.”The involvement of both parents in a child’s lifeis fundamental to the c hild’s w ellbeing anddevelopment. However, where there are chroniclevels of par ental conf lict, or w here c hildrenhave experienced or are likely to be exposed tocontinuing domestic violence or c hild ab use,ongoing contact with both par ents ma y behighly inappr opriate and ma y in fact causeharm to the child. Divorce is not easy , but as a par ent, you canmake the process and its ef fects less painful f or

your children. It may be unchartered territory,but you can help your kids emerge from it feelingloved, confident and strong. Children’s views ar e not to be ignor ed in theprocess. For a child to be truly heard, it must beaccepted that each child is unique and what onechild can deal with, another cannot. Whencompeting claims are very closely matched, theviews of children are of great significance andcan be the deciding factor.Factors r elevant to the w eight giv en to thechildren’s views by the Family Law Courts mayinclude:• the child’s age and maturity; • the str ength of the views and the length oftime held by the child;• the extent to which the child’s views are basedon a choice that is well thought through;

• the extent to which the child’s views are theresult of pr essure on the c hild, or emotionalattachment;• the likely consequences of the Court makingan Order contrary to the child’s views.I commenced by saying that divorce is not easy.In conclusion, I sa y tha t a good div orce ispossible, and is worth the effort. The secret to agood div orce is tha t ther e ar e standar ds ofconduct. Like a good marriage, a good divorcealso takes work. One cannot str ess enough the wa y in w hichparents relate to each other: children do poorlywhen their par ents ar e eng aged in openhostilities and e ven worse when their par entsinvolve them in the battle. The longer and moreintense the war, the more potential for long termdamage to the child.

WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS?“Mankind owes to the child, the best it has to give.” Separation and divorce can be a distressing, sad and confusing experience for children. Children at any age may feel uncertain about their future.


58

Andrew Griffiths

I recently caught up with a client who was ex-periencing a big financial downturn in herbusiness. In fact her revenue had dropped byalmost fifty percent in the past two years. Thisdecline had been gradual but the end resultwas that her business was now in big trouble.We sat and chatted about the things she hadbeen doing over the past couple of years to tryand get a grip on what was going wrong. Sure,we could blame some of the impact on theeconomic conditions, but nowhere near adrop of fifty percent. This lady had built herbusiness up to a very successful level overabout five years and then she started to ex-pand, setting up some satellite offices and evena franchise or two.This expansion started about two years ago -you guessed it, the same time that her mainoffice started to go downhill. Of course it iseasy to see that her focus was on the othernew and exciting business opportunities, noton her core business and that is what causedthe problem. But how did this lack of focusactually translate into day to day activity inher primary business? Well I will get to that.Once we had figured out the lay of the landand where she was right now, it became clearthat we had to put some serious effort and en-ergy into the main business and we had to doit fast. So I started to rattle off the list ofthings that I would do to get the cash registersmoking such as increasing communicationwith existing clients, develop more targeted

and inspirational promotional material, followup sales religiously, instigate a refer a friendcampaign, get out in the community and tellthe network what is happening in the business,do some media releases etc etc.As I worked through this list my client wasshaking her head somewhat forlornly and Iasked her why? She said she used to do all ofthe things I was suggesting when she wasbuilding her business, but she stopped doingthem a while back, actually about two yearsback, because she got too busy focusing on herexpansion.Sadly this is a common story that I hear on aregular basis. Businesses often struggle finan-cially not because of what they are doing butbecause of what they are not doing, or whatthey have stopped doing. Now as we gradually stop doing the thingsthat we did to build the business, the negativeimpact is general not felt immediately. It tendsto be gradual, leading to a downward spiral,just as it did with my client. I know that it is hard to keep going, to keepputting energy into your business day in andday out, but it easier to do a little every day asopposed to having to do a huge amount tosave the business if it gets into grief.My question to you is “what have you stoppeddoing in your business and what impact is ithaving?"

What are the things you have STOPPED doing in your businessand how much is this costing you?


60

Vlasta ErikssonSignature Staff

A g reat n umber of b usiness enter prises ha veembraced the use of social media as a wa y ofgaining some commendab le exposure as w ell asbeing able to enhance the visibility of their brand.As a ma tter of fact, the impact of the so calledonline communities is a force to reckon with. Theyoffer a g reat, cost ef fective and ef ficient way ofmaking contact with potential clients as w ell asexisting clients. Online communities such as thenumerous social networking sites offer an arena formillions of people to get in touch on a daily basis.Their membership is increasing on a daily basis .Facebook has been extremely successful recording

hundreds of millions of users globally. Twitter alsohosts millions of tw eets e veryday fr om itsmembers. A good number of businesses the world over are

using these social media sites to gain access to newmarkets and clients. The online community offersan excellent arena for businesses to showcase theirservices and products without any hassles. A goodnumber of b usinesses ar e cur rently puttingstrategies in place so that they can socially optimizetheir organizations. The adv antages of social media as concer nsbusinesses are many and varied. One of the mostprominent of these advantages is that a business isable to gain access to millions of potential clientsover the internet. You as a business entity can beable to tap into the online comm unity potential.In this way, you get to interact with a large businessaudience in one go. Adverts placed in these onlinecommunities also reach millions of people globallywhich offers good returns. The same social mediaoutlets ensure that you are able to communicatewith your clients as fast as possible as well as ship aproduct or a service to them in record time. All thatyou ha ve to do is to ensur e tha t y ou ha ve ameticulous plan on ho w to go about this as w ellhave a winning stra tegy. Online interaction isquite cost ef fective and simple as compar ed toother forms of making contact with a client. Social media ensur es that businesses have a farbetter presence and visibility on the domain. Someof the mar keting campaigns emplo yed in theonline comm unities ha ve been f ound to beextremely appealing to clients . Suc h stra tegies

include newsletter mar keting as w ell as e mailcampaigns. Newsletter campaigns ha ve thepotential of converting a visitor to your page or siteinto a client. Mor e often than not, toda y’s techsavvy clients surf the web looking for reviews on aparticular product or service . This is w here theonline community presence for a business reallymakes sense. If you as a business have some kindreviews from other online community users, thenyou stand a better chance of making a sale.It is ther efore important to post r eviews to yourwebsite now and then so that potential clients cango through them and decide w hether or not theywill buy your product or not. Not withstanding the cur rent economic client ofCairns and Sur rounds to sa y the least, I w ouldhave to ask “Can You Afford Not To Be PresentOn Social Media Sites?”The little bar code to the right is an indica tion ofthe social media and mobile w orld growing, thislittle barcode if scanned with a qr code reader thatcan be downloaded from itunes for free, will giveyour business the edge ag ainst your competitors,You can have your Vcard, Website, Location, Aspecial message or text, or your social media links,Download the QR code reader now and see wheremy barcode reader takes you..Don’t forget I can customiz e your social mediaservices and training , Please contact me on0427695947 or goto facebookwww.facebook.com/socialmediaplus or follow meon twitter @leannepeard.

Make It A Great Day !!!

Social media and its effects.

Leanne PeardSocial Media Plus

Finding qualified candidates for an available careeropportunity means going abo ve and be yond inorder to make sur e that the individual hir ed is theright fit for the job. Being in c harge of a g roup ofemployees is no easy task, w hich is w hy it isimportant for every employer to make the effort toinitiate actions tha t will kee p everyone happy andon the same page . T he last thing an y compan ywants is a hostile working environment.Evaluate the Situation Before Taking ActionWhen everyone is performing their jobs optimally,this makes f or a m uch more ef ficient workplace.Companies, both large and small, do best when runlike a well oiled machine. If there is an emplo yeethat needs to improve their performance, make sureto approach this subject properly. Before talking to the emplo yee in question, do athorough evaluation of his/her performance thusfar and compare it with the current issues you haveidentified. Has this per son consistently done w elland has a good track record? Then perhaps he/sheis simply going thr ough a rough patch and needssome time to w ork things out. Does the emplo yeehave a history of making errors? Or is he/she new?In the case of the la tter, make sur e to take thissituation into considera tion w hen giving y ourfeedback. Car eer de velopment is not without itstrials and tribulations and if the person is fairly newto the position, sta te tha t y ou under stand theirsituation but just need them to impr ove in certainareas.Criticism vs. Constructive CriticismFeedback should be in the capacity of constructivecriticism, not an outright putdown. There is a wayto effectively communicate what a per son is doing

well and where they can do better. Instead of sayingsomething neg ative upfr ont, phrase y ourconstructive criticism in a way that not only explainswhere they need to improve but the how and why.These types of explanations make it easier f or anemployee to grasp the concept and properly apply itto their situation as well as their career path. Statingwhat needs to be fixed and leaving it at that doesn’tpositively contrib ute to tha t individual’ s w orkexperience, nor does it make them feel empowered. Play Up Their RoleOne way to get your employees excited about theircareer and position in the w orkplace is to pla y uptheir role. Where applicable, praise your staff fortheir great performance and remind them that it isbecause of their time and ef forts the compan y isdoing w ell. Suc h w ords ar e enough to boostproductivity and create enthusiasm, which makesfor an ideal w orking en vironment. T he mostimportant part of this conce pt is to be gen uine.Show your staff that you appreciate them and whatthey do.Looking for a job to be filled in y our company?Improving your employee search by working with arecruitment agency is a con venient and ef fectivemethod of locating individuals with the right skillset to meet your requirements. Recruit Right the First Time with Signature Staff.For a FREE HR E-book “How to Recruit, Retainand Increase Productivity plus Save Time andMoney” email [email protected] and write FreeE-Book in the subject line

Appraisals That Empower Not Damage


61

Pip

Mill

er

I chose to write letter one to my grandmother.As a small child I wrote letters to both sets ofgrandparents and have continued to this day,although sadly tw o are no longer with us . Iwrite to them because I kno w tha t is w hatthey would like – and w hile tempting to typeoff a long and newsy y arn about this c hildand tha t, it is , in m y opinion, far mor epersonal to ‘pen ’ heartfelt thoughts andwishes.I wrote letter two to some good friends. Theyonly live a few str eets away – b ut,hey, whatthe hell! They are special enough to warrantthe effort and will be nicely sur prised to findit – no doubt mixed in with their latest batchof bills.I have tried to instill this same ritual in m ychildren, but really, it is an ‘epic fail’. WhenI am going out to b uy the car ds, write theenvelopes, stick on the stamps and post thedarn letter s – plus pr oviding the r ough copy– seems pointless . T he letter s in this case ,are ag ain meant as thank y ous – f orget thegeneral well-wish letters that we used to write.Boarding school memories of break time and

prefects r eading the mail e vokes specialmemories. “Please read out my name, pleasebe me ...” Mor ning tea could be r eallysuccessful – with a haul of up to six letter s –or just downright depressing with none. Butgenerally, w e w ere all pr etty good a tgenerating r egular mail thr ough constantattention to letter s. T hat is ho w we kept incontact with family , beg an (and ended)relationships with the opposite se x andcelebrated birthda ys. Oh, and f or r eallyspecial occasions – like our lea ving exams –there was the humble –telegram.Letters used to pr ovide the memories , werespecial keepsakes –returned to the writer inbig piles tied with ribbon – from parents whohad lovingly kept each and e very letter sentfrom afar – be it as a teenager a t boar dingschool or a backpacker tra velling the w orld.Remember the air y-fairy w eight of an airletter? When it comes to love – there is nothing moreromantic than a handwritten letter. In historywe lear ned of the lo ve betw een NapoleanBonaparte and J osephine De Beauhar nais,

Beethoven and His Immortal Beloved, RobertBrowning, Elizabeth Bar rett Br owning ormore recently, Princess Diana’s letters to DodiAl F ayed. T hese da ys and somew hat lessromantic, we gain up to the second accountsof celebrity lo ve thr ough T witter.....thinkWarney and Liz as our 2011 courting r olemodels. And while St Valentine’s Day is usedto be mor e about sending anon ymous cardsthan diamond encrusted presents and dinnersfor two, what is stopping us from keeping thiswonderful tradition alive.So next time you want to make someone feelspecial, thank them f or their friendship ,recognise the support of a colleague orassociate or just sa y ‘hello’ – sit do wn andwrite them a letter!

Last week I sat down and wrote two letters using paper, pen and a postbox. Sounds strange in this day and age – in 2011 we type quicker thanwe think and seem to do most of our communication via our Facebookstatus or sms.

The Long Lost Art of Writing a Letter


62 CairnsLife

Despite the numerous advantages of a small compact car, luxury is seldomlisted as a key attribute. Think of the typical city runabout and words likepractical, economical, efficient, and spartan are likely to place in the firstfour spots of your word association test. But Audi wants to change all thatwith its brand new 2011 Audi A1 -- a car Audi says combines a fun-to-drive nature with the conveniences of a technology-geek's living room, allwhile being easy on the gas card and practical enough for daily use. TheA1 is the car that Audi believes will become the world's defining premiumsubcompact automobile.

Dimensionally, the Audi A1 is small. At 155.5 in. long, 68.5 in. wide, and55.9 in. tall, the A1 could only be classified as a subcompact vehicle andindeed is just shorter in length and height than a Mini Cooper. To keepride quality and handling standards high, the wheelbase is 97.2 in. (alsoshorter than the Mini), mandating relatively short overhangs front andrear. Despite its diminutive size, Audi has fit four seats to the two-doorhatch, and the rear seats can be folded down to offer 32.5 cubic-feet ofcargo space. Audi has fine-tuned the A1's weight distribution so that de-pending on engine choice, just 61- to 63-percent of the car's heft is upfront. A space-saving MacPherson setup is found up front with lower trian-gular wishbones. At the rear, a torsion beam axle is found with separatesprings and dampers. Further, an electronic differential lock is fitted to theA1 in a further effort to neutralize handling, reduce understeer and in-crease traction.

The A1's design could only belong to an Audi. With its low-reaching grille,taut body lines and angular headlights, it certainly hints at aggression.Twin air intakes at the lower corners of the front fascia also serve to houseoptional circular fog lamps and the familiar strip of optional LED daytimerunning lights can be found in each of the headlight housings (non-LEDdaytime lights come standard). Special attention was given to how the A1'shood meets its front fenders, and the effect is similar to that of the TTsports coupe, culminating in what Audi refers to as the 'tornado line' thatruns back through the doors and rear fenders. Out back, LED taillights arealso included with the Xenon light option, while a black diffuser lowers therear end visually, and sits beside either a single- or twin-outlet exhaust sys-tem, depending on engine grade.

The recently released new Kia Rio is honest. Itrepresents an honest advance over the previousmodel and it’s honest budget transport.Buyers even have a choice of a four-door sedanor five-door hatch.The Rio’s 1.6-litre, variable valve timing engine isa willing worker and, in class segment terms,offers good performance.Highway passing still requires some forethoughtthough and when cruising on the highway at 100km/h the engine feels a little busy, spinning atmore than 3000 rpm.The light, easy clutch and functional controllayout mean the Rio isn’t a chore to drive. Thesteering is also light and easy around town, butlacks feel and displays rack rattle over roughersurfaces.Handling is acceptable around town. However, itleans heavily on the outer front tyre whencornering speeds rise and the Korean tyres offermodest grip. Better tyres are likely to improveoverall handling and grip levels.An area of obvious improvement over the oldmodel is the overall finish and quality of the newRio, and it’s also larger. This includes paint andpanel fit and the functional, if not stylish, interiortrims.For light car buyers with more dollars to spend,there are better cars in the class. But at its drive-away price and offering standard dual airbags,airconditioning and a 1.6-litre engine, the newRio looks a convincing enough argument forvalue-driven buyers.

Volkswagen Australia has announced availability of the range-topping2011 Volkswagen Polo GTI, following its local unveiling in Sydney.Powered by Volkswagen's turbo- and super-charged 1.4 litre TSI petrolengine, the 2011 Polo GTI delivers 132kW and a respectable 250Nmof torque, online between 2000 and 4500rpm. Fuel consumption islisted at 6.1 l/100km, with carbon emissions of 139g/km.By comparison, the previous-generation Polo GTI, producing the same132kW, consumed 7.9 l/100km of fuel and released 188g/km of CO2- making the new GTI 25 percent more efficient than its predecessor.Weighing in at just 1184kg, the Polo GTI rockets to 100km/h in 6.9seconds, going on to a top speed of 228km/h.Like the regular Polo and larger Golf GTI cousin, the Polo GTI isdriven at the front wheels with power transferred through a seven-speed DSG transmission.Upgraded sports suspension figures among the little GTI'sperformance features, along with a self-locking electronic differential.The 2011 Polo GTI wears 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels that looksignificantly larger on the Polo body than on the Golf GTI it sharesthem with.In true GTI fashion, the sporty Polo gets honeycomb upper and lowerfront grilles, a sports exhaust and a faux diffuser insert to the rearbumper.

SMALL CARREVOLUTION


The hybrid car is a technology that has been around in form since cars were introduced in the19th century, as most vehicles use a combination of energy sources for power. All cars, forexample, have a battery that starts the car and can power the car's accessories, includingheadlights. In the late 1990s, a hybrid car with more power began to be considered a viable andpopular alternative to conventional gasoline-only vehicles, and several models broke out onto themarket and became popular sellers.In short, a hybrid car is a vehicle that utilizes two types of technologies for energy. This could be abus that uses electrical power through overhead lines and diesel power to run an engine, forexample. However, the term “hybrid car” usually refers to an automobile that has both aconventional gas engine and a bank of batteries, and shares the demand for power between thesetwo sources.The hybrid car is an excellent alternative to conventional ones, first and foremost because it ismore gas efficient. Many have a gas efficiency double that of conventional gasoline-only models,which provides a significant savings when gasoline is expensive. In addition, hybrid cars tend to beless polluting, because they burn less fuel.

What’s in a Hybrid


I came across this article on a home reno website Ifrequent regularly and it got me thinking about carbontax and the cost of building my next house. See whatyou think. www.homeiown.com

“Everyone is discussing now how a carbon tax willmake our energy bills higher. Yet there’s anothernegative effect to a carbon tax that doesn’t get muchcoverage in the media - and it really should. At a firstglance housing prices and carbon tax may seemunrelated, but a closer look reveals that there is aconnection.Even though the house construction itself is notpolluting the environment and therefore shouldn’t besubject to a carbon tax, the manufacturing of buildingmaterials is. When building materials suppliers faceraising costs because they have to pay $30 a ton ofCO2 emissions, they are likely to pass this on - let thisreflect in their prices.When a construction company pays more for buildingmaterials, fixtures and fittings, it is likely to pass that onto the home buyers, to keep its profits on the samelevel. HIA (Housing Industry Association) estimates theeffect of a carbon tax on the cost of an average newhouse to be $6000, which may result in a new homebuyer paying an extra $12,800 over a 25-year loan.Another possible outcome is that construction

companies will source the building materials overseas,to get a better deal, as not all countries in the worldhave introduced (or will ever introduce!) a carbon tax.Therefore imported building products may have acompetitive advantage over Australian made ones.However, the hidden danger of this situation could bethat imported products won’t be made to AustralianStandards, and may not have the same quality /credibility. So even if we were to buy a new house andnot pay more, it could be of lesser quality.Not only will this affect new houses, but also any majorreno projects will become more expensive for the samereason of the building supplies, fixtures and fittings,costing more. So in turn, this will add to price of anyrenovated established homes, and worsen the housingaffordability.The government is promising to compensate us for theobvious effects of a carbon tax - the easy to see ones -on the utility bills. Not sure whether or not this willhappen or how it will work. But even if it does … what about the housing prices?”

66

ed.

Carbon Tax & the cost of your next home...


68

Homes For Your Future

With Better Homes Director ofTechnology Troy CavallaroLooking to 2020, there are some excitingchanges in store for the modern home.Some are truly amazing like interactivesurfaces which will allow us to store, alterand access information from the fridgedoor or a doorbell intercom system linkedto your mobile phone so you can lettradesmen in while you are out.In the past decade, the biggest innovationsto the home have been the addition ofensuites and air-conditioning. In the next10 years we will see technology playing amore important role. Many of us havebeen quick to take up the smart phone sowe can have technology at our fingertipsno matter where we are. The smart homeis the next step.

Changes are already underway withdigital television and the NationalBroadband Network being rolled out.Here in Cairns all new sub-divisions,developments and estates must run fibreoptic cable from the exchange to eachhouse which will be used for the internet,phone and television.In the smart home, the phone anddata/voice cabling goes from the opticalnetwork terminal box to a patch panelwhere the phone can be patched to whereit needs to go in the house. This samecabling can be used for data or internetconnections and it can feed a wirelessaccess point for wireless devices. Thetelevision can be patched around thehouse in a similar way, but uses standardcoaxial cable.

While home automation systems havebeen available for some years, thetechnology has been slow to be accepted.The mobile phone will be the key to itbecoming more popular and we willexplore more of these advancements incoming editions.In future columns we will also focus ontrends for specific rooms of our house.The big ones are the kitchen andbathroom where innovations includetouch screens on your bathroom mirrordisplaying weather and news.Green power is another subject dear toour hearts, so we’ll look at newtechnologies such as a turbine to harnesswind power for individual homes andclear solar panels which can be usedinstead of glass windows.

Home building is coming of age. New technologies, building systems andmaterials are all pointing towards better homes for the future. Add this toever increasing awareness of energy efficiency and a real interest in savingmoney, homeowners are going to be the real winners.


“The mobile phone will be the key to digitalising your home!”


A LITTLE PIECE OF

ITALY!Growing up in Italy

it’s easy to see how

one could develop a

love of cheese,

wine, olives, cold

meats and fresh

food of all sorts.

For the Vannella

family, making

cheese has been a

family tradition

passed down for

generations.

Vito Minoia grew up in a farming familyraising cattle, but he worked in many cheesefactories throughout Italy. He and his wifePina Vannella worked in the Vannella familycheese factory in Conversano, a little townnear Bari, before selling the business andmoving to Australia. “I worked long hoursand long days in Italy because there was a lotmore competition for cheese over there,” Vitosays. The Vannella Cheese Factory was firstestablished in 1985 with an annual turnoverof $20 million, showing how important thecheese industry is in Italy. After settling inSydney for a few years with their adultchildren Giuseppe and Anna, the familyrelocated to Cairns in 2004 to start up theVannella Cheese Factory here. They choseCairns not only for its tropical location, butalso because their supplier of buffalo milk islocated in Milla Milla in the Tablelands.

The Vannella family produce most of theircheeses from buffalo milk, which is stated tohave less cholesterol than cow’s milk, higherprotein, superior calcium, iron andphosphorous than cow’s milk and containsseven to eight percent fat. The Vannellafamily win yearly awards for their cheeses andare recognised as leaders in buffalo cheeseproduction in the southern hemisphere.Vannella specialises in buffalo mozzarella,buffalo feta, buffalo ricotta and bocconcini, aswell as producing buffalo yoghurt. While Vitoand Pina run the cheese factory with two staff,Giuseppe and his girlfriend along with Annaand her husband run Il Convivio Cafe andDeli in the centre of Cairns. However, theyare all involved in the family business. TheVannella Cheese Factory supplies 80 percentof their cheese to local businesses through a

distributor, and late last year they secured adeal to supply Woolworths with buffalocheese. “We approached them a few timesand then started working with them inOctober 2010, but in the end their minimumorders were too low and not very cost effectivefor us as a small business so we stoppedsupplying them in April this year,” Giuseppesays.

When asked if there are many othercompetitors in the industry, Giuseppe says heonly knows of one other buffalo cheese makerin Sydney, one in Melbourne and one on theSunshine Coast. But Vito says there is nothingelse he would rather be doing and loves theversatility of working with cheese. His daystarts at 4am when he cultures the milk, thenonce the curd is mature, which takes betweensix and eight hours, he starts making thecheese. “I stretch the curd and mix it with hotwater, let the cheese cool down then pour itinto brine and pack away,” Vito says. His nextgoal is to introduce some new buffalo cheeseson to the market in the next 12 months.

READER’S PICKS: DYNAMIC DUO’S70


“Real estate is an industry where traditionalservice is still as important as ever, Stevesays. “Relationships are built on trust andperformance, and we are often called inwhen other agencies have overestimatedprices and not sold a property, the vendorshave then become disillusioned and wantan honest solution.” Both Steve and Adamagree that with over 300 real estate agentsand around 50 real estate agencies inCairns, there is an oversupply of agents forsuch a small region and as a result it iscreating an environment where manyagents overinflate valuation prices in orderto secure business. “We are all competingfor the same business. In a regulardownmarket there is normally a largesupply of listings and not enough buyers,but at the moment there is actually ashortage of listings and an oversupply ofagents,” Steve explains. However he isquick to point out that it is not all doomand gloom and while the next 12 monthsmay remain the same, others in theindustry also share faith the market willrecover. “I think a lot of people have lostfaith in the local council and stategovernment regarding investment and untilwe have a fresh approach to the region, itwill take a while for people to rebuild theirconfidence and become active in the

market again,” Steve says. “But on theupside, for locals wanting to buy or sell it isactually the perfect time to upgrade ordownsize because what you lose in the saleyou gain in the purchase.”Adam agrees that like all industries thereare highs and lows and constant change.The industry has progressed in many wayssince he and Steve first started in thebusiness, with technology and the internetbeing the predominant factors. “The publicis a lot more educated today on what theirproperty is worth, they can research otherproperties online and see photos, prices andlearn of open times, “ he says. “But whilethe internet is a great research tool, itshould not replace actually attending anopen house viewing as most people need tobuild an emotional attachment to a homebefore committing to buying it.” Heexplains that properties are usually boughton the 80/20 rule, which is 80 percentemotion and 20 percent location. “Openhomes help you get a feel for a propertyand is such an important part of the buyingand selling process. We encourage ourclients to walk through a property as manytimes as they need to, as buying a propertyis a long term investment and one of thebiggest financial decisions a person will evermake,” Adam says.

Both Adam and Steve say there are greatdeals to be found in all suburbs, but pricesin the blue chip suburbs of Edge Hill,Whitfield, Stratford, Freshwater,Parramatta Park and Cairns North will notdrop too much. “When the market dipsthere are often opportunities to buy homesin these suburbs which may have previouslybeen beyond budget, but prices don’tnormally drop too much. Even in the worstof times, if properties are well presentedand well priced there will always bebuyers,” Steve says. “And at the momentmost of our market is locally driven, whichat the end of the day is a good thingbecause at least people aren’t selling up andleaving Cairns. There is nowhere else Iwould want to live!”

THE REAL ESTATE

GUYSKnown as the ‘Fix It Guys’ in the real estateindustry in Cairns, Steve Habjan and Adam Cainof Habjan & Cain Estate Agents have built asolid and reliable reputation thanks to theirhonesty, integrity and good old fashioned service.

FIX IT by Amanda Cranston


72


“Loving Cairns Life”Here’s what Lisa Slatyer

from Haven and Space isloving about Cairns right

now.

Food: Mecca Bah fortheir lamb and rocketpide; also Tamarind,

Piccolos, Mother India,and Perottas for breakfast.

Nightlife: At home withthe kids!

Fashion: Country Roadand Witchery.

Hair: Sarah-Jane fromScene Hair on Grafton St.

Relaxation: On my deckby the pool, and any nightafter 9 p.m. when the kids

have gone to bed!

“A Haven Where the Heart Is”


Lisa Slatyer’s vision for Havenand Space was a homemaker’swarehouse where Cairns localscould find unique décor pieceswithout having to take out asecond mortgage to buy them.One step into the airy, convertedindustrial space and you realisethat is exactly what she hasachieved.Polished concrete floors,coloured feature walls and highceilings exude a casual elegancewithout the starkness of chainhome stores. In a shop this size itwould be easy to createconfusion, but the cleverlythought out displays lead youaround the shop in a seamlessflow – albeit with many stopsalong the way. Lisa moved to Port Douglas fromSydney when her husband washeadhunted for work. Whileworking with an interior designerin Port, remodelling andredecorating private residences,Lisa recognised a gap in themarket for a niche homewaresoutlet in Cairns that couldprovide décor items differentfrom the mass producedproducts available in the largechain stores. Lisa says, “Cairnswas missing that spark, thatsomething different, and I saw

the need for a price-drivenhomewares shop withindividually sourced stock.”When Lisa opened Haven andSpace in 2005, the missing pieceof the puzzle had arrived – andit was a perfect fit. Lisa’s concept of a decorator’ssupermarket, where goods weretaken straight from the containerto the shop floor on pallets, andboxes simply stacked and slashedopen to sell, has changeddynamic slightly to meet theneeds of her clients. “It became clear that ourcustomers wanted guidance,” shesays. “They needed to see theproducts displayed creatively sothey could visualise them in theirown homes”. Merchandising anddisplay have now become a focalpoint for Lisa and her talentedteam. “Everyone here hassomething valuable to add, interms of their skills, and it workswell.” When asked how the tenuouseconomic climate has affectedbusiness, Lisa is unfailinglypositive. “With the dollar beingso strong, because we work to amargin we have actually beenable to pass on savings to thecustomers. I never sit back andwait for the bad times; I like to

think outside the square andapproach things in a proactiveway.” It’s obvious she practiceswhat she preaches by not beingscared to try something new –including the addition of an in-store coffee shop. “I wanted toput in the coffee shop, but Ididn’t want to actually bemaking coffees all day, so Iapproached Bang with the offerof coming on board.” They did,and since December, Bang atHaven and Space has beenquietly gathering fans amongstlocal workers, as well as Lisa’scustomers. In terms of stock, too, Lisa hasstrived to stay unique bytravelling abroad to source exoticpieces. As well, she has lookedcloser to home by collaboratingwith local photographer,Suzanne Ashmore, to create arange of decorator canvases thathave become instant bestsellers. Far from being a lady wholunches, Lisa is in the storenearly every day. By beinginvested at every step of thebusiness, in Haven and SpaceLisa has achieved what so manylarger retailers fail to deliver - anexperience. Warm, welcoming,with a touch of colour - a bit likeLisa herself really.

Lisa Slatyer Haven and Space

Interior Style Profile

74


As a businesswoman in Cairns, Karen Donato says she is incrediblylucky to work in a community that embraces and supports women inbusiness. She says 85 percent of her business comes from word-of-mouth referrals and she is fortunate to work with a wonderful teamof dedicated and experienced professionals. As a mortgage brokerwith experience in both residential and commercial lending, Karenloves being able to help others achieve their dreams of homeownership, paying off a debt or saving money.

Why choose a mortgage broker?Many home buyers can find the whole mortgage process and fillingout the paperwork a little daunting and we help guide them to makeit as easy as possible. We are there every step of the way fromhelping them choose a mortgage most suited to their needs, makingsure they understand the terms of their mortgage, being presentwhen they sign the contract through to settlement and postsettlement.

How can a mortgage broker save customers money in thelong term?As a one-stop-shop in finance we work with an extensive number oflenders offering favourable mortgage rates and terms, so we are ableto help customers find the right loan for them. Customers alsobenefit because the more lenders there are vying for their business,the more money they will save.

What are the biggest mistakes people make when choosinga mortgage and buying a property?Firstly, not getting a mortgage pre-approval because the approvalprovides a credit history status, it gives an accurate income

calculation and it lets customers know if they are looking atproperties outside their borrowing capacity which is a waste of timefor everyone. Secondly, choosing the wrong property can bedetrimental and is often the result of a customer rushing and notconsidering their needs such as the distance to schools, work,shopping, recreation, the neighbourhood, land size and condition ofthe home.

What is the best advice you would give those looking tobuy?Know your budget and what you can afford. Don’t choose a homeloan based on interest rates alone as you need to consider otherfactors like entry fees and mortgage insurance. Consider your longterm needs and whether your current home loan will suit your needsin three to five years, and lastly, choose a loan with features thatmatch your lifestyle. Will you be able to make additional paymentand reduce the interest expense and will you want offset accounts orredraw facilities? These are all things to consider.

How can All Lending Finance Cairns help?We offer a fully mobile service to home or business and with acombined 45 years knowledge and experience in the finance industrywe will always provide a recommendation most suited to ourcustomer’s needs.

Karen Donato ALL LENDING & FINANCE

New Innovations Profile

76

by Amanda Cranston


Training...78

With initial aspirations to be a jour-nalist, J oann actually spent man yyears as a corporate planner for Bris-bane City Council bef ore familycommitments brought her back toCairns where she took on the job ofcorporate planner a t TNQ TAFE.Now in her f ourth year as Director,Joann actually spent 12 years work-ing at the TAFE before taking on thetop job. Now she oversees 420 staff,12,000 students, around 300 coursesand an ann ual budget of $57 mil-lion. “TAFE is a real resource for thecommunity. It’s one of Cairns’ bestkept secrets,” Joann says, “We arevery connected with local industr yand the community as a w hole anddon’t run cour ses in isola tion. Withlocal businesses doing it tough at themoment, we need to make sur e weare providing training and courses soskilled workers are ready to fill posi-tions when jobs become available.”

Joann says working in educa tion isincredibly rewarding and she lo vesknowing that TAFE can change peo-ple’s lives and give them skill de vel-opment, confidence, enthusiasm andpassion to start a career. “TAFE is areal economic driver for our regionand benefits all industries . We workwith Adv ance Cair ns and theChamber of Commerce so we canmeet their needs ,” Joann says. “Wealso w ork as close as w e can withlocal industry so our training is rele-vant and our students benefit fr omthe e xperience.” For e xample, thefashion, beauty and hairdressing stu-dents get involved in the Cairns Am-ateurs and racing e vents thr oughfashion parades, the indigenous artsstudents are involved with the CairnsIndigenous Arts F air (CIAF) withteachers and ex-students exhibiting,and trades cour ses are run a t times

that suit their particular industriessuch as low season. TAFE offers sucha br oad range of cour ses fr omhealth and comm unity services(nursing, aged car e, c hildcare andyouth), landscaping , horticultur e,marine, art and design, b usiness,hospitality, tourism, science, beauty,trades and specific Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander programs.

While the course structure is incred-ibly important to J oann, there arealso other elements to the job tha tare equally important. T he newTAFE building has been designedand built to be sustainable and eco-friendly using as many recycled ma-terials as possible, water tanks, solarpanels, gas powered air conditioningand the b uilding has been b uiltaround a dr y g ravel cr eek. T hebuilding is now a teaching tool in itsown right. Joann also points out thatbecause of the pr ecious region welive in, sustainability training is beingincorporated in to eac h and e verycourse run a t the TAFE. “Our aimis f or e very student to undertakesome form of sustainability training,so they can better understand issuesin their own industries and how theycan be pr oactive in pr otecting ourenvironment here,” she says.

Joann says she is also pr oud of thefact the T AFE is no w financiallystronger than it ever was. “More andmore T AFES ar e being asked tocompete f or funding to run theirprograms, and as the mar ket be-comes more contestable TAFE hasto be in a position w here we can becompetitive,” she explains.”Over thelast few years TAFE has been v erysuccessful at this and tw o thirds ofour b udget comes fr om sour ceswe’ve competed f or.” Looking

ahead, Joann says she is in discus-sions with James Cook University toalign more of their cour ses so theycan utilise both campuses pr oac-tively. “We have a great relationshipwith JCU and alr eady work closelywith them. W ith the federal andstate go vernment wanting to in-crease the number of people in r e-gional comm unities with highereducation qualifications, I think be-tween JCU and the T AFE we canmanage this,” Joann says.

Is TNQ TAFE really Cairns’best kept secret?

Sitting across from Joann Pyne it is easy to seehow this engaging woman has been able tobring great change to the Tropical NorthQueensland TAFE since taking on the role ofDirector.

by Amanda Cranston


80

Traditionally Queensland boasted the ‘Queenslander’ home builthigh off the ground to catch the breezes and withstand flooding.These homes were built with timber using traditional carpentry.Today it seems masonry is the most cost-effective option to buildwith, but in the long term is it really saving home owners money?While initially it may seem cheaper, the actual lack of sustainabledesign elements incorporated into the home, mean that homeowners pay higher running costs in air conditioning andelectricity costs. Studio Mango senior architect and projectmanager, Nicole Ewing, says housing design should reflect climateand environment, and people’s lifestyles need to be considered

Have y ou e ver noticed tha t e very secondhouse here is made of standard besser blocks?While besser b locks are cheap, long lastingand structurally strong, surely we could comeup with a mor e attractive design of housingin Cairns that truly reflects tropical living.

by Amanda Cranston

DOES CAIRNS HAVE STYLE?Architectual Style


too when designing a home. “Instead of people buyinggeneric house plans to suit their site, they should choosea design that is responsive to the actual environmentand which will provide long term sustainability,” shesays.

Nicole says when living in a region like Cairns, thereare many elements to consider. “With a climate likeours there are many ways to cool a home withoutneeding to use air conditioning which benefit theenvironment as well as household budgets,” she says.Nicole says block houses have a thermal mass in thewalls that make them harder to cool down, whereaswalls made from timber and steel are more effective at

82

Does Cairns have style...continued

The

team

at S

tudi

o M

ango


84

letting heat dissipate quickly. She also suggests installing louvre windows,having large eaves with overhangs for more shade, wider door openings,cross ventilation, ceiling fans in every room and high level ventingbecause when hot air rises it needs somewhere to escape. She says ifbuilding from scratch, consider orientating the utility spaces of yourhouse to block the western sun, and when planning outdoor areas to bemindful that breezes, as well as rain and bad weather come from thesouth east and north east. Successful outdoor rooms capture thesebreezes yet protect you from these elements through the building ofwalls, adjustable screens or established gardens. After all, south eastand north east breezes are still important.

When asked if she thinks Cairns should have a unique design stylespecifically for this region, Nicole stresses that style is very subjective.She does believe though that more houses in the region should bebuilt to better fit in with the environment and contain designelements to utilise sunlightand breezes. She doesn’tbelieve that the money savedby building houses cheaplyactually benefit homeownersor the community in the longrun.

Doe

s C

airn

s ha

ve s

tyle

...co

ntin

ued


86


88

Statistics show that women often shy away fromtraditionally male careers. Women make up just27 percent of the police service (of which thereare some 10,700 officers), however only about 4percent make it to senior management and highranking positions. “It’s a shame because I thinkwomen often tend to be better at multi-taskingand they often bring different skills to the job,”Assistant Commissioner Carroll says. “I knewfrom a young age I wanted to join the police andwas very focused on my goals.” She says she wasactually a gifted tennis player when she was atschool but back then sport wasn’t as advanced asit is today and so she had to choose a differentcareer. She had grown up on a tobacco farm inthe Tablelands and spent most of her holidaybreaks working on the family farm, joking that itwas an uncanny coincidence that all her schoolholidays coincided with growing or pickingseason. Two of her school friends had fathers inthe police service and she was always fascinatedby their job. “When I was growing up policewere always held in high regard in theircommunity, they were good people and great rolemodels, and I guess that really appealed to me,”she says. Unable to join the police service straightout of school as she wasn’t old enough, Assistant

Commissioner Carroll enrolled in an AssociateDiploma in Community Welfare at James CookUniversity in Townsville. As soon as she turned19 she joined the police and went on to study aBachelor of Arts in Criminology and CriminalJustice. “After going through the academy inBrisbane and spending a short time in uniform Iworked as a plain clothes officer in the licensingbranch for a few years which was just like vicesquad,” she says. “As a 23 year old it was veryinsightful as I was dealing with prostitution andillegal gambling, and at the same time there werecorruption investigations going on because of theFitzgerald Inquiry.” She says it was a difficulttime for the police service as the actions of only afew people meant the entire organisationsuffered.

Over her career Assistant Commissioner Carrollhas worked in the drug squad, the Commissionof Inquiry into Psychiatric Ward 10B, variouscriminal investigation branches, the jointorganised crime task force and covert unit, is theQueensland representative on the NationalCounter Terrorism Committee for ForwardCommand, is an umpire for National CounterTerrorism Exercises, and was the Australian

recipient of the Australia Police Medal in 2008.She took up the position of AssistantCommissioner for the Far Northern Region inNovember last year, relocating to Cairns (whereshe was previously Inspector in Charge with theCairns Police Division between 2003 and 2006and the Superintendent in Charge of the districtin 2007 and 2008). She admits that while manypolice issues are still the same as when shepreviously lived here, much progress has beenmade and issues have evolved. “Now there arestricter alcohol management plans in place inmany regional indigenous communities. We arealso involved in many community and agencypartnerships and initiatives and strategies toprevent crime. Since November 1, 2010, policehave taken over a lead role in disaster response,which meant a full scale operation response tocyclone Yasi,” she says. ‘We do a lot that peoplejust don’t see, as well as trying to constantlymaintain our visibility in the CBD,” she says.“One of the biggest issues we deal with as policeis the misuse and abuse of alcohol. At least 60percent of our time is taken up with alcohol-related issues, and on Friday and Saturday nightsit could be over 80 percent.” On a positive note,the Queensland road toll last year was the best inAustralia with the lowest recorded road toll inrecorded history.

While Assistant Commissioner oversees a largeregion including the Cape, Torres Straits anddown to the Cardwell range, she says her mainfocus at the moment is on community safety,reducing the road toll, ensuring the front linepolice is at full capacity and supporting her staff.She is focused on ensuring her staff are welltrained and equipped and that they maintain ahigh level of professionalism and ethics at alltimes. “My staff are great people and often workin really harsh environments and deal with allsorts of unenviable issues, but at the end of theday we are part of the community, we all havefamilies of our own and are here for the rightreasons.” she says.

KATARINA CARROLLAssistant Commissioner of Police

Being a w oman in w hat was once seen as a man ’s world doesn ’t phaseAssistant Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll in the slightest. In fact, shewould like to see more females in the police force, and more police in generalin the far north.

SAFETY & SECURITY

Interviewed by Amanda Cranston


cairns life september issue

Documents

cairnslife pty

cairnslife magazine

cairns isnt

sick of cairns

vannella family cairnslife

literaturethis month

cairns post beforedeciding

readers pickseach month