$10m to fund new precinct massive win for Palm Island

Transcription

1 Issue 235 Thursday 24 August 2017 $10m to fund new precinct massive win for Palm Island Source: Palm Island Voice 195 (January 2016) Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council has secured nearly $10m for construction of the second stage of the Bwgcolman Retail and Business Precinct in what s been hailed as a massive win for the community. The funding will come from It s a dream the Council Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey Building Better Regions Fund Infrastructure Projects Stream, supported by the Federal Government, after the Council was a successful applicant in the first round of grants. started talking about and working on more than three years ago, and first reported in the Palm Island Voice in January 2016 (Issue 195). Continued next page... MORE NAIDOC PICS INSIDE!!

2 From previous page... Palm Island Mayor Cr Alf Lacey said achieving funding for the project was a game changer for our Shire and our community. The previous Council worked really hard on this for quite some time, he said. It s a game-changer for Palm, and it will certainly bring a lot of opportunities and a different feel to Palm and the people. It s timely because Palm celebrates the 100-year centenary next year, and it s going to be a good piece of infrastructure for our community. There will be more community conversation around it. We have the $18 million Health Precinct currently happening at the moment, which is another exciting program, and stage 1 of these two big infrastructure projects. The second stage of the project will provide retail and commercial space, creating opportunities for regional economic development by providing a space to attract new businesses. It will include associated service areas and amenities, a lobby with all-access lift and stairs, undercover civic areas and off-street parking. This second stage will be a revenue stream for Council in terms of service charges and rates, he said. But we don t see it as a major profiteering arrangement because what we wanted it to do is to be more of a community and giving back to the community so it will be more about breaking even and looking after its own upkeep and maintenance. And at the end of the day it s not about Council getting a big profit out of it; it s about delivering retail services to the community that you d find in any community. The Building Better Regions Fund received more than 500 applications and about 100 were approved across Australia. Townsville based Government Senator Ian Macdonald said the funding, for the Bwgcolman Retail and Business Precinct, Stage Two, was a massive win for the Palm Island community. This is a project that has the potential to transform Palm Island, and generate significant economic growth for locals, Senator Macdonald said. It s an exciting project that will complement the first stage of the project, which will feature a new health facility, by providing additional retail and commercial premises, breathing new life into this community, Senator Macdonald said. Construction on Stage 1 of the project, an initiative of the Palm Island Aboriginal Council, is due to commence shortly, on underutilised waterfront land. Stage 2, valued at $9,994,432, is expected to bring mainstream products and services to the island with an estimated nine jobs to be created during construction, and around 40 long term jobs once operational. I congratulate the Palm Island Council and the Mayor, Cr Alf Lacey, for all their hard work in putting together such a competitive, comprehensive application, Senator Macdonald said. OUT & ABOUT and enjoying this year s NAIDOC celebrations were Ferdy s Case Worker Victor Daisy, 2nd from left, with clients Patrick, Ronald and Rocky. 2 The Palm Island Voice is free & online at

3 Alcohol, drugs and street lighting top of the list for policing Aborginal communities The 2017 Mayors and Councillors Police Commission and Service Forum was held in Cairns earlier this month, and attended by Mayor Alf Lacey along with Deputy Mayor Roy Prior. Cr Prior said the meeting went well. Each individual Council had an audience with the Commissioner and Inspector, he said. There s been some great stuff that s been rolled out across the Cape communities. It s not all doom and gloom up there and they re probably faced with some of the same problems as us partying and sly grogging was one of the big issues. A lot of us raised those issues, but overall I think the biggest concern was the introduction of ICE into communities. It s getting to the stage where it s quite a concern, for not only health services, but also the Councils. There was some commitment from the Commissioner and the Inspector that they ll be policing a lot more regularly now. ICE destroys families and destroys the whole value of being an Indigenous community in itself. It just takes away your pride, your respect to anyone. Mayor Lacey has been very vocal in terms of what strategies that we can put into place to combat ICE. Another concern raised at the meeting was street lighting. Street lighting was a big issue with the police and what they need to patrol effectively. They re talking about getting on the ground and walking around but it s just a safety concern, not only for them but also community members as well. It was an issue raised by the council members, and it was interesting to hear there was a certain community up north that had only four out of their 120 street lights working, so that s a big concern. While in Cairns last week Crs Lacey and Prior attended an LGAQ Housing Meeting in the offices of the Torres Strait Council, also in the picture here is Torres Strait Mayor Cr Fred Gela. 3 The Palm Island Voice is free & online at

4 4 The Palm Island Voice is free & online at

5 Happy naidoc palm island!!! 5 The Palm Island Voice is free & online at

6 Don t forget!!! The DEADLINE for the NEXT PALM ISLAND VOICE (231) is Thursday 31 August FOR PUBLICATION Operating Hours for Council are Monday Friday 8am 5pm If you have any questions please contact Reception on or Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council has 1,599 likes on Facebook!!! Thursday 7 September Check out our Facebook page! ADVERTISE! Page Sponsorship: (1cm or 18pt high banner across nominated page): $120 Quarter A4 Page: $250 + GST Half A4 Page: $350 + GST Full A4 Page: $550 + GST Ads are to be booked by no later than 5pm on deadline day (see above) and all material submitted no later than COB the next day. Print approval required by Monday COB. To book an ad, make a contribution or inquire about subscriptions please contact the Editor, Christine Howes, on or palmislandvoice@chowes.com.au 6 The Palm Island Voice is free & online at

7 Out & the Townsville Cultural Festival The Queensland Government Reparations Scheme application closing date is 29 September Please note the scheme will continue for three years after this date to finalise claims, however, DATSIP won t be accepting any new applications after that date. WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO CLAIM Any person (the Claimant) who had his/her wages and/or savings controlled under the Protection Acts 1, OR who was born on or before 31 December 1959 and who was alive on 9 May You can only claim on behalf of a relative who is no longer living if that relative was still alive on 9 May 2002, when the Government made its previous decision to make a reparations offer. If you wish to make a claim on behalf of a deceased relative, you will need to provide proof of that person s birth date as well as proof of when they passed away. For those that have already lodged an application and want to check the progress on an existing application, please contact the Reparations Unit on free call (free from landlines/mobile phones will be charged at standard rates) or Marita Akee from the Townsville Office on PALM ISLAND BOXERS will compete at the Sunstate Amateur Boxing League s State Titles in Cairns next month, at the at Edge Hill State School hall. Trainer Ray Dennis is not sure how many will travel to the prestigious titles. I have been a bit disappointed lately that not many of our boxers have turned up for training, he said. 7 The Palm Island Voice is free & online at

8 Schools do well in Garbutt comp PALM Island sides from Bwgcolman State and St Michael s Catholic Primary School competed in the fourth annual Garbutt Magpies Cup Australian Rules junior carnival earlier this month. They were amongst more than 200 students who participated in at the Ausco Modular sponsored carnival at the Murray Sporting Complex in Townsville. Teams from state schools Currajong, Bohlevale, Garbutt, Willows, Kirwan, Rasmussen, Kelso, Ayr, Gumlu and Bwgcolman (Palm island) along with Shalom Christian College and St Michael s Catholic (Palm island) took part. MC was Randall Ross, guests were welcomed to country by David Smallwood and elder Francis Tapim spoke to the children before the first ball was bounced. 11 tries in 8 matches for Ross STAR Palm Island footballer Gresham Ross jnr has been in great form for Brothers in the Townsville and District Rugby League competition, having scored 11 tries in his eight 2017 season A grade matches. Speedster Ross jnr scored a try and kicked two goals in Brothers semi final loss to Herbert River on August 13. A week before Ross jnr scored two tries when Brothers beat Charters Towers in the last round of fixtures. In Brothers thrashing of Uni the previous round Ross jnr scored three tries and is hitting form at the right end of the season. Ross jnr shone for the Barracudas at the RARL FNQ Challenge in Cairns during June when our Palm side finished second to NPA but in front of Torres Stingers, Northern and Southern Cape. He will be one of the mainstays for the Barracudas at the coming Bindal Allblacks carnival in Townsville during October. 8 The Palm Island Voice is free & online at