Floods cost Australia more than any other type of natural disaster, averaging hundreds of millions of dollars per year. We cannot stop floods from happening but there are many things that we can do to manage our flood risk and reduce the negative impact of floods. A new report, entitled Understanding Floods: Questions and Answers, brings together for the first time all the latest information that we have on floods and how to cope with them.
From December 2010 to January 2011, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland experienced widespread flooding. There was extensive damage to both public and private property, towns were evacuated, and 37 lives were lost, 35 of those in Queensland. Three quarters of Queensland was declared a disaster zone, an area greater than France and Germany combined, and the total cost to the Australian economy has been estimated at more than $30 billion.
The immediate impacts of flooding include loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, and deterioration of health conditions owing to waterborne diseases. As communication links and infrastructure such as power plants, roads and bridges are damaged and disrupted, some economic activities may come to a standstill, people are forced to leave their homes and normal life is disrupted.
Similarly, disruption to industry can lead to loss of livelihoods. Damage to infrastructure also causes long-term impacts, such as disruptions to supplies of clean water, wastewater treatment, electricity, transport, communication, education and health care.
The Queensland Chief Scientist Dr Geoff Garrett AO, convened the Queensland Floods Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Panel to prepare a report explaining fundamental concepts of floods in clear and simple language. The panel’s report, Understanding Floods: Questions and Answers, focuses on a number of critical, underlying questions important for improving our understanding of and preparedness for floods in the future.
Because flood events are influenced by a number of factors, based on the current science it is difficult to confidently state that, overall, extreme flood events in Queensland will increase in intensity or frequency as a result of climate change. However, increased coastal inundation from sea level rise and increased chance of flash flooding, ) because of an increase in short-term heavy rainfall events both seem highly likely, based on current assessments of projected climate change.
If La Niña events, or their effects on Queensland rainfall, became more frequent or more intense because of global warming, we can expect more frequent flooding. Currently it is projected that, in the future, ENSO variations may be different from those in the recent past.
However, we are not currently able to project confidently what those changes will be.
Global warming is expected to lead to sea level rise, increasing the risk of flooding near the coast, including the lower reaches of coastal rivers.
Any increase in the frequency or intensity of storms could lead to increased storm surge risks, and this would exacerbate the increased likelihood of coastal inundation arising from projected sea level rise. The future will see Australia’s population continue to grow, placing increased pressures on our waterways, many of which already experience high levels of flood risk. A growing population will result in increased development on the floodplain and the temptation to build in flood corridors. Rising land prices and a resulting move to smaller block sizes are expected to result in our cities becoming more densely populated, increasing the chance of flooding in the cities. More houses built closer together increases the number of houses potentially exposed to flood damage.
In the future, cities and towns designed in a water sensitive manner and using integrated water planning may use less drinkable water, potentially allowing us to manage our dam water levels with more flexibility.
From classic to party and everywhere in between Cheveron Renaissance has your Spring/Summer wardrobe covered. The myriad of friendly fashion houses will be delighted to style you in any of the latest fashions that are on-trend for this season. For further details www.chevronrenaissancecentre.com
Darren Hayes has emerged from the studio after spending four years crafting his latest masterpiece, Secret Codes and Battleships. Featuring the single Talk Talk Talk, this pop album shows new maturity and substance from one of Australia’s most talented songwriters. What’s more, The Secret Tour is travelling throughout Australia in October, and offers fans the first chance for fans to hear songs from the new album alongside songs from throughout Darren’s career. The Secret Tour comes to the Tivoli, Brisbane, on November 5.
Dance, pop, rock and hip-hop are all on the bill for Parklife festival for 2011 on 1 October, so if you’re feeling in the party spirit, get on your boogie shoes and prepare to dance! Featuring the likes of Gossip, Lykke Li, Santigold, Katy B and Kimbra amongst a huge line-up of dance floor filling names, Parklife is the biggest event to hit Brisbane’s Riverstage and Botanic gardens in 2011. Tickets available at www.parklife.com.au
US rap superstar Eve is playing an exclusive show at Surfers Paradise Beer Garden on 22 September. Eve, who has collaborated with artists including Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland and our very own Guy Sebastian is long considered one of the most influential women in hip hop, making this a must-see show!
Queen of rock Suzi Quatro is bringing her punk prowess to Twin Towns, Tweed Heads, on 17 and 18 September, where audiences can expect a powerful show full of thumping anthems and rock ballads from the 70’s rock icon.
After a year-long sabbatical, songman Josh Pyke is hitting the road to celebrate the release of his third album Only Sparrows. These shows are the first time the album will be performed with his band, including the hit single No One Wants A Lover. He will play at the Coolangatta hotel on 23 September.
Brisbane four-piece The Butterfly Effect will be gracing the stage at Surfers Paradise Beer Garden on 1 October to promote new album Final Conversation of Kings. The show promises to be a performance to remeber, so go check out why the Butterfly Effect is heralded as one of Australia’s favourite bands time and time again.
Four years after the release of her Grammy-nominated, critically acclaimed album The Reminder, Canadian songstress Feist returns in October with Metals. Recorded in Big Sur, California, Metals is astoundingly intimate and heartfelt, yet features exuberant tunes too. A catalogue of sparkling pop gems.
Following on from 2006’s chart-topping Undiscovered and second album Songs For You, Truths For Me comes a new album from songwriter James Morrison. Hot on the tail of two albums that have sold more than 4.5 million copies worldwide, The Awakening has big shoes to fill, but with its soulful collection of songs and features and a collaboration with fellow songwriter Jessie J, it should do just fine.
The Youth Theatre Project offers young local actors aged 16-24 the chance to get involved in a professional production, and its performance this year is the Young Doctor, which runs from September 28 to October 1 at the Gold Coast Arts Centre. The play tells the story of Russia’s Anton Chekov, who wrote humorous newspaper articles to pay for medical school – slapstick humour and gags included! Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for students and children and are available at www.artscentregc.com.au
Queensland’s biggest bike ride, the 100km journey from South Bank, Brisbane, to the Broadwater Parklands takes place on Sunday 9 October. The Wilson HTM Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenge raises funds for Diabetes Australia Queensland and the Heart Foundation and encourages riders to go at their own pace… phew! 10,000 cyclists are expected to descend on the South East Busway for the ride, hoping to raise $250,000 between them. To enter, visit www.b2gc.org.au
The annual Firefighter’s Charity Ball, held at Jupiters Hotel and Casino, is a landmark event on the Gold Coast, offering unique entertainment and great food whilst raising much-needed funds for the Lockyer Valley Appeal and the Westpac Surf Lifesaver appeals. Tickets cost $110 and include canapés, a scrumptious three course meal, selected beverages and stacks of entertainment. To book tickets email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
On October 5, thousands of Queenslanders will Light the Night to raise awareness of leukemia, lymphomas, myeloma and other blood disorders. Southport Broadwater Parklands will be hosting a free Light the Night event from 5.00-9.00pm on 5 October, where participants can take part in a leisurely sunset walk, be inspired by personal stories, enjoy some family entertainment and share a message of compassion, hope and support whilst sending a lantern into the sky.
EB Games, Australia’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer, is hosting EB Games Expo at Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on 15 and 16 October, where the world’s leading gaming brands will be showcasing their wares. The Expo will also play host to the inaugural Australian final of World Cyber Games, the world’s largest international e‐sport tournament and festival. Tickets start from $29.95 and can be purchased at www.ebexpo.com.au
One of the biggest events on our calendar, the Armor All Gold Coast 600 sees some of the world’s most celebrated racers hit the Coast for a highoctane, entertainment-packed weekend. In addition to the iconic races along Main Beach, the off-course entertainment at the Broadwater Parklands is just as tempting, with artists including the Potbelleez, Bag Raiders, Eskimo Joe and Simple Minds performing. Check out the full line-up at www.goldcoast600.com.au
TV fave QI is appearing at Brisbane’s QPAC Concert Hall on October 31 and November 1-2 in what promises to be a performance full of fun, frolics and facts. Stephen Fry and Alan Davies are joining forces to bring their unique, witty, take on the quiz show to our shores, and will be joined by a host of Australian guests. Tickets start from $139 and can be purchased at www.qtix.com.au
The largest ever contemporary Torres Strait Island art show is running at GoMA, Brisbane, until 9 October. The free exhibition features work by over 50 artists in various mediums including painting, drawing, weaving, dance objects, prints, film, video, textiles, ceramics and installations.
Adoring Dad Owner of Madisons Café, a Broadbeach landmark that day in, day out, refuels its loyal clientele, Lincoln Testa is from hardworking Italian migrant stock. From his dad, Lincoln learnt the valuable tenets of family, hard work and a joyous heart. Lincoln and wife Jeniene are devoted parents to Benjamin, aged 7.
What did your dad teach you?
My dad worked very hard. He was Sicilian and had to earn every penny. He worked from dawn until late at night, but when he was home, he was a great dad – very loving and caring. He instilled the values in us that are missing in today’s society – discipline, respect for yourself and other people, compassion and honesty. He said: ‘Son, if the choice comes down to money or integrity, burn the money’.
What is your parenting style?
I am very hands-on. I work hard, but I wanted to have more time to spend with my son. We play rugby on the weekends, ride bikes, do Lego and read. Ben loves encyclopaedias and reading about dinosaurs. He’s crazy about them! We are very dedicated to bringing him up to have those same values and Ben is a very caring person who loves sharing and is concerned about other people’s wellbeing.
What has being a dad taught you?
Not to be selfish and to enjoy the reactions every day about the wonderful world we live in. To see Benjamin’s reactions to new experiences is a joy.
How has it impacted your life and career?
It’s the best job in the world. Being a dad is not something people can tell you about, you have to experience it for yourself. I am lucky, I have a loving wife from a family with strong values, and we shower our son with love and show him he’s secure. Before I had a child, I didn’t realise how powerful love could be. It’s like puppy love when you’re a teenage, all the time – dizzy, head over heels love. Is he following in your footsteps? He is very loyal and works flat out – he has that hard working ethic. We decided not to go away the last school holidays and he visited and asked if he could work for Uncle Peter. So we let him clear tables and do some waiting on tables for a little while. People were full of compliments – he was polite and wished them all a great day. It was fantastic!
How do you want your son to remember his childhood?
We do spoil him, but he appreciates it and values everything. We teach him respect. We spoil him with time and attention and interest in his life. He has two grandmothers who adore him and Jeniene makes a fuss for every birthday and family occasion. I would like him to remember this time as being full of all those family occasions, love and celebration. Every night when we read to him we tell him he is the most loved little boy in the whole world. And he shows us he loves us right back.
A legend in his sport, around the world and at home on the Gold Coast, Joel Parkinson competes on the ASP World Tour. ‘Parko’ grew up on the Gold Coast and is married to Monica, with daughters Evie and Macey and son Mahli. In his career to date, he has won 10 elite ASP tour victories, with no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Who calls you 'dad'?
I’ve got three kids; Evie who’s seven, Macy who’s four, and my little boy Mahli who will turn one in October.
Does your family travel with you? How do they manage when you're away?
We try and take the show on the road as much as we can. We’re like the Griswolds, one in, all in! Evie had 13 stamps in her passport before she’d even turned one! People say it must be tough with the family on the road – and it can be – but that’s nothing compared to how tough it is without them. We’ve had some interesting times on the road. The time we all lost our passports in South Africa was a doozy. Mon’s bag got stolen from the stroller, so we suddenly had to fly from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg to get new passports, wait a few days inside the airport for a new flight, then fly back to Australia. I’ve never been so glad to get home in my life! Evie is bordering on OCD when she travels because when she was young she was pulled from pillar to post all around the world and she needs to have a nest wherever she is. We move into a hotel and she asks, ‘which one’s my bed?’ and she lays all her things out neatly in order, and that’s her space for the next two weeks. She’s into the routine of travel even
though she’s only seven.
How does the reality of being a dad differ from your perceptions before you had kids?
Mon and I had the Evie when we were only 22, so I don’t think we really had any preconceived ideas of what we were in for. It was like Evie just showed up one day and off we went. I think, like any new dad, that those first six months as a father really test you out and make you ask some big questions of yourself, but once you get in the groove you realise it’s the greatest thing you could ever do.
How has fatherhood impacted your life and ambitions?
It took a few years to get a balance between family life and competing on the world tour. But the kids are a huge motivator for me now. I know I’m not just surfing for myself anymore. It’s got to the point now where I wanna win surfing contests as much for my kids as I do for myself.
What are the best things about being a father?
Coming home after being overseas for three weeks and Mon and the kids being at the airport to meet me.
And the main challenges?
Waving goodbye to them at the airport when I’m leaving for three weeks. What has being a dad taught you about life, about yourself, value of family? Kids are really grounding… they don’t care if I just won the contest at Snapper earlier that day, they still want me to go down the park and push them on the swings that afternoon.
What does your ‘special time’ with your children involve?
Even though we travel a lot to surf contests, we always make sure we do at least one family holiday a year somewhere cool. The last couple of years we’ve gone to Fiji. The kids love it, Evie and I get out there tandem surfing, we goof around on the beach… then I sneak out to Cloudbreak for an afternoon surf when Mon isn’t watching!
What do you hope to pass on to your kids about values and their role in the community?
That friendship is the key. And I’ll be passing on a few tips to Mahli about surfing behind the rock at Snapper!
How do you hope they remember their childhood when they're older?
That it was a happy one and that they were lucky to see parts of the world most kids would never see at such a young age.
Peter Ingall is a highly awarded master chocolate maker whose artisan chocolate brand owes as much to the Gold Coast as it does to Belgium.
He and his partner Danica founded Mayfield Chocolates in 1993 on the Gold Coast. “Our first retail store was in Marina Mirage at Main Beach. People still talk about the opening party, it attracted all the local business people and celebrities,” recounts Peter.
Production was based in Southport and then Labrador, before heading to Brisbane. With the advent of the internet, Mayfield now boasts clientele all over the globe, and has attracted trainee chocolatiers from France – eight in all, the most recent being Mathilde, who contacted Peter from a word-of-mouth referral by a French chocolate connoisseur.
Peter began his career in chocolate in Sydney, after completing a double degree in commerce and law in the early 1980s. “I wanted to work in a small family company, and when a marketing position came up with Darrell Lea Chocolates, I became marketing manager and worked on product development and branding, among many other things.”
Adamant that he only eats chocolate in “reasonable amounts”, Peter says he loved the industry from the very start.
“The people are very friendly and creative. There’s a lot of camaraderie there, and history. The customers are enthusiastic – everybody loves chocolate.
Peter moved to Queensland and applied his qualifications in legal investigation. It wasn’t long before he realised there was “room for upmarket, good quality chocolate” in Australia. So he took himself to Germany and studied confectionary technology with a veritable United Nations of chocolate aficionados.
“We were a very international group,” says Peter. “There were people there from Palestine, Africa, South Africa, Belgium, New Zealand and India. There is still no training available here, nor in the rest of the world that would compare. The Europeans are very precise and are perfectionists about chocolate making.” Peter and Danika, who Peter describes as “a great cook with a great palate”, created their own brand of chocolates under the moniker Mayfield, which Peter says is a tribute to his father’s family who came to Australia generations ago.
Mayfield, it was envisaged, would blend traditional European techniques with the unique flavours of Australia. “Australia produces many fine foods and beverages of the highest quality: wattle, lemon myrtle, Queensland dark rum, Tasmanian leatherwood honey, native macadamia nuts and pure fresh cream. The fundamental philosophy of Mayfield Chocolates, from the beginning, has been to make use of real Australian ingredients in an imaginative and original way with chocolate of the highest quality.
“Almost all are in fact world firsts. They are not just copies of existing chocolates you might have tried elsewhere. The result is that the chocolates taste real, with substantial variations in texture as well as flavour.” In its early years, the Mayfield team entered a number of competitions and invariably won awards at some of the country’s most prestigious shows, including the Sydney Royal Easter Show where they won Champion Chocolate in 1995 and 1997. Then in 1999, Mayfield Chocolates won a gold medal in Belgium.
“That single appearance, taking out gold, was enough to satisfy us that we had a winning formula,” says Peter.
Key to the quality, he asserts, is eschewing artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. “One of our unique properties is that we use fresh cream or cocoa butter so there’s no oily or waxy aftertaste. Using only top quality ingredients can make the process harder and more costly, but we have never cut corners.
“Our challenge is our limited distribution. We have been in Spring Hill, Brisbane since 1993, and still have a shop in Tamborine, but we would love to find just the right spot again on the Gold Coast and we are always looking for distributors.” For chocolate fans thinking of pursuing a career in chocolate, Peter has two pearls of wisdom: “They must do the hard yards – training with the experts. There are courses that touch on confectionary and making chocolates in Australia, but nothing in great depth. Whether you’re interested in making chocolate or retailing, your best option is to talk with us.”
She Says:
If you feel you have “sensitive skin” and feel that no matter what you do you cannot get rid of the spots, bumps and irritations, then you might be falling foul of some of the sneaky things that cause irritation that often go undiagnosed.
Consider your hair (yes really!). You may be using the best of skin care, but many hair styling products can cause irritation to the face. Hair falling on your face with products like mousse or hairspray can cause a reaction leading to a rash or acne. Many styling products contain alcohol, which can cause skin reactions.
Make-up is one of the obvious culprits – especially if it contains talc or oils. True mineral make-up is generally the best make-up for acne prone and sensitive skin (we recommend Youngblood Mineral Make-Up to all our clients, but especially those with acne and irritated skin). Also, make sure you clean your make-up brushes regularly!
He Says:
Hygiene is very important to minimise irritation and acne. Change your pillowcase regularly (daily if possible). Acne bacteria can rub off at night and be transferred all around your face. Use a clean towel and facecloth every day too for the same reasons.
If you work in an office with shared telephones, make sure you clean the phone every day. Mobile phones bounce around in your pocket or handbag, and can accumulate masses of bacteria! Switch to a hands free or be sure to clean your phone often.
Jewellery is also often a cause of irritation either as sensitivity to the metals or from bacteria or friction, so also keep your jewellery clean.
Deb Farnworth-Wood is the owner of Australian Skin Clinics, Ashmore and author of Step Away from the Mirror... I just want to kiss myself. Dr Simon Rosenbaum, Cosmetic Surgery at Australian Skin Clinics. www.ozskin.com
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