Category: General news

As we turn our minds towards another Christmas, many people start to draw up the presents list.

This Christmas, why don’t you start by committing to make all your purchases locally?

It’s well documented that dollars spent locally stay in local hands longer, and bring greater benefits to local communities.

The task of shopping locally brings about an element of creativity. Who likes a voucher for which restaurant or bar? Can you source ethically made products? What about presents for the kids?

In West End the answer is: absolutely!

The Westender continues to focus on independent, local businesses that help you maintain the vibrant, unique community that makes waking up in West End so delightful.

West End continues to offer some of Brisbane’s most exciting retail options.

The benefits of buying locally continue to give far beyond 25th December, 2013.

Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.

The Local Shop logo will instantly identify participating businesses

For local businesses

Put this in your window think about opening early and late to make it easy for Westender readers to do their Christmas shopping on the way to and from work.

If mobs of youths start baying for David outside your shop, they are probably addicts of the 90’s BBC show League of Gentlemen. Send them down to the butcher for a ‘special package’.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) is an active lobby group for Queensland business. Its Industrial Relations resources are well respected and many a business owner has sworn that one unfair dismissal case avoided more than justifies the annual membership fee of $560 (5-9 employees).

Like all major business lobby groups, with the exception of the Council of Small Business of Australia (COSBOA), CCIQ represents large and small business so the local chambers of commerce have flourished by focusing on the small to medium enterprises who can get swamped in a statewide industry body.

There were rumbles of discontent, then, when CCIQ announced an aggressive program to merge as many of the local chambers under its auspices as possible. A story published in Westender on October 17 got a swift reaction from the publicity team at CCIQ correcting some of the language that we had picked up at the Kenmore meeting that inspired that story.

Since then Westender has spoken to the presidents of four local chambers who are going to become satellites of CCIQ Central, none of whom are concerned that the CCIQ now controls their boundaries and their membership.

The consensus is definitely that the fears of a CCIQ takeover are ‘paranoia’. Let us hope that the founder and long-term CEO of Intel was not correct when he said that he lived by the adage, “Only the paranoid survive.”

Exactly twenty years ago, Brisbane theatre company La Boite graduated from the pro-am theatre groups dotting suburban Brisbane and went fully professional. This year Harvest Rain Theatre has made the grade, announcing their  2014 season with a stunning line up at QPAC.

First onto the boards is the musical GUYS & DOLLS from 20th of March 2014 with Daryl Somers (yes that one) alongside Stenlake & Angela Harding (recently adored in Oklahoma).

There will be five only performances of CATS staged at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in July starring Marina Prior. Followed by Monty Python’s Spamalot, the musical version of their famous Holy Grail movie. Spamalot will star Julie Anthony, Jon English and Simon Gallaher.

Harvest Rain Artistic Director, Tim O’Connor, said “Brisbane audiences love their musical theatre and Harvest Rain will be bringing them the very best in 2014. The best shows and the BEST of Australian Musical theatre talent.”

A surfing legend from the age of 14, Wayne Lynch became an outlaw for two and a half years to avoid fighting a war he did not believe in. Despite international acclaim, he has remained a recluse for many years, quietly building surfboards based on some of his 70s designs.

Five years ago, filmmaker Craig Griffin saw Lynch speak in Torquay. “Surfers are not renowned for being articulate but this guy is an exception.”

“He has disappeared into the forest and lived on his wits. He has rejected the corporate offers of fame and riches and become a recluse at the height of his fame. There is a frankness and greatness about him that is simply gripping.”

Four and a half years later, the film has played to sell-out crowds in surfing centres such as Torquay, Byron Bay, Hawaii, LA and New York. Brisbane audiences get their chance at the BEMAC cinema in Kangaroo Point on Thursday December 5th.

Westender caught up with Griffin on the road. I just had to ask him about the surfing scene in Manhattan.

“It’s a hipster scene. People take the subway to Long Island with their boards or further out to Montauk.” <heads to South Brisbane railway station.>

Tickets available at Trybooking – entry price includes food and a free drink

Watch the trailer at youtube

When Westender reported on October 31 that the Newman government was about to slash funding to around ten inner city arts bodies (Newman’s slashing of the Arts ) we had very few details and wrote “stay tuned for further updates on these arts cuts.” The ripples are still being felt a month later.

At the time, one reader responded “Wondering how much it cost to send 2 senior detectives on a door knocking walk through Eagle Farm businesses today looking to see if we were stashing any bikie gangs ?? They had a list and everything !”

The real challenge for local artists is that the government is using its funding muscle to create a corporate-friendly, classics-heavy art scene in Brisbane.

Opening the OperaQ 2014 season, Newman joked about how politically incorrect the 19th century Italians were. He clearly relishes trotting out 150 year old artworks as a sign of how open minded and flexible he is.

His Minister for the Yarts played on the same theme at the preview of the Queensland Ballet’s 2014 season. “I had oysters and champagne at the Ekka and saw the ballet. Brisbane sure is changing.”

We have followed this up with stories ranging from international speakers discussing the long term degradation of society to specific impacts on local businesses.

Like many of you, we received a letter from David Pierce at Pondera today which reveals the flow on effect of these cuts on the broader community. It was in part a response to another of the defunded organisations, Backbone. We share it simply to help keep alive the coals of your rage at the damage this government is doing to the fabric of our society.

As some of you may know, recent slashing of arts funding in Qld has resulted in a number of youth and community arts organisations being completely defunded. While this is not the forum to comment or discuss, I am reaching to to the local business community to see if anyone has, or knows of some office space which could be used for these organisations. In particular the one attached, Backbone Youth Arts is appealing for space.

My business has just turned 7 and had built a considerable percentage of our income from the arts community from dance to musicians to theatre and more so thanks to anyone who can help in any way

Hope all is well for you,
David Peirce
www.pondera.com.au

The publishers of Westender are proud and excited to note that the first print edition of the grand old newspaper in a year and a half has rolled off the presses and it rumbling its way toward West End.

You will see copies begin to appear on the street as early as today Friday November 29.

As is always the way with creative ventures, there were a few heart stopping moments and not everything has gone exactly as planned – please support local plumbers and electricians Neil T Fallon even though their full telephone number 3846 3666 did not quite make it into print.

You will see the stories that appear in print arrive on the website and facebook page over the next couple of days, where you can respond, participate and contribute to the next edition in February.

We like to think that we represent you, our neighbours in West End, so please feel free to use us as your urban voice.

– The Publishers