Category: News

Hairdresser and businessman Stefan Ackerie was honoured at the 2013 Lord Mayor’s

Business Awards while other winners included Australia’s leading diversified alternative asset manager, a national retail chain founder, a pizza company and a digital publisher.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the awards celebrated the achievements and contribution made by the business community to Brisbane’s $135 billion economy.

“The awards reward and celebrate companies that are champions for Brisbane’s growth industries and inspire others to become business leaders,” he said.

“The city’s economic growth would not be possible without a bold business community ready to embrace innovation, world markets and new technology.”

Cr Quirk said Stefan Ackerie received a special Lifetime Achievement Award – a new category for the awards and created to acknowledge businesspeople who have served Brisbane throughout their career.

“Stefan has been tireless in his work for Brisbane over more than three decades and earlier this year was named a Queensland Great,” he said.

“This award recognises the enormous contribution he has made at a business and community level.”

CEO of economic development board and awards organiser Brisbane Marketing John Aitken said the 2013 awards attracted a record number of entries.

“As the city’s economic development board, Brisbane Marketing fosters growth in key areas reflected by the categories of the Lord Mayor’s Business Awards,” Mr Aitken said.

“The awards reward and celebrate companies that are champions for Brisbane’s growth industries and inspire others to become business leaders.

“Brisbane is Australia’s new world city and our innovative, entrepreneurial business community leads the way in creating a dynamic economic environment and setting a benchmark for other cities in the Asia Pacific region.

For rescuing three dogs who were trapped in a burning veterinary clinic, the firefighters of the Annersley Station of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service will receive a Compassionate Fire Department Award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Australia.

The fire on Station Road in Sunnybank started in a newsagency and quickly spread to the clinic. Three dogs were trapped inside until firefighters rescued them. They carried one dog, a 40-kilogram Rottweiler, out on a stretcher. For these efforts, the fire and rescue service will receive a framed certificate and a letter of appreciation from PETA.

“The compassion and heroism shown by members of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service are truly an inspiration”, says PETA Australia Director of Campaigns Jason Baker. “Brisbane residents are very fortunate to have emergency service personnel who are ready to protect and serve both residents and their beloved animal companions.”

Leading projects firm Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) is hoping to raise $20,000 for Community Plus as it competes in the Santos GLNG Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge in October.

With 20 staff participating in the 100-kilometre ride, SKM is “cycling the talk” and living by its ethos of delivering a positive impact on the communities in which it operates.

SKM has a strong partnership arrangement with West End Community House (WECH), working closely with WECH to support a range of community initiatives and events.

SKM’s Hope Stevens acknowledged the many benefits of the close relationship with WECH. “We’ve shared a lot of information about our respective organisations, discussed various models of corporate citizenship, what we’re both seeking from a partnership and the many ways we can work effectively together,” she said.

Participating in the ride is the latest initiative to support WECH, and a great way for SKM staff to give back to their local community.

“We are proud to participate in this community event as it is not only a great team building event for staff, it will also make a big difference to the community partner we are supporting; that’s a strong incentive and will make us pedal harder for sure!”

For further details about the ride, please visit: https://give.everydayhero.com/au/skm-rouleurs

About Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM)
Sinclair Knight Merz is a leading projects firm, with global capability in strategic consulting, engineering and project delivery. It operates across Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, deploying some 7,500 people from more than 40 offices.
www.globalskm.com

About Community Plus (West End Family Care Services Incorporated)
Community Plus provides active centres to support strong communities within Brisbane’s inner south, including West End Community House, the Yeronga Community Centre, Annerley Community Service, the Kurilpa Kiosk and the Croquet Club Community Hall.

About West End Community House (WECH)
To learn more about West End Community House please visit: http://www.westendcommunityhouse.org.au

Child marriage is an act of sexual violence against young girls, says Australian National Committee for UN Women.

The Australian National Committee for UN Women is concerned by the death of a 5  year old Saudi Girl, “Lama”, sexually abused and beaten to death by her father because he questioned his daughter’s virginity. Fayan alGhamdi has avoided a significant jail term by paying $50 000 in blood money to Lama’s mother.

Such horrific acts of violence and a lack of justice for Lama’s death is deeply concerning to the National Committee, which is dedicated to ending human rights abuses against women and achieving gender equality.  The National Committee is seeking to raise $20, 000 by October 11, International Day of the Girl Child, to help girls escape violence and poverty, and access education and a brighter future. Millions of girls around the world need this assistance, says Julie McKay, Executive Director of the National Committee.

“The past year has really shed light on the shocking scale of violence against girls worldwide. The terrible fate  of Lama is just the tip of the iceberg. On year ago to the week Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking out about girls’ education. Thankfully Malala has fully recovered and is now an  inspirational advocate for girls worldwide. But we know that other girls have not been so lucky. Girls live with violence every day, girls have their rights restricted every day.”

The Australian National Committee is focusing on ending violence against girls, in particular ending the practice of child marriage. Over 60 million girls worldwide are forced into marriage every year. In September, it was reported that an 8 year old Yemeni girl died on her wedding night after being forced into marriage with a man more than five times her age.

“Girls as young as 7 and 8 are being forced into marriage, forced into actions that their bodies are not yet ready for,” says Ms McKay. “Child marriage is physically and emotionally scarring for these girls. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for 15-19 year old girls worldwide. Girls under 20 are 50 per cent more likely to experience miscarriages or stillbirths than women over 20. Girls worldwide are suffering every day. We need to stand up as a community and take action. This is not a standard we accept for our daughters, and we must not accept it for girls worldwide.”

“UN Women provides shelter, medical and psychological care for victims of violence and provides girls with education and training which enables them to plan for their future. UN Women also works with governments around the world to change laws and ensure that perpetrators of violence like Lama’s father are brought to justice.”

“By providing girls with a chance to grow without violence, to escape poverty and to get an education we are  investing in the future of our world. We are ensuring that these young girls can live free from violence and free to shape their own future.”

Donations to help girls can be made at http://www.mycause.com.au/events/dayofgirlchild or by contacting the National Committee on (02) 6173 3222.

Where will your money go?

$1040 can support girls who have been rescued from sex trafficking, giving them shelter, counselling, education and hope for the future.
$520 can fund a community-wide education program to end the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting.
$125 can support school teachers to educate students about forced marriage and early pregnancies.
$99 can provide a pregnant girl with medical care to ensure that she and her child are healthy and safe.

Background Notes:

60 million girls worldwide are forced into marriage before age 18 every year
Pregnancy is the leading cause of death worldwide for women ages 15 to 19
Girls under age 20 are 50 per cent more likely to experience miscarriages and stillbirths
1.2 million children being are trafficked each year – many of these children are girls forced into sex trafficking

Director Alfonso Cuarón, apparently took four and a half years to complete this eagerly awaited film Gravity.

You may remember his famous 10 minute  accident scene tracking shot in his last film the moody classic “Children of Men”. He says this shot was an accident because he yelled cut but no one heard him.

Cuaron says he worked like that in Gravity too. Not that I could tell. Every tracking shot and scene are not only an incredibly emotionally gripping ride, but the scenes are finely crafted as we float in micro gravity as  the camera effortlessly glides through the  points of view of the central characters  Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) as each overcome one outrageous space obstacle after another.

One of the first questions I asked at the end of my suspended-disbelief roller-coaster through space was, “how did he do it?”

“How does one create micro gravity without leaving the planet?”

It’s a bit like asking the magician to reveal the prestige of his trick. It was four and a half years of storyboards and animation and rehearsals in very confined spaces for Bullock who credits her background as a dancer and NASA astronautic advice on the authentic way to hold and move a monkey wrench while floating 500km above the earth. I believe the director said he’d never make another space film.

The metaphors in this film are obvious.

• Bullocks’ character is literally in the inertia she is struggling to overcome.
• It is no accident she becomes foetal in the womblike Russian refuge she finds after overcoming the obstacles (in the shape of blown up Russian satellite fragments.

The jury is out on a couple of scenes:

• when Matt Kowalski floats back into scene after a long absence (see if you think it adds to the plot or is a bit of a post editing afterthought) and
• the earth’s atmosphere re-entry (impossible she doesn’t burn to a cinder).

Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, is mighty impressed with Gravity. The famed astronaut has  said he was “extravagantly impressed” with the film’s portrayal of zero gravity.

“Going through the space station was done just the way that I’ve seen people do it in reality,” he says.

Whether you find the plot credible and the special effects and 3-D elegant and commanding, Gravity places you right up there in space, along with the characters. That is the essence of Cuarón’s achievement: his technical virtuosity and the emotional grip it envinces become one.

At a most unusual Annual General Meeting last night, West End Traders Association elected a new committee without a chairperson/president. Paul Hey, elected unopposed as vice-president, will be the interim head of the Association.

Peter Marinelli, president of the Association for the last two decades, was initially nominated but withheld his acceptance of that nomination until an extraordinary general meeting to be held on 14th November.

These decidedly unusual circumstances were brought about after a number of new businesspeople – including local identity and president of the West End Community Association, Darren Godwell – attended the meeting with the intention of joining the Association and voting at the AGM.

Darren was nominated for the position of president but unsuccessfully, as he was deemed not to be a financial member of the Association.

(The most recent meeting, in August, had advised those present that they could join, vote and nominate on the night of the AGM. At last night’s meeting, however, it was considered that this would be in breach of the Associations Incorporations Act.)

Peter Marinelli generously withheld his nomination so that new members have time to join, vote and nominate prior to the extraordinary general meeting to be held for that purpose.

Many long term members expressed disappointment and dismay at the process, and fervently hope that the extraordinary annual general meeting is less extraordinary than the ordinary Annual General Meeting.

Those same members, however, also expressed their sincere appreciation at the influx of new membership, and looked forward to new, more dynamic West End Traders Association.

Declaration of interest: Westender has had a long commercial relationship with Peter Marinelli through Swiss Gourmet Deli and has been a longstanding supporters and associate of West End Traders Association and the West End Community Association, Including serving as a committee member on the WETA.