Author: media

They’re known as the 1000k Club, a nickname to honour the achievement of each riding the 100km Santos GLNG Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge ten times.

There was celebration aplenty as four of the challenge’s original participants, Bernard Milford, Shane Osmond, Phil Forshaw and Garry Kuhn accepted the honour of cutting a specially crafted bicycle-shaped birthday cake to mark a decade of Queensland’s biggest and best bike ride.

For Mr Milford, a 64-year-old grandfather of eight, the opportunity to achieve the perfect ten ensured he was one of the first people to enter Bicycle Queensland’s annual ride from Brisbane to the Goldie.

“I took part in the inaugural ride in 2005 and knew there was something special about the Brisbane to Gold Coast Challenge right from the start,” Mr Milford said.

“Your bike can be a lonely place but on that one day the cycling community comes together and the thrill of riding with such a huge group of people has kept me coming back ever since.

“I’ve made lifelong friends as the years and the kilometres of the Challenge have rolled past and I’ve helped raise a bit of money for a number of good causes through it too.”

Bicycle Queensland CEO Ben Wilson said Bernard would be one of an expected 10,000 participants to tackle the 100 kilometre ride which, over the years, has raised almost $1.4 million for various charities.

To celebrate a decade of pedalling to the glitter strip, the entire field will receive a stylish commemorative jersey.

“Over the last ten years the Santos GLNG Brisbane to the Gold Coast Challenge has grown to be Queensland’s biggest and best bike ride,” Ben said.

“No other ride brings together so many like-minded people in a safe and structured environment or offers once-a-year experiences like riding the South East Busway and taking part in a fun, healthy and rewarding activity.”

In 2014 the Santos GLNG Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge is supporting the Heart Foundation and riders are being encouraged to help raise funds for research, prevention strategies and advocating positive, healthy choices to combat Australia’s number one killer.

Santos Vice President Queensland Trevor Brown said Santos GLNG was proud to support the ride for the third year in a row

“Over the years, more than 61,000 cyclists have participated in the ride – including hundreds of Santos GLNG’s very own cycling enthusiasts – and the fact that so many people are keen to take up this challenge is a great indicator of the increasing popularity of bike riding,” Mr Brown said “It’s a great fit for our business, given our strong focus on health, safety and fitness, and I’m pleased that more than 100 Santos GLNG employees have already signed up for this year’s ride.”

General registrations close on Tuesday 14 October. Full details are available at the Brisbane to Gold Coast website

If you want to know more about Westender’s forthcoming feature on cycling – contact us now

Commissioner for Fair Trading in NSW Rod Stowe today announced a voluntary recall on faulty cables used for household electrical wiring.
The recall is for three batches of ‘Infinity’ brand insulated electrical cables. The cables are Thermoplastic Sheathed electric cable – commonly known as ‘TPS’. The batch numbers being recalled are INFH 190311, INFH 210912 and INFMEL 081112.
The cables that are being recalled have recently been subjected to laboratory testing and they failed that test.
Testing found the plastic-coated insulation could become brittle when exposed to high temperatures over time.
This can occur through exposure to heat generated by the copper wire itself or through exposure to external heat – such as in the roofs of homes in hotter parts of Australia.
Mr Stowe emphasised there had not been any reports of incidents or injuries to people or property resulting from the cable.
“While the cables pose no immediate threat to safety, the deterioration of the insulation on the cables over time could cause wires to make contact and short, potentially resulting in electrical shock or fire,” he said.
Mr Stowe advised homeowners they should not check wiring themselves.
“Any work on wiring or cable in your home should only be done by a licensed electrician,” he said.
“If you have recently had building work done that included wiring being changed or installed in your home, contact your builder or electrician and ask what cable they used. If it is this cable, you should talk to the builder or electrician about inspecting and replacing the cable.”
Mr Stowe said it was important all electricians checked their records to see whether they have undertaken work using the recalled cables.
“Electricians must always ensure they install electrical cabling that meets Australian standards on consumer safety,” he said.
The recalled cabling is clearly branded ‘Infinity’ and has been imported from China by NSWbased company Infinity Cable Co Pty Ltd.
The company has initiated this voluntary recall in co-operation with NSW Fair Trading.
The company is publishing recall notices in newspapers and writing to everyone it has sold the cable to, requesting them to return the recalled batches of cable to the place of sale.
The company has agreed to provide information to Fair Trading concerning the importation and sale of the recalled batches of cable and to provide ongoing reports to Fair Trading about the recall and disposal of the affected cables.
Fair Trading understands the cable has been on sale Australia-wide from 1 April 2012 to the present.
“Unused Infinity cables should be returned to the place of purchase by electricians, where they will be entitled to a refund,” Mr Stowe said.

The Westender has received another quirky media release from the Urban Utilities team tunneling their way underneath Mollison Street, outside the Coles supermarket. Here it is. This week sees our tunnel borer machine spring back into action as we come out of hibernation and recommence our tunnelling from the ‘garden bed’ in front of 26 & 30 Mollison Street towards Monty’s Spare Parts. We also expect new shoots to sprout up from our shopping centre shaft as we expand our budding network and drill our way towards the Boundary Street intersection. Now blossoms, this part is going to be a bit hayfevery as when we have to work in the intersection (possibly as early as this Monday, 8 September 2014) we will have to work at night due to the high traffic volumes in the daytime . It will be unseasonably noisy and we will have to close one lane of Melbourne Street for safety reasons. To help you cope with our new spring growth, we are offering you a free ‘poo-motional’ item (see pic left) to help you with your spring cleaning. Please email me at dylan.olliver@urbanutilities.com.au if you’d like some for your home or office, as this limited spring edition is a ‘collectors’ item. Finally, a huge thank you to you all for your amazing understanding throughout our winter of discontent, we greatly appreciate your ongoing support. Have a blooming marvellous week Yours Springcerely Dylan Olliver Communications Consultant Marketing and Communications

With the launch of GetCreditScore.com.au, Australians are able to get a snapshot of their credit score, empowering them with information to help negotiate better credit terms. Credit providers such as banks and credit card companies, use credit scores to assess an individual’s credit risk and to mitigate potential losses due to defaults. Increasingly, credit scores are used to determine who qualifies for a loan, at what interest rate, and what credit limits. Financial campaigner and GetCreditScore spokesperson Christopher Zinn welcomed the launch – which helps empower consumers. “Credit scores are becoming increasingly important for Australians, yet most people would not know their score. It is time now for consumers to get informed, find out their score and start pushing for a better deal,” Mr Zinn explained. “GetCreditScore.com.au puts the power back in your hands.” For decades, credit scores have been widely used in most developed economies like England and the United States where people have relied on them as a tool to access credit and even negotiate better terms from banks and other lenders. Australians can now benefit the same way. GetCreditScore features the VedaScore provided by data intelligence and insights company Veda. To get a snapshot of their VedaScore, people can simply visit www.getcreditscore.com.au and fill in some basic information – name, address, date of birth, email and driver licence number or passport number. GetCreditScore.com.au is being launched during MoneySmart Week, Australia’s biggest initiative promoting the importance of financial literacy. GetCreditScore is an initiative of SocietyOne, in conjunction with Veda.

Undress Runways, the organisation behind Australia’s largest sustainable fashion show, are returning to their home town of Brisbane for their 4th annual event, after taking on Melbourne and the Gold Coast earlier this year.  The show will take place at Factory One on Saturday the 11th of October in Brisbane’s West End, and will feature thirty sustainable and ethical designers from all over the country.

Undress Runways’ event coordinator, Edda Hamar, says the Undress team have gained a lot of experience from taking their show to two new cities.

“We’ve learned so much from taking our show to Melbourne and the Gold Coast this year, and we’re so excited to bring an more sophisticated and innovative event to our hometown,” said Ms Hamar.

“Our new location is going to be incredible… the new space is allowing us to bring our audience a bigger runway and some fresh, sustainable aesthetics that we’ve been planning for a long time.”

Guests at Undress Brisbane will enjoy three runway shows, organic cocktails, live DJs and have the opportunity to purchase VIP tickets to access runway-side seating and exclusive privileges.

The 2014 Undress Brisbane show is proudly sponsored by Ethical Clothing Australia. For more information on the event, designer application forms and a behind-the-scenes look at the 2014 Melbourne and Gold Coast runway shows, head to http://undressrunways.com. Tickets on sale September 1st.

There are dangers to women in the workplace who do not have properly fitted work wear.

The US Department of Labor (USDoL) reports that “Poor fit compromises the protection offered by the garment or equipment. The lack of appropriate PPC and PPE can cause serious safety and health risks for women, and men of smaller sizes, who rely on protective clothing and equipment to help them keep safe. Having inadequate or ill-fitting clothing, boots, gloves, or safety equipment presents a safety hazard for any worker.”

Until recently, the scarcity of appropriate protective clothing was blamed on the relatively small numbers of women in workplaces requiring protective clothing.

That is no longer an excuse. USDoL points out that “Personal protective equipment intended for use by women workers should be based upon female anthropometric (body measurement) data.”

The good news is that an increased focus on OH&S generally, and better design means there are now specific ranges of protective clothing designed for women.