Palmwoods
District News

February
1999

Page 11

HAPPY New year to you all. Christmas has come and gone, school is in and the holidays are well and truly over for most of us. The break was welcome as it gave Jenny and I a chance to catch up with all the jobs and to spend time with family and friends.

My electorate office has been open since January 4 and while things have been relatively quiet, in fact, for the first time we haven't had excess mail to pick up, there has been plenty happening around Nicklin.

Congratulations to the tiny hinterland community of Palmwoods for putting on tremendous celebration for Australia Day. Jenny and I lined up along with the rest of thc community for a delicious breakfast served by thc hard working Lions Club at 7am and we thoroughly enjoyed a morning of fellowship and fun.

Community stalwart Marjorie Murray from the Palmwoods Singers won a well-deserved Palmwoods Citizen of the Year Award. Many thanks also to the Scouts for providing an excellent guard of honour and damper and billy tea. Congratulations to the air cadets, the school children, mums and dads and to the Palmwoods Progress Association.

I am receiving a steady stream of complaints about the Nambour Hospital from constituents and these are all being assessed and recorded. As well, I am having regular meetings with the Hospital's chief officer to try to resolve them. The CEO has told me that the hospital budget has already blown out and the year is only half through, but he has assured me that there will be no reduction in services.

Work has begun on the upgrading of facilities at Hibiscus house, the nursing home attached to the Nambour Hospital. This work included a new psycho-geriatric ward of eight beds and it is part of a $2.2million program for the nursing home.

I was pleased to welcome a new security camera to Nambour this month. This camera mounted on the tallest building in town will sweep the Central Business District and should have a significant impact on crime in the area.

Pensioners became eligible for free ambulance service on January 1 and should have received a refund for prepaid subscriptions. Those pensioners who still want to contribute to their local ambulance can do so by donation.

A school nurse has been appointed for a trial period to work at Nambour and Burnside High Schools. If successful I will lobby to be expanded to other Nicklin high schools.

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