Like the pattern on a Scribbly Gum Tree from which Bark Design Architects derives its name, their award winning reputation is spreading.

Bark Design Architects corporate director Lindy Atkin has just been selected as the Sunshine Coast Outstanding Business Woman of the Year Award, while the team has gained recognition in the Australian Institute of Architecture Awards.

Ms Atkin said her recognition by the Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network was an honour because of the many talented women who live and work on the Sunshine Coast and a validation of the important role architecture has in shaping the region.

“Our region needs public buildings and infrastructure to be developed in consultation with local communities and business people, by professionals that have an insight into the specific concerns of the Sunshine Coast.

Led by Ms Atkin and business partner and husband, Stephen Guthrie, Bark has received an Australian Institute of Architects State Commendation for Public Buildings for their work on the Noosa Visitors Centre. This is just the latest in a growing list of design awards for the Sunshine Coast team.

“The whole team is very excited about the recognition. We work collaboratively on all our projects and are dedicated to being part of sustainably developing the region while also maintaining its diversity,” Ms Atkin said.

In the thirteen years since Ms Atkin and Mr Guthrie launched Bark Design Architects, they have worked on a mix of residential and public buildings. They bring decades of international experience to each project, along with their enthusiasm and dedication to creating beautiful, timeless spaces that fulfill their clients’ needs.

“We don’t have one particular style, instead we design from the inside out so our spaces are tailored to the specific lifestyle requirements of each of our clients,” Mr Guthrie said.

“It is really important to us how the space feels rather than how it looks,” Ms Atkin said.

From Bark Design Architects first project – the Caloundra Art Gallery, completed in 2000, it has designed many diverse residential projects from Byron Bay to Magnetic Island.  Recent projects include the Noosa Transit Centre – on which construction has just started; the Noosa River House – an example of sustainable reuse of Noosa’s 40-year-old building stock; the Community Arts Centre at Mission Beach; as well as houses at Noosa hinterland and Marcus Beach. These last two are examples of very different projects which both focused on creating spaces that suited the site, climate and landscape.

Bark’s own studio at Noosa is testament to their sustainable, timeless style.

“Sustainability is achieved by addressing the interrelated environmental, cultural and social aspects of buildings. Making these aspects balance for the particular project ensures an appropriate and affordable outcome,” Ms Atkin explains.

Built ten years ago, the studio is a contemporary structure that focuses on the views from the site, breezes and sun, while also creating a social space that is obviously conducive to the creativity of their work.

“We draw on the environment, creating individual buildings to suit each situation, with the architecture defining the thresholds between inside and out,” Mr Guthrie said.

Ms Atkin was recognised by the Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network for her role in growing Bark Design Architects and also for her career portfolio which also included work on the Sydney Olympic Stadium, Olympic Visitors Centre, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London’s Southbank, and the Channel Tunnel International Terminal at Waterloo.

“There are so many innovative and creative business women on the Coast, which gives me great confidence for our region’s future, just as we feel privileged to be participating in shaping the built environment of the Sunshine Coast,” Ms Atkin said.

“The Sunshine Coast is a unique environment and we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity now to ensure that we maintain its character and diversity while also fulfilling the needs of the people who live and work here.

“It is vital is that we plan carefully to prevent the sprawling sameness that has come with development in some other regions.

“What works in Melbourne doesn’t necessarily work here and we need to create architectural spaces that enrich our environment and people’s lives.”

Mr Guthrie said there was a growing awareness about the need for a smaller ecological footprint, which provided a huge opportunity to think in a more sophisticated and environmentally conscious way about the kinds of houses and public buildings needed.

“Sustainability is not a new idea, while it has become a buzz word in the past few years, it is and has always been at the core of all good design.

“Good design substantially reduces the ongoing maintenance and repair costs for a building so while initial costs may be slightly higher, the overall life cost of the building to the environment and the community is much less,” he said.

To find out more about Bark Design Architects and to see a portfolio of their work visit www.barkdesign.com.au.

Target 300 was successfully launched on Friday 13th, with local Sunshine Coast businesses and community groups pledging $30,000 towards the $300,000 fundraising target.

Pledges and payments made so far include:

$10,000 from the Sunshine Coast Regional Council (on the condition the rest of the fundraising is achieved)

$5,000 from the Lions Club, Mooloolaba – who will be continuing to raise more money for the cause and have challenged other community groups to get behind it as well.

$2,000 from JPG Design Print

$1,000 each from Ray White Mountain Creek, Ray White Buderim, Century 21 Twin Waters, Reflected Image PRoductions, Ferguson Cannon Lawyers, Bendigo Bank Buderim and Greg Tindal from Macquarie Wealth.

$500 each from Hot FM and Zinc FM

$250 from State Member for Buderim, Steve Dickson.

Join these Sunshine Coast businesses and organisations in getting behind this important LOCAL Sunshine Coast              charity, helping people throughout the region to live well with cancer.

Just some of the donors to kick off the Target 300 fundraising campaign on Friday

The first ever Mapleton Quilt Exhibition will be held to celebrate the finale of The Festival of the Walks along with the Mapleton Community Market on Saturday 28^th and Sunday 29^th August.

This community-based exhibition will be held at the Mapleton Community Hall on Obi Obi Road in Mapleton on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and aims to raise funds for the Sunshine Coast Community Hospice and SCOPE.

Mapleton Quilt Exhibition Coordinator, Nerida Roberts said everyone was really excited about the exhibition and are hoping it would become an annual affair.

For only a gold coin entry fee, participants will go in the draw to win fabulous Lucky Door prizes and have the opportunity to view and purchase some of the Sunshine Coast’s finest quilts, which will be on display.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to organise a weekend getaway with your quilting or craft group.”

“The festival offers plenty of things to see and do and there are many activities happening along the Blackall Range from Maleny to Mapleton that weekend,” Nerida said.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Festival of Walks, and will be held between 10 to 4pm on Saturday and 10 to 3pm on Sunday.

Along with the diverse range of quilts on display, Devonshire teas will also be available provided by St Mary’s Church and an opportunity to donate to or purchase greeting cards to raise funds for the Jane McGrath Foundation. Raffle tickets will also be available to buy for your chance to win a beautiful quilt.

“It is going to be a great weekend, so make sure you come along and support us to ensure that this exhibition will continue for many years to come,” said Nerida.

To find out more information about what is happening in Mapleton that weekend, visit www.festivalofthewalks.com.au or www.mapletonmarket.net.au.

Bloomhill Cancer Help is launching its most ambitious fund raising task ever – so it can build a desperately needed extension to it’s centre to enable it to help more people with cancer and their families on the Susnhine Coast.

Target 300 – to be launched at midday on Friday 13^th August – aims to raise $300,000 by attracting the support of 300 Sunshine Coast businesses, clubs, organisations or individuals to donate $1000 each.  Smaller donations will of course also be accepted – every little bit will help this local charity support the local community.

Bloomhill Vice President and Target 300 Coordinator, Brett Graham, said that Bloomhill has needed an extension for more than a year so it can offer more services and cater for its constantly growing number of members.

Bloomhill offers support to those affected by cancer and their families throughout the Sunshine Coast region. Operated by a dedicated team of staff and hundreds of volunteers, Bloomhill provides a range of services and complimentary therapies including respite care, transport to appointments and counselling.

“Bloomhill doesn’t receive any ongoing government funding so we rely on the money received through our several Op Shops, donations, grants and fundraising activities, like Target 300, in order to continue providing our valuable services” Brett said.

“At the moment, the Bloomhill Centre is at maximum capacity with our treatment rooms booked for more than a month in advance.

“We now have over 800 members, a great deal more than last year, which is why we desperately need this extension,” Brett said.

If you would like to support this worthy cause and make a donation, simply visit www.target300.com.au and click on the link provided. All donations over $2 are tax deductible and are greatly appreciated.

To keep track of the Target 300 tally, visit www.target300.com.au or keep an eye on the local media for progress updates. Large Target 300 signs will also display the rising tally and can be found in all Bloomhill Op Shops and sponsoring businesses throughout the Sunshine Coast.

The Bloomhill Cancer Help Centre is receiving a makeover on Blitz Day on Thursday August 12th, courtesy of Adenbrook Homes during Bloomhill’s Blitz Week.

The week aims to generate awareness and raise much needed funds for the charity to help it to continue to provide its valuable services to people with cancer and their families throughout the Sunshine Coast region.

Bloomhill Cancer Help is a Sunshine Coast based charity and provides support and assistance to those affected by cancer. Operated by a team of dedicated staff and hundreds of volunteers, Bloomhill offers counselling, transport to appointments, respite care and a range of complementary therapies and other services.

“Bloomhill doesn’t receive any ongoing government funding, so we rely on the money raised through our OP shops, donations, grants and our fundraising activities, like Blitz week, for us to continue to provide our high level of care,” Bloomhill Vice President, Brett Graham said.

Adenbrook Homes will be coordinating the Blitz Day, with assistance from Big River, Edge Concrete Services and Boral to spruce up of the exterior of the Cancer Help Centre premises on Ballinger Road.

Adenbrook Homes will be coordinating major projects such as repaving the entryway of the centre in preparation to extend the Buderim centre as well as tending to smaller maintenance jobs.

Blitz Day gives the community an opportunity to come together to participate in something great to support people in need. Jenny said that the Blitz Day is a community team effort and any help is greatly appreciated for a worthy cause.

“We are very grateful for all the hard work and coordination provided by Adenbrook Homes and all the other companies who have assisted them,” Brett said.

The Blitz Day will be followed by the launch of the Target 300, wrapping up Bloomhill’s Blitz week. Target 300 is a fundraising campaign that aims to raise $300,000 over 3 months to fund the much-needed extension to the Bloomhill premises. This extension will enable Bloomhill to offer more services and better cater for the growing number of people needing its assistance.

To find out more about Bloomhill Blitz Week visit www.bloomhill.com.au or visit an Op Shop to pick up an information flyer.

The launch of Annette Sym’s Symply Too Good To Be True Book 6 was a hit followed by a hugely successful spot on Today Tonight on Friday. With more than 1.2 million people watching the segment, her website has now been flooded with thousands of orders, emails and subscriptions.

Don’t miss her on Channel 9’s Kerri-Anne today at 10:40am.

Come along and see where all the magic happens when Bloomhill opens its doors to the public on Bloomhill Open Day on Monday.

Bloomhill President, Jenny Carroll said Bloomhill Open Day would give people a chance to see first hand what the dedicated staff and volunteers did at the Bloomhill Centre.

“The Bloomhill Centre will be open from 9.30am to 4pm for walk-throughs, everyone is welcome,” Jenny said.

The Bloomhill Cancer Help Centre, at 58 Ballinger Road, Buderim offers support for people with cancer and their families across the Sunshine Coast offering a range of services and complementary therapies  including respite care, counselling, transport to appointments and holistic therapies.

“Bloomhill is all about helping people to live well with cancer,” Jenny said.

As a not-for-profit organisation without any ongoing Government funding, Bloomhill relies on the money received from its Op Shops in Mooloolaba, Buderim, Caloundra, Noosa, Nambour and Maroochydore, Government grants, fundraising activities and donations in order to continue providing its high level of care and services.

“Without the support and generosity of the community and local businesses we wouldn’t be able to continue our important work and extend our services to the many more families who need help,” Jenny said.

“Bloomhill was there for me during every step of my illness. I really appreciated having the centre there as a real safe haven for me when I needed to escape from the stresses of daily life.” said Bloomhill member.

The Bloomhill Open Day is just one of the many activities the charity is hosting to celebrate Bloomhill Blitz Week from 8^th to 13^th August. Blitz Week aims to generate awareness and raise much-needed funds to help Bloomhill to continue offering its valuable services. Kicking off with the Bloomhill Supporters Walk on Sunday, Bloomhill Blitz Week will continue with Collection Day on Tuesday, Volunteer Day on Wednesday, Blitz Day on Thursday and the launch on major fundraising campaign, Target 300, on Friday.

For more information about Bloomhill Cancer Help or any of the activities during Bloomhill Blitz Week, visit www.bloomhill.com.au or call the Centre on 5445 5794.

Local running groups, the Sunshine Coast Hash House Harriers and the Noosa Hash House Harriers, are doing their bit to raise funds and support Bloomhill Cancer Help during their Blitz Week by running the streets of Coolum in red dresses.

The group will begin at 6pm, Monday 9^th August and will run a 4 to 5km loop of Coolum’s streets with the start and finish point at the Coolum Beach Hotel who is generously providing a free meal to the whole group after the event. Each runner is contributing $10 to support the charity and will also be selling raffle tickets and collecting donations after the run in the Coolum Beach Hotel Beer Garden with all proceeds going towards supporting Bloomhill.

“We are just an ordinary running group who wants to do something for a local charity that is constantly giving to others,” Sunshine Coast Hash Harriers chapter member, Charlie said.

Bloomhill Cancer Help is a Sunshine Coast based charity and provides support and assistance to those affected by cancer. Operated by a team of dedicated staff and hundreds of volunteers, Bloomhill offers counselling, transport to appointments, respite care and a range of complimentary therapies and other services.

“The decision to support the Bloomhill came after a dear friend of mine, Leanne Franks, passed away from cancer a few years ago,” Charlie said. “Bloomhill was fantastic and supported her through the entire process”.

“The services we provide at Bloomhill are only made possible by the kind-hearted support we receive from the local community and businesses,” Bloomhill Cancer Help President, Jenny Carroll said.

The run is just one of the activities during Bloomhill’s Blitz Week to be held from the 8^th to 13^th August. The week aims to raise generate awareness and raise much needed funds for the charity to help it to continue to provide its valuable services to people with cancer and their families throughout the Sunshine Coast region.

The week begins on Sunday with the inaugural Bloomhill Support Walk where the public can register to walk, run or jog the 2.5km from La Balsa Park on Harbour Parade to beside Kawana Surf Club. Other Blitz Week activities include the Bloomhill Open Day on Monday, Collection Day on Tuesday, Volunteer Day on Wednesday and Blitz Day on Thursday where Bloomhill will receive an exterior makeover from Adenbrook Homes. Friday will conclude Blitz week with the launch of Target 300, a new major fundraising campaign that aims to raise $300,000 to fund the much-needed extension to the Bloomhill premises.

“Everyone is welcome to come down to the Coolum Beach Hotel and share a celebratory drink after the run,” Charlie said.

The Hash House Harriers are an international group that originally started around WWII and the Sunshine Coast chapter has been running together for the last 30 years.

“The group started from the idea to combine socialising and exercise. We run every Monday night at 6pm and always have lots of fun,” Charlie said.

If you are interested in becoming a member of a Hash House Harriers chapter in your area please visit the website www.sch3.org.

To find out more about Bloomhill Blitz Week visit www.bloomhill.com.au or visit an Op Shop to pick up an information flyer.

Annette Sym’s media campaign is going from strength to strength. We are so excited for Annette, already she has been interviewed for 7’s Today Tonight airing tonight or tomorrow. She will also be making a live appearance on 9’s Mornings with Kerri-Anne on Monday 9th August.

Join local success and self-published phenomenon , Annette Sym, as she celebrates the launch of the sixth book in her award-winning series, Symply Too Good To Be True.

The launch will be held on Friday, 6 August 2010 at 11am, at Kawana Shopping World between Placemat Kitchenware and La Balsa Newsagency near Bi-Lo. The launch will include a cooking demonstration by Annette herself, plenty of delicious food to try from her new book and a book signing.

“I am giving away all my weightloss secrets in this book,” said Annette.

This much  anticipated latest edition to the Symply Too Good To Be True series promises to be Annette’s biggest accomplishment yet. Book 6 is three times the size of her earlier books with 224 pages and includes loads of all-new delicious low-fat recipes to try, a 28-day weightloss Masterclass full of Annette’s tips, motivation, menu plans, weightloss advice and also an audio/video DVD.

“I struggled with my weight all my life until I started to copy the habits of healthy people,” said Annette, “and all the strategies and secrets I used to lose 35kg in 20 months and keep the weight off for 18 years are in this new book”.

Annette’s Symply Too Good To Be True series have sold over 3 million copies so far and are available at all leading newsagencies nation-wide. Books 1,2,3,4, and 5 are $13.95 and Book 6 is $28.

EVENT DETAILS:

WHAT:                 Symply Too Good To Be True Book 6 Launch

DATE:                  Friday, 6 August 2010

TIME:                  10:45am

PLACE:               Kawana Shopping World, between Placemat Kitchenware & La Balsa News near Bi-Lo End.

RSVP:                 If you can attend please call Michelle Smytheman 0408 401 198