Sunshine Coast solar power company Auzion will be jetting off to Birmingham, UK to attend the Solar Power UK 2011 Conference and Exhibition held from 26 to 28 October.

Due to Auzion’s development of the Auzion Energy Maximiser, they have been invited to be one of the 120 exhibitors to showcase their products and services at the three-day event.

Auzion will be supporting the fastest-growing PV and solar thermal market in Europe by sharing their revolutionary, award-winning product that enables the user to monitor energy in the home or business and potentially reduce energy consumption by up to a further 20 per cent.

The Solar Power UK Conference and Exhibition brings together all segments of the solar industry in the UK to ensure sustainable growth and this year aims to expand these benefits to provide a virtual platform upon for communication to drive business.

Solar Power UK 2010 was a huge success, selling out one week before the event. Due to popular demand, this year has been expanded to incorporate exhibitors to better demonstrate technologies in PV and solar thermal systems.

Auzion founder and CEO, Mark Leckenby said that being invited to the conference shows how the Auzion Energy Maximiser is an international leader in solar technology products.

“We’re excited to be part of such a popular event and to share our knowledge on an international level,” Mark said.

“Solar Power UK 2011 gives us an opportunity to join other industry
professionals to support the growth of the European market,” Mark said.

The Auzion Energy Maximiser was launched in 2011 after two years of development. It uses a secure web portal for the user to view an accurate breakdown of energy usage and establish energy alerts and budgets to optimise usage in line with set targets.

“The Energy Maximiser helps you pay off your solar system faster by tracking your energy usage and maximizing the power you return to the grid,” Mark said.

Auzion is a Sunshine-Coast based solar company that advocates sustainable living. Auzion’s philosophy and innovation extends from research and the development of clean, green renewable energy. Operated by a team of highly trained professionals, Auzion provides cost-effective, total energy management solutions for residential, educational, industrial and commercial sectors.

For more information about Auzion and its energy solution products, visit www.auzion.com or call 1300 289 466.

Sunshine Coast Literary Association member and author Tony Iozzi will share his expertise at the next SCLA Discussion Evening on Tuesday, 15 November 2011.

The session will be held at Millwell Road Community Centre, Maroochydore from 6.00pm to 9.00pm.

Rather than a usual author talk, Tony will present this session on ‘the novel’ where he will look at novel types, structure, goals and problems, as well as include a practical component to the session.

Tony is actively involved in supporting aspiring writers and created and managed the Warana Youth Festival of Arts. He has written and published three non-fiction books on sales, personal growth and motivation, a suspense thriller – The Nine Pillars of Happiness and has published and managed two magazines.

“This session allows me to share my knowledge and experience with budding writers,” Tony said.

SCLA President Bryan Ward said the discussion evening will give those interested in writing and Tony’s works a further insight into writing a novel.

“Tony is a wealth of knowledge and we’re fortunate to have him along to tailor this session to be specifically about writing a novel,” Bryan said.

“The session is held in relaxed environment and invites community members to join the SCLA for a cuppa, light refreshments and a chat,” Bryan said.

The discussion evening is free for members and $5 for non-members is payable on the night. The SCLA requests guests to RSVP due to catering purposes.

Formed in 2005, the SCLA provides a pathway for the Sunshine Coast’s aspiring writers and enthusiasts to explore their interests develop skills and showcase their work.  It allows like minded individuals to exchange ideas and seek advice to develop their abilities.

The association offers regular literary workshops, seminars and events, awards programs and monthly Front Write Up literary performance evenings that provide an opportunity to showcase the talents of its members. The SCLA also promotes other state and national writing competitions that offer successful applicants great prizes and recognition.

For more information on beginning your journey as a writer, becoming a member of the SCLA, or to RSVP to the evening, please email info@scliterary.org or phone 07 5450 2690.

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association is excited to present Genesis to Publication, a special Summer School program to encourage aspiring writers and enthusiasts to develop their skills.

Genesis to Publication will be held over four 2½-hour sessions and can be applied to all aspects of story writing, regardless of the genre writers are working on.

The program will be run across four evenings on Wednesday 30 November and 7 December, and again on 18 January and 15 February at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

President of SCLA, Bryan Ward said this year’s Summer School is a very special series of workshops focusing on developing a story from the genesis of the story idea to publishing.

“The Summer School allows writers to have the opportunity to write between classes so they can progress from month to month,” Bryan said.

“Participants can conceivably finish a short story or even the first draft of a novel if they do a lot of writing over the summer and they have a strong platform on the writing and publishing processes.”

The Summer School will be presented by the talented Nike Sulway and Naomi Stekelenburg. Nike is an award-winning author of novels and children’s books, and is co-director of Olvar Wood. Naomi has co-authored a children’s book and is currently completing her PhD in English Literature and is also a University of the Sunshine Coast’s creative writing educator.

Nike Sulway said she was excited to be involved again with the wide-variety of writers that participate in the SCLA Summer School.

“The workshops are a great way to meet other writers, develop skills for writing and get on-the-spot feedback and answers to your questions,” Nike said.

“The program gives us the opportunity to share our knowledge with a select group of writers, and give them lots of hints and tips about how to fine tune their stories,” she said.

The classes will be held in Lecture Theatre 6 at USC and opening at 5.45pm for a prompt 6.00pm start and concluding at 8.30pm each of the four nights.   Session one will focus on inspiration and ideas before moving on to Development in session two including focusing on the narrative and starting your story.  Session three will cover all aspects of editing and formatting and session four will cover the different publishing options.

Tickets must be pre-purchased and are available only as a block for $150 for current SCLA members and $180 for other guests. SCLA Membership can be purchased for $35 or $25 for concessions and will qualify you for the discounted pricing. Positions are limited, so make sure you book your seat today.

For more information about the program, biographies of our talented presenters or to book your seat for the Summer School, please visit the ‘What’s On’ section of the SCLA website – www.scliterary.org or call 5450 2691.

Going gluten and grain free either out of necessity or as a health choice has long been synonymous with a lack of choice and flavour but Sunshine Coast café owner and author, Tania Hubbard, is changing all that.

A self-confessed foodie Tania is launching her new cookbook, gluten free grain free – food we love, with a celebration on Saturday 29 October.  She is passionate about wholesome, delicious food and her cookbook, like her Nambour café – Husk & Honey –  has built a strong following amongst discerning foodsters.

Tania’s journey in developing great gluten and grain free recipes began several years ago when after suffering migraines, chronic fatigue, and repeated bouts of pneumonia, she was diagnosed intolerant to the proteins in cereal grains. “Since I made changes to what I was eating all my symptoms stopped but I wasn’t prepared to give up the great taste of food so I set to developing recipes for wholesome and yummy foods,” Tania said.

It started with a market stall at Caloundra market and then the café which Tania and her husband Eric opened in Nambour’s Queen Street three years ago, where she developed her famous shortbread and hundreds of other recipes.  The couple then developed their own gluten free, grain free bake@home range of products to help people make great tasting cakes, biscuits and bread without the hassle often associated with gluten and grain free cooking.

Then by popular demand about a year ago Tania started work on the book. “It has been bloody hard work but it is a labour of love – we wanted to make sure every recipe was as easy to make at home as it is in our café and that the photographs show the food just as it comes out of our oven – it really is food without makeup.  It has been a really wonderful journey and I am really excited to be launching it at last.

“The launch party is a celebration of all the work and effort involved and to say thanks to everyone who has believed in our gluten and grain free dream – and it’s the more the merrier so we are inviting everyone to join us,” Tania said.

The launch will be at the Husk & Honey Café on Saturday 29th October at 9.30am.

“There will be live music and we will be breaking some of my great Chia & Almond bread.  All the street traders are getting involved and there will be great coffee available for purchase with Australian and Queensland Barista champion Tim Adams coming along to support the event.

Tania said her cookbook aimed to provide great recipes and also help people understand and enjoy gluten and grain free living.

gluten free  grain free – food we love is  packed with 175 pages of mouth-watering recipes such as Chocolate Chia Seed Cake and Gluten & Grain Free Bread (one of the recipes Tania is most proud of), information about stocking a gluten and grain free pantry,  label reading and much more.

“I have always loved food, I found it to be a great outlet for my creativity and I am so excited to now be sharing it through this book,” Tania said.

According the Coeliac Society of Australia, coeliac disease affects 1 in every 100 Australians, not including those with wheat and grain intolerances, with about 75 per cent of those suffering remaining undiagnosed.

“I have always enjoyed experimenting with food and finding out I was intolerant to the proteins in all cereal grains was the catalyst that prompted me to develop that passion,” Tania said.

Tania said when they jumped from the markets to the café, they wanted to create a place were people could gather, chill out and enjoy good, wholesome food.

Now, three years later, Husk & Honey Café is a thriving must-stop spot for health-conscious locals either looking for a tasty bite to eat or to purchase something from Tania’s delicious bake@home range.

Tania’s condition turned out to be a blessing in disguise, helping her realise her talent for food which has led to her being in high-demand as a speaker and to her recent nomination as a finalist for Outstanding Business Person of the Year 2011 in the Sunshine Coast Excellence in Business Awards’ and also as a finalist in the 2011 Food Challenge award.

“My food isn’t just for coeliacs and those with grain intolerances, it’s for everyone and anyone that wants to enjoy nutritious and wholesome cooking that tastes great,” Tania said.

“Food has turned my life around and I thoroughly enjoy helping others on their path to healthy eating,” Tania said.

gluten free grain free – food we love will be available for purchase from Husk & Honey Café from 29 October and retails at $37.50. It is also available online at www.glutenfreegrainfree.com.au where you will also find more information about Tania, Husk & Honey Café, and the bake@home range.

Grey Nomads on the adventure of a lifetime can fund their new lifestyle by turning their idle homes into power stations, while also increasing the value of their homes, with solar power.

According to the experts at Auzion Solar Power, solar power is the perfect short and long-term investment for grey nomads and others who leave their homes on extended trips.

“Solar power is at its most cost efficient when you maximise the energy fed back into the grid,” Auzion CEO, Mark Leckenby said.

“For most households this means trying to reduce the energy used throughout daylight hours but when you are away on holidays, your household uses very little or no electricity.

“This means, that all the energy you don’t use while your home is unoccupied will be fed back into the grid and bought off you by your energy supplier at a premium rate,” Mark said.

“So while the cost of energy is set to continue increasing, installing solar makes sense for everyone, for travelers the investment is even more of a no-brainer because the additional power generated means they will pay their systems off much sooner.”

“For those of us lucky enough to live in sunny Queensland, we get paid a minimum of 44 cents per kW, one of the highest government feed in tariff rates in Australia,” Mark said.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Grey Nomads make up one of the fastest growing groups in domestic tourism and predict that by 2050, the number of Grey Nomads will be more than double the thousands setting off in Australia this year.

The typical Grey Nomad sets off in their caravans, motor homes, campervans and converted buses on average three times a year for 14.5 weeks at a time, leaving their home vacant for the majority of the year.

“This means, depending on the size of your system, you could make back your investment much faster and look forward to greatly reduced power bills, or even a cheque instead.”

Self-confessed part time grey nomads and Auzion customers Paul and Pauline from the Sunshine Coast installed a 3kW Auzion PV Solar System on their home in July and are already experiencing the benefits.

“We travel for three to four months of the year and saw solar as a good return on investment, far better than the return we would receive from having our money in the bank,” Paul said.

“My wife and I recently returned from a four week holiday and while we were away, our system fed 344kW back to the grid and at 50c per kW with Origin, we have already made $172 in just one month,” Paul said.

“We are both retired pensioners, so is it nice having the assurance that we won’t be faced with another power bill,” Paul said.

Mark said many Grey Nomads live off superannuation, savings and government benefits and therefore have to ‘stretch their money’ further as they continue to draw their savings down.

“Solar is a great way for these price-conscious nomads to make some extra cash and depending on their system size, they could earn well over $1,000 per year which is a whole lot of income for doing virtually nothing,” Mark said.

Paul said the couple was also going to install an Auzion Energy Maximiser to give them better understanding and control of where their household energy is being used.

The Auzion Energy Maximiser is a revolutionary, award-winning new product that enables the user to monitor energy in the home or business and potentially reduce energy consumption by up to a further 20 per cent. Through a secure web portal, the user can view an accurate breakdown of energy usage and establish energy alerts and budgets to optimise usage in line with set targets.

“The Energy Maximiser helps you pay off your solar system faster by tracking your energy usage and maximizing the power you return to the grid,” Mark said.

Auzion is a Sunshine-Coast based solar company that advocates sustainable living. Auzion’s philosophy and innovation extends from research and the development of clean, green renewable energy. Operated by a team of highly trained professionals, Auzion provides cost-effective, total energy management solutions for residential, educational, industrial and commercial sectors.

For more information about Auzion and its energy solution products, visit www.auzion.com or call 1300 289 466.

The Buderim Memorial Hall was packed for the Buderim Foundation’s Good News Night last Friday, 16 September as the Foundation announced the winning applicants of the 2011 Community Grants Program and the Youth in Philanthropy Program.

Eight community grants totalling a record sum of $22,010 were awarded bringing the total grants distributed by the Foundation over the past four years to over $100,000.

The successful applicants of the 2011 Grants Program were Buderim SAILS (Anglican Sailing Adventures in Life Skills), receiving $5,000 for “The B150 History Project”; Maroochy Waterwatch Inc. receiving $3,500 for its “Bring back the Butterflies” project; Buderim – Palmwoods Heritage Tramway Inc. receiving $2,500 for its “Interpretive Signage” project; BATS Theatre Co. Inc. receiving $4,000 for its “Purchase of a standard wireless talkback system” project; Rotary Club of Buderim (sponsor of Buderim Men’s Shed Steering Committee) receiving $4,000 for its “Establishment of an Operational Men’s Shed” project; Buderim Mountain State School P&C Assoc. receiving $2,000 for its “Collaborative School Arts Project celebrating Buderim 150” project; Coastal Caring Clowns, receiving $600 for its “Training to New Clowns” project and U3A (sponsor on behalf of U3A Birdwatching Group), receiving $410 for its “Birds on Buderim – to celebrate Buderim 150” project.

Funding from the Buderim Foundation’s Youth in Philanthropy Program was awarded to Fusion Sunshine Coast, who received $4,600 towards the cost of purchasing and erecting a large shed to house their new Streetwork bus.

Fusion Sunshine Coast will also receive $9,000 over three calendar years towards the delivery of youth programs arising out of the Foundation’s 2009 youth-led planning process. The Sunshine Coast Youth Partnership will receive $3,000 for three twilight cinemas with the possibility of funding for three more cinemas in the second year.

Chair of the Buderim Foundation, Paul Clark said he was pleased to present the grants to such worthy organisations dedicated to benefiting the Buderim community.

“Thanks to the support and generous contributions of local businesses and residents, the Buderim Foundation has been able to continue providing more funding for grants to quality local community projects,” Paul said.

“Grants are offered to not-for-profit organisations in the Buderim community, or not-for-profit Sunshine Coast community organisations that are able to provide services to the Buderim community,” Paul said.

The Foundation is a philanthropic, not-for-profit organisation, which aims to generate income from donations and bequests from community members and provide grants for community projects.

For more information on the Buderim Foundation or the 2011 grants program, please visit, www.buderimfoundation.org.au.

Photo: 2011 Grant recipients from Good News Night

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association is inviting writers to spend the day in like-minded company at the Sit Down & Write Write-a-thon on Saturday, 15 October.

Participants are invited to spend a full day or a three-hour session in the morning or afternoon at the Coolum Community Centre at Jack Morgan Park.

SCLA President, Bryan Ward said the write-a-thon provides a creative environment for writers to develop their artistic abilities, share knowledge and to support others.

“This is an ideal opportunity for community members to brainstorm and use get inspired for their own works in progress,” Bryan said.

The Write-a-thon is the SCLA’s contribution to Queensland Writers’ Week, an initiative of the Queensland Writers’ Centre held from 10 to 16 October that encourages everyone with a passion for writing to participate in the event.

The Sit Down & Write Write-a-thon welcomes the expertise of local writers and writing educators, Nike Bourke and Bronwen Cozens, who will be available during the day and to facilitate discussion.

“Whether you be refining a character or plot for your latest novel or crafting a haiku, the write-a-thon is a great sounding board for ideas,” Nike said.

The event will begin at 9.30am for the full day and morning sessions or at 12.30pm for the afternoon session. Finger food and coffee/tea will be provided and participants are required to bring their laptop and cable, pen and paper, and bottled water.

Members can take part in the full day for only $10 or $5 for the half day and non-members for $15 for full day or $10 for the half day.

Spaces are limited so be sure to book your spot quickly. Tickets must be pre-purchased by calling 07 5450 2960 during business hours or email info@scliterary.org.

For more information about the program and biography of our talented presenter please visit the ‘What’s On’ section of the SCLA website – www.scliterary.org.

Hundreds are preparing to enjoy a fabulous day at the races and to support Bloomhill Cancer Help at their 9th Annual Race Day on Sunday, 25 September.

The event, that has seen more than 200 guests pre-book already, will be held at Corbould Park, Caloundra and as always promises to be a day to remember with plenty of fashion, fun, a full race schedule and lots of prizes to give away.

Race Day Coordinator, Gail Lamb said the race day is a great excuse to enjoy spring, catch up with friends and support a worthy cause.

“Tickets are selling fast and there are only a few places left, so anybody wanting to attend will have to be quick,” Gail said.

Tickets to the event start from $65 for entry to the Champagne Gardens and $90 per person or $900 per table in the Favourites Room.

In the Champagne Gardens, you will enjoy a sumptuous buffet lunch as you enjoy the race day activities. From the Favourites Room, you will be treated with champagne on arrival, delicious luncheon and panoramic views of the racetrack.

“This event is always a wonderful day with lots of prizes, a chance to bid in the memorabilia action and Fashions on the Field,” Gail said.

“There are also still a few opportunities left for business sponsorship,” Gail said.

“Being a business sponsor is a great way to support Bloomhill’s work in the community,” Gail said.

Our race day sponsors include Garry Crick Autogroup, Shoebox, Rare Bird Noosaville, Ray White Buderim, Bob Jane T-marts Maroochydore, MCH Corporation, Caboolture Sports Club, Maroochy RSL and Liberal National Party.

“We are so grateful for the incredible support and generosity we have received from our Race Day Sponsors. They always play a big part in making this day a success,” Gail said.

Bloomhill Cancer Help is a not for profit organisation and relies funds received through their Op shops, donations and fundraising events such as the Bloomhill Race Day to ensure they can continue offering 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, transport to appointments, massage and counselling.

If you would like to book tickets, donate auction or raffle items, or become a business sponsor for this worthy cause call Gail at the Bloomhill Cancer Help Centre on 5445 5794.