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

If you fancy like lending a hand, support a worthy cause by joining in the fun activities during Bloomhill Cancer Help’s Blitz week from 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.

Bloomhill President, Jenny Carroll said everyone at Bloomhill was really excited about Blitz week.

The week will begin on Sunday 8 August with the inaugural Bloomhill Support Walk where participants will walk, run or jog the 2.5km from La Balsa Park on Harbour Parade to Kawana Surf Club where they will rewarded at the end with a complimentary sausage sizzle. The walk, starting at 8am, is designed to create awareness and raise funds for the charity through sponsoring the registered walkers or making donations. If you would like to join in on this day of fun, registration forms are available at Bloomhill Cancer Help at 58 Ballinger Road and all Bloomhill OP shops across the Coast.

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.

“Bloomhill doesn’t receive any 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,” Jenny said.

“The services we provide at Bloomhill are only made possible by the kind-hearted support we receive from the local community and businesses.”

Blitz week also includes an Open Day at the Bloomhill Centre at 58 Ballinger Road, Buderim on Monday, Volunteer Day on Tuesday where Bloomhill recognises all the amazing contributions of its volunteers, Collection Day on Wednesday. On Thursday, Bloomhill will hold its Blitz Day, a Bloomhill style working bee to spring clean the Bloomhill building and grounds and repave the front patio.

Friday will conclude Blitz week with the launch of Target 300. Target 300 is a new 3-month fundraising campaign that aims to raise $300,000 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.

“We have received overwhelming support from the Sunshine Coast community in the past and we are sure that Blitz week will be no different,” said Jenny.

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

Join Sunshine Coast local and Australia’s 1# low-fat cookbook author, Annette Sym, on Friday 6^th August as she launches her latest book, Symply Too Good To Be True Book 6 which reveals all her weight-loss secrets.

“Everyone is welcome to come along to the launch, it is going to be a great day,” Annette said.

The launch will be held at Kawana Shopping World between Place Mat Kitchenware and La Balsa News, near Bi-Lo on Friday, 6^th August. Starting at 11am, the launch will include a cooking demonstration by Annette herself, book signing and heaps of delicious food to taste – all  recipes from the new book.

“I am really proud of this book, Annette said, it is definitely the best book yet”.

Book 6 is three times the size of the other books in the series and is jam-packed with Annette’s newest and most delicious recipes, Annette’s 28-day Weightloss Masterclass as well as a audio/video DVD with motivational messages from Annette.

“I know for a fact that my books really do help you to loose weight, just look at me and all the others who have used my recipes to successfully lose weight and improve their health. I used the strategies in my books to lose 35kg in 20 months and I have kept the weight of for over 18 years,” said Annette.

Book 6 will retail for $28 at all leading news agencies nation-wide from 6^th August along with Books 1,2,3,4 and 5 for $13.95.

So, if you don’t want to miss out on your chance to be one of the first to get your hands on the highly anticipated Symply Too Good To Be True Book 6 and get it personally signed by Annette, make sure you come along to the launch.

Sippy Downs, the Sunshine Coast’s rapidly growing university town, is gaining an international reputation as a hotspot of innovation and entrepreneurship, thanks to the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Innovation Centre, according to leading business magazine CNBC European Business.

In fact of 17 hotspots to be featured by the magazine in special monthly reports, which have been running since April 2008, Sippy Downs is the only location featured outside of Europe.  It was tagged as ‘Australia’s no-worries-answer to Silicon Valley’, and recognised as becoming Australia’s first dedicated university town.

In a feature article published this month in the magazine with a monthly readership of over 650,000 readers (http://www.cnbcmagazine.com/story/sippy-downs-queensland/1175/1/), Sippy Downs is identified because of the $8 billion private and public investment that will see the population double in the next ten years, the approved master plan that includes the new Business and Technology Precinct with the potential to employ 6,000 knowledge workers, as well as the location of the University and the Innovation Centre, the Sunshine Coast’s leading hub for entrepreneurship and knowledge-based business.

Innovation Centre Chief Executive Colin Graham said that the development at Sippy Downs was increasingly gaining national attention and he was pleased to see the area now getting this sort of international recognition.

“With the expertise and networks of entrepreneurs and professional service providers already located here and the future investment for the Business and Technology Precinct, the town centre and surrounding residential areas, the potential of the area is massive,” Mr Graham said.

“The Business and Technology Precinct will help the Sunshine Coast’s economy develop towards maturity, when it will no longer be so reliant on tourism, retail and construction for survival and when it will provide outstanding career opportunities for our next generation of knowledge workers.”

Sippy Downs has much in common with other hot spots identified by CNBC – although at an earlier stage of development – as well as having many advantages over them.

Mr Graham said there were some very strong themes shared by the hot spots identified including:

• conscious planning to develop them and transition or reinvent themselves as knowledge based communities;
• location of universities and research facilities within the districts;
• a champion organisation to promote developments, attract businesses, promote networking and linkages
• use of distinctive, sustainable architecture;
• emphasis on mixed use and self-contained communities;
• positioning and emphasis on accessibility and public transport;
• long-term commitment to concept by government and stakeholders; and
• major public sector funding allocations to catalyse private sector investment

“Sippy Downs as the centre of the Sunshine Coast’s knowledge economy already has many of these aspects but I think particularly there needs to be a stronger commitment from all levels of government and the stakeholders of Sippy Downs to bring forward the funding for this growth,” he said.

In terms of planning, Germany’s Duisburg is transitioning from a steel city to a knowledge-based economy; the harbour side area of Cologne is aggressively pursuing a 21^st century knowledge-based revamp following the decline of the port town.  Others are, like the Sunshine Coast, trying to diversify their economies – for example Vega in Venice is developing a 15ha Science Park to reduce their reliance on tourism.

“While the Sippy Downs Business and Technology Precinct is trying to lead the reinvention of the Sunshine Coast as a region that is not solely reliant on tourism, this reinvention does not include having to demolish 19^th century infrastructure before rebuilding.

“In many ways, we are fortunate to have a greenfield site so we don’t have to turn around a declining district – we have a real opportunity to focus solely on building a 21^st century university town from scratch and to get it right,” Mr Graham said.

Many of the global hot spots also have universities and research facilities at their heart.  Cologne is home to Germany’s biggest university and largest technical college and has staked a claim as a centre for biotechnology and games research and development.  Orestad, Copenhagen began with a university of a similar size and growth rate to that of the University of the Sunshine Coast and has since grown to become the centre for global businesses such as Dell, Accenture, GlaxoSmithKline – all taking advantage of the specialist IT institution and facility of humanities of Copenhagen University.

“This shows that in the 21^st century knowledge economy, it’s all about mining talent and knowledge, and its not just about mineral resources and ports which are so important in our traditional economy,” Mr Graham said.

Like Duisburg, Germany and Cuatro Torress in Madrid and Fjord City in Oslo, Sippy Downs has already established itself with distinctive award-winning architecture – with USC winning 33 awards for planning, architecture and construction – which helps to identify the areas and give them a point-of-difference and Sunshine Coast Regional Council’s town plan sees this continuing throughout Sippy Downs as it develops.

Mr Graham said there had been more than $100 million committed in the last two years to the development of underpinning infrastructure in the area with at least $8 billion in investment expected in housing, commercial premises and more infrastructure in the next 15 – 20 years.

“What is vital in this development is that all the stakeholders remain focused. We already have a strong framework with the University of the Sunshine Coast, its emerging research centres – including the award winning Sustainability Research Centre – the Innovation Centre and our proximity to the $1.97bn University teaching and research hospital opening in 2016.

“There is real potential to expand all of these areas and to tailor the precinct to service the knowledge economy industries the Innovation Centre has been nurturing since it was established in 2002.

“We have already achieved a great deal including supporting the start-up and growth of over 55 businesses and creating around 350 jobs.

“Now we are moving into a new stage of development, steadily expanding the services we offer – beyond the 30 plus businesses located within the Innovation Centre – and running business events to build a productive entrepreneurial network across the Sunshine Coast region.

“Our biggest priority is to continue to advance the development of the Business and Technology Precinct at Sippy Downs, working closely with public and private stakeholders, to ensure we maximise the potential of the area.”

“If we play our cards right, our international reputation as an entrepreneurial hotspot will grow further still, and with it the Sunshine Coast’s economy,” Mr Graham said.

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association is kicking off what they anticipate to be another successful new financial year with their Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, 10 August.

SCLA President Hari Kotrotsios, said the association was expecting the next year to be even better than the previous one.

The AGM begins at 6:30pm at Rivers Café on the corner of 2^nd Avenue and The Esplanade in Cotton Tree, with light refreshments provided.  The AGM is open to all current SCLA members and anyone who wishes to join on the day.

The meeting will discuss upcoming events and elect a new committee for 2010/2011.  Nominations for committee positions are open  as the SCLA is saying farewell to a few of its valuable committee members who are stepping aside due to work, family or travel commitments. Nominations can be made at the AGM or beforehand. Nomination forms are available in the AGM event listing at www.scliterary.org.

“The SCLA committee is responsible for organising all the association’s events and activities and without their hard work and dedication, the SCLA would not exist,” Hari said.

The Sunshine  Coast Literary Association was formed in 2005 to encourage aspiring writers and enthusiasts to explore their interest and develop skills. The association offers regular workshops, seminars and events, an annual Writers Competition and monthly Front Write Up performance  evenings that provide an opportunity to showcase the talents of its members. The SCLA also promotes other  regional  writing competitions that offer successful applicants great prizes and recognition.

“The SCLA is a wonderful resource for Sunshine Coast residents who are interested in pursuing a career in the literary field, “ said Hari.
“It offers people an opportunity to meet with like minded individuals and exchange ideas and advice that will assist them in developing their abilities”.

For more information on beginning your journey as a writer and becoming a member of the SCLA, to RSVP or nominate for the executive committee please email info@scliterary.org, visit www.scliterary.org or phone 0414 635 407.