Dishes take the cake

A GROUP of home economics students from Great Southern Grammar have been crowned state champions in this year’s McCormick Flavour Forecast Recipe Challenge.

The students also placed second nationwide with their dishes.

The Challenge saw students tasked with creating three dishes based on strict criteria that address predicted food trends.

This year’s competition was all about “Need for Seed” and “Mexicana Vegana” and using ingredients such as basil seeds, lotus seeds, jackfruit and tempeh.

Year 10 student Jonte Eastough was part of the team that created savoury brioche tartlets with fennel seed oil, basil seed vegetable mousse cones and lamb duo with roasted cumin seeds.

Daniel Cosh looked after the jackfruit when his team created the vegan loaded jackfruit nachos and Jasmine Butterworth sorted the ice-cream for the churros tropical mousse cup dish embellished with spice.

The trio agreed the challenge was difficult, but it taught them valuable lessons.

“I could only cook sausages before but now I can cook more,” Jonte said.

“It was pretty nerve-wracking waiting for the result but we really enjoyed participating,” Jasmine added.

Teacher Teresa McAllister was proud of her students.

“It’s a very challenging and involved task,” she said.

“They did it all over eight lessons – ordering the food, designing it, making it, thinking about what it would look like in a photo – and they had to write a comprehensive justification as to why they did what they did.”

The judges said it was inspirational to see how the students used curriculum design processes to come up with innovative use of the set ingredients, particularly as some students had never heard of the ingredients before.

“Students really excelled and exceeded all expectations for their age group,” they said.

“Some stunning thinking and creativity went into their entries … it was clear students used active reflection and evaluation at each stage of the process and acted on these to amend their recipe and presentation to come up with stunning results.”

The students’ prize was $500 worth of spices and $1500 worth of Tupperware for their hospitality classes.

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Mice add spice to event

MICE will be the main attraction at a fundraiser this weekend at Kendenup Country Club.

The Kendenup Cup will take place on Saturday and see mice race in a similar style as horses do at the Melbourne Cup.

The racecourse is a bit smaller than Flemington though, taking place in a box on a wall.

Jacqui Burcham explained.

“We get mice from a breeder and they run six races in a big box,” she said.

“The mice are auctioned off, so people ‘own’ a mouse for a specific race and collect the winnings if their mouse wins.

“Everyone else can bet on any mouse and all the money goes into the Country Club.”

She said the event, held annually since 2012, was popular among the locals and got the whole family involved.

“We have a snail race for the kids,” Ms Burcham said.

“And this year, we are trialling a new species to race in the box used for the mouse races … some people are sceptical, but we are going to give it a go.”

There will be prizes for best dressed, raffles, and food and drink available for purchase.

The money raised will go towards replacing some of the Country Club’s carpet and for general maintenance.

“It’s fun, unique and everyone has a laugh,” Ms Burcham said.

“The main thing people like is having fun and being with their friends.”

Ms Burcham suggested large groups wanting a table together to call ahead to book a table, by calling 0433 452 528 or 0459 514 091.

Doors open at 6.30pm and races will commence between 7pm and 7.30pm.

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Ring Road rolls on

ALBANY Ring Road is another step closer to completion after the Government began seeking expressions of interest for work on the next stages of the project on Tuesday.

Phases two and three of the $175 million development will see a 11.5km road built from Albany Highway to Princess Royal Drive in a bid to provide a more efficient route for heavy vehicles accessing the port.

Member for Albany Peter Watson said the project would reduce the potential for safety issues on Albany’s urban road network and alleviate current conflict points on the route to the port.

“It’s really pleasing to see it move a step closer to construction,” he said.

“Helping secure the future of the Port of Albany by providing an unimpeded, high standard route to the only viable port option along this section of the south coast is a great outcome.

“This project will help create local jobs and create more opportunities for local Great Southern businesses.”

The proposed road alignment runs parallel to the east of Link Road and north of the freight rail line and Lower Denmark Road.

It includes connections to Albany Highway and Menang Drive, South Coast Highway, Cuming Road, Roundhay Street and Hanrahan Road and Frenchman Bay Road.

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the project would support a growing population.

“In the longer term, Albany’s population is forecast to grow so it’s important we ensure the transport infrastructure is in place to support this growth and facilitate economic opportunities into the future,” he said.

Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2020 subject to environmental and heritage approvals being obtained from regulatory authorities.

The project is jointly funded with the Federal Government providing $140 million and the State Government footing $35 million.

More information on the procurement process is available at www.tenders.wa.gov.au

 

 

Image: Courtesy Main Roads WA

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FOGO may be deferred

THE launch of a new waste management service in Albany could be postponed by around six months at next Tuesday’s council meeting.

Councillors will vote on deferring the kerbside Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection service from its original January start date to the first quarter of the 2020-21 financial year.

City Waste Project Officer Julie Passmore wrote in a report tabled at a Development and Infrastructure Services Committee meeting on November 13 that the City currently had “no facility capable of accepting FOGO waste”.

“The City’s current Greenwaste Processing Contractor is implementing the modifications required by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) to permit them to accept, transport and process food waste,” she wrote.

“It is unlikely that the modifications to the facility, approvals and contractual changes will be in place by January 2020.”

Council initially resolved to adopt the service requiring Albany residents to separate their food and garden organics into their green bins in May.

It was implemented with the aim of diverting waste from landfill, reducing emissions associated with decomposing food and improving community waste and recycling habits.

Executive Director of Infrastructure, Development and Environment Paul Camins said the City had a responsibility to ensure all requirements are in place before the service begins.

He noted the delay could allow the service to be implemented alongside the Better Bins program, which allocates $30 per urban household to ensure all bin lids in urban residential collection areas are consistent with Australian standard colours.

The City was last month notified it would receive more than $450,000 in DWER funding for the program.

“Bin lids and caddies for FOGO would be delivered together, reducing delivery and component costs,” Mr Camins said.

“Rather than sending out two separate sets of communication at different times, amalgamating the rollout … will allow the City to combine communication materials.

“Delivering one project instead of two separately will also consolidate a range of other costs associated with project delivery.”

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Couple plot top garden

COLIN and Anne Buckingham’s front garden at 4 Shapcott Street in Bayonet Head is an ever-evolving spectacle.

Since first purchasing the then four-year-old property in 1987, their half-acre lot has cycled through housing hundreds of shrubs, fruit trees and other unique plants.

The Albany couple last week had their decades of toil recognised when they received the Best Private Garden award at the annual Keep Albany Beautiful showcase.

“We were gobsmacked. We know it’s a good garden but we didn’t think it would be a winner,” Mr Buckingham said.

“But we did meet the criteria which was to try hard and develop the verge right down to the road so it presents well.”

Scattered around the lawn and near the road verge, clusters of recently pruned roses, azaleas, agapanthus, camellias and deciduous trees add colour and flair to the large property.

While Mr Buckingham is mostly responsible for the “bigger, heavier stuff” like planting, lawn maintenance and pruning, Ms Buckingham works to maintain the neat “details” of the garden through weeding and spraying.

“It’s a release, you get out there and it calms you down,” Ms Buckingham said.

“It’s an enjoyment to see the beautiful plants flourishing. My roses now are just about to come out in their first flush.”

The Buckinghams topped the list of a total 23 residential gardens nominated for last Wednesday’s ceremony.

A garden at 7 Callistemon View in Yakamia took home the Best Water Wise Garden award over 12 others, while Amity Village RAAFA won the Best Commercial Garden award and Great Southern Grammar claimed the prize for Best School Garden.

Keep Albany Beautiful President Lynley Harrison and the Buckinghams thanked the event’s sponsors and coordinators, including Keep Albany Beautiful founder Alice Rule.

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‘Vehicle for change’

CREATING a literal “vehicle for change” was the task set to a group of Albany secondary students this year.

The aim was to spread the word about road safety as well as educate themselves about the dangers of combining driving with alcohol, drugs, texting and speeding.

As a result, two full-size cars were painted with a variety of graphics and words by North Albany Senior High School (NASHS) and Alta-1 College students and they are now on display for public viewing – one at Albany Marina and the other at Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre.

Palmerston Aboriginal Prevention Officer Thomas Dimer said the project had been a success.

“It’s really good to see other young people talking about the cars and what they are for and sharing the messages,” he said.

“It’s a different, colourful way to get road safety messages across and I think it’s very important for the rest of the community to see that our young people are aware of these issues.”

Artist Kiya Watt helped students paint the cars and said she was proud to have taken part.

“Working with the Indigenous girls at NASHS was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” she said.

“Not only was the workshop about culture and empowerment, it was about road safety and drink driving, and the girls really took control and captured that message.

“Projects like these are more impactful than having them sit and listen for hours, so we let them tell us their stories and they painted the messages they wanted on the car, giving them that sense of ownership.”

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Free tasting tempts lamb lovers

DO YOU like eating meat?

Want to do it for free this weekend?

Well, you are in luck, because Albany Scouts, Girl Guides, Venturer and Rover Scouts are looking for volunteers to taste seven lamb samples to aid a Murdoch University study.

In turn, if enough people volunteer their tastebuds, the youth organisations will receive funding for camping gear, hall upgrades and new excursions.

Researchers from Murdoch University are currently conducting Meat and Livestock Australia research.

They are collecting the opinions of Australian lamb consumers to help build a quality assurance scheme for Australian lamb products.

Meat sold in Australia must adhere to strict requirements, and the Meat Standards Australia research program helps to maintain the eating quality of it.

With your help this weekend, Albany Scouts, Girl Guides, Venturer and Rover Scouts hope they can garner the interest of 240 people in order to obtain the $4000 Murdoch University is offering them.

“We are very linked into community, so this time, we are asking for the community to help us, but without reaching into their pockets,” Albany Girl Guides’ Julie Brooks said.

“We just want your tastebuds and one hour of your time.”

At various sessions on November 23 and 24, registered people are asked to visit Albany Scout Hall on the corner of North and Sanford roads and spend one hour tasting various meat samples.

Participants must be aged between 18 and 80 and are asked to arrive 10 minutes prior to the beginning of their session.

Ms Brooks said the organisations would be eternally grateful to those helping to achieve their fundraising goal.

“We want to take the Girl Guides to Perth next year for the first time for a camp,” she said.

“Right now, it would cost each girl about $500, so we hope to subsidise that to $100 and make it more affordable for more girls, and give the girls the same experiences as the city kids.

“And the Scouts need new tents, stoves and gazebos – their current tents are 20 years old and are falling apart.

“Plus, our Guides hall needs upgrading, we’d like to get new signage and start up some new units.”

You can register online for the meat tasting by visiting volunteersignup.org/93B8B or by calling 0429 016 253 or 0477 269 772, or by emailing [email protected] or [email protected]

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Electoral breach admitted

THE Shire of Denmark admitted during their monthly council meeting on Tuesday night to breaching a state privacy regulation during the recent local election.

During the September 17 council meeting, resident John Sampson asked the Shire whether ratepayers’ private information had been “unnecessarily divulged” in the Owners and Occupiers Roll given to election candidates earlier this year.

Candidates running for Council during a local election are given a copy of the Owners and Occupiers Roll for their locality that is compiled by the WA Electoral Commission (WAEC).

The official roll includes the name, address and date of birth for each elector in order to check for duplications when consolidating with the State Electoral Roll.

The roll is usually altered by the Shire for each candidate in order to not disclose the date of birth in accordance with Regulation 16 of the Local Government (Elections) Regulations to protect the privacy of voters.

Shire Acting Chief Executive Officer David Schober said after it was discovered that candidates had received the original copy of the roll and not the redacted copy, the Shire advised the WAEC as soon it was aware of the breach and ordered the Returning Officer to recall the list from all candidates and conducted an internal review.

A member of the WAEC media team said the maintenance and provision of the information in the Owners and Occupiers roll is the responsibility of the CEO of each Local Government under the Local Government Act 1995.

“The matter has not been formally brought to the attention of the Acting Electoral Commissioner and such administrative functions performed by a local government fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, not the Commission,” they said.

A spokesperson from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries said non-compliance with Regulation 16 does not create an offence under the Local Government Act 1995 or associated regulations, and that the non-compliance was an uncommon occurrence.

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Minister ‘ignored’ financials

REGIONAL Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan was told of Carnegie Clean Energy’s “unsatisfactory” financial position 21 days before she approved a multi-million dollar payment to the company, new documents have revealed.

Nationals MP Terry Redman presented two briefing notes to State Parliament last Thursday that he said showed Ms MacTiernan had been “ignoring a high-risk independent financial viability assessment of Carnegie Clean Energy commissioned by her department”.

One of the documents was written on September 14, 2018, three weeks before the minister approved a $2.625 million milestone payment to Carnegie on October 5 to aid the construction of Australia’s first commercial wave farm in Albany.

“Seeking an independent assessment, [the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development] commissioned a Financial Viability Assessment (Report) on Carnegie,” it read.

“[It] rated its financial position to be ‘unsatisfactory’ and scored it 1.6 out of a possible 10.”

Mr Redman, who obtained the documents through a Freedom of Information request, said they were initially partly redacted.

He called on Premier Mark McGowan to remove Ms MacTiernan from Cabinet.

“The issue here is that the minister has been hiding this. She had to be dragged kicking and screaming to put this stuff on the table,” he told Parliament.

“The minister could have used default provisions available to her in the financial assistance agreement to shut it down.”

The second briefing note referenced by Mr Redman was written on October 1, 2018 and signed by Ms MacTiernan four days later.

It stated Carnegie had “provided evidence of a project spend of $1.3 million” and was “holding off on making further significant investments” until there was greater certainty around financing.

“Briefing notes we have in our hands say that Carnegie Clean Energy spent only $1.3 million on the project and would not spend any more, but the Minister decided to pay it $2.625 million on the same day,” Mr Redman said.

“It was not being paid for what it had done; it was being paid for commencing something.”

Ms MacTiernan told the Weekender the independent assessment “was not ignored”.

“It was taken into consideration and risks appropriately managed,” she said.

“The assessment was based on publicly available information. At the time Carnegie remained solvent and a going concern.”

Ms MacTiernan noted the Department received legal advice the State could be at risk if it did not make payment to Carnegie for work already completed.

“We halved the first payment and requested a funding plan. We required our funding to be placed in a separate account,” she said.

The State Government terminated a $16 million contract with Carnegie to build the wave farm, originally promised in 2017, in March this year.

At the time, Ms MacTiernan reported the financial plan requested from Carnegie in February revealed it was “unlikely to meet those obligations” to invest $25.5 million into the project.

She said on Monday her Department had now recovered $1.3 million of the initial funding and noted there were “ongoing public benefits” from the work completed.

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Mediums merge in The Index

THE work of five Great Southern artists from different mediums will converge next week in an exhibition at Denmark Community Resource Centre.

Photographer Nic Duncan, choreographer Annette Carmichael, textile artist Janine McCrum, sound designer James Gentle and sculptor Kevin Draper will feature in multimedia installation, The Index from Thursday, November 21 until December 1.

The Index will include photographs taken by Duncan of Carmichael in a variety of environments, to highlight sites of regeneration and industry.

McCrum’s textile art and Gentle’s “haunting” musical soundscape will provide the backdrop of the exhibition – a backdrop of hundreds of egg shells – while a variety of Draper’s sculptures will be seen in some of Duncan’s photos.

Carmichael described the exhibition as “a study on harmony and disruption created in response to escalating global levels of fear and terror”.

The Index has previously toured the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries and Esperance’s Cannery Arts Centre.

During the exhibition’s Denmark launch next Thursday, Carmichael will launch her company’s 2020 program and speak about the progress of one of her current projects, Chorus.

Ticket sales for the 2020 program’s performances will also launch on the night.

The exhibition opening commences at 5.30pm on November 21 and entry is free.

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