Issuu

Gavin Moroney

January 2019. issue 100

1 coffs coast focus.

No.1NSW

GOOD UNIVERSITIES GUIDE 2019

GOOD GOOD UNIVERSITIES UNIVERSITIES GUIDE 2019 GUIDE 2019 OVERALL EXPERIENCE

GOOD GOOD UNIVERSITIES UNIVERSITIES GUIDE 2019 GUIDESUPPORT 2019 STUDENT

GUIDE 2019 GUIDEQUALITY 2019 TEACHING

OVERALL OVERALL EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE

STUDENT STUDENT SUPPORT SUPPORT

No.1NSW

GOOD GOOD UNIVERSITIES UNIVERSITIES

TEACHING TEACHING QUALITY QUALITY

focus COFFS COAST

Got a story idea? Looking to advertise in Focus? Contact us for more information. ADDRESS 3/57 Grafton St, Coffs Harbour POSTAL PO Box 286, Coffs Harbour PHONE 02 6650 9343 WEB www.focusmag.com.au IG focus.mag E info@focusmag.com.au

contacts. SALES MANAGER Louise Beaumont louise@focusmag.com.au

EDITION COORDINATOR / ADVERTISING SALES

Nicci Seccombe

nicole@focusmag.com.au

ADVERTISING SALES Sam Dawson sam@focusmag.com.au

ART DIRECTOR Jay Beaumont jay@focusmag.com.au

SENIOR DESIGNER Dylan Gaul dylan@focusmag.com.au

GRAPHIC/WEB DESIGN Michael Marchment michael@focusmag.com.au

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jeff Cowan jeff@focusmag.com.au

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kyle Rathbone kyle@focusmag.com.au

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Phiranno Chuon phi@focusmag.com.au

COPY EDITOR Jo Robinson rnrmedia@bigpond.com

PHOTOGRAPHY/EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTOR

Gavin Moroney gavin.moroney@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Comments and opinions of our contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinion or view of the Publishers. All reasonable efforts have been made to trace copyright holders. Information appearing in Focus is believed to be correct at the time of going to press, however no liability will be held for inaccurate information approved or supplied by advertisers or contributors. While all care is taken it is recommended that readers confirm material including advice with individual businesses and industry professionals. Articles marked as ‘Interview or Contributor’ are non-sponsored content. Greater Port Macquarie Focus is published by Creative House Publications PTY LTD ABN: 621 287 8600 5. Material in Focus is Copyright © Creative House Publications PTY LTD 2018 and may not be reproduced whole or in part, in any form, without permission of the Publisher. All rights reserved. FOCUS is printed by Fairfax Media Print & Logistics North Richmond. Our paper is FFC and PEFC certified and meets with ISO14001 accreditation. FOCUS delivery bags can be REDcycled at your local Coles Supermarkets and the paper through normal recycling methods.

team From the

photo by @rawxsalt

It’s our 100th edition! Welcome to the January issue of Coﬀs Coast FOCUS.

hat equates to 9,918 + hours our team has spent dedicating themselves to bringing you a beautiful, glossy, free, local publication each month. What a proud milestone for not only our team, but our advertisers, contributors and readers! Without this support and loyalty, we wouldn’t be able to circulate 21,000 copies each month to our wonderful community. A special mention goes to some of our longest standing team members, Nicci Seccombe and Carole Beros, who have been with us from the beginning. They have flown the FOCUS flag for over EIGHT years and will continue to do so for many more years to come. We also want to thank some of our longest standing advertisers, who have supported FOCUS for almost every month for the past eight years. They include Park Beach Plaza, Vast Interior, Big

Garden Furniture, Living Doll Premier Stylists, Zinc Clinic, Coffs Coast Health Club, Jetty Theatre, Quadrant, Mid North Coast Physio, Love & Kisses, Barry Hockey Accounting, Klaustel and the Hoey Moey. Your loyalty has not gone unnoticed. Also, thanks to our monthly contributors, Duncan Marchant, Sam Wardman, Carole Beros, Kerry Moss, Fiona Barden, Tegan Swan, Amanda Langlands, Nick Johnstone, Lauren Vestey, Samantha Dawson and Tanja Ackerman. We love having you all as part of our FOCUS family and look forward to working with you in the New Year! We can’t get enough of the Riley brothers, so we thought we’d put them on our cover this month. How handsome are they? The Emerald Beach General Store store is undergoing a gradual transformation since brothers Hugh and Louis took over. Make sure you check out their

interview on page 45. Gavin Moroney has been our photographer at Coffs Coast FOCUS for over a year now, and we thought it was time to properly introduce him! Gavin moved here from Sydney a few years ago and decided it was as good a time as any to change his work life too, so he picked up a camera and immersed himself in the world of photography, lighting and retouching. Farewell Pippa - it’s with a heavy heart we say farewell to our wonderful advertising consultant, Pippa Tabone. Good luck with your new career path. We’ll miss you! It’s the start of a brand new year. Time to set some goals and ask yourself, “What do I want this year, and how am I going to get it?” And if it’s really epic, call us: there might be a story in it! “Life is short; wear your party pants.” - Loretta LaRoche.

The A, B and C of Mercedes-Benz. Owning a new Mercedes-Benz can be as straight forward as A B C. A. Meet Lachlan, he is a Mercedes-Benz Certified Sales Consultant at Mercedes-Benz Coffs Coast. B. Lachlan is professional, courteous and knows just about everything there is to know about Mercedes-Benz vehicles. C. You know that you will get the right advice and friendly service from Lachlan, before and after you have purchased your new Mercedes-Benz.

Make an appointment with Lachlan on 0402 214 323 for your personalised test drive and demonstration of our new A-Class, B-Class or C-Class motor vehicles today.

Mercedes-Benz Coffs Coast 4 Tolhurst Place, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 Tel 1800 693 876 www.mbcoffscoast.com.au LMD3461

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contents

Issue 100 - January 2019

focusinterviews

feature a special

NEW YEAR NEW YOU

Alexandra Marie Interiors.

Alexandra Hackett grew up on the Coffs Coast. In 2008 she moved to Sydney to study a Bachelor of Design in Interior Design at University of Technology Sydney. FOCUS chatted with Alexandra, to find out more ...

John Butler Trio.

new year

new you

John Butler and his talented band have been sharing their stories, foot stomping beats and heartfelt lyrics for twenty years. We are lucky enough to have the John Butler Trio visit Coffs Harbour for the Summersalt Festival … FOCUS chatted with John about life with music and some of his greatest achievements …

Jodie Alderton.

the Usual

Suspects

10. WHAT’S ON for January

Jodie Alderton, co-founder of Harmony Hooves Healing Hearts, has found a way to combine her love for animals and her desire to provide healing and comfort to humans and horses alike.

22. EAT local restaurants 65. STARGUIDE with Terri Hall 66. SOCIAL SCENE with Carole Beros 69. BUSINESS MINDS with Sam Wardman 76. TECH TALK with Gavin Moroney

Joe Hansen. The Annapurna Circuit is probably the second most popular trek in Nepal after the Everest Base Camp, and after having long imagined an adventure in a remote location, local Red Rock resident Joe Hansen finally realised the dream. Here, he tells us about the trek!

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79. TRAVEL TIME with Kerry Moss

www.facebook.com/CoﬀsCoastFocus

No matter where you are in the world, read Focus for free online every month @ www.focusmag.com.au

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focusinterview.

MORONEY

Gavin Moroney has been OUR PHOTOGRAPHER HERE AT COFFS COAST FOCUS FOR

Mitchell

OVER A YEAR NOW, and we thought it was time to properly introduce him to our readers!

avin moved here from Sydney a few years ago and decided that it was as good a time as any to change up his work life too, so he picked

five years ago, when I had the crazy idea of having kids, settling down and finding greener pastures. My wife and I have been visiting Bellingen and the Coffs Coast for years for our holidays, and we decided it would be the perfect up a camera and place to live. Turns out, immersed himself in the we were spot on! world of photography, What's your lighting and retouching. “backstory” behind PHOTOGRAPHY IS His experience is varied, the lens … What ALL ABOUT LIGHT, shooting everything from inspired you to first AND WORKING IN A weddings in natural pick up a camera? STUDIO IS LIKE BEING A light, to products and I wish I could tell PAINTER, WHERE YOUR real estate, to detailed you an amazing SUBJECT IS THE CANVAS beauty and fashion work story of growing up AND THE LIGHTING IS in the studio. But the around photography THE PAINTBRUSH. constant in his work, and cameras, but no matter what he is photography is still a photographing, is his reasonably new thing passion, his creativity and for me. It was about five his incredible attention to detail. years ago when I moved to Bellingen that I Hey Gav. Tell us how you came to live on really decided to go down the photography the Coffs Coast. path. I had been a landscaper for about I was pretty much born and raised on 10 years and decided that wasn't for me the Northern beaches in Sydney until about anymore. I have always been a little arty and

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GET OUT AND SHOOT! I THINK YOU LEARN THE MOST BY DOING AND EXPERIMENTING WITH DIFFERENT STYLES.

loved drawing since I was young, which led me into doing a little graphic design at nights during the time I was working as a landscaper. A lot of the work I was doing was based around images, and graphic design soon turned into retouching. That's when I decided to take the plunge and see if I could take photos myself. I think the second I had a camera in hand, I was hooked. I spent the next years and many late nights living and breathing photography. What would best describe your style of photography - and has it changed? I guess I'm a little bit of an all rounder and do a bit of everything. From the beginning until about a year ago I was mainly shooting in the tattooed model industry, working for various magazines like Inked Australia etc. so my style reflected that kind of work. These days if someone was to ask, I’d call myself a beauty and fashion photographer, as that’s the new direction I've been taking. What’s one of your favourite aspects of photography? Lighting. I think I have a weird obsession with studio lighting, which can be very love/ hate at times. Photography is all about light, and working in a studio is like being a painter, where your subject is the canvas

and the lighting is the paintbrush. The possibilities are endless in what you RETOUCHING IS ONE OF can create. THE FUNNEST PARTS AND What has your time IS AN ARTFORM IN ITSELF; with Coffs Coast IT GOES HAND-IN-HAND FOCUS been like? REALLY WELL WITH A Working with FEW CUPS OF COFFEE, FOCUS is really fun! BECAUSE YOU CAN SPEND Every time you're out UP TO FOUR HOURS shooting, you get EDITING A SINGLE IMAGE. to spend a little part really well with a few of your day with the cups of coffee, because locals of Coffs, and you can spend up to there are a lot of great four hours editing a single image. ones! I have met and worked alongside some You often work alongside your wife. really inspiring and rad humans! What’s that like? What's the process like from start to Don't tell her this, but I really enjoy finish on a shoot? working side by side with Daisy. My favourite Sometimes the process can be quite long, images have been working alongside her, as depending on the kind of shoot you are she does a lot of the makeup and hair for doing. First off you have the planning, either my work. We both share a similar taste with with mood boards or a brief from a client. beauty and fashion work, so you end up You figure out the lighting and depending bouncing ideas off one another and end up on the shoot, this can take a few hours. getting some really rad images. Once the shoot is done, you bring it all back When you’re not shooting, what do you to the computer, then the retouching starts. get up to? Retouching is one of the funnest parts and You will find me hanging out with the wife and rugrats, usually either at the river is an artform in itself; it goes hand-in-hand

or down at the beach. If they had their way, they would live in the water! What advice would you give to photographers who are starting out? Get out and shoot! I think you learn the most by doing and experimenting with different styles. You don’t necessarily need the best gear to take amazing photos; that comes with a good eye and time. Remember it’s OK to make mistakes, because you learn so much from the mistakes, rather than the successes. Where can we find more of your work? You can check out some of my work on Instagram @gavincreative, and on my website gavincreative.com Thanks Gav. Coffs Coast focus 7

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Sophie Bird has many years in the fashion industry behind her, AND IS NOW OWNER OF WRECKED VINTAGE IN COFFS HARBOUR AS WELL AS DESIGNING HER OWN LINE, Wrecked Boheme, and being mother to her young daughter. We spoke to her about past projects, her passion for fashion, and juggling business and family life.

Sophie Wrecked Vintage

i Sophie. What brought you to the Coffs Coast? Hello! Business, love, and empty beaches. In that order! I saw an opportunity for my dream business in Coffs, I'd met a beautiful boy, and I could swim almost undisturbed at Moonee Beach; I was sold! You have a long history in the fashion industry, which started at a very young age. Where did it all begin, THERE’S SO MUCH FAST and what sparked FASHION DESIGNED FOR your interest in the MASS CONSUMPTION fashion world? BY SUCH A SMALL So young that I PERCENTAGE OF BODY don’t remember a time TYPES; I DESIGN FOR REAL I wasn’t obsessed. I PEOPLE. IF I CAN SEE MY re-designed my high BEST FRIENDS, MY MUMMA, school’s uniform at 15, MY BEST CUSTOMERS IN A because I thought it DESIGN, I'LL MAKE IT. wasn’t good enough, ha ha! I would spend every cent I made being a dishy on clothing. I’d draw designs after school, read fashion books, salivate over magazines and any fashion coverage; there was a whole channel dedicated to fashion on Foxtel when I was a

teenager! I've always been obsessed. What made you first consider fashion as a career path? My parents always thought I'd go to uni - so did I, to be honest - but they had always said whatever makes you happy, do that. Then my beautiful dad had a serious accident, resulting in a brain injury, when I was 18, and any flutter of indecisiveness left me. I didn’t accept my uni offer to do social work, and I dug deep into doing whatever made me happy - which had always been clothes! At 19 you had your own swimwear line. Why did you choose swimwear, and what were some of the hurdles you had to overcome getting it started? My best friend and I just wanted to start something; we had met modelling and bonded over swim and design, so we just did! It was hard to be taken seriously being so young; also, working with overseas production fleeced us of plenty of money. After we brought production on shore, we had so much more control! We only stopped on a small technicality out of our control; it was such a beautiful time. Where does the inspiration come from when designing a new range? #1 Never trend based. I’m a Vintage LOVER, so I draw so much inspiration from eras that ignite my soul, the '70s and '90s do that for me. Also, as a woman, I want to design for

focusinterview.

Sophie Wrecked Vintage

women like me! A good outfit can change your options this time, from three to six. I will always whole outlook on life; I mean that seriously. keep quantities super limited; I run a sustainably There’s so much fast fashion designed for mass focused business, so waste minimisation and consumption by such a small percentage of conscious practices are hugely important to body types; I design for real people. If I can me. Wrecked Boheme pieces are made for the see my best friends, my mumma, my best conscious consumer to pass on to the next customers in a design, I'll make it. If I trip up generation; they’re designed to be timeless, and and can’t see them in it, it doesn’t make the worn again, and again and again! final cut. How do you find managing your time You have worked in between running numerous areas within Wrecked Vintage, being the industry. What a mum and starting up were some of the a label? I JUST LAUNCHED WRECKED different ranges and I try not to take it all BOHEME, A SMALL, types of apparel you too seriously. My partner, SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED worked on? Sammy is great at LINE INSPIRED BY THE '70S, I’ve done it all! I’ve reminding me to chill. The FREEDOM AND VERSATILITY. been in small fashion, first two years were hard OUR SECOND INSTALMENT huge fast fashion, and hectic! I'd moved OF THAT IS QUICKLY writing for blogs, from Byron Bay, already APPROACHING. OUR FIRST modelling, managing, pregnant (surprise!) to DROP WAS RECEIVED designing, photography, a fresh boyfriend, and a BEAUTIFULLY; I DOUBLED styling, curating, fresh business. So, I white THE STYLE OPTIONS THIS marketing ... everything! knuckled it for the first TIME FROM THREE TO SIX. I wanted to place bit! I managed through a myself broadly to reach huge amount of sickness the goal of owning my in my pregnancy, strapped own company one day. my baby girl, Tallow on Traditional education isn’t fast enough for me; I my front after four weeks off and just took her like to make decisions (and mistakes) and learn to work with me. We formed a beautiful bond on the fly. I intentionally worked and lived my in that time. Now things have settled a bit, education to get to Wrecked Vintage. with the business heading into its third year; I You have a new line coming out in the get to be 110% present at work, and at home. coming months. Can you tell us a little It’s a nice balance; Sammy and Tallow keep me about this? grounded. I’m a workaholic - without them I'd I just launched Wrecked Boheme, a small, be a maniac, ha ha! sustainably produced line inspired by the '70s, On my days off they keep me where I need freedom and versatility. Our second instalment to be, in the ocean, in the sun, in nature, with of that is quickly approaching. Our first drop them. It’s a beautiful life. was received beautifully; I doubled the style Thanks Sophie.

focus_Whatâ€™s On Coffs Coast

J A N U A R Y

2 0 1 9

NYE White Party, Sapphire Beach

Spend your New Year's Eve at one of the best venues on the Mid North Coast, located right on the beautiful Sapphire Beach. Vera Beach, Misty Optic, Jess Swilks, Live House DJ, Fire Twirlers; tapas and fresh seafood by Jess Boardman Catering. When 31st December. Where The Shell at Nautilus. Tickets Three package options; $60 - $200. www.stickytickets.com.au

Pink Silks Ladies Race Day 2019

This special pink day is in aid of the fantastic work the Pink Silks Trust do in assisting local womenâ€™s health organisations with much needed equipment and services, as well as contributing to national research foundations. When 13th January. Where Coffs Harbour Racing Club. Dress PINK. Tickets $129 lunch package or $10 at the gate. www.coffsracingclub.com.au

The Black Sorrows

With over 50 years rocking out on stages all around world, Joe Camilleri has built up an incredible repertoire of hits, which he delivers with unrivalled joy, conviction and enthusiasm. When 6th January. Where Hoey Moey. Tickets $10 + BF. www.hoeymoey.com.au

Sunset Room Woopi

The just opened Italian restaurant and wine bar, Sunset Room Woopi, will be pumping out the tunes every Sunday throughout January. Make sure you head out to Market Street in Woolgoolga and enjoy an Italian style Sunday Sesh. When Every Sunday from 6th January. Where Sunset Room Woopi. www.facebook.com/sunsetroomwoopi/

Sundays on the Terrace Join our Locals Leisure Club, and you could be relaxing by the pool! Membership is $250 for 12 months and includes access to all resort facilities for two adults + 25% discount off food at Horizons Restaurant! Sundays on the Terrace: When 6th January and each Sunday through until February. Where Opal Cove Resort. Time 2:30pm until 6pm.

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Screenwave International Film Festival

Sun, surf, and cinema! The Coffs Coast Heart of Film is back for summer. SWIFF 2019 gives audiences an opportunity to see over 60 feature films, a dozen filmmaker guests, events, parties, and galas across two full weeks this January. For festival passes, tickets, and session times, visit the website.

Saltwater Freshwater Festival & Australia Day The Mid North Coast, where the saltwater and freshwater meet, is rich in Aboriginal music, art, dance and food, all of which will be celebrated in conjunction with Australia Day and Citizenship Ceremonies, at the Jetty Foreshores on Australia Day.

When 10th January until 25th January.

When Australia Day, January 26.

Full program on sale Dec 8 @ www.swiff.com.au

Where Jetty Foreshores, Coffs Harbour.

GANG gajang Fashions come and go in the world of music. A SONG MAY BE A HIT FOR A FEW WEEKS, BUT THEN IT’S GONE AND THE BAND IS NEVER HEARD OF AGAIN. GANGgajang will rock the house at the Hoey Moey on the 26th January ...

ccasionally, an enduring sub-culture will adopt a band, and their music becomes the soundtrack of their life. They pass on their love of the music to the next generation, the bands become legends, and their music never dies. GANGgajang is such a band. Renown for the perennial Sounds Of Then (This Is Australia), GANGgajang has been part of Australia’s cultural fabric for over 30 years, beginning with their debut single in November 1984. It was the mid 1980s’ surf culture

Surfng Round The

World who first adopted the band, when songs from their debut self-titled album became the entire soundtrack to Quiksilver’s seminal surf movie, Mad Wax. Surfers would describe GANGgajang’s distinctive groove and sound as a seamless soundscape to the rolling waves. In 1986 and ‘87, the Association of Surfing Professionals aka World Surf League voted GANGgajang “World’s Best Band”. They performed in Long Beach California at the U.S. opening for Mad Wax, as well as music being included in the film soundtrack of North Shore. The success of Mad Wax took GANGgajang’s music to surfing communities around the

world, from South Africa to Brazil. Brazilian surf judge Ricardo Chantilly played GANGgajang songs regularly on his half hour radio show devoted to all things surfing. GANGgajang toured Brazil three times and in 2001, together with Yothu Yindi, they played to over 20,000 people at a concert on Copacabana Beach. GANGgajang’s current single, Surfing Round The World was recorded at Freshwater Beach, Sydney, where in 1915 the father of modern surfing, Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, brought surfing to Australia. Included on the soundtrack of Australian surf music documentary, Delightful Rain, Surfing Round The World features the

last recording lost friend and founding member Chris Bailey made with GANGgajang. The Surfing Round The World tour and song are dedicated to the surfers and free spirits of the world. From the grommets to the pros and to anyone who has ever waxed a board or thought about it, this one’s for you.

Saturday, Jan 26 - Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs www.hoeymoey.com.au or Harbour. Tix (02) 6652 3833. Call the Hoey Moey on

Coffs Coast focus 11

focusinterview.

Ohana e a r ly l e a r n i n g c e nt r e

Ohana Early Learning now has four beautiful, purpose built centres operating on the Coﬀs Coast. The playgrounds have been designed by an award-winning architect with a focus on natural landscapes. They have replicated and improved on the design that kids and parents both love. FOCUS had a chat to founder Stuart Malouf to ﬁnd out more …

o, tell us a little bit about Ohana. ‘‘We are family, a place to grow. Life skills and education are just the beginning …’’ this ethos is reflected in the attitude of the owners and staff. We are all about family and creating a space where the children feel comfortable and happy in our care. We’ve been supporting families in the Mid North Coast since 2014, providing care for children 6 weeks to school age. Can you tell us about your centres? We now have four centres across the Coffs Coast providing age appropriate learning environments for all of our kids. A key cornerstone of our centres is being built around a modern natural playground, where we have real grass and native habitats for children to engage, learn and explore in the outdoor environment. We find these spaces to be calming and promote interactive social skills and learning. Being locally based, with three centres located on the Coffs Coast and one at Grafton, we have built up a knowledgeable network of caring educators and qualified teachers. This scale has allowed us to provide a group-based approach in rolling out supportive curriculum and learning experiences, as well as key professional development for all our staff, whilst keeping our care and education anchored in a small centre based approach. What makes Ohana different to other centres? Our wonderful caring staff are a key component of the success of each of the centres,

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along with the engaging spaces and natural environments for the children. This natural engagement is key in nurturing a child’s inherent curiosity, whilst allowing them to develop an appreciation and understanding of the world around them. Our educators support each child’s learning and development through positive interactions and individual daily experiences. With most families experiencing a busy lifestyle, we also take some of the stress out by providing all the children’s food, nappies, sunscreen and hats. We go above and beyond the government’s guidelines for nutrition, quality food and drink. Our meals are supplied by an in-house chef, who is a working mother that understands the importance of supplying well-balanced and nutritious meals. Our chef even prepares natural foods for our babies that are not yet on solid food. Our educators understand the importance of healthy habits at this young age and have incorporated the educational experience in preparing and cooking their own afternoon teas. This is a wonderful experience for the children, who love eating their own handmade muffins and cakes. Finally, our centres strive to provide an active learning environment across all age groups, whereby the children can explore and investigate their own interests, extending the children as they learn to socialise and grow through play-based learning. This is supported with structured learning for the older children, preparing them for school. Each of our centres use smartboards to support this goal.

What have been the highlights since Our educators understand the opening your doors off and pick up experiimportance of healthy of your Coffs and ences should be easy and habits at this young age North Boambee Valmanageable; you should and have incorporated the ley Centres? expect to hear what your educational experience By far the highlights child is up to throughout in preparing and cooking have been the first few the day. their own afternoon teas. weeks of each of our These are all things we This is a wonderful experience for centre’s opening, seefocus on at Ohana, from the children that love eating their ing all the smiles and our purpose-built centres, own handmade muﬃns and cakes. joy on the kids' faces staff selection processes as they come to see and our interactive Xplor their new centre, and system; which allows appreciate all the effort that has been put in drop off and pick up at the tap of a button, by our wonderful staff, making the experience but also provides updates on activities, nappy the best we can for the children and families. changes, meals, fevers and more. It’s been an amazing learning experience for So where are these lovely centres locatus, in terms of designing and running our four ed? new centres. We have learned a lot about We have two centres in Coffs, located in what the children like best; where to set up North Boambee on the road to Bishop Druitt experiences, how the play and learn equipCollege, and in Scarba St near Coffs Central. ment is best utilised, what they love most All of our centres boast a natural playscape about the yards etc. and age appropriate rooms. We’re looking forward to all the smiles that We’ve also opened a brand-new centre Christmas brings and the adventure stories in South Grafton earlier this year, followed kids bring back with them from holidays! by one in Emerald Beach, easily reached just What are the most important things to off the highway for anybody in the northern look for when finding a suitable child reaches of the Coffs Coast. care centre for your child? How can we enrol our children? Look for somewhere you know the centre Just head to our website: and educators have your child’s best interwww.ohanaelc.com.au and click the enrolests at heart. What effort have they gone ment tab for our centres. You’ll be sent an to, providing kids with an environment best email with further instructions and the enrolsuited to learning and play? Who is the most ment pack to return physically or via email. engaging with your child? But also, look for Thanks Stuart. who has your best interests at heart. The drop

Looking for quality childcare in Coffs Harbour, Emerald Beach or Grafton? • • • • • • •

Provider #PR-40000780 Provider #PR-40000780

We are family, a place to grow life skills and education are just the beginning...

Conveniently located across the Coffs Coast Locally owned & operated Caring from 6 weeks to school age Safe, small age appropriate spaces Architect designed natural playgrounds Chef prepared nutritional meals and snacks Qualified, caring & nurturing local staff

We are family, a place to grow life skil s and education are just the beginning... enrol your child now for 2019

Looking for

Call: 02 6656 4664 Online: www.ohanaelc.com.au

Coffs Coast focus 13

A celebration of 50’s/60’s music on e beach GATES OPEN 5PM MUSIC TII 10PM

FEATURING

COFFHSOREJS EPRTECTINCYT FORES

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focusinterview.

BrendanGraetz. NORTH COAST POWER & WATER

Brendan Graetz, Owner of North Coast Power & Water, is passionate about smarter home energy management and saving people money. FOCUS had a chat with Brendan, to find out more ...

ell us about your business … how long have you been operating? The North Coast Power & Water business started as a BP Solar shop back in 1990 in the same building here at GDT Seccombe Close. My parents purchased the business in 2000, when we moved to the Coffs Coast from Darwin, NT. We have evolved our product range over the years to match environmental and industry related changes, but we still continue to provide products that cater to both the "Power" and "Water" needs for residential, farming, and commercial clients. What POWER products and services do NCPW provide? A lot! … Obviously with the BP Solar background we’ve always been a place where people can come for advice and to purchase solar systems, but this is not just limited to the most popular grid connect solar, like many other companies - we also supply batteries, chargers, inverters for stand alone power systems, caravans, camping, Yamaha Inverter generators, solar water pumping equipment and much more. So, what about the WATER division? We are Davey Pump Master Dealers, so we sell and service a full range of water pumps for home, garden, water bores as well as commercial scale pumping and irrigation. To complement the water pumps we also sell water tanks, filtration systems, replacement cartridges, a huge range of poly pipe, fittings and valves … A couple of our most popular products would be the Apricus evacuated tube solar hot water systems, and the Lorentz solar water pumping systems - both products involve both solar energy and water, which is

what we are best at. Tell us about you team and their area of expertise? More than half of our team have been physically working here for close to, or over 10 years now, which I believe is an amazing achievement for a local business. The amount of experience and knowledge the team in the shop have is not just information you can find in books; it is real world knowledge which is extremely important when designing new systems and when troubleshooting people's technical issues. Tell us about some of the new, exciting projects you are working on now and in the future. I personally am really passionate about smarter home energy management and saving people money. Most of the homes I visit can save a lot of money, simply by doing things smarter. Just installing solar for example will save you some money, but to save the most money, you need to USE your solar system properly, and many companies won’t spend the time to teach you how to do this or give you the tools to do so! In the future, our homes will be able to make smarter energy decisions for us, but at the moment there are some simple energy management tools out there that can be installed into new or existing homes starting from about $300 - $400, that will tell you exactly where your energy is going and identify where you can save money! Where can we find out more? You can find out more about NCPW by jumping on our website www.ncpw.com, calling into our shop at 13 GDT Seccombe Close, Coffs Harbour or calling (02) 6651 4333.

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INTERIORS

A L E X A N D R A

Alexandra Marie

H A C K E T T

Alexandra Hackett grew up on the Coﬀs Coast. In 2008 she moved to Sydney to study a Bachelor of Design in Interior Design at University of Technology Sydney. FOCUS chatted with Alexandra, to ﬁnd out more ...

i Alexandra. Tell us a bit about yourself and your connection to the Coffs Coast. I’m an interior designer living in Woollahra, in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. I grew up in Coffs Harbour. My family and my husband’s family live in Coffs, and some of my dearest school friends have returned to Coffs after time away, seeking the attractive lifestyle Coffs has to offer. I moved to Sydney in 2008 in order to pursue my dream of working in interior design, but I have always relished the opportunity to escape the city bustle and return home to Coffs to relax and recharge. Where did you complete your qualifications? After my schooling at St. John Paul College, Coffs Harbour, I got accepted into a Bachelor of Design in Interior Design at University of Technology Sydney in 2008. I graduated with First Class Honours in March 2012. How did you get your career start? Studying interior design is one thing, but launching a career in the industry is another thing altogether. I took the back door to get into the industry. I started out working in administration for a design and manufacturing company called Schiavello Systems and then progressed through the company to a business development role. From this experience, I was lucky enough to get my start in a creative role with Darren Palmer, Interior Designer and TV Personality (The Block). From there, I was fortunate enough to build on my “all-rounder” skillset, gaining further experience in high end residential design working for a sole trader, Nikki Rosen Design, and later getting team experience at Hare & Klein. What is your proudest career achievement? Designing my way into my dream design company, Hare & Klein, a multi-award winning practice with an impressive reputation in the Australian and international design market, with a strong focus on high end residential interiors. 16 Coffs Coast focus

Second to this was getting the opportunity to work directly alongside Darren Palmer and assisting him to build the interiors arm of the business and launch his second publication, Homespace. What has been your best decision? Marrying my best friend and local Coffs boy, Daniel Ferguson, in November 2018. Daniel brings such a wonderful balance to my life, and it Every relationship is Daniel who has you make is valuable, helped me develop and it’s those relationships my confidence to that will inevitably have your make my own imprint back and support your career in the design world are nice to them. progression. and build Alexandra What advice would you give Marie Interiors. to an aspiring designer? Always Which five words go for the unadvertised job. The best describe you? Passionate, creative, experiences I have had have not been out of luck; perfectionist, ambitious, and strong. they have come from hard work and persistence. Were there any obstacles you had to I would encourage individuals to cold call, cold overcome throughout your career? Design email, do your best effort to make your name is a very competitive industry and a hard one to known in the industry. Every relationship you survive in. I have experienced many challenges make is valuable, and it’s those relationships that along my journey. No opportunity came easily; I will inevitably have your back and support your created them, and through that grew stronger career progression. from the experiences and learnt things about Why have you made the decision to market myself. The biggest challenge I experienced yourself to the Coffs Coast market? I was landing a design role in the first place. believe there is place for my design services and I don’t think I can count on two hands how capabilities in my hometown, and I would love many cold calls and emails were made in which to offer my skills, experience and knowledge to I was constantly told they weren’t looking, or anyone in the area who might benefit from them. required a designer that had three to five years of At this stage my intention is to service the market experience. from Sydney, by travelling to Coffs for clients What is the best lesson you’ve learnt along where required, and possibly expand my services the way? To trust your intuition, listen to your to other cities, but for now Sydney and Coffs inner voice and follow your gut feeling. The gut Harbour are my focus. is more powerful than people realise; learning What makes Alexandra Marie Interiors to trust it is when life begins. And further to this unique? Being based in Sydney, I am able lesson, be nice to people. Kindness goes a long to access an extensive range of artisans and way; people always remember the people who craftsmen. With great product knowledge and

relationships with suppliers and trades, I can offer quality design and a new experience to the market. Exposing clients to this channel will not only add value and quality to a home, business, retail or café/restaurant, it will also produce the best design. This exposure becomes particularly attractive when it comes to the final stages of a project: decoration and styling. Also, unlike some other designers, no job is too big or too small. What services does Alexandra Marie Interiors offer? Alexandra Marie Interiors engages the client through the entirety of the project. I am interested in having meaningful dialogue with clients to discuss and review the design development of the project, to ensure that I meet the expectations of my clients. Whether it be for a new build or renovation, Alexandra Marie Interiors will offer input with concept and space planning, interior finishes and material selection, custom joinery and furniture, documentation, project management and procurement/sourcing. Where can we learn more? Give me a call on 0401 009 893, head to my website: www.alexandramarieinteriors.com and follow my social presence on Instagram @alexandramarieinteriors____

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T grants McDonald’s junior

P R O G R A M

McDonald’s Coffs Harbour and Nambucca are proud to support local children and groups through their Junior Grants Program.

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he McDonald's Junior Another local event supported by McDonald’s Grant Program is proud to is the Annual Dorrigo Agricultural Show. The support the young artists Show encourages children to participate and of our region through its develop their skills and abilities in a wide sponsorship of the Coffs range of areas, including livestock, pavilion, Harbour Creative Art fun classes. Group, who organise a new and exciting The Maccas' Junior Grant also supports youth event, “The Budding Artists Festival” individual children in their dreams. Aspiring - a three day taster/ Alexis is off to Sydney platter of the finest to compete at National visual, creative and Physical Culture. performing arts Coffs Recently placing in the Harbour and its top five on the Mid The aim of the festival is to North Coast, Alexis surrounding areas has immerse the young has a promising future to offer. people of our region ahead of her. With in the art and culture Program organiser many trips to Sydney through a wide range Chris Sundstrom says, for competition and of workshops and “The aim of the festival training, the travel activities that capture both is to immerse the quickly adds up. The visual and performing arts ... young people of our Grant will assist her region in the art and family in getting her culture through a wide to the competition at range of workshops Olympic Park. and activities that The McDonald’s Junior Grant Program capture both visual and performing arts.” believes that building a successful generation Over three days, all participants will comes from supporting our great locals, so, experience diverse and exciting creative visual if you are a local child or group who needs arts and performance workshops with highly assistance with your sporting, academic, experienced tutors. cultural or community project, we want to “Happy to report that the festival was a hear from you. Jump on the Grants website resounding success and that the kids loved it and apply today: www.maccasjuniorgrant.com.au … a picture paints a thousand words.”

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focus real estate

AMANDA LANGLANDS FROM LANGLANDS PROPERTY

real estate update. 2018 REAL ESTATE MARKET WRAP UP As the year closes, we take a look at how our market has changed and what are the key influences. The sizzling heat we were experiencing from buyers this time last year is no longer prominent.

ypically, markets soften due to changes in interest rates or economic conditions. This time however, the market has been most

affected by changes in our banking system and availability of finance, despite low mortgage rates and a relatively strong economy.

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Our economic growth is tracking above expectations, unemployment is at the lowest level since 2012, population growth remains strong, and wages growth is slowly lifting. As a consequence of less market activity, advertised listings have increased, providing buyers with more choice. The rebalancing

towards buyers over sellers is clear across the market, with low auction clearance rates, while fixed price sales are showing substantially longer selling times and larger rates of discounting than they have over recent years. The weaker housing market comes amidst tightening credit condition. Whilst we are expecting the new credit regulations to take a while for purchasers to adjust to, we are expecting steady activity and sales leading into the New Year. Rates & Regulations The official cash rate has not moved from its record low since August 2016. However, the official cash rate is no longer the gauge for mortgage costs. Increased funding costs have seen banks lift mortgage rates independently of the Reserve Bank of Australia. In addition to rising rates, banks have also tightened up their lending criteria by reducing their Loan-to-Value ratios and requiring detailed and backdated paperwork to approve loans - both by-products of this yearâ€™s Royal Commission. First Home Buyers Over the past few years, First Home Buyers endured stiff competition from investors who leveraged equity and low interest rates to add to their investment portfolio. As the finance sector has influenced investor confidence, first home buyers have used these factors to capitalise on the lower level of competition. Investors and FHBs generally compete for the same property types, which are typically in the lower price brackets of each market.

Taxation Policies Potential investors are being more cautious, given the potential for changes to taxation policies related to housing should there be a change of government. A negative gearing rollback looking to exclude established dwellings could slow demand across the resale market, with less investment demand for properties with low rental yields. The halving of capital gains tax concessions would likely provide further disincentive to investment, on top of weak prospects for capital gains, premiums on investment mortgage rates, low rental yields and fewer depreciation benefits. Regional Strength Strong property price growth in the major capital city markets over recent years has seen affordability diminish. But while they are experiencing recent corrections, the growth of the past three years still overshadows the softening trends of 2018. Overall, price growth has encouraged First Home Buyers, downsizers and families wanting to upsize to search for more affordable regions to live. The tree and sea change experience has seen higher volumes of city-dwellers packing up and relocating to regional markets this year. Foreign Investment Sydney and Melbourne have also been affected by the reduction in foreign buying activity. The amount of international investment has decreased as foreign governments restrict the flow of money from their borders and Australia place levies on the purchase of property by foreigners.

SUMMER 2019 JANUARY SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM DOWNLOAD YOUR CALENDAR TODAY AT BCCCINEMAS.COM.AU

Wrecked Vintage

E FRKIE DS

ACTIVITIES BEFORE MIDDAY

2018 was a year for change; we changed location, we added our in house label ... 2019 is a year for GROWTH! And boy, are we growing here at Wrecked. We are adding new designer brands every week, sustainable products, local designers, conscious collections and more beautiful items. We welcome to the family Freedom Moses slides, Nu Natives kids wear, Pinksoy ceramics, Odd Pears socks, Shuturp clothing, Beachway Aromatics, Emerald Beach Candle Co, Lanaci the Label and of course, a new instalment of Wrecked Boheme ... and more! So many of these are amazing local companies, or have a focus on sustainability.

Look for

FAMILY SAVER sessions these school holidays

We, as always, are stocked full of amazing vintage finds, all hand picked and curated by Sophie to make sure you only see the best bits. We are full of ‘70s Californian vintage and our forever faithful Levi’s denim. We will be topping up the beloved vintage Harley tees in the new year too! We can’t wait to share another beautiful year with you all here at Wrecked; keep your eye on our socials for the year of GROWTH!

*T&Cs apply.

COFFS HARBOUR Coffs Coast focus 21

Black rice parfait with chia seeds, seasonal fruits, dragon fruit and roasted nuts, finished with Greek yoghurt. from OP 81 CafĂŠ. 22 Coffs Coast focus

focusinterview.

Kath’s Café Kath’s Café is the newcomer to the café scene in Sawtell, offering old style classic takeaway and dine in meals with friendly service. Featuring classic milkshakes, awesome burgers, home-made relishes and healthy juices. Located along the main strip in Sawtell, we opened late November. Our old fashioned, high quality, back to basics theme is even highlighted by retro-themed preloved LP records being recycled as table placemats.

MATT SMITH O P

8 1

Owner Simon Chladil wanted to revisit his memories of the old style “Burger Bars” of the 1970s. Locally roasted coffee blends have been sourced to provide a smooth cappuccino or latte, your choice of a pot of leaf tea, made to order fresh juices and of course, the classic thick, creamy milkshakes that were always available way back then.

C A F É

hat training did you undertake, and where was your first job? My first job and first executive chef position was in a SMH Good Food Guide chef’s hatted restaurant. I learnt so many techniques and skills in this job that I try to bring to the breakfast/ lunch plate today - just in a much more relaxed atmosphere. What is your favourite dish on the menu currently, and why? My favourite dish on the menu is our eggs benedict, because we make our own English muffins and hollandaise sauce, the poached eggs are the best from Waterfall Agriculture and soft poached every time! It is served with our delicious confit garlic and herb sauté mushrooms; it also comes in a half serve, which is a real winner for those wanting the taste of eggs benedict with half the appetite. Where do you source new ideas from? We have a great team of suppliers who create inspiration through the amazing products they grow and source, so it’s thanks to the people at: Waterfall Agriculture; Nambucca Aquaponics; The Provedores; A&D Veg Wholesalers; The Hot Sauce Kings; Gut Instinct; The Bakery Northside; Fungus Humongous; Coffs Fish Coop

His menu offers classics like freshly made premium beef burgers with all the old favourite add-ons, hearty made to order sandwiches and deliciously wicked homemade cakes. There is even a classic banana split on the menu! Breakfast standards are on offer, as are home-made corn fritters. We also offer a few dishes like Texan slow cooked BBQ Beef, Kranski rolls with sauerkraut and onion relish and Tex Mex style chicken wraps. The weekly specials board features the likes of a definitive Reubens Sandwich, Salt & Pepper Squid etc. Naturally, many meals are available in gluten free options, and we also offer a hearty vegetarian burger. Come in and see us at 2/39 First Avenue, Sawtell - open from 7am seven days a week for summer!

and from our small but very productive vegetable garden (tended to by Jane). We also have a group of passionate staff who understand our food philosophy and understand the direction in which we are travelling in the business; this encourages and supports our creativity in the menu. Last but not by no means least are our customers, who are embracing our new menu direction and are excited to come in and try the new options available weekly. They understand that one delicious thing will be replaced by another locally sourced delicious thing next week and are loving the surprise/variety. How often do you change the menu? Our menu is constantly changing. We have our staples (on the front page of the menu) and the back-page changes weekly; this allows us to react to the local produce that is available and base our meals around small crop, low miles and locally produced foods. It also allows us to keep the ideas fresh and always changing, so everyone on the staff are able to throw in suggestions for the menu changes. Who else works in the kitchen on your team? We have a very small team. John is our qualified chef; he has been working with us here for almost 10 years, and under me as an apprentice for three years prior to OP81. Brady is our apprentice; she is in her last year of her training and has a very exciting future in the industry. Our team is creative with dishes, ingredients and techniques, which keeps them fresh, motivated and excited about food. Coffs Coast focus 23

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V I N

B A

L L

Dark

arts brew and bar

hen did you first become cooking shows and people cooking more at home I find interested in cookery as a career? patrons are raising their expectations and as a chef always I’ve always liked cooking when I having to raise the bar on the standard of what is plated, was younger but I was never good at creating an exciting yet equally tasteful plate just makes the it. Being a chef wasn’t my first career job a never ending challenge of senses. path, it came Tell us about your time working at later on , whilst being a kitchen hand Dark Arts? funding my own TAFE course , then I took Having been predominantly working the leap to make it my future. in Steakhouses and Seafood Restaurants What training did you undertake, and Dark Arts has been a challenge yet Having predominantly worked where was your first job? rewarding new avenue for me to in steakhouses and seafood I have been in and out of hospitality expand my knowledge and skills. Being restaurants, Dark Arts has since High School first working in a family a Café that offers vegan meals I have been a challenging yet bakery though art was my first career had to adapt and create dishes that are rewarding new avenue path I still worked as a kitchen hand flavoursome, colourful and exciting. for me to expand my and prep cook through my teens and an Recreating traditional non-vegan foods and skills. knowledge apprenticeship fell in my lap after I tried to vegan has been fun and exciting. becoming qualified by paying myself How do you keep your skills as a through the commercial cookery course chef up to date? I was offered an apprenticeship while on As a chef you never stop learning my first work experience at a small café keeping a fresh mind on the new trends while keeping on the gold coast. traditional values in place you really have to be adaptable to Do you find restaurant patrons have higher expectations keep up with the ever changing trends, diets, and flavours these days when they dine out as more people are people are seeking. becoming creative with their own cooking? With the ever-growing food culture with all the magazines, Thanks Gavin.

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PlantationHotel the

T O N Y

J O N E S

FOCUS grabbed a beer with new Venue Manager Tony Jones. Here is what he told us ...

ell us about your role at live entertainment back into the venue will the Plantation Hotel. change the atmosphere for the better as well. My role at the Plantation The meals at the Planto will also get a revamp Hotel is the Venue Manager. coming into the New Year. The role includes looking Have you got any specials and after the everyday running promotions running throughout the of the business and creating a great culture festive season? among the staff and customers alike. My We don’t really have any promotions main focus is building running during the the business from the festive season, as our great place it is now to main priority is always an even better place to about the food - great hang out and relax. meals at a great price, I STARTED IN THE Describe how you seven days a week. got started in the INDUSTRY BY MISTAKE What is the best industry? advice you have BASICALLY, HAVING A FEW I started in the received? industry by mistake BEERS ONE NIGHT AT THE Never judge anyone basically, having a few PUB; I JUMPED IN BEHIND - everyone is fighting a beers one night at the battle you know nothing THE BAR TO HELP OUT, pub; I jumped in behind about. the bar to help out, and AND I’VE BEEN DOING IT How will you embrace I’ve been doing it ever EVER SINCE. change in 2019? since. Look, change What changes have happens, and you have been implemented? to just go with what your At this stage I haven’t gut is telling you is right! changed anything; We get so mixed up in I believe that getting to know our market what everyone else thinks we should be doing and service our current clientele is the most or where we should be heading, when you important part of any business. The changes already know in your gut and your heart what will come when we work out the best the right direction is. direction the business needs to go. What business leaders do you look up to? What plans do you have for 2019? This might cause a stir, but - Donald Trump Big plans for the New Year focusing on our he tells it as it is and gets on with it, America new Craft Beer and Cocktail Bar, targeting is in a great place financially; it all comes those beers you can’t find anywhere else, down to him just having a go, and I like that. bringing the theatre back to drinking a beer or having a cocktail. The introduction of some Thanks Tony. Coffs Coast focus 27

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Courtesy BUS Local

INFORMATION

Toormina Hotel

Seaview Tavern

Emerald Beach to Corindi, Wednesday to Saturday - contact 6654 1206.

Bonville South to The Big Windmill - contact venue for days and times 6653 1039.

Sawtell RSL

The Amble Inn

Corindi Range to Woolgoolga - contact 6649 2622.

South to Bonville, north to Stadium Drive (Elements estate), west to Boambee Valley. Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons - contact 6653 1577.

Hoey Moey The Pier Hotel

Coffs Harbour region only - contact 6652 3833.

Coffs Harbour region only, Monday to Saturday, 10am ‘til late, Sunday 11am ‘til late - contact 6652 2110.

The Coﬀs Hotel

Korora to SCU - contact 6652 3817.

Moonee Beach Tavern

Emerald Beach to Korora - contact 0450 356 101.

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Our Awards speak for themselves...

Bistro open 7 days Lunch 12-3pm | Dinner 5-9pm • Courtesy bus • Kids area • Jumping castle • Indoor/Outdoor dining • Cocktails • Bottleshop

Best Family Friendly 2018, 2017, 2016 highly commen ded

We’ve done all the hard work for your family’s enjoyment.

highly commen ded

2018 Best Chef NSW

2017 Winner Best Cheap Eats 2016 Finalist Best Cheap Eats

Great reat food. Live Music. Good times.

Great food. Live Music. Good times.

mooneebeachtavern.com.au

51 RIVER ST, WOOLGOOLGA

PH: 02 6654 1206 seaviewtavern.com.au

2 MOONEE BEACH RD PH: 02 6653 6199

bistro open: 12-3pm | 5.30-8.30pm courtesy bus: 0450 356 101 Coffs Coast focus 29

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the

Golden Dog

STEPH LUCK HAS RECENTLY TAKEN OVER THE FAMOUS GOLDEN DOG HOTEL IN GLENREAGH. FOCUS CAUGHT UP WITH STEPH, TO FIND OUT MORE ...

ell us about The Golden Dog … How long have you been operating? We took on the lease in August this year; it’s been a whirlwind few months! What do you love most about your job? The Glenreagh community is amazing. Being part of such a wonderful little town and being involved in supporting the locals on such a personal level is the most wonderful part of publican life. There’s always a happy face to make your day! What are your plans for 2019? 2019 is going to be incredible! I’m so excited. Lots of ideas and plans to make the hotel more family friendly, and to encourage people to not just come and visit for a meal, but to stay and play! Our major focus

will be working on the outdoor area, to make the most of the incredible scenery we have here in Glenreagh. What can we expect from your menu? To never go home hungry, and to expect to take home leftovers! Our bistro has the best reputation for quality pub meals; we are very proud of what comes out of our kitchen. Specials change daily, so there are always new options. Any live entertainment throughout January? We have live music every second Saturday, with January dates being the 5th and the 19th from 6pm out the back. Details are on our Facebook page. Where can we find out more? Our Facebook page is updated regularly.

The Amble Inn Corindi Beach No pub crawl would be complete without a visit to the beautiful Amble Inn Hotel, nestled in the picturesque coastal plains at Corindi Beach. With sweeping ocean views and timber cathedral ceilings, The Amble Inn offers a relaxing place to dine and enjoy a refreshing drink. Catering for all seasons, you can enjoy a cold beer on the verandah in the ocean breeze.

catch the Amble Inn Courtesy Bus and discover what we have to offer. Set amongst landscaped gardens, the hotel has full TAB facilities, Keno, Foxtel and 13 beers on tap, including Matilda Bay Craft Beers. We also have raffles, a members’ draw and live music on Friday nights and trivia nights every second Wednesday.

Enjoy a warm and friendly welcome in our rustic décor, which incorporates Australian Hardwoods throughout the massive 1,100 square metre building. A wander around the hotel will reveal many other local history pieces and local crafts, such as the wagon wheels fitted to the ceiling and the impressive stained glass window.

To make your visit complete, the Top-Knotch Brasserie at the Amble Inn offers a variety of delicious pub classics, including sizzling steaks, gourmet burgers, fresh seafood, pizzas, kids’ meals and blackboard specials. A selection of $12.50 lunch specials is available seven days a week. Overlooking an expansive outdoor beer garden, there is also a jumping castle and

What better way to beat the elements than to

amusements to keep the whole family happy.

of The

• miss pinky • Just in time for the hot summer months, the crew at Element Bar on the Coffs Jetty Strip have whipped up a new fresh delight that will keep you cool & begging for more. Miss Pinky is a super refreshing balance of Element Bar’s special house made strawberry pink gin, dragon fruit, strawberries & lemon juice, all ice blended & topped off with a tart salty rim. An absolute must try this summer!

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LIFE

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ELEMENT BAR

elementbar.com.au | 6651 6655 | 380 Harbour Dr, Coffs Harbour Jetty

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focusinterview.

trio

i John. You released your playing and my song writing. new single, Home in 2018, What was the experience of playing the iconic followed by an album of the Red Rocks like? same name. It had been a We had supported acts there for almost 10 years, while since you released a and now we’ve headlined three times. We headlined new studio album, although it back in 2012, and we’ve done it twice since then you'd released the single Bully in 2017. Tell us as well - it was a huge mountain to climb. On one a bit about both Home and Bully and how they of my first tours in The States, I was opening up differ ... for Dave Matthews’ Band and Bully was one of those Michael Franti, and I said to songs; it was from the very myself that one day I’m going first session, and I didn’t think to play this venue … It took 10 I JUST FEEL VERY it would make it to the album, years of touring to be able to THANKFUL THAT BOTH but it was done and it was headline that venue on my own! DAN AND I HAVE THESE a song I thought was good When you work that hard to get OUTLETS AND THAT enough to have a life out to that point, you know what it’s WE WORK REALLY, there - especially in the political worth. REALLY HARD TO situation that we’ve been Last time I was there, they MAKE A BALANCED touring through in The States. had all these great photos on FAMILY AND A I’d say the album is a little bit the wall, like Willie Nelson, John BALANCED LIFE, more soul searching than that Mayer and Neil Young, and I WHERE WE BOTH GET kind of righteous and angry walked around the corner and TO HAVE AN AVENUE vibe that Bully is. there was this huge A4 poster of FOR EXPRESSION. How would you describe the us from our last headliner there. vibe of the album then? It was awesome! I guess on the music Summersalt Festival, you’re production front there’s probably a lot more headlining there, as is your wife, Mama Kin electronic aspects to it, in a way; I’ve had a lot of (Danielle Caruana). What do you love about ideas on programmed beats and synthesisers and being about to share the creative domain easing that into what I do with my band, guitar together, but still keep your own identities?

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For me, it’s really important to be somebody who feels creatively expressed, whatever that is, whether it’s playing soccer or knitting or making music, and I just feel very thankful that both Dan and I have these outlets and that we work really, really hard to make a balanced family and a balanced life, where we both get to have an avenue for expression. So, we are very blessed; it takes a lot of work to keep that balance and that tightrope right. We both released an album in the same year, which is crazy. We took our boy out of school and homeschooled him along the way. We just bring the kids along; I’ve been lucky enough to do this for 18 years and bring the kids up like this, on and off. It takes a lot of effort; we dream big and make it happen. If you dream big, then all of a sudden you can draw something bigger out of you. After all these years and hits, which song is still your favourite to perform? I like them all - Ocean, Pickapart is real fun … They’re all my kids! I don’t have a favourite, but Ocean is one of those that has been with me for years, so it’s like a body part, rather than a song. Thanks John.

17th February 2019, Summersalt Festival, Park Beach Reserve, Coffs Harbour. www.summersaltmusic.com.au

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focusinterview.

PINK SILKS Nicole Pymont – Pink Silks Trust committee member and Social media Coordinator

The Pink Silks Trust is committed to helping make a diﬀerence in the journey of local women going through a life-changing or life-threatening illness, by keeping 90% of all their funds raised local, and committing 10% to cancer research, in the hope of a future cure or preventative measure.

OCUS caught up with Nicole Pymont, who’s been on the committee for 10 years ... What is your connection to the Coffs Coast? I moved to Coffs Coast 17 years ago for 12 months’ work, and loved it so much I ended up staying. I personally believe it’s a great place to work and live and gives you the opportunity to have a wonderful work/life balance. Tell us about the history of the Pink Silks Trust Committee. The Pink Silks Trust (PST) is a registered charity and has a strong focus on assisting local women’s health organisations with much needed equipment and services, as well as contributing to national research foundations. The main and original event, now held annually, is the Pink Silks Ladies Race Day, held at the Coffs Harbour Racing Club. Its aim is to bring families and friends together to show a collective support of all women in our community undergoing a challenging time with their illnesses. After 11 years, the PST has raised over $750,000 for this local community. The PST now actively runs and assists several events each year, so we can increase our message to many community demographics and increase the direct help to women in our community. The PST Committee consists of seven hardworking and very passionate people, who give their time selflessly for the cause, to help women in our local community and create more awareness around health and wellbeing. What do you enjoy most about being part

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Without our generous sponsors and their of such an inspirational committee? contributions, we would not have the events I am honoured to work with six other people with similar values around increasing awareness we have, and raise the money we have, over the past 11 years. and funds to make a true difference in our $750,000 has been raised through community. Each person on the committee has a combination of the work of the PST a full-time job and a family, but also dedicates Committee and the support of all the a lot of personal time to making this charity businesses and individuals that kindly continue all it can be. Seeing the generosity of our to donate, sponsor and support the work we community is absolutely amazing! Businesses do every year. and individuals that These results are for continuously want to our beneficiaries and the give and help raise work they do, and this money at each event PST year we are supporting a holds is inspirational in This year money was raised variety of organisations, itself and motivates us as for a piece of vital which include the Coffs a committee to do more. equipment for the Harbour Women’s Health What we can expect Intensive Care Unit Centre, Intensive Care from the 2019 Pink at the Coﬀs Harbour Unit, Coffs Harbour Silks Race Day? Health Campus, which and District Riding Every year the is something very close to for Disabled Centre, community comes my heart. Northcott Disability together and always Services, and our research brings such a fun donation is to Motor atmosphere to the Neuron Disease Australia. Pink Silks Ladies Race We’d like to encourage any organisation/ Day. Like most years we have some amazing charity to contact us for future funding. merchandise and wonderful donated raffles Any individuals or businesses that are items. The generous donations for our LIVE interested in donating, please don’t hesitate to charity auction includes a Sydney Racing contact us; we are a registered charity, so we’re package, dinner catered by Fiasco Catering, 100% volunteer run, 100% tax deductible and Women’s Coffs Cup Package, Family Fun 100% local. package and lots of other wonderful items. What plans do you have for 2019? This year we are also continuing with the Our regular events have so much positive all-female race fashions on the field, and feedback that we continue these on. hospitality packages that can be purchased Upcoming is the Pink Silks Charity Golf Day through Coffs Harbour Racing Club. held at Coffs Harbour Golf Club on Friday 11th Tell us about your sponsors and their January, and the Pinks Silks Ladies Race Day on contributions.

Sunday 13th January. We have our Pink Silks High Tea event at Latitude 30, Saturday 4th May 2019 and the Ladies and Tradies night held at the Hoey Moey on a new date, set to be Saturday 24th August 2019. We are currently in discussions with a fabulous Coffs Coast local business in regards to a special event, hopefully to be held midMarch, but we will keep everyone posted on that. What has been the highlight of 2018? It’s always hard to pick one highlight, as each year at each event we are constantly amazed at the generosity of everyone. The Ladies and Tradies is always such a fun event, and the Hoey Moey is so charitable. With all of our events,this local community is so supportive and contributes so much to everything we do. Last year we raised money for “Pinky”, the Medical ATV being used by the SES and Emergency Services for emergency retrieval of critical patients from difficult areas. This year money was raised for a piece of vital equipment for the Intensive Care Unit at the Coffs Harbour Health Campus, which is something very close to my heart. The Prismaflex is a blood dialysis machine that helps a critically ill patient get rid of toxins from their body whilst their kidneys recover. How do we get in touch? Coffs Harbour Pink Silks Perpetual Trust P.O. Box 1367, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450 info@pinksilks.com.au www.pinksilks.com.au @pinksilks Thanks Nicole

P nk S lks TRUST

13TH ANNUAL COFFS HARBOUR

Pink Silks Ladies Race Day SUNDAY 13TH JANUARY 2019

GATE ENTRY $10 ADULT, CHILDREN FREE - GATES OPEN 11.30AM 7 TAB RACE PROGRAM INCLUDING AN ALL FEMALE JOCKEY RACE $79 Hospitality package includes a gourmet buffet luncheon, reserved table seating, gate entry, race book and 1 drink tickets valid for beer, wine, champagne and soft drinks. OR $129pp Hospitality Package includes as above but with 6 drink vouchers. ● ● ● ●

●

FASHIONS ON THE FIELD Kids entertainment with free face painting & a jumping castle Raffles and Pink Silks Merchandise Live Charity Auction at 5.45pm including prizes such as: - Ladbrokes 4 x corporate tickets and $500 betting voucher - ‘Fiasco @ Home’- Three course private dinner for 8 guests - ANZ Stadium Private Suite (uncatered) for 20 people to one regular season 2019 NRL game of your choice, March to September. - SYDNEY RACING EXPERIENCE- Australian Turf Club hospitality package x 4 Plus Sunday at the Stables HOSPITALITY with Gai Waterhouse PLUS TSOLS tips TICKETS - WOMEN’S COMPLETE COFFS CUP PACKAGE AVAILABLE FROM RSVP Bridal and Formal Wear, Le Dain Design, THE RACING CLUB Jacqui’s Shoe Boutique, BLUSH Makeup and Beauty 02 6652 1488. and Abbey Hair Studio GATE ENTRY Live music at the end of Race 7 AVAILABLE ON THE DAY

Race Sponsors: The Glenn Family - Insurance Advisernet Australia - The Bayrange Group Komatsu - Key Employment - Skinner Motors/Pier Hotel - J&K Jarvis Racing Coffs Coast focus 39

THE COFFS COAST GIG GUIDE

4TH JANUARY

Pink Zinc - Seaview Tavern Jake Davey + DJ Wazza - Hoey Moey Dj Bisho & DJ Breno - Coast Hotel Mikayla J - Element Bar Mick Bateman - Amble Inn Doug Parkinson - Sawtell Rsl Hullabaloo Duo - The Pier

5TH JANUARY

Hekyl & Jive - Seaview Tavern Dj Wazza - Hoey Moey Secret Squirrel & Dj Flak3y - Coast Hotel Dean Sharkey - Element Bar Top Shelf - The Pier

6TH JANUARY

The Black Sorrows - Hoey Moey Josh Matheson - Element Bar Jake Davey - Coramba Hotel

9TH JANUARY

Vena Klymo - Element Bar

10TH JANUARY

Thursday Nights Live With Jaz - Hoey Moey Madelyn - Element Bar

11TH JANUARY

The Groove Robbers - Seaview Tavern Whos Charlie + DJ Rjay - Hoey Moey Dj Flak3y & DJ Breno - Coast Hotel

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13TH JANUARY

The Groove Robbers + DJ Danger Waves Hoey Moey Billie-jo Porter - Element Bar Mick Bateman - The Pier Ball ’n’ Chain - Coramba Hotel

16TH JANUARY

Jimi Crisp - Element Bar

17TH JANUARY

Thursday Night Live With Jaz - Hoey Moey The Hendersons - Element Bar

18TH JANUARY

Fat Albert - Seaview Tavern Minnie Marks + DJ Danger Waves - Hoey Moey Daryl James - Element Bar Dj Bisho & DJ Dollar Bill - Coast Hotel The Good, The Bad, The Ugly - The Pier

19TH JANUARY

Emily Williams Band - Seaview Tavern DJ Rjay - Hoey Moey Lily & The Drum - Toormina Hotel

FFS COAST

3RD JANUARY

Thursday Nights Live With Jaz - Hoey Moey Peter Barry - Element Bar

Pat Coyle - Element Bar

12TH JANUARY

Misschief - Seaview Tavern Dj Rjay - Hoey Moey Tangle - Toormina Hotel Sabotage & DJ Breno - Coast Hotel Benny Black - Element Bar Tex Perkins - C.Ex Woolgoolga International Wrestling Australia’s 2019 Summer Meltdown Tour - Sawtell RSL 1st Avenue - The Pier

2ND JANUARY

Jaie Drieberg - Element Bar Quickfix - The Pier

1ST JANUARY

Jazrol Duo - Toormina Hotel

JA 2 NUARY

Pink Zinc & DJ Blakey - Coast Hotel Dean Sharkey - Element Bar Never Ending 80s - Sawtell RSL Raw Band - The Pier

Two Way Street - Amble Inn Super Straight Duo - The Pier

26TH JANUARY

Son Of Jaguar, Royal Chant, The Fingerz 20TH JANUARY Seaview Tavern Emily Williams & Band + DJ Rjay - Hoey Moey Ganggajang + DJ Danger Waves - Hoey Moey Josh Matheson - Element Bar Phat Tracta - Toormina Hotel Minnie Marks - Coramba Hotel The Stripes & DJ Flak3y - Coast Hotel Benny Black - Element Bar 23RD JANUARY Who’s Charlie - The Pier Mr Alford Country - Element Bar Ian Henry - Coramba Hotel 24TH JANUARY Thursday Nights Live With Jaz - Hoey Moey Nathan Seeckts/Great Aunt - Element Bar

25TH JANUARY

Aftershock Of Australian Rock - Seaview Tavern Madelene Duo + DJ Freddy Lee - Hoey Moey Dj Flak3y & DJ Rjay - Coast Hotel Jaie Drieberg - Element Bar

27TH JANUARY

Lisa Hunt & Forever Soul - Hoey Moey Dean Haitani - Element Bar Whos Charlie - Coramba Hotel

30TH JANUARY

Salty Bones - Element Bar

31ST JANUARY

Scott Day-vee - Element Bar

Coffs Coast focus 41

focusinterview.

SWIFF 2019 dishes up two full weeks of screen experiences for its fourth festival, screening over 60 different feature films from 20 countries, plus a big line-up of film industry guests, events, galas, film premieres, parties, and screen culture experiences.

WIFF’s 48-page printed program is in cafés, bars, pubs, and theatres throughout Northern NSW. It has the rundown on all the films and events available for film lovers. They get snapped up pretty fast, so if you can’t find one, download the SWIFF 2019 mobile app on your iPhone or Android. It’s a big program full of hidden gems, so we’ve broken it down to 10 things to see and do at SWIFF 2019. 1. SEE SODA_JERK - IN TOWN FROM NEW YORK This year’s Opening Night Gala brings the controversial video mash-up artists Soda_Jerk from New York to Coffs, screening Terror Nullius - a film unwriting what it is to be a modern day Australian, cut together from clips of famous Aussie movies. It’s a film so controversial, their grant funders pulled support just days before the world premiere, calling it “Un-Australian”. See it - and make up your own mind. 2. SWIFF LIVE: O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? Bellingen Bluegrass band The Mid North will play a live soundtrack to accompany the Coen Brothers’ classic O Brother, Where Art Thou?, giving it a musical re-imagining live on stage, along with the film. Two shows available (Jan 17 and 20) - sells out fast. 3. CHECK OUT THE CLOSING NIGHT GALA The Closing Night Gala sees Willem Dafoe give a tour de force performance as a late-life Vincent Van Gogh in director Julian Schnabel’s (The Diving Bell & The Butterfly) new film At

42 Coffs Coast focus

SWIFF 2019 IS THE FOURTH SCREENWAVE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. IT RUNS FROM JANUARY 10TH TO 25TH IN COFFS HARBOUR AND BELLINGEN.

Eternity’s Gate. Keep an eye out at the Oscars for this one. 4. ATTEND A PREMIERE There’s something special about being one of the first people to see a film on the big screen after it’s fresh out of post-production. This year SWIFF hosts the World Premiere of late-life transgender documentary, Becoming Colleen (with a Coffs Harbour twist!) There are four Australian premieres also on the cards: gripping personal human trafficking doco Sisters For Sale; a story about the women fighting their own war inside the Nicaraguan revolution in Las Sandanistas!; big screen surf epic Emocean; and the new documentary about the rogue New York judge changing the lives of sex workers in Blowin’ Up. See them first at SWIFF! 5. GRAB YOUR PASS AND PLAN YOUR SWIFF Like to be a little impulsive with your moviewatching? Don’t want to have to pick them all at once? The good thing about SWIFF’s festival passes is that you can buy a pack of tickets (six, 12, or 24), save some money, and pick your films when you like. All the sessions are subject to availability - so if there are ones you really want to see, better get in fast before they’re gone. 6. SEE AN AWARD WINNING FILM SWIFF Artistic Director Kate Howat has lined up the best award-winning films for Coffs Coast audiences. Hideo Kore-eda’s gang-ofthieves family dramas Shoplifters (screens Jan

18 and 24) took out Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or award this year. Some under-the-radar films took out other big gongs, including Lynne Ramsay’s gritty crime thriller, You Were Never Really Here (screens Jan 11 and 19) winning Best Screenplay and Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix) at Cannes, and Tolga Karacelik’s Turkish family roadtrip comedy Butterflies winning Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize. For other award winners, check out the program. 7. BUMPER CROP OF AUSSIE FILMS It’s been a great year for Aussie films, and SWIFF has put them all in one place for you. The Australian Cinema program has doubled in size this year, with fourteen different new Aussie features and docos screening. Included is audience magnet Backtrack Boys (it won SFF, MIFF, and BBFF audience awards), Coffs latelife gender transition doco Becoming Colleen, mental health supernatural doco Ghosthunter, Tassie fiction-doco hybrid Under The Cover Of Cloud, controversial art film Terror Nullius, and Heath Davis’s new high school comedy, Book Week. 8. NEXTWAVE YOUTH FILM AWARDS Previously called the REC Ya Shorts Youth Film Festival, Nextwave has been busy running

filmmaking workshops across Regional NSW. The best 20 regional NSW youth short films will be screened at the inaugural Nextwave Youth Film Awards on Jan 18th at C.ex Coffs. Over $40,000 in prizes will be awarded on the night. Comedies, animations, dramas, docos, and other bite-sized six-minute shorts will have their premiere on the night - including many local films! 9. $8 TICKETS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE With such a focus on youth filmmaking at SWIFF, the organisers have subsidised tickets for all festivalgoers under 25 down to only $8 for all regular session tickets! 10. HEAD TO THE FESTIVAL HUBS Want to mingle with the festival’s filmmaker guests? Head into Element Bar in Coffs and No. 5 Church Street in Bellingen, the SWIFF Festival Hubs. Sometimes you leave the cinema with more questions than answers, so pop in for a bite and a bubbly debrief after a film. SWIFF 2019 is the fourth Screenwave International Film Festival. It runs from January 10th to the 25th in Coffs Harbour and Bellingen. For programming and tickets, download the SWIFF 2019 mobile app to your phone or visit www.swiff.com.au

SCREENWAVE INTERNATIONAL â€˜19

FILM FESTIVAL 10 - 25 JAN | COFFS COAST HEART OF FILM

SW IFF

TICKETS ON SALE NOW S W I F F. C O M . AU

Coffs Coast focus 43

44 Coffs Coast focus

BEST KEPT SECRETS

The Emerald Beach General Store

ey guys. How are things going at the Emerald Beach General Store since we last spoke to you? Hey! Yeah, things at the store have been good. We’re chipping away at some changes, we’re having fun, we’ve been busy most of the time, which is awesome, and it feels like a good summer! We’ve got an amazing new specialty coffee supplier in Marvell St Roasters and a change in the menu is gonna be great over summer. Fresh! It’s a mad time of year and it can feel kind of hectic, but you know everyone’s in the same boat, so there’s a nice vibe around. It’s exciting when the days get longer and you’re so close to the beach - even if were not in the water as much as we’d like! Louis, your background is in wine and coffee mostly, and you have mentioned that you’ve both worked in the hospitality industry for a long time. Can you tell us about some of your experience in the industry? L: I learnt to slap out cappuccinos and wash dishes during high school, and it sort of just carried on from there. Cafés and restaurants are so fun when you’re that age and you just wanna have a good time. I always loved food and as you stay in the industry a while, certain things just stick with you. For me, that was booze; I just loved the stories in wine. The process and

The Emerald Beach General Store is undergoing a gradual transformation, since brothers Hugh and Louis Riley took over and started putting their stamp on things, introducing new suppliers, delicious coffee and a fresh take on the traditional beachside takeaway. the connection to the land, the culture. The timing was pretty perfect too; the shop was for sale, we were both keen It’s just so interesting and when you strip for a challenge and maybe some time to back all the wank, it’s just a bloody good settle back home. It was always fun to beverage! I appreciated coffee more after come back for a visit, but living here is just learning about wine too - very different amazing. The coast, culture, but a similar the weather, the laid connection to farms and back culture, the people. The more you people. We’re trying learn, the better it gets We’re happy if we just push hard to stay focused and the more intriguing more fresh food and have on making our small it becomes. It is also a some interesting coffee business work and good drink. options. We both feel the you can get a bit of H: It’s so cool when simple things done tunnel vision, but it’s you can give people the well are usually the important not to take same awesome product most enjoyable. A few it for granted. It’s a every morning. It’s great simple things, an amazing really special place! to see people coming in coffee, then go to the beach. What would you as they start their day, consider to be some and you can have a bit of the Coffs Coast’s of fun with them in the best kept secrets? process! That’s why I’ve There’s so many! At the same time, it’s come back to the industry so much over the just feeling like it’s getting busier; there’s a years - just being able to share a good time nice buzz around the Woolgoolga, Northern with customers and meeting good people. Beaches area. The bars and cafés are going I worked cafés and restaurants from high from strength to strength; Ground Earth school as well, in between stints in the and the Sunset Room are some favourites. circus, studying fitness and surfing. I started By the water in Moonee is a super chill managing a couple of places and always place to spend the day - great spot for enjoyed it. families. As some pretty well travelled dudes, Sawtell’s always pumping too - loads of what is it about the Coffs Coast that made you want to put down roots here? places - Boambee reserve is an awesome place for kids or a BBQ. Really, there are so Mum and Dad are here. They’ve always many options: hunting waves up and down welcomed us home and there were usually the coast, chasing waterfalls inland, taking mates around, as well as a full fridge.

your shoes of around the Bellinger. Is there anything in your travels that you would say has influenced the direction you want to take the food you’re cooking at the store in? There’s probably something in the background, but really we’re just figuring it out as we go, ha ha! We just want to keep it simple; the place was just a classic run down takeaway not that long ago, so we’re happy if we just push more fresh food and have some interesting coffee options. We both feel the simple things done well are usually the most enjoyable. A few simple things, an amazing coffee, then go to the beach. What are some of your favourite dishes to cook, either at home with the family or at the store? L: We love tacos and we’ve gotten pretty good at whipping up a last minute taco mash up. Middle Eastern food is a favourite; it’s always nourishing and there are heaps of interesting wine choices that match well. I like a good sausage too. Fresh salad and a good sausage! H: Yeah, we eat pretty well at home lots of sausage. We all live together, so there’s a lot going on in the kitchen at times! Sometimes all I want is Promite on sourdough; it’s amazing. I have some pretty funny cravings ... I'm not the pregnant one in the house, but find myself eating cereal for dinner occasionally too, ha ha. Thanks guys. Coffs Coast focus 45

BEST KEPT SECRETS

C.ex Woolgoolga Located in the heart of the Northern Beaches, C.ex Woolgoolga and their staff are locals who have grown up as part of the community. Greg Engel, C.ex Woolgoolga Manager (pictured), says, “The team strives to achieve the best experience possible for our customers and are always looking at new ways to increase customer service satisfaction. The club prides itself on offering safe, friendly service with a smile - we greet you by name and ask after the family!” You can back a winner in their recently refurbished TAB facility, where you can watch all the races and major sports events in the most up-to-date TAB facility in the region. They also have an array of indoor and outdoor seating available, including their north deck perfect for a cold beverage with friends.

This January C.ex Woolgoolga will host Tex Perkins on Saturday 12th January - most famously known for his role in the evocative soundscapes of The Cruel Sea, but also collaborations with Don Walker, Tim Rogers and Charlie Owen, as well as recording five of his own solo albums. Tickets available online at cex.com.au or at club reception.

Sam Dawson of

Stuck on what to do with the kiddies these summer school holidays? They have you covered! C.ex Woolgoolga “Kids' Summer

PFLAG Coffs Coast.

Discos” are back! Kids will have loads of fun dancing and playing and with entry just $6, which includes a kid's meal and drink, it represents great value for money. Kids’ Summer Discos will be held on Saturday 5th January and Saturday 26th January.

TEX PERKINS

Coffs Coast PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays) is a group of volunteers or allies who have either a child, friend or family member they love whom they want to support in the best way they know how.

anuary is a great time to make they want to know how to best support new starts, new beginnings that person. Sometimes just meeting with and take a really good look like-minded people or people in exactly the at ourselves. It’s a time for a same situation as yourself is perfect; I am change for the better and to sure that’s the foundation of why these really re-evaluate what excites groups work. In 2019 I am revisiting more ways to entice anyone out there who would us and what sustainable changes we can like to explore our group, that is growing in make! I really believe this also translates to numbers too, to not be our attitudes - hitting shy and come along and that reset button! It’s meet new friends and often geared around share if they choose with things like giving up a the group. It is a safe I think we all love connection it’s bad habit or a health group where we meet who we are as humans and I have change, but have you and chat casually and so many people who now say to me ever thought about share our stories, and the that they have relatives, a child and what you can do to feedback so far has been friends who are gay or transgender be more a part of great. I welcome all ideas and they want to know how to best your community? I as we move into 2019, support that person. Sometimes know we are all so whether it is speakers, just meeting with like-minded busy - for me it is fullfundraisers etc. but let’s people or people in exactly the time work and also make it easy, fun, yet same situation as yourself is marrying people most meaningful for everyone. perfect. weekends, but I must So, happy New Year and say it is so satisfying wishing everyone a great to be able to actually 2019. make a difference in someone’s life being a part of a voluntary cause. This has been my experience with working in PFLAG too. I love those conversations in the street, on the phone or randomly conversing at events. I think we all love connection - it’s who we are as humans - and I have so many people who now say to me that they have relatives, a child and friends who are gay or transgender and

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Let’s sprinkle a bit of love and tolerance around at the same time! PFLAG is here to give help, support and information to families and friends of all gay people, right here on the Coffs Coast. w. https://pflagcoffscoast.com/ FB. PFLAGcoffcoast P. 0417 861 045.

BEST KEPT SECRETS

Coramba Hotel, nestled just 12 km inland from Coffs Harbour in Coffs Coast’s western hinterland of the Orara Valley, is where you will find a charming family oriented country pub. Run by Brett and Sandy, who recently moved to the area, the pair’s love and passion is evident, as they believe in good old fashioned, friendly, country style hospitality and service.

hen did you first take over the Coramba Hotel, and what attracted you to the area? We bought the leasehold and took over the pub operations on the 13th December 2017. I (Sandy) have always had an extremely strong connection to the Coffs Harbour area and personally fell in love with it, as my family had regular holidays in the area all throughout my childhood and teenage years, and in particular Nambucca. It has been both a long term dream and personal goal for both of us for the past seven years to buy and personally run our own pub, with my only stipulation when Brett was searching pubs that they must be around the Coffs Harbour area and not too far from the ocean. We looked at quite a number of pubs, but we both fell in love with Coramba Pub the moment that we saw it and the pretty little historic village of Coramba. It is the best of both worlds, situated in the beautiful Orara Valley hinterland and only 10 minutes’ drive back to the beautiful beaches of Coffs Harbour and surrounding towns. What changes have you implemented? A multitude of changes: 1. Tuesday nights were very quiet, with only a few customers coming in. We commenced very successful Tuesday Trivia Nights and can

now get anywhere up to 90 regulars who pre-book each Tuesday. It is a great night, full of fun and lots of camaraderie. 2. Foxtel Sports. 3. Having regular entertainment that mixes it up to break any monotony and bands every Sunday, with occasional DJ/karaoke theme nights. 4. Taken over management of the pub’s Broadaxe Bistro - with an awesome new Head Chef and new menu, with a greater variety to cater for everyone - seniors plus senior discounts, greater choices for vegetarians, plus introduced the good ol’ country Sunday roast meals, as well as coffee and a selection of desserts. 5. Given the place an overall facelift, changing the facade of the bar, and we still have more exciting changes yet to come and be unveiled. 6. We have tried our best to implement a more relaxed, family friendly feel and still have more ideas and plans yet to come. 6. A greater presence in the local community, both personally and professionally, as well as the wider community as advocators of not just the pub, but Coramba itself and the Orara Valley in general. 7. Designed our own new logo. 8. Created a strong social media presence with a large (and still increasing) following. 9. Advertising on WIN TV and TripleM radio stations.

Have you got any specials and promotions running throughout the festive season? We have entertainment, with Slipstream playing live on New Year’s Eve, with the pub open ‘til 1am. We close our bar for 20 minutes only from 11:50pm to 12:10am, so that our staff can also have a drink and join in the countdown to see in the New Year. Coramba Pub has traditionally run an annual woodchop event each January. This was previously organised, facilitated and run by a prior employee, who has since retired. Through her help and guidance, we are resurrecting and continuing this tradition. The woodchop event for 2019 is being run on the 6th January 2019, and we are in need of sponsors. If anyone would like to support the day, with advertising at the pub, all they need to do is contact either of us on 6654 4216. There is no minimum or maximum amount - just whatever amount people are comfortable donating to sponsor each woodchop event. We have a massive Australia Day long weekend planned too, with The Smileys conducting Australia themed games for adults and kids, face painting, sausage sizzle, meat raffles, bands - with “Ian Henry” playing live on Saturday - and on Sunday we have “Who’s Charlie” playing live, PLUS a massive flea market/car boot sale at the pub, AND the Coramba street markets are also on that day.

Anyone can join in the flea market/car boot sale for the cost of $10 (fundraising for 2020 Coramba Pub Woodchop Event) but bookings are essential. To book, just phone Sandy or Brett on 6654 4216. What is your greatest achievement? Overall on a personal level, I think would be finding a loving partner who supports you and shares the same dreams and goals. And overall on a professional level, it would have to be that we both absolutely love what we do and we do it with such passion and enthusiasm, that we have been lucky to have it reflect in the success of all of our business ventures to date. But in the last 12 months, it would have to be the support of the community, our customers and our staff. We have had lots of great compliments about how much nicer and more pleasant the pub is now and that it is more like older times, when the pub was really jumping. We also recently received some humbling but great feedback from our customers who obviously like what we are doing, as we were voted not once but twice in TripleM Coffs Harbour November’s vote for Coffs Coast Best by their station listeners. We won “2018 Best Pub on Coffs Coast” as well as “2018 Best Parmy on Coffs Coast” and want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who supported and voted for us. Thanks guys. Coffs Coast focus 47

focus_tourism

WITH TEGAN SWAN OF WOOLGOOLGA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

WITH FIONA BARDEN

events + UPDATE

Iconic Coﬀs Coast

From the vibrant coastal city of Coﬀs Harbour, through coastal and hinterland villages, discover the special experiences that are unique to this region. he Coffs Coast proudly boasts an array of iconic activities, attractions and flavours. It’s an amazing part of the world … loved by visitors and those lucky enough to live here.

to stay, or just to stop and enjoy a coffee and a bite to eat. Take the kids “headland hopping” for an hour or two, or challenge yourself and complete the full walk over several days. You’ll find signage explaining the local history and culture along the way.

DRIVE THE WATERFALL WAY Voted as one of the best scenic drives in NSW, Waterfall Way winds through five national parks along the 185 km drive from the Coffs Coast to Armidale.

TASTE THE FRESHEST SEAFOOD Located at the very heart of the harbour, the Coffs Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative has been operating on the foreshores of Coffs Harbour since the early 1950s. Here you can buy the freshest locally-caught seafood, including Start with a swim at the picturesque beaches of Snapper, Whiting, Sawtell and Valla before Flathead, prawns and heading to the charming lobsters, ready to take township of Bellingen home and cook up a for brunch at one of feast. You’ll also get the many cafés. Venture DISCOVER MORE great advice on how to further to experience the WATERFALLS AS cook your purchase - or magnificent waterfall YOU GET CLOSER TO catch one of the popular walks of the Dorrigo ARMIDALE, INCLUDING cooking demonstrations Plateau and the World WOLLOMOMBI FALLS, on Saturday mornings for Heritage Gondawana AUSTRALIA’S SECOND some fishy inspiration! Rainforests of Dorrigo HIGHEST AT 220 M. National Park. Discover more waterfalls as you get closer to Armidale, including Wollomombi Falls, Australia’s second highest at 220 m. Find more waterfall vistas and secluded river-side picnic areas as you walk the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park tracks. Find out more at mywaterfallway.com WALK THE COASTLINE The Solitary Islands Coastal Walk is a 60 km stretch of idyllic golden beaches, rocky headlands, lush rainforests, and beachside villages along the Coffs Coast. With numerous easy access points close to villages and towns, you can dip in and out of this trail and trek as little or as much as you want! Along the way discover Indigenous stories, maritime history, unique plant life, and wildlife such as Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Bottlenose Dolphins and Green Sea Turtles. There are places 48 Coffs Coast focus

Don’t want to cook? Enjoy an authentic “fish and chip” experience, with a view of the fishing boats and harbour from the co-op’s hot-shop takeaway and verandah on the marina. IMMERSE YOURSELF IN SWIFF Screenwave international Film Festival (SWIFF) is Australia’s largest regional feature film festival program. Held across 16 days in Coffs Harbour and Bellingen, SWIFF brings audiences a culturally diverse and inclusive program of more than 65 word-class films from Australia and abroad. From January 10 to 25, the Coffs Coast will be home to dozens of filmmakers and festival guests - actors, directors, producers and writers - all here to engage with SWIFF audiences. More than just watching movies, the festival is a celebration of film and screen culture. More info: swiff.com.au coffscoast.com #createyourparadise

Welcome to 2019 and welcome to new adventures … Woopi style! Back in the day, people used to travel up and down the Pacific Highway looking for somewhere they could stop and relax under a shady tree with a good book. These days, however, there is increasing demand for holiday destinations that offer outdoor adventures and recreational opportunities for the whole family to enjoy. WELCOME TO WOOLGOOLGA! We’re fast becoming the adventure capital of the Coffs Coast. ou only need to look at point break or to simply float up the creek. the traffic moving through For the runners, there is a great cross our town to see that many country run loop which hugs the edge of cars are jammed packed Woopi lake and loops in and around the with bikes, boards, kayaks, lake and ovals. The bush is native and lush, SUPs and anything else and the trail is well maintained. If your idea that gives a healthy thrill. Woolgoolga is of adventure is a little more slow paced, perfectly situated as a launching point from then Woolgoolga and the Northern Beaches any adventure you have in mind, and the features some of the best sections of the options are wide and Coffs Coastal Walk. Take diverse. The area has in the stunning views more than its share from the headland and of good surf, and head north or south on FOR THOSE WHO PREFER the local surf schools an all day adventure THEIR RECREATION can get you up and of coastal discovery. If WITH AN ENGINE going on the local you want a walk in the UNDERNEATH THEM, uncrowded waves. forest, then the waterfall THEN THE 4WD AND If pedalling is more walk will leave you DIRT BIKE OPTIONS your thing, it is a feeling like you are lost WEST OF TOWN ARE wonderful place to in a tropical paradise. LIMITLESS. ride bikes. Whether It is mostly flat and the it is a ride around dense canopy keeps town with the family things cool. If you do or a serious road ride, there are many heat up, then you can always step under the great routes. If you prefer off-road, then fresh flowing water or enjoy the rock pools the adjacent Wedding Bells State Forest that collect at the top of the falls. has some world class mountain bike trails, For those who prefer their recreation ranging from the easy and scenic to eye with an engine underneath them, then the watering descents. Drop by Woodsey’s 4WD and dirt bike options west of town are Wheels for maps and trail information. limitless. Explore pristine sub tropical forest For those wishing to paddle, there are and take in views that will stay with for long both estuary and open water options, after you have washed the mud away. which give unrivalled views of our coast Woolgoolga truly is an outdoor paradise and waterways and also open up some and serves as the perfect starting point for a very good fishing opportunities. There are a day, week, month, or a lifetime of adventure number of places on the Northern Beaches and exploration. Grab your favourite from Red Rock to Moonee who can sort you adventure gear (or hire some when you get out with a Stand Up Paddle board (SUP) and here) and come join us - a great healthy way great advice to enjoy a wave on a right hand to spend your down time.

BEST KEPT SECRETS

Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cutural Centre Visiting Yarrawarra is an activity everyone can enjoy, regardless of age or background. Our gallery is free to enter, easily accessible, with ample parking for cars and coaches. We are surrounded by tranquil bushland, pristine beaches and abundant wildlife in Corindi Beach, the homelands of the Garby Elders and Gumbaynggirr people. Wadjar Gallery celebrates and maintains a deep connection to country, whilst “touching the earth lightly”. We are a conduit for Aboriginal community and artists, students and all visitors wishing to explore and connect with Indigenous identity, history and cultural practices. Our cultural activities and guided tours immerse you in a ‘time before time’. Our museum houses a heritage collection spanning over 4,000 years of Gumbaynggirr history. Our gallery showcases a vibrant contemporary Aboriginal art program in various mediums, including music, dance, film, ceramics, 3D and 2D works. Our Bush Tucker café offers contemporary style cuisine incorporating kangaroo, crocodile, emu, native fruit, vegetables and herbs, as well as delicious coffee and cakes. For bookings or catering, phone: (02) 6640 7104.

Billabong Zoo Billabong Zoo are delighted to announce the birth of our first African Lion cub, to parents Milo and Misty, on 27th August. “Amari”, meaning “miracle” and “strong” was born at 7pm. Amari’s birth is exciting for the zoo and local community and incredibly important for the Australasian breeding program for African Lions. Misty and Milo were imported from South Africa in 2016, meaning that Amari is not related to any of the lions at other zoos within Australia. In the future when he’s ready to start his own pride, his genetics will be really valuable to the breeding program. For now however, Amari will continue to explore his new enclosure and build his confidence meeting and greeting the guests. He can be seen enjoying playtime with his keepers at the conclusion of each lion presentation at 10:30am, 1pm and 3:30pm daily. Come and see our adult lions up-close, enjoy Amari’s playful antics and hear all about his birth at the zoo, plus learn more about African Lions and their challenges in the wild. Please donate to Kevin Richardson Foundation at kevinrichardsonfoundation.org

Zoo Up-close One-on-one personal encounters with koalas, meerkats, snakes, red pandas, snow leopards or cheetahs. Booking essential. Times & costs on our website or call 6585 1060

Zoo Café Breakfast & lunch, daily specials Zoo Shop Souvenirs & great gifts Zoo Kids Children's play area & all day walk-through kangaroo & wallaby feeding area.

Zoo Talks 16 FREE keeper presentations daily (included in entry fee) + reptile show at the weekends and holidays.

Conservation through education

OPEN DAILY

9am to 5pm

Billabong Drive, Port Macquarie 6585 1060 | Billabongzoo.com.au

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1 01 R E A S O N S TO P L AY, S TAY, TA S T E & E X P LO R E

THE BIG BANANA FUN PARK The Big Banana Fun Park is the BIGGEST Fun Park on the Northern NSW coast! It boasts 8 fantastic major attractions including a 17.5m tall Giant Slide, Toboggan ride, Laser Tag arena, 36 hole Mini Golf course, Theatre and Plantation Tour, Ice Skating rink, Family Fun Zone and the biggest Water Park between Sydney & the Gold Coast! PLUS, our new 4D Ride Simulator is arriving in early January 2019! TRADING: Open 9am to 5pm 7 days (Attractions time vary) ADDRESS: 351 Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour PHONE: 02 6652 4355 WEB: www.bigbanana.com

CLUB 300

TEN PIN BOWLING, BAR & PIZZA CAFE Whether you’re a social bowler wanting a fun night out with friends to enjoy our licensed bar, bistro and pool tables or looking to join a Competition League Team, or a family fun night. TRADING: See our website for details ADDRESS: 74/76 Grafton St (via Cox Lane) Coffs Harbour PHONE: 02 6652 5666 WEB: club300bowling.com.au

$10 FOR 1 GAME

DOLPHIN MARINE MAGIC Presentations and animal interactions available daily. Experience. Discover. Act! TRADING: Open every day of the year ADDRESS: 65 Orlando St, Coffs Harbour PHONE:02 6659 1900 WEB: www.dolphinmarinemagic.com.aU

(CONDITIONS APPLY, MIN 4 PLAYERS)

MOTACKLE & OUTDOORS

TWILIGHT FOOD MARKETS

WATSONS LEISURE CENTRE

Motackle & Outdoors is the largest fishing tackle store in the world! PLUS we have a massive range of outdoor & watersport products TRADING: Open 9am to 5pm 7 days ADDRESS: 144 Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour PHONE: 02 6652 4611 WEB: www.motackle.com.au EMAIL: sales@motackle.com.au

The Twilight Food Market is open every Friday (weather permitting) during NSW daylight saving months. A family friendly food only market, diverse in multicultural cuisine and lots of choices for the kids... Dog friendly too. WHEN: January 4th up to 27 April 2019. WHERE: Park Beach Reserve

Watsons Leisure Centre is your one stop shop for all things camping, caravans & motorhomes. With a Camping World store, caravan & Motorhome hire & a huge range of new & used Caravan & Motorhomes - there is something for all levels of leisure seekers. VEHICLES FOR SALE CARAVANS AND MOTORHOMES FOR HIRE TRADING: Mon- Friday 8.30am to 5pm, Saturday 8.30am to 3pm ADDRESS: Cnr Pacific Hwy + North Boambee Road, Coffs Harbour PHONE: (02) 6652 7544 WEB: www.watsonsleisurecentre.com.au

EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT weather permitting

5pm - 9pm Park Beach Reserve, Coﬀs Harbour

LIVE MUSIC

Bring a blanket, a bottle of wine, your dog (on a leash) & DON’T FORGET THE KIDS!

www.coffscoast.com

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1 01 R E A S O N S

TO P L AY, S TAY, TA S T E & E X P LO R E

GET Wet+Wild THIS SUMMER.

SWIMMING

FISHING

The Coffs Coast features 32 pristine beaches over coastline stretching 80km from Red Rock in the north to Hungry Head in the south. Many of our beaches are patrolled over summer school holidays including Park Beach in Coffs Harbour, Woolgoolga Beach and Red Rock to the north and Sawtell and North Beach (Mylestom) to the south. To check when beaches are patrolled visit www.beachsafe.org.au. Don’t forget to pack the sunscreen!

The Coffs Coast has more than 30 great locations to wet a line and is unmatched when it comes to the range of species available. The region is blessed with estuaries fed by hinterland creeks and rivers, as well as headlands and sheltered beaches. Pick up some info from MO Tackle in Coffs Harbour, one of the biggest fishing stores in the world, or make a booking with a local guide from Freshest Fishing Tours, Coffs Coast Sport Fishing or Second Nature.

SURFING

WATER ACTIVITIES

Want to try surfing? The Coffs Coast offers easy rides for beginner surfers around various protected beaches and harbours. Solitary Islands Surf School, Lee Winkler Surf School and Sawtell Surf School have expert local knowledge and friendly instructors who will have you riding the waves before you know it! The coastline also features sandy bottomed point-breaks and excellent beach breaks to suit everyone from grommets to legend surfers.

Diving, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, snorkelling – you can do all these and more on the Coffs Coast! Whether you want to hire the equipment to get you on (or in) the water, discover wildlife on a guided tour or get expert tuition, you are spoilt for choice with a great variety of local businesses. These include Jetty Dive, C-Change Adventures, Coffs Jetty SuP Hire, Paddle Coffs Coast and Wajaana Yaam Gumbaynggirr Adventure Tours.

For more info click on coffscoast.com

DISCOVER COFFS COAST - FROM BEACH TO BUSH Jump online to check out adventure activities, day trips, food experiences, events and more!

CONNECT WITH US

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W I T H TA N J A A C K E R M A N

Wildgirl and the Wasp

OXLEY WILD RIVERS NATIONAL PARK – MOTORCYCLE CAMPING

fter a relaxing lunch and refuel, we Rock Wallaby for company was the perfect end were on the road again to make our to an adventurous day. way to Oxley Wild Rivers National After a glorious sunrise and a tasty breakfast, Park via Walcha - a pretty town it was time to walk the 2.8 km Oxley Walking in the New Track. Wandering through England High Country a forest of New England which is known as a stringybark and snow “Pasture Wonderland” gums, Wildgirl crossed the and was a delight to visit. NO TIME FOR WINERIES Apsley River over a lovely Rolling hills of green, ON THIS TRIP, BUT WE suspension footbridge. pasture after pasture ARE SURE TO RETURN. Leaning over the edge speckled with sheep WALCHA IS ONE OF THE to look down and see a ... Beautiful scenery to ACCESS POINTS FOR THE platypus swimming in the delight our senses. The OXLEY WILD RIVERS pond below was such rich soil also supports NATIONAL PARK. a wonderful surprise. vineyards. No time for Venturing along the cliff wineries on this trip, but edges, the mighty gorges we are sure to return. and dramatic sheer walls Walcha is one of the of slate were such an honour to view ... A picnic access points for The Oxley Wild Rivers National lunch on the cliff edge surrounded by expansive Park, another World Heraitage Listed Park within views, three Black Cockatoos and a bright red reach of Coffs Harbour. The Aspley River rambles King Parrot in a tree nearby. So grateful; truly through Walcha into the National Park, where it cannot ask for much more. tumbles over two sheer cliffs into a deep gorge. www.wildgirlandthewasp.com Apsley Falls - our destination and home for next few days. Talk about travelling light. Motorcycling camping brings a whole new dimension to minimalism. Wildgirl loves a challenge. Being worlds away from civilisation was a pure pleasure. After setting up her tent and camp for the night, Wildgirl took off on foot and walked the stunning scenic Apsley Gorge Rim walking track. Only a 1.2 km loop, there was plenty of time to take in the rugged ravines, shimmering waterfalls and deep ponds. A Peregrine Falcon was spotted resting on a rocky ledge, and then high above circling and gliding, a mighty Wedgetailed Eagle. All these adventures created a healthy appetite. Dinner by the fire, a book and a cup of tea with only a mob of kangaroos and a lone Brush-tailed

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Celebrating 100 ISSUES

Lucky door GIFTS POP IN STORE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN VOUCHERS TO THE VALUE OF $100 - EVERYONE WINS A PRIZE. FIRST 100 PEOPLE FROM THE 1ST OF JANUARY *ONE PER CUSTOMER

25 FREECoffees

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FOR THE FIRST 20 CUSTOMERS ON FRIDAY THE 5TH OF JANUARY FIRST IN, BEST DRESSED (NO PUN INTENDED)

100 FREE MACARONS WITH EVERY CUPCAKE PURCHASE ON THE 10TH JANUARY FOR THE FIRST 100 CUPCAKES SOLD. *LIMIT ONE PP

travel

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BUY 1 WATER PARK ENTRY AND GET 1 FREE (TO EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE). PLEASE MENTION THIS OFFER AT THE MAIN TICKET OFFICE (NEXT TO THE GIFT SHOP) AVAILABLE FROM 7TH JANUARY FOR THE FIRST 100 CUSTOMERS.

10 $50vouchers

25 FREE Bottles

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OF ROSE’ FOR THE FIRST 25 CUSTOMERS WHO BOOK BREAKFAST FROM JANUARY 8TH * ONE PER PERSON

FOR THE FIRST 10 PEOPLE TO PLACE AN ORDER AT BIG GARDEN FURNITURE WOOLGOOLGA PHONE 0417 205 807

10 X $50 RESTAURANT VOUCHERS FOR THE FIRST 10 PEOPLE TO POST A PHOTO OF THEM EATING OR DRINKING AT SURF CLUB RESTAURANT AND BAR DURING JANUARY

free Macarons

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10 free $50vouchers FOR THE FIRST 10 CUSTOMERS WITH EVERY PURCHASE OF A $150 GIFT VOUCHER, YOU WILL RECEIVE A $50 GIFT VOUCHER FREE. T&C APPLY. VALID FROM 1ST JANUARY.

Coffs Coast focus 53

focusinterview.

JodieAlderton h a r m o n y h o o v e s h e a l i n g h e a rts

Jodie Alderton, co-founder of Harmony Hooves Healing Hearts, has found a way to combine her love for animals and her desire to provide healing and comfort to humans and horses alike.

he rescues animals that have been mistreated or are on death row, rehabilitates and trains them, and then often enters them into her Pet Therapy programs. These programs are designed mostly for youths that need support in dealing with anxiety, low self esteem, and social issues, and also for the elderly to provide comfort, affection and company. Where did Harmony Hooves Healing Hearts originate from? It was pet therapy that pulled me through my own teenage years growing up, and it’s a remedy I’ve now dedicated my life to providing for others. Harmony Hooves Healing Hearts was founded in 2008, when I offered free programs to at-risk youth who had lost their way. The program started when funding was cancelled to a local RDA, and I was liaison officer for the special needs program. I was really just trying to mirror my own time as a lost teenager when having all the animals helped with my relationships, my self-esteem and confidence. I offered these programs to schools for free and 10 years down the track, still work with an all-boys school weekly. You are opening a branch here on the Coffs Coast in the coming months; what made you decide to bring HHHH to this area? In 2010 Cindy Bickerstaff and I were both interested in horse welfare and, before we knew each other, we were both involved in setting up two well known charities on the

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Gold Coast (Save a Horse Australia and Healing Hooves inc.). We became friends with a mission to save animals, rescuing horses and other animals. Cindy is now in the Coffs area caring for her father; she is passionate about horses and healing people and decided that Harmony Hooves Healing Hearts was greatly needed in this area. Can you explain what Equine Therapy is? Equine Therapy encompasses a range of treatments that involve activities and interactions with horses and other equines to promote physical, emotional and mental health. Horses are a mirror into the soul. They look beyond any disability and don’t judge. Being around horses can help people that have difficulty dealing with anxiety, particularly people who have anxiety related to the stigma that goes along with being viewed as different. Teen clients feel safe and gain confidence, and when given the opportunity to introduce a rescued mini to the elderly, they feel proud. Equine Therapy is also just about being in each other’s company and enjoying that energetic feeling that travels between horse and client. Could you tell us about some of the sorts of people who participate in the Equine Therapy programs? Our programs are focused on youth, with value based programs such as Trust, Respect, Responsibility. They are offered an eight week program, then invited to be part of the team and visit the elderly in nursing homes, creating love, joy and a sense of belonging and purpose.

EQUINE THERAPY Equine Therapy is also just A therapy pony has ENCOMPASSES A RANGE sitting with a palliative care hours of training and OF TREATMENTS THAT patient or at mental health desensitising; they have INVOLVE ACTIVITIES AND facilities, just being. I don’t to be 100 percent safe. INTERACTIONS WITH like the word “therapy”, If they are not suited, we HORSES AND OTHER as I find it too clinical, and will find forever homes EQUINES TO PROMOTE with youth it has a stigma. for them instead. PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL The nursing homes are Where do most of the AND MENTAL HEALTH. an experience; we create horses come from, and a magical energy for the why are they usually in elderly when we visit their need of rescue? rooms. Most ponies or horses that are rescued we What benefits do you see these clients take either hear about by word of mouth or we find away from spending time with your horses? at monthly horse sales; a huge percentage are Like animals, we are all able to energetically feel love and respect. At HHHH we endeavour to create a safe environment for human and horse to feel that. We have had great success rates with youth who were self-harming and that had low self-esteem. Sometimes it just takes that one person to believe in them for them to believe in themselves. Some benefits for the elderly include: increased wellbeing, feelings of euphoria, lowered blood pressure, reminiscing memories of past pets, reminiscing childhood happiness, calmness, supports social isolation and fills a loneliness void, changes their environment for a short time. The horses at HHHH are animals that have been rescued and rehabilitated. Do all your horses then become part of the therapy program, or do you also re-home some of them?

animals that are going to slaughter because of the effects of drought. Who trains and looks after the horses? The horses are trained and desensitised by me and Cindy. How can people get involved with Harmony Hooves Healing Hearts? We have a beautiful blind boy we are doing a Go Fund Me campaign for at the moment. He has been saved from neglect, so will take a lot of work to gain trust and love with humans. Or, some may wish to volunteer to support the visits into the nursing homes. You can contact Jodie - 0418 147 399 www.harmonyhooveshealinghearts.com.au https://www.facebook.com/ harmonyhooveshealinghearts Thanks Jodie.

New Year. New You.

new year

new you Coffs Coast focus 55

Health Wellbeing focushealth

and

*STYLE COUNCIL WITH LAUREN VESTEY LIVING DOLL

WITH COFFS COAST NUTRITION

NEW YEAR

FAD DIETS

Hair Resolutions Thou shalt not break!

Why do we keep doing this to ourselves?

“Do what you’ve always done, and you’ll get what you’ve always got.”

ommit to regular hair cuts!

don’t know who first said this, but it is so true. If your current lifestyle is not getting the desired results, then it’s time to do something different.

about one or two things about our hair we aren’t particularly fond of. But, nobody is perfect and if we can learn how to mask those tiny flaws with some little tips and tricks from your hairdresser, life would be so much easier. This is the first step in finally learning to love and manage your hair.

If you are anything like me, I have already filled in my 2019 diary with appointments, important dates, meetings, and birthdays etc. for the coming year. I know if I don’t put it in I won’t chop all of my the diary (and in the hair off, just because I phone with alarms hit a certain age. set) I will forget. We Forget the stereotypes are endlessly multiout there that are telling tasking, never saying WE ARE ONLY TALKING you because of your no SUPERWOMEN FIVE - 10 MINUTES age you have to look that have everyone HERE, LADIES. JUST like this. Rubbish; work else’s needs coming THINK: THERE ARE 1,440 with what you have! If first. So we do need to MINUTES IN A DAY. WHY you suit long hair with book and have these NOT ALLOW SOME TIME soft layers, rock it ‘til appointments in our FOR OURSELVES TO FEEL you are 100 (if it still schedule, otherwise AND LOOK OUR BEST? looks good). Ask a Living eight weeks will stretch Doll Stylist for advice on out to three, four, five what suits your face and or even six months, and your personal style. we will be wondering why we can’t do anything with our hair. Accept compliments and share the love. Allow more time for yourself! We are only talking five - 10 minutes here, ladies. Just think: there are 1,440 minutes in a day. Why not allow some time for ourselves to feel and look our best? Make the effort for yourself, because no one else can do it for you. I will stop beating myself up about my flaws. Let’s face it, ladies; we all are caught up

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Gorgeous hair will attract compliments, and so will smiling women exuding confidence and happiness. Let us be a network of women supporting and encouraging each other. If you see a women with a haircut you LOVE, then give her a compliment and maybe even ask where she had it done. I know it will make her day. 2019 is your year, ladies! XO Dolls.

One of the most important decisions you can make is to shift your mindset. Most people know how to eat well, but they often find it hard to put this into practice. Everyone is busy these days, and it can be tempting to put health and fitness into the “too hard” basket, or to try the latest fad diet, which we all know rarely works in the long term. Health and fitness needs to be viewed as a way of life, rather than as something that you do for eight - 12 weeks (like a weight loss challenge or boot camp). Once you change your way of thinking and set realistic goals, it becomes so much easier to achieve long-term success. This applies to many areas of life. Some people find it difficult to maintain motivation, or they “lose the plot” if their weight hits a plateau for a week or two, and then they go back to what they used to do. In this situation, success is likely to remain elusive. The team at Coffs Coast Nutrition can help you to develop an action plan that enables you to re-gain your motivation and achieve your goals. A casual internet search reveals literally millions of weight loss books and diet products, but how can you spot a fad diet?

Fad diets can result in muscle wasting and a reduction in metabolic rate, making future weight loss attempts more difficult. Additional dangers of fad diets: nutritional deficiencies (leading to fatigue and other unwanted side effects), hypoglycaemia, dehydration, nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, headaches, light headedness and bad breath. If you feel that you eat healthily, but suffer from any of the above symptoms, you may have food intolerances or sensitivities. Food intolerances can take a heavy toll on your health and wellbeing, and it can be difficult for the average person to accurately identify which particular foods are problematic. This can result in ongoing gastrointestinal symptoms, poor energy levels and nutritional deficiencies, or difficulty exercising. In this situation it is advisable to see a specialist food intolerance dietitian, who can set you on the right track. Louise Williams from Coffs Coast Nutrition is the area’s only FODMAP accredited dietary specialist and the only Accredited Sports Dietitian on the Coffs Coast, so is wellequipped to provide the best possible support and advice. If you would like to start the New Year in a positive way, make an appointment to see one of the friendly team at Coffs Coast Nutrition.

• Celebrity endorsements

Dietitians, Nutritionists and Health Coaches: Louise Williams and Ellie Starkey

• Complicated food rules and regulations

Personal Trainer: Col Williams

• Inclusion of a “newly discovered food” or substance or a special food combination

Office Manager: Brooke Henry

• A commercial product or diet with testimonials that can’t be verified

Coffs Coast Nutrition, 95 Vera Drive, Coffs Harbour. Ph: 6652 7529 www.coffscoastnutrition. com.au

• Small print stating “in conjunction with a healthy eating plan and exercise”.

No referral required. (unless claiming under Medicare).

New Year. New You.

new year

new you Living Doll Looking for a new stylist? Lauren from Living Doll has some tips to help your first visit become a long-lasting relationship. First, bring photos. This seems obvious, but still needs to be said. If you haven’t had a cut, style, or colour in a while, bring photos on your phone of the last time your hair was styled to your liking. Point out what you liked about the look to the stylist you’re working with; otherwise, they will just be going by what you have when you sit down in the chair. Trust your gut. Finding a new stylist isn’t just about their talent; it’s about how the two of you vibe together. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking up, or feel like your stylist isn’t hearing your feedback, you’re likely not going to be happy with the final result. The Premier Stylists pride themselves on really listening and giving you the time you deserve. When you call to make an appointment, tell them it’s your first time and you’d like to talk with the stylist first - and show up early. This is not the time to experiment. The first time you go in to see a new stylist is not the time to lose six inches of hair and go from brunette to platinum blonde. You need to work with them to build up trust and get into a groove. Treat your stylist like any new relationship. But hey, it has happened before - where the connection is instantly strong, and the magic happens. Lauren, Kate, Chloe and Tia, the Premier Stylists at Living Doll, are here to make your hair dreams a reality. Book early for Christmas appointments to avoid disappointment. Xo Dolls.

Gut Restore Program Feeling slim? Comfy in those favourite jeans? Isn’t it terrific to wake refreshed, energetic and eager for the day, knowing a brief but productive visit to the loo has set you up for lasting comfort all day? If this does not sound like your story, but you’d like it to, there is no better time than now to make it so. The ten-day Gut Restore Program offers simple but incredibly effective guidelines to get your gut right. Whether discomfort is a result of the pleasures of the silly season, a course of antibiotics, or has been hounding you for years, we have the means to help bring back harmony. Kate is a Nutritionist with twenty years’ experience, specialising in colonic irrigation and gut health for twelve years. What a happy client said: “I had basically given up on myself, coming to the conclusion the aches and pains, fatigue and PMS were my ‘normal’. Now I’m a completely new person with a ‘can’t wipe the smile off my face’ attitude! Kate is so supportive, made me feel at ease and taught me the importance of Gut Health. I have an endless supply of energy and feel amazing every day … Oh, and I lost 6 kg!” Ms K, CH. Contact Kate Cooke Dip Nut DRM at Flushed With Health. www.flushedwithhealth.com.au e: kate@flushedwithhealth.com.au ph: 0448 554 096

Coffs Coast focus 57

New Year. New You.

JudyAuld

new year

new you

dental therapist

hat does a dental therapist do? As a dental therapist, I treat children and young adults ranging from babies to teenagers up to the age of 18. I am genuinely passionate about working with children and creating trust in my young patients through a gentle approach, which makes my patients feel at ease. Young people are often anxious about a visit to the dentist, which is very understandable. However, with the right approach I find that children generally overcome these fears and in many instances, they look forward to their visits and a ride in the chair. I am also very mindful and passionate about encouraging parental involvement with their children’s oral health. If this can be achieved at an early age, it creates good lifelong oral health habits. The treatments which I perform on my patients range from comprehensive routine

check-ups, polishing and scaling, fluoride treatments, dental X-rays, fillings in both deciduous (baby) teeth and permanent teeth, extractions of baby teeth and nerve treatments of baby teeth. If I have a patient who requires treatment outside of my expertise, they are referred to one of the many experienced dentists on the Fresh Dental Care team. Oral health education in schools and child care centres is also something that I have been involved with throughout my career. I am accompanied by my assistant, in her tooth fairy outfit, and we try to make these sessions fun and enjoyable for the children. There have been many amusing questions asked of the tooth fairy, which result in a few giggles. When should a child first visit the dentist and why? It is recommended that as soon as your child has their first tooth, they should visit the dentist. This visit may only be to get advice in relation to teething, tooth brushing and how to develop good habits that will prevent problems

with your child’s teeth later. I constantly see

they will avoid dental problems and they will

children having problems with their teeth that

continue this habit through to adulthood.

could easily have been avoided with good oral

The Child Dental Benefit Schedule (CDBS) has

health habits. Parents are often unaware of the

been a great initiative to encourage oral health

problems which can be caused by bad habits

in children. Children who are part of families

such as thumb-sucking and dummy-sucking, which have the potential to cause major problems with children’s teeth. Early advice about diet and how to prevent decay is also invaluable for parents to establish good oral health for their children. I believe that prevention is a far better option

receiving certain Australian Government payments may be eligible to receive up to $1,000 of basic dental care for each child aged two to 17 years. The benefit is over two consecutive calendar years, commencing when the child has their first eligible dental service.

than having to rectify problems which are often

For more information, visit: https://www.

avoidable. The earlier a child starts routine

humanservices. gov.au/individuals/services/

visits to the dentist, the greater the chance that

medicare/child-dental-benefits-schedule

Bulk billing CDBS available Family-friendly practice Extended opening hours Saturday availability

(Coffs Harbour & Macksville)

Children’s therapist

Grafton

Cnr Queen & Victoria Streets

6643 2225

Coffs Harbour

Suite 1, 252 Harbour Drive

6651 1350

freshdentalcare.com.au 58 Coffs Coast focus

Urunga

46 Bonville Street

6655 5800

Macksville

1 Princess Street

6568 1335

/freshdentalcare.com.au

New Year. New You.

Our aim is to deliver quality events while keeping our entry fees to a minimum, our donations to a maximum and our participants happy.

reasons to smile

new year

new you

illage Sports Coffs Harbour organises home-grown sporting events and gives generously to local charities and community groups. Since 2013, Village Sports has donated over $320,000 to the Coffs Coast community. It was set up in 2013 by locals Mick Maley and Sinclair Black, who are extremely passionate about promoting a healthy lifestyle and getting all ages and abilities involved in sporting activities. Village Sports runs three major sporting events each year: the bcu Coffs TRI in March; the Beachside Radiology Coffs Ocean Swims in April; and the Bendigo Bank Coffs Harbour Running Festival in September. The events attract over 3,500 competitors annually, from babies in prams to professional athletes and everyone in between. More than half of these participants are visitors to the Coffs Coast, who come with their families and friends, which is great for tourism and the local economy. Village Sports has donated over $320,000 to the following organisations, who are all involved in helping deliver the quality events: Coffs Harbour, Sawtell, Woolgoolga and Urunga Surf Life Saving Clubs; Corindi and Coffs Harbour SES Crews; St John Ambulance;

Camp Quality’s Community Fundraising Officer Bec Haagsma, THE EVENT OFFERS said, “We love being RACES FOR CHILDREN part of the running AND NOVICES ON THE festival each year; it’s SATURDAY AND THE such a great day and HEADLINE STANDARD a fantastic community (OLYMPIC) DISTANCE CanDo Cancer Trust; event. Without events RACE FOR INDIVIDUALS Life Education; Coffs like this and the funds AND TEAMS ON THE Coast Autism; Early they raise, the impact we SUNDAY. Connections; Camp make simply wouldn’t Quality; Marine be possible. These funds Rescue; Rotary; and allow Camp Quality to be the Disabled Surfers there for kids at every stage of their cancer Association. experience: in hospital, at home, at school and The donations have a significant positive away from it all.” impact on all of these local charities and Bill Roffey, SES Coffs Harbour’s Local community groups, who are able to put the Controller, is very thankful for the kind funds to very good use. donation from Village Sports and said Stacey Bayliss, Business Development the support that the unit receives is quite Manager at Early Connections, is very grateful magnificent. to be a recipient of the Village Sports funds. “The donation will be put towards the “Last year the donation went towards purchase of specialist equipment members new furniture and resources for education require in filling the unit’s rescue role.” and therapy for children with a diagnosed Village Sports events have grown disability or a developmental delay. Support significantly in size and status since they were from community organisations such as Village established six years ago. Destination NSW Sports helps make a difference in the services recognised the Running Festival as a Regional we are able to offer local families. Currently, Flagship Event in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The funds raised are going to our playground bcu Coffs Tri has also received the Flagship renovation project.” Event Funding for the last three years. The Sawtell Surf Club used the funds received funding is a credit to the organisers and allows from Village Sports in 2018 for a muchthe events to be promoted outside the region, needed IRB motor, essential for saving lives to attract more visitors to the Coffs Coast. on the beach. Marine Rescue’s cheque will go The events continue to attract athletes at towards maintaining its rescue vessel, so that the top of their sports as both competitors it may serve the local boating community’s and ambassadors, including Olympic and needs. Commonwealth Games champions Steve

Moneghetti, Brooke Hanson, Ryan Fisher, Michellie Jones and Celia Sullohern. Event Director Sinclair Black said, “We are very passionate about delivering professionally run, yet fun and friendly events for the community. We are just as excited to see a young child or 60-year-old doing their first triathlon, as we are to see a professional athlete push themselves to the limit.” Village Sports aims to grow its events at the grassroots level and in 2016, introduced a Schools Challenge to both the Running Festival and Triathlon to encourage participation from school students. It has proved very popular and successful, with a total of $15,000 awarded to local schools to spend on sporting equipment. “The funds have gone a long way in assisting the schools to purchase muchneeded equipment to keep the kids healthy and active in the playground,” said Sinclair. The bcu Coffs Tri on 2nd - 3rd March is the next event on the Village Sports calendar. The event offers races for children and novices on the Saturday and the headline Standard (Olympic) Distance race for individuals and teams on the Sunday. The Coffs TRI showcases all that Coffs has to offer, with a protected harbour swim, cycle on closed roads and a run that incorporates the Jetty, harbour foreshores and the southern breakwall. Now, in its seventh year, the event is a World Qualifying Event, as well as the NSW State Championships, and is open to all levels of experience. For more information about Village Sports events and to enter the upcoming bcu Coffs TRI, go to: villagesports.com.au Coffs Coast focus 59

60 Coffs Coast focus

New Year. New You.

Brooke (Office Manager), Col (PT), Louise (Dietitian, PT), Ellie (Dietitian), Absent: Mell.

Coffs Coast Nutrition It’s my year to (tick the box): Get fit and healthy Improve energy levels Feel better about myself Get off the diet merry-go-round Finally get those gut symptoms under control Try something different and become the best I can be All of the above Coffs Coast Nutrition has all your health and fitness needs covered: our team can help you say goodbye to bad habits and give you the weapons needed to kick start your weight loss or better-manage a medical condition. We provide personalised advice based on your likes, dislikes, goals, budget and medical history, and our holistic approach to health is backed by the latest scientific research. IBS and food intolerances can be debilitating. Our dietitians are experienced in the low FODMAP diet, Failsafe Diet and gluten intolerance, as well as medical conditions such as coeliac disease. Louise Williams is also Coffs Harbour’s only FODMAP accredited dietary specialist (Monash Uni) and the only Accredited Sports Dietitian on the Coffs Coast, having worked with athletes of all levels. Col Williams, our PT, provides one-on-one and small group training with a difference. If you’re looking for exercise that is both enjoyable and effective, see Col.

Coffs Coast focus 61

focusﬁtness

W I T H D U N C A N M A R C H A N T , C O F F S C O A S T H E A LT H C L U B

new year

new you

MyFitnessStory

.com.au

This month’s inspirational health and ﬁtness story comes to us courtesy of Wade and Bernie Erenshaw, who came to Coﬀs Coast Health Club four months before their wedding via the Healthy Inspirations weight loss program. They both came looking for education, guidance and accountability, which they received with their Personal Trainer and Health Coach, Jen McCulloch.

efore joining the Coffs Coast Health Club, what was your diet and exercise background? Before joining we really didn’t do much exercise and had a pretty poor diet. Wade played baseball once a week; however, he was increasingly struggling due to his weight. From other diets you had tried, what did Healthy Inspirations offer that was different? You could still eat three meals a day, the portion sizes were fairly decent, and the introduction of new foods after the different stages was great. What type of exercise do you both enjoy doing? We really enjoy walking. This was something we didn’t really enjoy before the program, but now enjoy doing together. We also enjoy going to the gym together and working on the individual strength programs Jen has made for us. Do you find the support from your Personal Trainer (Jen) helps you achieve your goals? Absolutely! Jen is full of encouragement and support. We did have some ups and downs, and Jen was always there with guidance for bad weeks and high fives for good weeks. To have someone there to support you and motivate you each week made such a difference. What goals have you both set yourselves for the future? We both would like to continue to lose weight and maintain a healthy diet. Wade wants to get ready for the baseball season next year, and I would like to lose more weight and

62 Coffs Coast focus

get myself as fit and healthy as possible for when we decide to expand our family. Do you both feel as though you have come a long way with your diet and fitness? Definitely! When we first started our program, our diet and fitness level was very poor. But over the months we found it easier to do things and that we had more energy. We were so happy that we looked our best on our special day! How has your diet and exercise changed since joining Coffs Coast Health Club Healthy Inspirations Program and doing Personal Training with Jen? With our diet, it was about retraining our brains, and we are so much happier and healthier for it. Instead of buying the premade items at the shops that are full of sugar and salt, we now make things from scratch. Jen encourages us to continue moving, and working with her each week has pushed us to keep active. What is the most useful advice you could share with other readers? Find your own Jen (our Personal Trainer!) She has been such a support and motivator throughout our journey and continues to work with us to achieve our new weight loss goals. Thanks for sharing, Wade and Bernie, and if you are looking to kickstart your own inspirational fitness story with Jen, call her directly on 0431 141 701 or drop in to see the team at either Coffs Coast Health Club Toormina or Moonee, to get started today. More Inspirational Fitness Stories can be found at www.myfitnessstory.com.au Wedding photography by Claire Searle Photography.

How to Kick Start Your New Year’s Resolutions

FOR FREE! Are you someone who makes New Year’s resolutions and never keeps them? Do you always talk about getting healthy after the Christmas binge, but don’t really know where to start? Rest assured ... you are not the only one! Recent studies showed over 50% of people make New Year’s resolutions, but as little as 8% of those actually stick to it. In fact; it’s highly likely that many of you have already broken your well-intentioned hopes for this year.

id North Coast Physio owner and leading local physiotherapist, Aaron Hardaker explains why he generally doesn’t believe in New Year’s resolutions and outlines the best method for making 2019 the year of good health and happiness for you. Why don’t you like New Year’s Resolutions? Generally, it’s because they’re often made hastily, with little thought given to creating the goal or a specific plan to achieve it. I love to see you making goals, especially with a focus on improving your health, but I want you to have a plan, to ensure you’re successful. Surrounding yourself with the right people to support you along the road is imperative. What are the common reasons people fail to achieve their health goals? It is usually one or all of the following: 1. Injury - if you don’t manage an underlying issue to start with, you’re much more susceptible to suffering a more significant injury that will stop you exercising 2. Inappropriate exercise or advice doing exercise that isn’t suitable for you will lead to soreness, injury or lack of progress, as will eating foods that don’t fit with your goals 3. Lack of motivation - everyone hits low points when trying to improve fitness, lose weight, build strength or improve

flexibility; having someone there to support you through the challenges will ensure success. So, what’s the best way to overcome these challenges? Surround yourself with the right team, to ensure your goal is reached. Having a physio assessment to highlight any underlying risk factors will reduce your risk of injury and manage any problem before it stops you exercising. Seeing an exercise physiologist could ensure you’re doing exercises that are best for you and most suitable for your goal, whether it be improving fitness, reducing weight or general toning and strengthening. Getting personalised nutrition advice from a dietitian will always be much more successful than trying to follow the latest fad diet or Instagram “expert”. When it comes to motivation, having a personal trainer who can keep you focused can be a huge benefit, as is a little regular massage to loosen up your body along the way. To kick start your new healthy lifestyle in 2019, Mid North Coast Physio is offering 10 FREE Assessment consultations with your choice of practitioner - one of our physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, dietitians or personal trainers in one of our four Coffs Coast locations. Call NOW

our Tribe is an exciting area of your life. There is so much possibility of growth and learning and connection with the people around you in your “Tribe”. We thrive off having a solid tribe and a connection with each individual. But, it is becoming increasingly lost in our culture today. When we look around at human interaction within the fitness community, it has largely been based around the masses, but not at an individual level. We see very large groups that are “working out” together, but not actually “connecting” with one another. With “Tribe” being a bit of a buzzword of late, we felt the need to help the humans in our community understand how to connect and how to find a tribe that suits your vibe. When you go to the gym and do a workout, you then go home and continue with your day. It is somewhat like that of a boring, annoying job that no one likes doing - kind of like washing the dishes. But, we do it anyway, because it must be done - not because you want to do it. Fitness in a group or on an individual level should be something that you get excited for. You know you are going sweat, you are going to feel accomplished, and you also know that the people around you are equally as excited as you to be improving their situation. We should all be contributing to each other’s growth and successes, helping each other, working together, overcoming challenges together and experiencing the connection of friendship, tribesmanship and overall gratitude for having the luxury of training and working together with cool as heck people. What does a good tribe culture look like? A good tribe culture should contain a lot of variety, with varying experience levels and ages. This provides each individual with great opportunity to learn and develop their own skills

and understanding through bearing witness to the varying levels of progression through the other members. Having this opportunity also allows a better connection between members and an overall capacity for stronger relationships. These relationships will provide strength within the community and tribe and also allow healthy interaction with varying members that contribute to the overall benefit of the tribe. What things do I look out for in an unhealthy environment? Things to look out for can vary from gym to gym, though there a few common threads that you can quickly identify to avoid complications and stress down the track. 1) An environment that secludes and isolates individuals 2) Minimal communication 3) Keeping rewards and goal setting achievements to themselves 4) No tribal connection meetups or test and measure groupings 5) Every man for themselves motto 6) Body shaming 7) Unmotivated staff and coaches 8) Hygiene and safety kept to a minimum How can good tribe vibes help my personal success within the gym? It’s quite simple, really; if you have a supportive network surrounding you within a space that can sometimes bring up difficulties or challenges, it helps you step up to the challenge and know your peers will motivate and push you to continue and reach the goals you have set in place for yourself. Plus, you will have a great time vibin’ out with a cool bunch of humans whom you actually enjoy being around. If you would like to know more about finding the right tribe for you, feel free to pop in for a chat and say g’day. We’d love to get to know you all. www.newbreedmixedmartialarts.com.au or find us on Facebook/Instagram.

on 1300 273 747 to secure an appointment and start 2019 on the right foot, to make it the most successful year yet!

Coffs Coast focus 63

Downsize without the sting on stamp duty As life expectancy hits a new high, over 55s have been left wondering about their options to fund their current lifestyle for the decades ahead. Finance expert and international bestselling author Noel Whittaker said the biggest challenge facing the over 55s today is many people are outliving their money. “The simple fact is most people don’t have enough money to retire on, especially when a lot of that money is tied up in a home. But the trouble is, you can’t sell the back steps of your house,” Noel said. “For many, downsizing is an effective way of unlocking the large amounts of capital trapped in the family home – a crucial step to retaining financial independence and enjoying a comfortable lifestyle. Noel said one of the major

impediments that tend to make people reluctant to downsize their home is stamp duty. With the new alternative to the traditional retirement village option being the lifestyle-focussed land lease ownership model, where you purchase a brand new home and lease the land, over 55s are avoiding the unnecessary sting on stamp duty while being introduced to a whole new housing concept that protects their financial security and independence. Leading owner and operator of lifestyle communities, Ingenia Lifestyle, is recording a high level of demand from downsizers seeking out the unique model as it offers a more affordable price point on a new home and gives buyers more confidence knowing there’s no surprises with just one weekly site fee to cover the rent of the land.

ARTIST IMPRESSION ONLY

Additionally, there are no council rates to pay and if or when the time comes to leave, the home owner retains 100% of any capital growth made on the property with no refurbishment fees and

no DMF fees to pay on exit, equating to more money in the pockets of downsizers. If you’ve been awaiting the right opportunity to downsize, reserve your new lifestyle today

with Plantations by Ingenia Lifestyle. The brand new over 55s community is set to become the perfect accompaniment to the NSW North Coast lifestyle with architect-designed homes

complete with state-of-the-art facilities seamlessly integrated into subtropical gardens. Find out more by visiting www.liveinwoolgooga.com.au or call Terry Ronan on 0448 714 021.

AN OVER 55s SEA AND TREE CHANGE NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD!

ARTIST IMPRESSION ONLY

Plantations is coming to Woolgoolga – a sparkling new community and

• No entry or exit fees

a fantastic lifestyle on your doorstep. Downsize, free up more time,

• No stamp duty

money and enjoy your new way of life. Now is a great opportunity to

• Only 2 costs: your home purchase and the land lease

view our first stage release and inspect our architecturally-designed

• Keep 100% of any capital gain

floor plans and facades. Discover the Ingenia difference!

• Rent assistance available, if eligible

BRAND NEW HOMES NOW SELLING FROM $349,000*

*Prices are correct at time of printing and subject to change

18-INGCPL-0609

Visit the Plantations display at 42 Beach Street, Woolgoolga Call 0448 714 021 or register your interest at liveinwoolgoolga.com.au

with Clairvoyant Terri Hall Phone. 0424 818 343

January 2019

AQUARIUS.

GEMINI.

LIBRA.

JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 19

MAY 22 - JUNE 22

SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 23

A lot of people will be drawing on your strength and wisdom this month. Protect yourself by thinking you are inside a bubble, as this will create a barrier between their stress and your divinity, allowing you to offer guidance at no personal cost to your energies. You will hear yourself speak wise words; hear these for your guidance also. Turquoise is a great crystal for communication; carry some when counselling.

Your leadership qualities are likely to be drawn on this month in the workplace. You have brilliant arbitration skills and a very strong sense of justice or fairness. You are also very inspirational to those who may be unmotivated and have the ability to pull the team into action to achieve the best result. You will also notice personal confidence growing. Have fun. Lapis Lazuli is great for clarity of thought and direction.

Choices bring total change into life, as you know - it can be expected. Setting some fresh goals will be beneficial at this time also. Your manifestation ability will also be amplified, so have fun and give yourself permission to succeed. A peaceful atmosphere will be essential, as your mind is likely to be working overtime. Citrine attracts abundance; try wearing some.

PISCES.

CANCER.

SCORPIO.

FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 20

JUNE 23 - JULY 23

OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 22

Time to stimulate that quick thinking brain. You may be feeling a little intellectually bored at present and since your brain is like a muscle, it needs to be used - so you don’t lose it. Find an interesting topic, book or a class to satisfy yourself and have fun learning something new passionately. Record keepers are fantastic for holding and retaining information.

Relationship bliss can be anticipated, as your personal confidence reflects your love life. Validate your partner’s strengths and be compassionate toward their weaknesses, as you are both helping each other reach your full potential. Joy will be experienced in the quality of giving that your connection offers. Enjoy! Rose Quartz, the crystal of love, will amplify your heart’s contentment.

Try paying attention to how gifted you are at creating what you desire. The quicker you recognise this gift, the more success you will experience in manifesting. Try finding a place in nature you feel safe in, remove your shoes to earth yourself, and think about what you want. Fill yourself with the excitement of already having it, then think a BIG thank you to the universe and let it go. Citrine will assist in creating.

ARIES.

LEO.

SAGITTARIUS.

MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 21

An opportunity to access something from your past will be likely to present itself. Be prepared for it by identifying what it may be and write a list of all the things required, then take action and get some things from the list, so you can achieve full success. Avoid sabotaging it by thinking, “Too hard; can’t do”. This opportunity will greatly benefit your self esteem and self worth. Citrine is a very powerful motivator; carry some.

Self worth and a sense of deservability may need a little personal attention this month, as the universe has some special rewards aligning for you. However, if you don’t know you deserve them, you may be vulnerable at sabotaging them. Try smiling at your reflection as often as possible each day, to reinforce a knowing that you do deserve great things. Clear Quartz is a powerful amplifier for reinforcement.

If you have been feeling unsupported lately, this is because you are required to recognise how strong and independent you already are and how little you need from external sources. Identify what emotions you feel you want from others, and wake them up inside by breathing them through every cell. This will replace neediness with a knowing that no hurdle is too big for you push out of your way. Ruby aids in building personal confidence.

TAURUS.

VIRGO.

CAPRICORN.

APRIL 21 - MAY 21

AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 23

DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 20

Justice for any unresolved issue from your recent past could be anticipated. Identify any fear that may have been triggered and release it. Thinking of its answer or opposite will replenish a sense of justice and empower you. A knowing that you are creating every influence in your life will give you more confidence and ownership of your reality. Selenite shatters negative thoughts and fears.

You will benefit enormously by looking inward and reflecting on all the qualities and attributes you chose to bring into this life, as this will keep you impervious to conflict or anxiety. Your sensitivity is amplified at present, so tune into your nurturing qualities for inner peace and calm. Playing in nature with animals or the garden will benefit you incredibly. Aquamarine will keep your energy light and conflict free.

Listen to your “gut feelings”, as they will lead you into an exciting experience that is a “meant to be” one. You will enjoy playing with gifts or talents that will relate to this opportunity, and your confidence and self esteem will benefit enormously. Have fun discovering something new you are already very good at. Apophyllite is a great crystal for aiding in reaching full potential in projects.

Coffs Coast focus 65

focus_contributor

WITH CAROLE BEROS FROM LE DĂƒIN DESIGNS

East Coast Accessibilities Experts Event

Alan Johnson, Julie Smith

Pink Silks Event

Nicole Moore, Trudy Thomson

Pink Silks Event

Social / Scene

East Coast Accessibilities Experts Event

Emma Binns, Max Wood

Gail and Grant Cardow

Cheryl Evans, Versonic Roche

66 Coffs Coast focus

Pink Silks Event

Adelaide Zietsch, Jordan Atkinson

Betty Weick, Tommy Memphis

Trevor Wilson, Brian and Linda Zironda

focus_contributor

WITH CAROLE BEROS FROM LE DĂƒIN DESIGNS

Jetty Food & Wine Festival

Lorraine Williams, Lois Walter

Leonie Pollard, Carol Graham

Social / Scene

Elizabeth Rowe, Jeanette Smith

Sue and Bruce Lovett

Janice Dell, Sue McNicol

Eileen Grant, Elaine White

Denise Peake, Carolyn Dodds

Paul and Anne Leckie

Michelle McKinnon, Greg Powten Coffs Coast focus 67

focusinterview

Business Minds with Sam Wardman of CornerPost Creative

Sarah Davie THRIVE APP

elcome Sarah. Tell us how you came to call the Coffs Coast home. I grew up in the Riverina region of south west NSW and upon finishing high school, I moved to the beautiful Mid North Coast for a sea change and to start university. Seven years later and I’m still here, with no plans to leave anytime soon. A number of my siblings have since relocated to Coffs and I met my husband here and have since bought our first home this year, which really cements the Coffs Coast as home. Your current side hustle is the development of your app, Thrive. Can you tell us a little bit about this idea and how it came to fruition? Thrive is something I have been working on for just over twelve months now. The idea came about through my experience with volunteer programs and regional organisations and charities who are extremely under-resourced. Thrive provides a solution by offering a frictionless experience for both volunteers and organisations, whilst capturing data and ensuring compliance. The aim of Thrive is to completely revolutionise the way Australians connect with volunteering opportunities, making it easy, interactive and rewarding. Being a new tech start up, what has the journey been like so far? I was fortunate enough to win Coffs Harbour City Council’s Startup Coffs Coast pitch competition in June, which has afforded me seed funding to commence developing my minimum viable product. I am still in the early stages of the startup journey, working on my business model canvas and ensuring I have the correct problem/solution fit and the right team to move forward. I have also

68 Coffs Coast focus

business minds recently completed Startup Onramp, which is a 12-week training and mentoring program for first-time startup founders, located right here in Coffs Harbour. The program really does provide perspective on just how much is involved in the entrepreneurial journey and most importantly, what not to do. I have met some really great people through Startup Onramp and there are some seriously great businesses emerging locally… watch this space! You recently returned from Silicon Valley in the USA on a Digital Study Tour; can you share your experience with us? Certainly; it was such an incredible experience being a digital native and working in the digital marketing space. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is not as far away as you might think. We are now living in what is being dubbed the fourth industrial revolution, that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological domains. Whilst this is an extremely exciting time to be working in tech, the ethics of future technology is something to watch … at what point does convenience become creepy? Apart from the mind-blowing technology we got to witness, one of the key take homes was the need for businesses to be agile, always being ready to pivot, evolve and embrace new ideas and concepts. Creating a new business is a big process in itself. What resources have you found useful to assist in your startup so far? I have only recently returned from StartCon, Australia’s largest startup and growth conference. The knowledge and network that I gained from the event is proving invaluable - from intellectual property through to funding opportunities. I am a self-confessed nerd, in that I love teaching myself new things, reading and researching, which has proved extremely helpful in the

journey so far. I think the hardest thing for the horizon. I also hope to complete a full any startup is the countless hours, energy marathon, but let’s not get too carried away and money put in to validate an idea, before and print that! ... whoops, we just did! the development and growth can even occur. You’re also the Vice President of the The most important tips I have learnt so far: Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce; is to seek genuine feedback; be an enabler what do you hope to achieve in that by helping others connect; and the most role? valuable thing, if you’re a startup on the I have been on the Chamber Board for Coffs Coast, is to go and chat to Six Degrees just under three years now and as much as Coworking. it has broadened my How does your network, the real goal current role is the prosperity and as Community development of the Coffs THRIVE PROVIDES A Engagement Coast business sector. SOLUTION BY OFFERING Manager at C.ex The Chamber represents A FRICTIONLESS Group support your all businesses from micro EXPERIENCE FOR BOTH new startup? to large and constantly VOLUNTEERS AND I am very fortunate lobbies local, state and ORGANISATIONS, WHILST to have an extremely federal governments on CAPTURING DATA AND supportive workplace what is best for our city’s ENSURING COMPLIANCE. who not only want to future. Being part of the see me succeed, but Chamber allows me to do for the entire Coffs my part to ensure we can Coast community to all continue to work, live develop. There is certainly harmony between and play on the Coffs Coast. the community ethos of clubs and what What motivates you each day to get out Thrive is aspiring to achieve. The culture of of bed? innovation that C.ex Group ensures and how, Coffee! And the fact that I am extremely as an industry, clubs are really starting to achievement-orientated, meaning I always embrace technology lends itself to a future have a very long to do list. I like to challenge partnership and certainly support of startups myself in all aspects of my life and I’m always at an industry level. chasing the next goal, so that’s what keeps Fast forward five years; what are you me motivated … although I must admit, I hoping to achieve? am defi nitely a night owl and not a morning I’m hoping that Thrive will be active across person. multiple industries and that the footprint of Finally, being on the beautiful Coffs Australian charities and volunteers is better Coast, what are the top three things you understood and managed. Dependent on the love about living here? success of Thrive, I’d really like to remain in Taking my dogs to the beach, indulging the startup scene and particularly the local in gozleme at the food markets and most startup community. I hope to have finally importantly, the people. given up the text books by then, being Thanks Sarah. content with no more tertiary studies on

focuskitchens.

MARCUS PHILLIPS FROM DESIGNER LIVING KITCHENS

Hoodoo Gurus You Am I Eskimo Joe The Superjesus British India The Getaway Plan Scott Darlow

DE SIGNE R LI V ING K I T C HEN S WITH BRAD AND TINA GOSLING

Marcus Phillips from Designer Living Kitchens is one of the most highly rated Kitchen Designers on the North Coast. FOCUS had a chat with the owners of his most recent project, and this is what the happy customer had to say ...

ell us about the process, and are you happy with the end result? Meeting Marcus at our local DLK showroom was quite an experience. Marcus warmly greeted us with a hand shake, dressed-up in his suit and wearing a black cap, and here we enter in our casual Coffs wear! LOL! Marcus invited us into a relaxed environment of soothing jazz tones with an array of kitchen designs on display around us, to enable a flow of creativity as we discussed and worked on a kitchen design.

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Marcus is a very enjoyable person to connect with, and he was quick to draw up some kitchen designs to convey a visual sense of what we’re trying to communicate. It didn’t take much to critique those drawings to settle on what we were seeking. Marcus is an expert in his field of design and was quick to know what features and colouring would complement what we were wanting in both our house and attached dwelling. He was also extremely helpful in helping refine some aspects of our design to suit our budget. We are sooooooo happy with the end result. It can be really stressful the final two weeks of a build, as everything comes together and you hope that all your choices really are going to support the overall look you’re after. We just absolutely love our kitchen, vanities and cabinets that Marcus designed for us. What are some of the features? With our dark burnished polished concrete flooring being the number one feature of our house, we wanted a wood-look for our kitchen cabinetry that would theme throughout the rest of the house in the vanities, entertainment unit and study nook.

Having bevelled-edged drawers complemented our seamless look, as did hiding the dishwasher with the continuation of the wooden cabinetry. Marcus suggested breaking up our wooden cabinetry with styling the upper cabinets in a white satin/sateen laminate, which complemented the contemporary look we were after. We wanted a smoked mirrored splashback to be a quality feature in our kitchen, as well as the subtle lighting with the LED feature lighting fitting in behind the bevelled edged drawers. Marcus brought our design together with the suggestion of a classic white pebbled stone bench for our kitchen benchtops, and a similar look laminate for our butler’s pantry benchtop, which we also used in the laundry. He made the bathroom vanity benchtops that little more glamorous, with the white pebbled stone having some flecks of glass in them. Overall, what did you think of the service Marcus provided? Marcus really shows enjoyment and pride in creating the look and feel of your kitchen and other cabinetry designs you desire in your home. His confidence in directing you with a selection of choices is not overwhelming, but you have an assurance that it’s going to look amazing when the whole design comes together with the house and overall feel and look you’re wanting to create. Thank you so much, Marcus for being a part of designing our forever home to enjoy and create memories in.

Contact Marcus Phillips from Designer Living Kitchens on 6652 6186. Coffs Coast focus 69

LOVE to LEARN F E A T U R E

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LOVE TO LEARN

F E A T U R E

Ethics classes were introduced into NSW schools in 2011, after families and P&Cs recognised there were many students that were opting out of religious education classes and saw an opportunity to make better use of that class time.

PRIMARY ETHICS

here are now around five hundred schools offering Ethics classes across the State. We spoke to John Gray, Coffs Bellingen Regional Manager, and Kim Luckie, Ethics Teacher at Sawtell Public School, about the Primary Ethics Program and their experience with the students and classes. Hi John and Kim. Tell us about your relationship with the Coffs Coast. JG: The coast and the mountains is where I feel most at home. I grew up on a farm on the Clarence River and have lived and worked as a teacher on the Mid North and Coffs Coasts for 30 years now. I’ve cycled most of the roads and bush tracks, and I am also a guide at the Botanic Garden in Coffs Harbour. KL: I moved here from Sydney 12 years ago to pursue my career with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. After nearly 20 years in environmental resource management, I've decided to retrain as a secondary science teacher. I had some readily transferable skills from my experience in community engagement, and being a volunteer ethics teacher showed me how rewarding teaching can be. Volunteering allows us to connect on a deeper level to issues and you can also give something back to the community. Tell us about Primary Ethics and where the idea for the program came from? JG: Families and P&Cs recognised an opportunity for ethics classes for around 100,000 primary school students who had opted out of weekly religious classes and who weren't doing anything productive in this time. In 2010, Parliament amended the NSW Education Act to allow schools to offer ethics

classes as an option. A new not-for-profit organisation, Primary Ethics, was established to develop the program. KL: The ethics curriculum is written by Dr Sue Knight, whose background is in philosophical education for children, and it's reviewed by an expert panel. It's really well designed. How long has Primary Ethics been running? JG: Ethics classes were introduced into 56 NSW schools in 2011 and now it's in 500 schools. What is your role within the program? JG: I'm a volunteer regional manager. Recruiting ethics volunteers and school liaison are the two main aspects of the role. Supporting ethics volunteers is also important, and we get together socially three or four times a year. KL: I'm an ethics teacher at my daughter's school. Each week I run an ethics class; it takes about an hour. We guide students through the lesson plan and encourage them to participate. It's a great way to have a real input into your child’s school, and it's fascinating to see how kids think about the big issues. What sort of things are taught in ethics classes, and what is an example of the type of scenarios you might discuss with the kids? KL: Some of the topics are Empathy, Stereotyping, Being similar and being different, Bragging, Being greedy, Getting even, A fair society and Voting.

Kids seem to really enjoy the class and are eager to engage, as it’s not the ethics teacher giving kids the answer, it’s about them discussing ideas and reasons together.

JG: For Voting, for example, children discuss a scenario where students are running for student council. Children question whether we should vote for someone just because they are our friend, or do we have an obligation to understand what their policies are? Does it matter if policies benefit everyone at the school equally? Children often have quite different opinions, and they can explore the thinking behind them. What do you think the students get out of the program? KL: Kids seem to really enjoy the class and are eager to engage, as it's not the ethics teacher giving kids the answer, it's about them discussing ideas and reasons together. They learn to make well-thought-out decisions. What do you find most rewarding about teaching ethics? KL: Those little gem moments when you see a child has really been listening to another’s point of view. They may then reflect on their initial response and add something deeper, or even change their opinion to point out something significant. How many schools are involved in the program here on the Coffs Coast? JG: The seven schools in the Coffs Harbour Bellingen area involved in Primary Ethics are

Sandy Beach, Kororo, Narranga, Sawtell, Repton, Bellingen and our newest, Nana Glen, which began ethics classes in 2018. Ethics classes are taught in schools by volunteers; how many volunteers do you have in schools here on the Coffs Coast? JG: Currently we have 25 volunteers. This is the time of the year when we are eager to find new recruits, so more students can be part of the program next year. How do people that are interested in becoming a volunteer get involved? JG: Read up on the program and apply at primaryethics.com.au - we'll hold a free weekend training session for new ethics teachers in term one next year. How would someone go about getting their local school started with Primary Ethics classes? JG: The Primary Ethics website has good advice, and as the local regional manager I can work with parents to raise awareness by giving a talk to the P&C or providing information flyers. Without trained and approved volunteers, ethics can’t be established. Often these volunteers are parents who are keen to see the program in place for their own children; sometimes it will be grandparents, retirees or others keen to give an hour a week back to their community. Please get in touch if you'd like ethics classes at your child's school: coffsbellingenregion@primaryethics.com.au Thanks John and Kim. Coffs Coast focus 71

LOVE TO LEARN

F E A T U R E

CASUARINA STEINER SCHOOL A N

I N S P I R I N G

A LT E R N A T I V E

Coffs Harbour’s Casuarina Steiner School - Kindergarten to Year 6 - provides a balanced approach to learning centred around the importance of educating “the head, the hands and the heart”.

et in beautiful landscaped grounds in Gentle Street, and with architecturally designed buildings that harmonise with the natural light and space, Casuarina was established in Coffs Harbour around 30 years ago by a group of dedicated parents. The school aims to develop creative young people with a passion for lifelong learning, an understanding of the unique contribution they can make to the world and a holistic sense of care for the environment and others. Casuarina teaches the National Steiner Curriculum, recognised by the Federal Government and which meets NSW Education Standards. Its teachings are based on the principles of Rudolf Steiner, a philosopher, social reformer, architect, artist and scientist, whose ideas resonate to this day. Principal Elsbeth Haenggi says children are inherently creative and inquisitive and school must be inspiring and engaging to help them learn both academically and socially. “We offer a rich variety of learning experiences

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that integrate literacy, maths, science, humanities, art and health, in ways that are appropriate to the age of the learner,” says Elsbeth. “Our integrated curriculum and approach to teaching and learning engages children and fosters a deep love for lifelong learning. We offer a different and truly extraordinary education that equips the next generation with what they need to meet their future.” Casuarina’s success, and the dedication of its teachers, is seen not only in the number of students who have gone on to achieve great things, but also in its 2018 NAPLAN results, which are well above the national average across all markers. Parents of former students often speak of how their children benefited from their years at Casuarina - not just academically, but also through the school’s ethos of participation and encouragement, helping to build inner strength and self-esteem. Casuarina also offers the Lavender Cottage Parent and Child Group, a coordinated playgroup that allows children to follow a natural progression

LOVE to LEARN F E A T U R E

from one morning a week with a parent through to the two-year pre-primary program and then on to the primary school. To find out more about Casuarina, including how to enrol, visit casuarina.nsw.edu.au or telephone (02) 6651 2770. Tips for parents with children starting school Talk with your child about starting school; what they can expect during the day, about how you will drop them off in the morning, say goodbye and be back to pick them up in the afternoon. If eating out of a lunchbox will be a new experience for your child, practise at home first. Ensure they can open the containers and close them again without difficulty. Make sure you send your child to school in clothes they can manage to take on and off by

themselves, likewise for shoes. Have a practise run. Get up and prepare for the day as you would on a school morning, then drive to school so you know how long it will take and your child knows exactly what to expect. If mornings are challenging, find things you can do the night before to make the school morning more manageable. Develop an early bedtime routine for your child to help them get a good night’s sleep. Reduce stress in the morning by ensuring they’re up in time to get ready for school and eat a nutritious breakfast. As parents, managing our own anxiety will help our children feel less anxious about the school day. Quick goodbyes are often much easier for children than prolonged ones.

LOVE to LEARN F E A T U R E

T H E

C R E AT I V E

I always find January an exciting month, as The Creative Toy Shop prepares for a new school year! I love seeing the build-up and anticipation in the children I educate, as they ready themselves for school going back. Some are excited, others nervous, and many just can’t wait for their first day to arrive.

CLASS OF

2018

his year has seen our children blessed that your families chose 3 Bears to grow and develop share your lives with us for the last five exceptionally. They years, and from all the educators have remained and management at 3 Bears, eager, good luck and farewell. enthusiastic and have Oh, the places you’ll a s a lw ays h s r a e learned so much, go! “Congratulations, B “3 about are e r o m n e e played hard, made today is your day. b age you being thoew with all friends and tried to be You’re off to great right neart and soul good friends in return. places. You’re off y o ur h s s w o r r y a b o u t 3 Bears has always and away! You have and le ing to be si x.” been more about brains in your head, you r a prep being the age you are have feet in your shoes, right now with all your you can steer yourself heart and soul and less any direction you choose.” worry about preparing to be - Dr Seuss. Class of 2018, six. At 3 Bears we have equipped our congratulations and best wishes as children with lifelong skills to prepare you embark next year on another stage of them for adulthood and to be leaders your learning journey and discover dreams of tomorrow. We are grateful and feel very waiting to be achieved.

As you prepare to get your children school ready this year, I thought I would share some of my favourite educational toys that I use daily with the children I care for. These toys can be used for preschoolers over the course of the year to get them school ready. However, they are also perfect for children who are just starting school this year. In my experience as a home educator and carer, not all kids want to learn their alphabet or numbers, if asked directly. However, if you ask if they would like to play a game or a fun activity,

T O Y

S H O P

they are much more receptive and eager to participate. This is one of the reasons why the Creative Toy Shop focuses on open ended toys. They allow for the child to explore with their imagination without needing too much direction, whilst learning at the same time. 1. Alphabet Write and Wipe lowercase $34.90 2. EasyRead Time Teacher watch $36.95 3. Kid O Magnatab Uppercase (also available in lowercase and numbers) $45.00 4. Building Pebble Set in Box A4 Cards $46.90 5. Hape Flexistix Creative Construction $19.90 6. EasyRead Time Teacher clock $36.95 7. Coko lowercase educational bricks and baseplate $26.60 8. Building Pebble Set in Box A4 Cards $46.90

Coffs Coast focus 73

LOVE TO LEARN

F E A T U R E

School Readiness

WITH BDC PRINCIPAL NICK JOHNSTONE

We all know that starting school is a big step for little kids. You might have heard the term “school readiness” - but what does it really mean?

chool readiness is about a collection of skills, knowledge and behaviours that enable your child to participate in their education from the first day. There is, however, a misconception

around school readiness that relates to your child being able to read, write or count to one hundred before they start kindy. Please let me assure you that this is not the case. School readiness is a more holistic term that relates to your child’s physical skills and coordination, social and emotional skills, their communication skills and their cognitive skills. The physical skills that are ideal include some physical coordination (being able to run, jump, climb and track a ball) and the fine motor skills include the ability to turn pages in a book or being able to correctly grip a pencil. Basic health is also vital. I recommend that a vision and hearing examination occurs prior to a child starting school. If challenges are identified early, interventions can be put in place from the first day, establishing positive habits. Being able to independently dress and toilet themselves is essential. You needn’t worry about their shoelace tying ability, this will come later as fine motor skills develop. Social and emotional skills are essential as well. A child needs to have had a range of positive experiences with children of a similar age. The ability to engage and play with other children is very important. They learn exponentially in this play based environment. They model what they have seen from family situations, from the media they are exposed to and from their peers. Basic manners are also essential at this point. Developmentally children are moving from an egocentric time in their lives to one that recognises wider perspectives. The ability for children, therefore, to be able to focus their attention and follow teacher instruction will reduce their stress in this new environment. Communication skills include the ability for your child to articulate needs and feelings without moving to physical interactions. Listening skills are essential. Most preschool teachers would

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highlight this as being the most important skill. The confidence and/or ability to speak clearly is important. The teacher is unable to assess understanding and plan for future teaching without feedback from the child. A bonus in this category is the ability to follow storylines and identify some letters and sounds. The ability to be able to wait and take their turn can’t be underestimated in this domain as well. What can you do to help with school readiness? • Social development - arrange play dates or join a playgroup for at least weekly interactions with children of the same or similar age. • Fine motor skills development - let your child practice drawing with a range of different materials, such as pencils, crayons and textas. • Gross motor skill development - spend time outside walking and talking in different environments. Kick the soccer ball around with them and ask them questions about their day at the same time. Encourage them to catch the tennis ball - it helps to develop early eye tracking skills that will be useful in all sports and in their coordination later in life. • Read with your child daily. There are thousands of studies that rate the importance of reading with your child to help develop positive habits around education and to develop cognitive skills and open their mind to a world different from their own. Discuss the story. Let them predict how it will end or what will be on the next page. Join your local library; you will all enjoy the outing and shared experience. • Play card games - this helps with concepts such as sequencing, waiting their turn, and also teaches logic and strategy that supports cognitive skill development. • Before your child starts school, spend a little bit of time with the new teacher. The positive relationship that you have with the teacher is essential. They are professionals in this age group and are wonderful resources. Helping your child with this collection of skills will enable them to participate confidently in their education from the first day.

Coffs Coast focus 75

focus_tech

WITH GAVIN MORONEY

DJI

OSMO POCKET

Tech Head

Recently I was lucky enough to get some hands-on time with the brand new DJI Osmo Pocket. My life revolves around cameras, and I’m always interested when something comes out that steps outside the box and reimagines what’s out there - especially something incredibly portable and easy to use. I am quickly becoming a huge fan of DJI, as they have cemented their place time and time again with their stabilisation and innovative products.

ECH SPECS: Straight out of the box I was blown away by the size of the OP; this thing is tiny and can be taken anywhere at anytime, due it its small form factor. The three axis gimbal is the smallest I have seen on a camera and works extremely well. With all the footage I had taken, it was extremely smooth and something you just cannot get out of a phone or traditional camera. The built-in 1 inch touch screen is truly tiny, but the interface is well thought-out and you have access to most of the functions; however, not the Pro settings. When using only the built-in screen it’s really hard to judge focus, but you can connect to your phone and through the use of the app, this becomes really easy. When you attach the phone and use the app, you can access all Pro settings, and you immediately have access to all essential parameters like ISO, shutter speed, white balance, frame rates and more, and that makes it feasible as a professional device. It’s impressive that the camera can do up to UHD 4K 60p, however the bitrate reaches 100 MBit only in that mode; the other UHD modes are around 80 MBit/s, and HD only around 30 MBit/s.

The hidden gem within the Osmo Pocket has to be the built in time lapse feature. To achieve this same look with traditional camera gear, there is a massive cost and a lot of technical knowhow, but with a press of a few buttons you can have a start and finish point, which honestly is pretty epic. THE DOWNSIDE: There is a huge downside to this product, and that’s the price, coming in at $599 AU. You will never struggle finding room to fit the Osmo Pocket, because your pockets will be a lot emptier after this purchase! This made me ask the question of where this device sits in the marketplace, and who is it for? I think there is a place for it in the professional market, but it will be used as a B-camera to keep in your bag for those “just in case” times. It may be slightly out of reach for a lot of consumers due to the price, and I would highly recommend looking at the DJI Osmo mobile 2. Seeing as nearly everyone has a fairly decent camera in their pocket (mobile phone), and coming in at a third of the price, this is the best stabilisation gimbal for anyone looking for that super smooth footage on a budget. I think time will tell who this product is for, and I am looking forward to seeing what can be done with it.

Visit our

BRAND NEW

DISPLAY HOME at Seacrest Estate Zenith Ave, Sandy Beach

Award-Winning Home Designs | Exceptional Customer Service For more information contact Niki Whelan | P 0412 797 925 | E coffs.display@adenbrook.com.au

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State Forests of the Port Macquarie-Hastings area. Come and explore NSW State Forests

and lookout is a popular day-use area

visitor facilities such as picnic tables, BBQs, Just a short drive from Wauchope or Port fireplaces, shelters, toilets and easy-access Macquarie is a wonderful visitor attraction carparks, NSW State Forests are a “mustknown as Old Bottlebutt, a grand and ansee” destination while you are here. cient Red Bloodwood (Corymbia gummif• Burrawan State Forest, on theState Bago Forest. Road, era) tree located in Burrawan is home to the “Old Bottlebutt” a huge Old Bottlebutt is unique in shape, its large Red witha an enormous flanged flaredBloodwood “butt” having massive girth of over 16 base. Visitors can relax at the sheltered picnic metres. This giant of the forest is the largest area before heading off on the recorded Red Bloodwood in the world. 600 m loop rainforest walking track to view Old Bottlebutt is the main feature on a beauthis magnificent old tree. tiful 600m loop walking track, beginning and • Kerewong State Forest, a short drive from ending at the Burrawan picnic area (shelter, Kew, offers campers and day-trippers a tables, carpark, toilets). The walk features place to play and stay at Swans Crossing. remnant rainforest, an oasis under a canopy The shallows of Upsalls Creek provide a of overhanging Bangalay Palms, and winds cool, quiet swimming spot. The historical its way over foot-bridges along an easy-grade Longworth’s Tramway Heritage Walk is only a track. short drive away, offering a interesting walk along the old tramway corridor.

The lookout offers magnificent views of Old Bottlebutt is a special place, somewhere the Wilson River catchment to the north, to linger and enjoy the sounds of nature. A south, towards the coastline and over Port viewing deck enables visitors to rest and gently Macquarie. experience the forest environment. • Mount Boss State Forest is the local’s secret Getting there: From Wauchope travel 10km spot! Accessed via Beechwood, Wild Bull south on the Bago Rd and turn left onto Intercamping area offers BBQ facilities, picnic nal Break Road then follow the signs. From the shelters and a deep, cool waterhole just Pacific Highway, take the Bago Rd exit (south perfect for a summer dip - it’s also home to of the Port Macquarie turn off) and drive catfish! Further down river, the Bluff picnic until you see the Old Bottlebutt sign. Open area features interesting rock formations and 24 hours/day, 7 days/week including public swimming holes within a quiet, secluded holidays and is free. environment. Find out more: With great places to explore, rest, learn, www.forestrycorporation.com.au/visit play or just get away from it all, come and Facebook: VisitNSWForests experience a forest playground! Twitter: @visitnswforests Visit us on #visitnswforests the web: www. Instagram: forestrycorporation.com.au/visit And share your experience: Facebook: Visit NSW Forests Twitter: @visitnswforests Instagram: #visitnswforests

Big bottlebutt for those looking for a scenic rest-stop. right on & ourBeautiful doorstep! With a mix Old of

• Bellangry State Forest is the gateway to the rolling mountains of the Port Macquarie/ Hastings area. The No. 1 Tower picnic area

Appointing an Independent Executor When a person makes a Will, they need to appoint someone to administer the estate. This person is known as the executor, and their role is to carry out the directions contained in the Will once the person who made the Will has passed away. Many people see it as a compliment to appoint a relative or close friend as the executor of their Will. However, being an executor can be a complex and demanding role. The reality is that often people nominated as executor are unsure of what is expected of them and can find the role is a burden. As an executor, it is important to understand the legal, financial and taxation implications of any actions you may take. It is particularly important to maintain independence if there is the added complication of disputes.

Finalising a person’s affairs while grieving can also be daunting and emotionally challenging. It can take months or possibly years if the estate is complex or involves disputes, ongoing trusts or life interests. You can appoint NSW Trustee & Guardian to act as your independent executor. NSW Trustee & Guardian has been administering estates for nearly 100 years and are experts in estate management. The benefit of appointing NSW Trustee & Guardian as executor is that you are entrusting responsibility to a party who holds specialist knowledge and skills required for the role. To talk to NSW Trustee & Guardian about executor services, contact our Lismore branch on 1300 721 872 or visit www.tag.nsw.gov.au

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As your life changes, make sure your important documents do as well. Our specialist staff regularly hold Plan Ahead days where you can make or update your Will, Power of Attorney and Enduring Guardianship documents. With over 100 years of experience, you have the option of appointing NSW Trustee & Guardian as your independent executor and attorney. Situations where you may want to make or update your Will include:

buying or selling a house marriage separation/divorce retirement welcoming children or grandchildren Fees may apply. See website for details.

Upcoming Plan Ahead days:

Coffs Harbour Court House 2-16 Beryl Street, Coffs Harbour Wednesday 30 January 2019 Thursday 31 January 2019 More appointment days available from March 2019, see website or contact branch for details. Appointments also available Monday to Friday at our Lismore branch on 6 Zadoc Street.

Appointments essential via our Lismore branch. Call 1300 721 872 or start online: www.tag.nsw.gov.au/planahead Coffs Coast focus 77

focusinterview.

The Annapurna Circuit is probably the second most popular trek in Nepal after the Everest Base Camp, and after having long imagined an adventure in a remote location, local Red Rock resident Joe Hansen ﬁnally realised the dream. Here, he tells us about the trek!

rekking Nepal had always been a dream for you as young man; what was it that attracted you to the idea? When I was in my early twenties, living in a share house out the back of Byron, there was some one else in the house who used to do regular treks to Nepal. it sounded like such an adventure - even the name Kathmandu conjured up images of some far flung exotic location. I always loved the outdoors, so the idea stuck with me. Fast forward twenty years, and you’ve finally achieved that dream. How did the opportunity come about? My next door neighbour, Jeff Dowling has done a fair few walks around the the place, including Killimanjaro, Mt Kinabalu in Borneo and the El Camino in Spain, and we’ve done a few local treks together. He’d been to Nepal and attempted the Annapurna Circuit in January 2015, but the snow was too deep and he had to abandon it, so when he mentioned he had

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time to redo it in September, I cleared my schedule and jumped at the chance to go with him. How did you prepare for the trip? I’d only just got back from Lombok three weeks before departing to Nepal. We’d got caught up in the earthquake over there, and I was a bit rattled mentally, so I had to refocus - as Nepal is also not the safest place to be! My wife, Carmel, was also a bit hesitant about me going after what we’d just been through, but she said as long as I’d got my Will in order, it was all good! As far as physical training went, I did three pretty intensive weeks in the gym working on cardio to help with breathing at high altitude, and seeing how far I could push myself physically. Where did you trek, and tell us about the conditions ... We did the Annapurna Circuit, probably the second most popular trek in Nepal after the Everest Base Camp. We started near a town called Besi Saha, and took ten days to reach the Pass at Thorong Phedi, altitude 5,416 m. We started out walking in lush subtropical rainforest, surrounded by massive waterfalls, rice paddies and a raging river and as we got higher, we passed through pine forests, arid desert-like areas and finally a rocky and barren, almost alien-like landscape, as we were there early in the season before there was much snow about. Of course, the Himalayan mountains were incredible. The Annapurna mountains are some of the tallest and most spectacular peaks you’ll see - Annapurna I is the tenth highest mountain in the world, so it’s pretty awesome being surrounded by such hugeness! What was your favourite part of the trek? Every day was awesome, but the part that will always live with me of course, is crossing the Pass - we started the day’s trek at 3:30am to beat the winds, and it was easily the hardest ascent of the trek. We had to make our way up almost

1,000 metres in elevation lives are back home. in super thin air, with our We hear there might have The Nepalese are such heads pounding from the been a bit more adventure hardworking, generous and kind onset of altitude sickness. in some parts than you people - our guide, Nima, It was like walking in anticipated? was an absolute legend, quicksand; after three Well, we were prepared full of great stories of or four steps we’d be for the hard trekking and the previous treks, knowledge completely exhausted, potential altitude sickness, of the mountains and a cheeky but you’d find a way to but what we didn’t factor sense of humour. keep going. Once we in was the “local bus” rides reached the Pass and - our seven hour journey saw the Tibetan Prayer flags waving at the top, to the start of the trek took an arduous twelve the feeling of elation and emotion made it all hours, but not before our hugely overloaded bus worth it though, and to share it with one of my almost slid off the edge of a treacherous cliff side best mates and our incredible guide Nima was road in wet and muddy conditions. As we lurched something I’ll never forget. from side to side, wheels spinning and sliding What did you love about the Nepalese closer to the 200 foot precipice, I could see all people? the way down to the raging river below. As I The Nepalese are such hardworking, generous sucked in a few deep breaths, the wheels finally and kind people - our guide, Nima, was an got traction - and off we went. “That’s the worst absolute legend, full of great stories of previous bit,” said the Nepalese guy beside me, “a bus fell treks, knowledge of the mountains and a cheeky down there last year”. Later on I Googled “most sense of humour. His favourite saying was “easy dangerous roads in the world”, and found that peasy”, usually after we’d just spent three hours Nepalese mountain roads feature quite heavily! hiking a near vertical cliff side path. What made Overall, what did you take away from your the most impact though, was how hardworking adventure? the villagers are that live in the remote mountain It was an experience of a lifetime - the seed communities - almost all the goods they have that was planted over twenty years ago finally must be transported manually on their backs and came to fruition. I wish I’d done it a long time hauled up the same paths we were struggling to ago. It just goes to show that you shouldn’t put climb up. We take it so for granted how easy our off stuff - just do it; life’s short!

focus_travel W I T H K E R R Y M O S S F R O M Q U A D R A N T T R A V E L

Quadrant Australia

Is cruising for you? We asked our travel writer, Kerry Moss, why cruising is so popular now. Here are a few of the compelling reasons why you could consider cruising for your next holiday.

ruising offers great value

Cruises offer great value, particularly because the upfront cost has so many inclusions. Most cruises include food, accommodation, daytime and evening entertainment, and transportation between destinations. Some even include drinks and day excursions. Sure, there are some things you have to pay for, but most of these are optional.

you too. If that’s not enough choice, then fill your days with the myriad of choices for shore excursions. Visit local villages, stroll through museums or take walking tours through the historical streets, then head back to your luxury floating accommodation for the night. Ships are floating cities

On a cruise, you unpack your bag once, but wake up somewhere new every morning. Your floating hotel takes you somewhere different every day. It might be an exotic city or a tropical island, but every morning you’ll discover a new place without having to lug your suitcase along sandy beaches or cobblestone streets.

If you think you’re going to be left without all the creature comforts, then you’ll be mistaken. Cruise ships have everything you could possibly want onboard. If you really want to stay in touch with the mainland, there is Wi-fi, internet and live news channels. Onboard there are shops, doctors, laundries, gyms, movie theatres, swimming pools and a large choice of dining options. You’ll run out of time before you run out of facilities.

Cruise ships are family friendly

Let’s get social

If you are struggling to find a holiday that suits everyone, then a cruise might be for you. Cruises are fun for all ages, with activities for everyone from your five-year-old niece to your 85 year old grandmother. They are an excellent way to bring family groups together in one place and keep everyone happy.

If you’re a single traveller and want to meet people from around the world, then cruising provides ample opportunity to make new friends. Or, if you’ve been assigned the task of organising the family holiday for 20 of your nearest and dearest, then one visit to your travel agent and it’s all sorted: transport, accommodation, meals and activities. Once onboard, you’ll meet people at your dinner table, during the activities or by the pool and if you wish to stay anonymous, then the ships are large enough to avoid running into the same people time and time again.

Unpack your bag once; wake up in a different place every day.

Cruise Ships Come in All Shapes and Sizes What one person may love, another may not. The ideal cruise ship for you could be one of the mighty ships, complete with state of the art activities and facilities; whilst your neighbour might prefer an intimate ship with a warm ambience and silent glances. Fortunately, there is a large range of options available, including large ships, small ships, ocean cruising and river cruising. So many activities, so little time Cruise ships are designed to keep everyone happy. Whether it’s a pamper day at the spa or having a flutter at the casino, lounging by the pool or educating yourself at a wine appreciation class, there is never a dull moment on board a cruise ship. If however, you’re after a relaxing holiday where the kids are entertained while you lay by the pool sipping cocktails, then there’s a cruise itinerary for

Local travel company Quadrant Australia are offering FOCUS readers the unique opportunity to join their Paddock to Plate UK and Ireland tour, departing in July 2019 ... Hosted by Australia’s best known rural photographer and book publisher, Fiona Lake. Fiona is a licensed drone pilot and experienced traveller. She has been featured on ABC Landline, and Channel Nine and has recently been honoured with an exhibition of her work at the Australian Embassy in Washington DC. The tour is a rare chance to follow her and get behind the scenes visiting farms, with the opportunity to sit down and share meals together, sharing your stories with the locals and hearing their experiences of farming in the UK. Travellers will get the opportunity to check out farmers’ markets, paddock-to-plate restaurants, and supermarket shelves for ideas and taste testing. Of course, the tour will also include a number of not-to-be-missed

sightseeing hot spots, such as the historic and royal sights of London and the scenic coasts of Ireland. One of the real highlights of the tour is to attend the Royal Welsh Show, renowned as one of the best livestock shows in the world, where the cream of British livestock will be in attendance. As you travel through the cobblestone streets of quaint English towns and the heart of the picturesque Cotswolds, you will get a true appreciation of the beauty of the English countryside. Quadrant Australia has been operating worldwide special interest tours for more than 30 years. In 2017, they took travellers to more than 40 countries across the globe. Their local office is located in Vernon St, Coffs Harbour and has a team of experienced and friendly staff. Drop in to see the team, or visit their website for more information www.quadrantaustralia.com

Pick a destination … there are hundreds of them! You won’t be short of choices when you ask, “Where can I go on a cruise?” You can cruise through tropical waters, rivers lined with historical cities or through the jungles of the most remote forests. You can even travel to special events such as the Melbourne Cup or the Australian Open or jump on board the “cruise to nowhere”, where your holiday is all about what’s onboard as you float in the middle of the ocean, far from land. If you’d like to know more about the diverse range of destinations and cruise styles, drop in to see the team at Quadrant Australia in Coffs Harbour. They offer a range of travel solutions with a friendly and experienced team. Coffs Coast focus 79

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Dream Homes Built to Last

The Toscan Homes team prides itself on creating high quality, luxury homes, villas and commercial buildings, designed to withstand the test of time.

tep into a Toscan Homes build, and it’s the attention to detail and luxurious feel that first grabs your attention. That’s because Toscan Homes prides itself on being the top luxury custom builder on the Coffs Coast. If you’re looking to build your dream home, or develop an investment block, maybe even build a commercial premises - if you want it done right, on time and on budget, head straight for the Toscan Homes team. Directors Rob McClennon and Todd Mackay

TOSCAN HOMES IS A

HIGHLY AWARDED have a wealth of local across NSW, before CUSTOM BUILDER building industry returning to Coffs WITH A REPUTATION experience between Harbour and taking FOR LUXURY AND them and have been over Toscan Homes with QUALITY. working at the helm of his brother-in-law, Rob Toscan Homes for eight McClennon. years, bringing many Rob is passionate about dream builds to life. the building industry and Todd began his building career as an has an eye for detail and design. He loves apprentice with Grazz Toscan back in having the opportunity to sit down with clients 1995. From there, he moved to overseeing and help see their dreams come to fruition. commercial high-rise builds in Sydney and

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Both Rob and Todd work tirelessly to ensure every build is the best quality, on time and on budget - ethics that have garnered the team major industry awards and plenty of happy, repeat clients. “I love working with clients and seeing the project from start to finish,” explains Todd. “It’s always satisfying to see something go from a plan to completion, and we put in that extra mile to ensure that the quality and detail follows the vision of our clients.” When you build or THE TOSCAN HOMES buy a Toscan Home, TEAM IS LOCALLY you’re getting a solid OWNED AND FAMILY investment that will RUN AND PRIDES stand the test of time. ITSELF ON DELIVERING Flick through the local DREAM HOMES. For Sale adverts, and you’ll often see Toscan Homes mentioned as a selling point. This is because the team is renowned for its quality builds, that stay ahead of industry trends and are built to last. “When you buy or build a Toscan Home, you’re getting a solid investment,” explains Rob. “In construction you get what you pay for. We work with our suppliers and trades to offer our clients the best quality at the best price we can. We work with the area’s top building

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professionals, and we also have access to the perpetually awarded for their efforts. newest and most innovative materials.” “We consistently win awards from the The Toscan team has formed solid relationships Housing Industry Association, and over the with the cream of the last five years have won crop of local tradies, extensively across many some of whom have categories,” explains Rob. been working for the From Top Custom company for more Home Builder, to Best TOSCAN HOMES ARE than 30 years. Townhouses on the MidEXPERTS IN CUSTOM “We couldn’t create North Coast, to 2018 BUILDS AND USE ONLY such amazing homes finalists in the Million THE BEST LOCAL without them,” says Dollar Luxury Home Build CRAFTSPEOPLE TO Rob. “They have the category, Toscan Homes is DELIVER STUNNING energy and passion a local success story. RESULTS. that’s synonymous “I’m proud of what we’ve with the Toscan achieved so far,” says Rob. Homes brand.” “And we look forward to This local industry even greater success in support gives Toscan Homes the edge 2019, having just turned the soil on a number over other builders and is why the team is of exciting projects.”

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Bright Future Ahead

he Toscan Homes team has a “We’re really happy to be working closely with bumper year ahead, with several local clients and tradespeople to bring this exceptional builds nearing large project to life,” explains Toscan Homes completion, including three, threeDirector Rob McClennon. storey townhouses in Boronia Street, Sawtell. “It’s a big project using some very innovative, “We’re really proud of this build,” says Toscan sustainable products, and we aim to deliver Homes Director Todd stunning results on the Mackay. “Architect Jim client’s budget,” says Booth from Casa Koala Rob. “When finished, the has designed a stunning buildings will perfectly set of homes, and we’re suit the streetscape and THE TOSCAN HOMES very proud to turn his, village atmosphere that TEAM WORKS CLOSELY and the owner’s, vision Sawtell is renowned for.” WITH CLIENTS TO into reality.” Passionate about creatDELIVER EXCEPTIONAL Each villa is three storeys, ing their own projects, BUILDS ON TIME AND with spectacular views Toscan Homes also has ON BUDGET. over Bonville Creek and a number of house and the southern beaches of land packages in the Sawtell and Bonville. The works for 2019. These luxury villas will also share homes in Coffs Harbour a stunning in-ground pool and cabana area. and its surrounds will showcase the very best Another big project the team will tackle in in local design and craftsmanship - with the 2019 is a substantial build of seven house-sized luxury feel that Toscan Homes is famous for. To townhouses, right in the centre of Sawtell’s find out more, contact the Toscan Homes team First Avenue. This gated community is being on (02) 6652 2444, or drop them an email via designed and built to blend effortlessly with their website at: the ultra-modern surrounds and will offer luxury living at its finest. www.toscanhomes.com.au

Stoddart Group is the often unseen but everpresent backbone of the construction of a new home.

STEEL FRAMING ROOFING ENERGY CLADDING GARAGE DOORS

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Toscan Homes Director Todd Mackay and new Supervisor Malcolm Singleton, on site at Sawtell.

Top Addition to the Toscan Team

ith 2018 being such a big including sport stars Russell Ingall, Matthew year for Toscan Homes, it Hayman and Ian Healy. made sense to add another His most revered project to date is a large supervisor to the team. And house he built in Chatswood, which won the lucky for Toscan’s, they got their top choice Willoughby Council Heritage Award, Master in experienced builder Builders and HIA Malcom Singleton. Awards. Malcolm brings to With his roots now the team a high level firmly planted back of expertise, having in Sawtell, Malcolm is MALCOLM BRINGS A worked in the building ecstatic to be a part WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE and construction of the Toscan Homes TO THE TEAM AND AN industry for more than team. ABILITY TO GET THE JOB 25 years. “I love that it’s a family DONE, ON TIME AND ON Malcom did the hard oriented company and BUDGET. yards as a building the workplace is such apprentice, at the a productive, friendly ripe age of 16, and place,” Malcom says. has since amassed a “I also get to work wealth of building experience both here and with Coffs Harbour’s most talented and overseas. creative tradies.” He’s worked on the Prime Minister’s resiMalcolm brings a wealth of knowledge to dence of Kirribilli House and completed a the team and an ability to get the job done, number of large historic projects in the cenon time and on budget. He’s looking forward tre of Sydney. He’s even built six-storey high to the exciting builds that Toscan Homes has rises in Ireland and worked for celebrities underway for 2019.

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2019 top 10 Building Trends by Toscan Homes

ORGANIC KITCHENS. White kitchens offer a clean slate to work with and offer a great contrast to timber floors and stone and granite tops, but we are also seeing other elements working well in kitchens now. Many new home owners want to spice up their kitchen area; there’s been a big trend in using organic elements in the kitchen - especially with bench tops - and stone and concrete are the new materials of choice. “We are very proud to have been associated for such a long time with G and A Cabinets. G and A Cabinets have been designing and building our kitchens for almost 30 years. The team at G and A Cabinets has such a high level of workmanship, and this shows in all of their finished products. They are at the forefront of design and always offer the best in materials and trends,” says Todd. “We’re also lucky to have John Sheridan from Sheridan Stone on the team for all of our stonework. John is the Coffs Coast’s most talented stonemason and is at the forefront of the very latest stone trends. He selects only the most perfect stone and crafts and installs it for us, and the quality is truly exceptional.”

STATEMENT VANITIES. Blame it on The Block, but the statement vanity is making a comeback in 2019, with architects and designers noting a demand for bold, stand-out styles. From rustic wood panelling to chic, industrial designs, vanities that make a statement are a must-have for new home owners.

Proudly supplying Lighting and Electrical to

Toscan Homes Cetnaj Coﬀs Harbour 151 Orlando Street Ph: 6691 6100

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LOOKING SKYWARD. New home owners are conscious of their carbon footprint and they’re keen to embrace energy-saving technologies. They’ve also had enough of paying sky high electricity bills; hence, the huge growth in buildings incorporating solar energy into their designs. Solar panels are in high demand for new homes, and a raft of new, aesthetically appealing designs are now available. So, your home will not only look chic from above - you’ll save dough, while generating extra power for the grid. Coffs Solar Energy is the number one choice for Toscan Homes’ projects. It’s one of just a handful of solar companies in Australia that are accredited by the Clean Energy Council as an Approved Solar Retailer. They also offer the very latest in solar technology for residential and commercial builds.

NATUR AL WOOD PRODUCTS. Natural timbers are always a favourite with timber entry doors, but wood is now popping up in some unusual spaces - and the trend looks set to continue in 2019. From vanity panels, to bench tops, ceilings and statement front doors, wood adds a touch of warmth to any room. Engineered wood is also gaining in popularity. This pre-finished product gives a wood look, but offers better durability and a longer lasting finish.

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With smart technology evolving at an expediential rate, builders are seeing a huge increase in the number of new home owners wanting to harness the very latest gadgets and software. “Millenials are at the forefront of the trend to take up advancing technologies,” explains Todd. “You can now remotely access everything, from your air conditioner to your washing machine and oven.” Start dinner before you get home, ask your fridge what you need to buy from the shops, even remotely wash and dry a load of clothes the possibilities are endless. Wi-fi integration will not only save you time and money, but will help reduce your carbon footprint too.

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FLOORS WITH FLAIR Tying in with the industrial trend, concrete flooring is set to be huge in 2019: “I love burnished floors, because they’re so interesting to look at. No two areas of the floor look the same.”

SIGNATURE STAIRCASES

The Toscan team has enlisted JZ Concreting for a new build currently underway in Mullaway and is thrilled with the results. As an added bonus, burnished floors help to retain warmth in winter and cool the house in summer, offering significant energy savings.

Toscan Homes has seen a big increase in clients asking for staircases that add grandeur to their homes, with curved structures exploding in popularity. The team entrusts only Stairmaster to these tasks, as the build requires craftsmen with exceptional skills and talent. “To create a curved staircase you’ve got to bend the timber, which is extremely tricky and requires a lot of time and skill. It also creates other challenges, like curved walls and frames. “While curved staircases take a lot of extra time and effort, the results are truly spectacular. “Nick and Derrin from Stairmaster have created some beautiful curved staircases for us,” says Todd. “They look absolutely stunning and give homes a grand Hamptons feel, which is a major design trend for 2019.”

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SEMI INDUSTRIAL. Architects are seeing a big rise in the number of home owners looking to build industrial-style dwellings that still retain that family feel. Director of Toscan Homes, Todd Mackay, has built a number of homes in this evolving style and says using a balance of quality, raw and exposed materials is key: “Using a mix of concrete, galvanized steel columns and metal cladding can achieve this look,” he explains. “And if you add in brickwork with a rough, aged look and signature pieces like curved metal stairs - you retain that warmth and personality a family home needs.”

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LIGHTWEIGHT CLADDING Cost effective modern and appealing to the new trends of Hamptons/beach house style, cladding is undergoing a major revival in 2019. Hardie’s Scyon is leading the charge and is a popular choice for builders on the Coffs Coast, thanks to its quality and resilience. “Scyon is made of fibre cement, so it’s very strong. It’s built tough to withstand harsh Aussie conditions and comes in a wide range of modern profiles and finishes.”

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The result is cladding that not only looks good, but is built to last and last.

MORE MINIMALISM Less is more in 2019, with minimalist design a common request from new home owners. And suppliers are jumping on the trend, creating new products that help achieve the minimalist look. Popular products include windows and doors that recess into brickwork and ultra-thin blade glass that can be used instead of a traditional recess in the shower. The minimal look is also on trend for bedrooms in 2019, with hidden storage and walk-in closets in high demand. This decluttering effect helps create a peaceful and tranquil space for a great night’s sleep.

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Polished marble bench tops add sophistication to the kitchen. Not a bad view either! Imagine lying back in the tub and enjoying the gorgeous view of the mountains beyond!

J The Good Life Lux Country Living

Designed to capture the serenity of Glennifer’s rural surrounds, this stunning home was a labour of love for the Toscan team.

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ust a 30 minute drive from the centre of Coffs The first thing you notice when you step inside this Harbour lies this jewel in the Toscan Homes enviable home is how spacious and light it feels. crown. Set amongst Raked ceilings and extra-large 50 acres of pristine windows combine with smooth and countryside, it’s been sleek design, creating a light and designed and built to take spacious finish. full advantage of the serene Toscan Homes prides itself on being surrounds. Step inside, and innovative, and this home certainly THE FIRST THING you feel a sense of space and fits this brief. YOU NOTICE WHEN peace - an oasis from the The home features glass cavity YOU STEP INSIDE THIS hustle and bustle only a short sliding doors and windows, which, ENVIABLE HOME IS distance away. incredibly, slide back into the HOW SPACIOUS AND “The house has been brickwork, essentially bringing the LIGHT IT FEELS. architecturally designed with outside in. the views in mind,” explains “We love this look,” says Todd. Toscan Homes Director Todd “Firstly, it creates a more seamless Mackay. “The fig tree is a finish, with no obstructions and focal point of the property - it fills the view from the secondly, it’s commercial grade, so it’s built to last.” exceptionally large windows, while other areas of the Even the ducted air conditioning has been hidden home give spectacular views to the mountains.” away in the brickwork and bulkheads, so as to not

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Country living at its finest! This stunning Glennifer home has been designed to take full advantage of the pristine surrounds.

impede the home’s sleek lines. The kitchen is enough to make a Masterchef weak at the knees, with a stylish Miele oven and cooktop and a bespoke marble bench top, polished to a matt finish. “Some people shy away from using marble in the kitchen, but by polishing the marble to a matt finish, it becomes easier to maintain,” explains Todd. “The result looks amazing and is really functional.” The bathroom and ensuite are equally as impressive, with black textured feature tiles and

large recessed mirrored cabinets, for plenty of storage. Then there’s the bathtub - a heavenly, cast iron, deep soaking tub that looks out on to the pristine countryside. From the internal brickwork, to the on trend Tallowood flooring, no detail has been spared in this build. Even the alfresco areas are stunning created using solid granite cobblestones that were meticulously hand laid. This modern and innovative home is another stunning example of the Toscan Home team bringing building dreams to life.

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A Industrial Charm by Toscan Homes

With its on-trend black metal cladding and timber façade, this Toscan Home makes a striking edition to the luxury abodes that line Sapphire Beach.

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favourite build for the Toscan Homes team, this property features high quality materials designed to stand the test of time against the ocean that sits on its doorstep. “We chose galvanised black and metal cladding from Stoddarts, which really holds up against the elements,” explains Toscan Homes Director Todd Mackay. “We also used Colorbond Ultra in the panelling, which helps to preserve the metal against corrosion.” The entire structure is designed to take full advantage of its beachside location, with large, matt black aluminium windows featuring tinted green glass offering spectacular views to the beach and rolling waves beyond. But this home is more than just a pretty face. Step inside the impressive New Guinea rosewood door, and you enter a home that, despite its semi-industrial design, has a warmth and personality perfect for family living. The first thing that grabs your attention is the burnished concrete floors - a striking feature

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that looks amazing and helps to reduce energy costs. “The concrete floors have been polished to a mirror finish to create a dramatic look,” explains Todd. “The flooring is also thermally efficient - the ground retains heat in the winter and coolness in the summer.” The staircase is another impressive feature of the home, with the powder-coated steel handrail complementing the beautifully crafted, open riser stairs. “This really fits the brief of an industrial look,” explains Todd, “especially when you combine it with the internal brickwork feature wall opposite.” This is the second time the owners have enlisted Toscan Homes on a project, and they are delighted with the results. They asked for a semi-industrial home using quality materials that met their budget, and the Toscan team definitely delivered. Much thought has been put into every space of the home, creating a seamless industrial design with a

warm and friendly feel. Everything down to the bathroom fixtures and fittings has been carefully selected to fit the client’s brief. “There’s a main bathroom, ensuite and powder room and while they are minimalist, they are highly functional,” explains Todd. “We used shower blades, not doors, to give the bathrooms a sense of space and openness. And as an added bonus, they require much less cleaning.” The vanities were created using timber slabs, adding to the building’s industrial feel, while the powder-coated black tapware and door handles are both functional and on trend. From the upstairs hardwood ply sheet flooring, to the exposed galvanised steel posts used throughout, no detail has been spared in creating this modern luxury home. “Our clients are loving their new home,” says Todd. “And we are really proud of the expertise we provided to help turn their dreams into reality.”

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AUDIO

Gavin and Jarrod Louis, owners at Coffs Coast Audio, have been installing Hi Fi, Home Theatre and Smart Home Technologies for nearly 20 years here on the Coffs Coast.

e have seen some radical up place in the Control 4 Australia dealer changes in our industry in awards for the best integrated project that time, but have remained under 100K; it is an award that we are relevant extremely proud of as by not only embracing a company, and we those changes, but also are striving to take building on them. Some out the number one of the most important position next year. changes have been Smart Home IF THE SMART over the past few years technology is not APPLIANCES IN YOUR and involve the biggest just for the rich and HOME ARE THE investment that we are famous anymore ORCHESTRA, CONTROL likely to make, and that either; we have 4 IS THE CONDUCTOR. is our home. packages to bring the The technology in our technology in your homes has advanced at home together for an astounding rate, and under $5k; if you are what we only dreamed about achieving a building a new home, this is exciting news. decade ago is now the new normal. Coffs Coast Audio can design, install and Coffs Coast Audio has been the Premium commission your new Smart Home. Call Control 4 integrator on the Mid North into our showroom and let us demonstrate Coast for the last decade and were how you too can have smartest house on rewarded earlier this year with a runner the block.

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Perry Homes Coffs Harbour Construction Team

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H O M E S Perry Homes Sees a RECORD NUMBER OF BUILDS IN THE COFFS HARBOUR AREA in 2018

erry Homes has been building award winning homes for more than 25 years. A trusted builder, they have a wellearned reputation for delivering quality built homes that provide exceptional value for money and as such, enjoy a high number of repeat clients. Established in 1993, the company is 100% owned and managed by David Perry. Building from Newcastle right up to the Sunshine Coast and out to the New England area, the company has been helping people build their dream home for nearly twenty years in the Coffs Harbour area. Greg Stocks, Area Construction Manager for the Mid North Coast region for Perry Homes commented, “I have been with Perry Homes for five years now, three of those as Area Construction Manager. We have seen year on year growth, reaching a high of 40 home builds this year in the Coffs Harbour area alone. This is a testament to our team. Between myself and our two Site Supervisors, James Hourn and Phillip Davies, that operate in the Coffs Harbour area, we have amassed over 80 years’ experience in the building industry.” Greg commenced his career as a Carpenter, soon earning his Builder’s Licence. Owning his own building business for ten years before joining Perry Homes, Greg won a Master Builders Award for an impressive home renovation. Site Supervisor James Hourn grew up in Coffs Harbour and learnt his trade from his father. He commented, “Building has always been a part of my life. Since I was a young boy I was visiting construction sites with my father. There was never any doubt what I wanted to do when I finished school.” Likewise for Site Supervisor Phillip Davies (affectionately known as PJ). PJ has been building new homes for over 30 years. “I have always been passionate about

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building. It’s a great feeling being able to hand the keys over to a client for their new home,” said PJ. One the of the standout reasons that people choose Perry Homes is that they are an integrated part of the community. The Area Manager and Site Supervisors are all local, as are the tradespeople that they employ, many of whom they have been working with for five to ten years. Greg added, “Having trades that you trust is paramount for a smooth build, and we nurture these relationship and really see our tradespeople as an extension of the Perry Homes family.” 2018 has been a busy year for Perry Homes, with a large volume of homes being built in the new land estates in the northern beaches, namely Sandy Beach, Woopi Beach and Emerald Beach. MEETING DEMAND IS ACTUALLY Greg commented, ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF BUILDING WITH PERRY HOMES. “Our team here WE ARE NOT A FRANCHISE, AND build in both the BEING A DEBT-FREE FAMILY north and south BUSINESS MEANS THAT OUR sides of Coffs WARRANTY INSURANCES Harbour. The AREN’T CAPPED LIKE MANY south is a little OF OUR COMPETITORS. THIS more spread out, MEANS THAT THERE ARE NO Perry Homes with quite a lot WAIT TIMES ON START SITES has an exciting of rural, acreageFOR OUR CLIENTS, AND OUR 2019 ahead style homes being ORDERING AND SCHEDULING of them, with built. Whilst we TIMELINES ARE STREAMLINED. two new try to operate in display homes pockets for time being built at efficiencies, we AV Jennings’ can share the Seacrest Estate in Sandy Beach. Greg workload and move people about should commented, “We have been hard at work demand require it.” building two new display homes - the Greg added, “Meeting demand is actually Azure and the Dune - which are due to one of the benefits of building with Perry open early February. These homes are a Homes. We are not a franchise, and being testament to the quality of the homes a debt-free family business means that that we build. The Azure in particular will our warranty insurances aren’t capped really inspire a way of life, with a purpose like many of our competitors. This means built gazebo and swimming pool. that there are no wait times on start sites for our clients, and our ordering and scheduling timelines are streamlined.”

“We are confident that people will really love what they see. Both are new

designs in the Perry Homes portfolio and showcase two different styles - the Azure will display the on-trend Hamptons design, whilst the Dune will feature a modern Seaspray façade complete with Colorbond roof.” Perry Homes has a portfolio of over 50 home designs and eight façades to choose from that will suit flat or sloping blocks, traditional or acreage homes even knockdown rebuilds. They also have an array of home and land packages available, with prices starting from $395,000. If you are thinking of building a new home, contact their New Home Consultant Phillip Hitchins on 0428 271 884 or visit www.perryhomes.com.au

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SP Screens Coffs Harbour Craig and Steve from SP Screens Coffs Harbour provide you with their top five tips to safeguard your property over these summer months: Get help from neighbours In tight-knit communities like Coffs Harbour, neighbours are usually more than happy to look out for each other. If you’re going away, let your neighbours know. If it’s going to be for a long period, then ask them to bring your mail in and, if you’re close enough, to keep your front yard clean. Guard your keys Don’t leave your spare key under your door mat, pot plant or in the mailbox as a safeguard against being locked out. Burglars know this is the easiest way to access a home.

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Check your screens During summer, we all like to let the breeze come through the house, but you don’t want to let unwanted visitors like bugs and burglars in. Check the flyscreens on your doors. A flyscreen made with security screen mesh with a triple lock is your best source of protection against unwanted guests. Set your timers If you’re going away for an extended period, then your best option is to get a housesitter. However, for short trips and nights out, keep a car parked in the driveway and use automatic timers for lamps and radios, to keep the bad guys guessing. Secure your windows No one likes to come home to a stuffy house, but it’s best to keep your windows closed and locked unless you have security screens or bars installed.

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East Cabinets Mr.Coast Plummer is upon us, and is the time to organise I Christmas am Brad Plummer, owner and now operator of Mr Plummer. I your Christmas and New Year activities and whilst on started my plumbing career back in 2002, where I moved holidays (for those who get them) to Coffs Harbour from the Manning Valleytotostart start planning my for all those jobs required local building apprenticeship. I remained with in the2019. same The company for 13 years, industry is ticking overtonicely, andown everyone is predicting until I knew it was time start my plumbing Business. I more good things year.the clients needs first. believe in hard workfor andnext putting We live greatyear partasofa New South Wales, and hopefully Now intoinmya 15th plumber, drainer and gasfitter I have others from anywhere else will realise that they can seen it all, which gives me a quick prognosis of the problem and move jointous. arrivals from big smoke” the besttoway fixNew it, which saves the “the customer time andare money. amazed at how much they can do in a day, as they are not At Mr Plummer we are always trying to exceed our customers spending hours per day travelling to and from work, giving expectations. them more time to enjoy family time, the climate and I environment, provide a service rapid response to emergency as that well includes as our sporting facilities. work, we are polite and well mannered, and always clean up A growing population supporting locally owned businesses after our work is completed which is not a common plumbing and services result in a growing economy. What more is trait. there to wish for? We are keeping up to date with regulations, and technologies. To all the wonderful builders and customers who have Some of our new equipment is cutting the time to do jobs down supported us throughout the year, a big thank you for your to half, which we can pass the savings on to you, the client. support, patience and friendship - especially when things There is no job or small, callyear. me Mr Plummer today, your got chaotic intoo thebig middle of the Coffs Harbour plumber. Best wishes to everyone for a very happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year from all of us.

Voodoo Auto Electrical and Caravan Voodoo AutoRepairs. Electrical Locally based, reliable, and dedicated are all readily used to Michael is originally from Darwin and was taken on many describe Michael, the man behind Voodoo Auto Electrical camping and four wheel driving trip with his family. Some and Caravan Repairs. This month he is celebrating a few key of his best childhood memories were exploring the off milestones. road parts of Australia. IN BUSINESS: Two strong years of experience and development He completed his auto electrical apprenticeship in Forster, later as a business owner and operator. The continued growth has been moving to Coffs Harbour. driven by a genuine reputation built on effort and integrity, as well Working at Watson's caravans he developed skills and as the support of his family and the local community. understanding of the needs of campers and caravan goers PERSONALLY: The beginning of married life with wife Melissa needs. He appreciates that this is your home away from home. and soon the arrival of their first baby. The Big Blue Hilux got a Everything needs to run simply, efficiency and reliably. He will good run exploring Fraser Island for their Honeymoon, where she give honest advice based on experience and research. learnt to four wheel drive and didn’t get bogged at Inskip Point! His many services are fully mobile soofyou can stay ininyour home or The outdoor adventures his childhood Australia’s caravantop park your holiday Michael the work diverse endenjoying have instilled a love ofwhile camping and does four wheel on site.bike riding, and fishing, which he is sharing with his driving, growing family. Workshop facilities are available when required. He is equally passionate gettingtoyour family on or people, off road Michael " I love what I about do, getting meet different for your nexttheir trip safely, reliable seton up,the firstroad time. hear about travelswith andakeep them " He to the you name... to complete your job with quality materials Tellwill uscome about and equipment, drawing 10 years of experience in the industry. Michael - Voodoo Auto on Electrical came about as an accident.

One of Michael my customers commented that had auto doneelectrical "some kind of Contact on 0481 335 988 for all Iyour voodoo magic to their vehicle when fixing it " needs and related caravan repairs. Follow the action on Facebook at Voodoo Auto Electrical.

Coffs Coast focus 83 98 Coffs Coast focus

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Call today for an appointme nt 13 28 36

Aged Care has never come with so much Freedom When many people think of aged care they think of a nursing home and living on someone else’s timetable. But that’s not what you’ll expect after visiting Aveo Freedom Aged Care Coffs Harbour, a welcoming community that gives you the flexibility to do what you want. It’s a genuine alternative to a nursing home.

SEE THE DIFFERENCE

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Nursing Home

24-hr nurse services – immediate response nurse-call technology

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Low, High, Palliative and Dementia Care

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Government funding available

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Your own self-contained home with kitchen, bathroom, laundry and courtyard/garden

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Couples stay together

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Family and friends can stay whenever they want

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Pets are welcome

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No means-testing or asset-testing required for move-in

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We have a range of homes available in Coffs Harbour including: 1 bedroom homes– price range: $229,000 - $285,000* 2 and 3 bedroom homes – price range: $550,000* Come and see the Freedom difference for yourself. Call 13 28 36 or visit aveo.com.au/freedom **Prices correct as of 3/12/2018. **Subject to management approval. ^This comparison is a guide only and we encourage you to compare for yourself. FRE141-F

Aveo Freedom Aged Care Coffs Harbour 13 28 36 aveo.com.au/freedom 96 Coffs Coast focus

92 Taloumbi Road, Coffs Harbour