High Country Herald - July 4, 2017

CHRISTIAN COMMENT
When life bites you
By NOEL WILCOX
Pastor Highfields Baptist Church
Where do you go when life
bites you in the tail?
Just before Jesus was arrested
and subsequently was crucified,
He said to His followers:
"Strike the Shepherd and the
sheep of the flock will be scattered."
(Mark 14:27)
It happened just as Jesus had
prophesied with even one of his
closest followers, Peter, who
fled the scene when the inevitable
happened. He said that even
if everyone else was scattered,
he wouldn’t. But he did.
You can imagine Peter would
have slunk away like a chastised
dog with his tail between his
legs.
But there is more!
After Jesus was crucified, buried
and raised to life, He went
looking for Peter.
Why?
To restore him to fellowship.
To say, "Sure you failed, but failure
is not final."
Jesus described Himself as the
Good Shepherd, the One who
cares for His sheep.
Where do you go when life
bites you on the tail? If you are
one of His sheep, you go to your
Good Shepherd.
In Him you will find healing,
wholeness and protection.
Winter garden school
The 2017 Leafmore Winter Garden School was held at the City
Golf Club on June 14 and 15. Toowoomba supplied perfect weather
for the many attendees from South East Queensland, the west,
Northern New South Wales and South Australia. They were greeted
by the committee who had worked for 18 months to ensure they
had an enjoyable two days. The President's Room was decked out
in succulent arrangements and native flowers while the perimeter
was lined with stalls offering a wide variety of garden related or
fascinating objects and plants.
Guest presenter was Sophie Thomson who is a dynamic and
inspirational speaker. As dinner speaker, she helped us reach our
record attendance at Wednesday night's gathering. During the two
days attendees were entertained, educated and inspired by Sophie
and six other speakers on a great selection of subjects. Brian Sams,
Tim Rival, Leo O'Reilly, Debby Birach-Mayer, Anne Gibson and
Barbara Wickes gave practical presentations covering a wide variety
of interests.
Thanks to the generosity of individuals and businesses and hard
work by the committee members, Leafmore Garden Society managed
to raise over $3000 with multi draw raffles. These funds will
be shared between the Kidney Support Network and Understand
Alzheimers Educate Australia.
As chair of the Winter Garden School committee, I would like
to acknowledge the support of the Regional Council and thank
businesses and the loyal attendees of this, our ninth, Winter Garden
School. - Joan Cahill.
LOCAL
NEWS
TRC budgets for pest management
Toowoomba Regional Council’s budget for the next 12 months
continues a program of conservation and pest management.
Council activities this year will continue to help both the council
and landowners gain ground in the battle against invasive weed
species and pests that can be damaging to bushland and productive
agricultural areas.
The council is continuing with a co-ordinated biosecurity surveillance
program from August 1, 2017 to July 30, 2018 with priority
surveillance areas identified at Gowrie Junction, Bowenville (north
of the Warrego Highway), Irvingdale, Upper Yarraman, NEWS Mt Tyson,
Rossvale, Purrawunda, Mt Irving, Westbrook, Wellcamp, Glenvale
and Scrubby Mountain.
Officers will continue to deliver baiting programs, firebreak maintenance
and prescribed burning programs, attend regional shows
and industry events to help increase awareness and ways in which
everyone can play a part in controlling invasive pests and weeds.
Business submission could refocus
town centre development
Highfields Community Heart Project has met to finalise its submission in response to Toowoomba Regional Council’s Draft
Cultural Precinct Master Plan. ABOVE: Wendy Allen, Activate Events, Ged Brennan, GenEngSolutions, Rev Phil West, manager/chaplain
Brownesholme Retirement Home, and Sonny Lynn, Kat and Sonny Photography.
Submissions on the Toowoomba
Regional Council’s plans
for a town centre and library
precinct at Highfields close this
Friday, July 7, and a Highfields
business group will lodge a substantial
critique of council plans.
The Highfields and District
Business Connections submission
will highlight the positive
aspects of the council’s plans,
but also the deficiencies.
More than a month ago, a
meeting of almost 300 Highfields
residents debated the
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council’s town centre and library
plans.
The meeting had been called
by Highfields landholders affected
by the plans, and it appeared
that more than 90 per cent of
those who attended the meeting
were opposed to the council’s
plans.
The meeting was attended by
council Planning leader Cr Chris
Tait, and following the outcry
from the crowd, he announced
that the consultation period
would be extended by a month.
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NEWS
While the reaction of Highfields
residents might have
“stunned” councillors and council
managers, the local people
and their representative groups
are moving to seek a better outcome.
Jim O’Dea, President of Highfields
and District Business Connections
remained positive that
good outcomes could emerge
from the issue.
But he said there had to be an
acknowledgement that there are
deficiencies with the council’s
• Our apologies for the non-appearance of the crossword last week - Ed.
draft town centre and library
precinct plans.
He said it appeared that the
council acknowledged that its
approach to community consultation
was not adequate.
The HDBC submission would
identify where the council process
seemed inconsistent with
accepted approaches to community
consultation.
“It is unfortunate that some
council procedures were not best
practice,” Mr O’Dea said.
Toowoomba council’s plans
for the centre of Highfields are
of vital interest to members of
Highfields and District Business
Connections which has had
a steering committee working
with local leaders on ideas for
a Highfields town centre since
July 2016.
The group is in the process of
developing a “community heart”
which will breathe life into
Highfields, for both business and
the community.
It is aware that Highfields
State Secondary College and
Mary MacKillop Catholic College
will soon be graduating
year 12 students, and without
business, industry and community
development, these students
will have limited opportunity
locally.
The group is also aware that
there is an opinion within Council
that Highfields will forever
be a “dormitory” suburb of
Toowoomba, without any opportunity
to provide a sustainable
community with employment
for the growing population of
Highfields, and the nearby communities
of Meringandan, Kleinton,
Cabarlah and others.
Highfields and District Business
Connections members have
an opportunity this morning,
Tuesday, July 4, to review and
approve the group’s submission
to the council due this Friday.
LOCAL
NEWS
LOCAL
NEWS
5.1 million Australians
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read a
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community newspaper in print.
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NEWSPAPERS
Source: emma, conducted by Iposos MediaCT, people 14+ for the 12 months ending November 2015.
6 - HIGH COUNTRY HERALD JULY 4, 2017
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