Contact Person: Sarah Mathiesen, Director
Phone: 0400 712 861
Twitter: www.twitter.com/harshmellowTSV

Harshmellow Media + Design is a boutique-style communications agency specialising in public relations and graphic design.

Harshmellow aims to help North Queensland businesses connect with their stakeholders and the broader community through effective and innovative communication campaigns.

We can help build multi-platform campaigns comprising media relations, advertising, printed collateral, market research, social + digital media, and event management.

We can also help you prepare for media interviews, develop issues-management campaigns, write grant applications and awards submissions and get the very best for your business.

To discuss your ideas or to hear ours, contact our Director, Sarah Mathiesen on 0400 712 861.

For more information about Harshmellow Media + Design, visit www.harshmellow.com.au.

AS the region’s only small business incubator, part of the North Queensland Small Business Development Centre’s (NQSBDC) role is to foster business collaborations, with a recent result sparking the creation of a product that is expected to slash workshop inefficiency for tradies across Australia.

What happens when you combine two creative computer brains with a bloke who loves his tools, yet has spent years in workshops struggling with complex and expensive computer technology? According to HyCut Australia sales engineer Tony Carty: A practical and affordable solution that is hoped to find its way into workshops of every size and capability.

“Many people have heard of or have used Computer Numerical Control (CnC) in a workshop to cut metal, wood and plastics with precision, but up until now the machines have been very complicated to use, require a lot of training and range anywhere from $29,000 to $1 million,” Mr Carty said.

“But the machines we are developing with Casey and Grant Bajema from Bajtech will start at $5,000 and are so simple to use – they just plug into the computer via a USB, just like a printer, and you use one program to do a multi-faceted job from start to end. Some workshops already use existing CnC machines, but – aside from the massive cost – they deal with headaches like having to transfer the design using a USB stick, using parallel ports and trying to comprehend poor user documentation and lack of support.

“On the whole, Australia is scared of CnC because many people think it’s too hard, but we are simplifying it as much as possible and making it more affordable so that the little guy can now have a CnC machine in his workshop which he can operate straight away with and it will do everything for him – he can use flame to oxycut, plasma to do electric arcs, and routers and small lasers to do woods and plastics. This means he saves time and if he needs help local support is at hand.

“It is really all about improving workplace efficiency and bringing something to hobbyists and small business that was really out of reach before.”

Bajtech director Casey Bajema said the trio were in discussions about getting the affordable and simplified version of the technology into schools and TAFEs where its multi-faceted tools and functions and ease of operation would give students a realistic idea about what life in a trade would be like.

“The machines give them an understanding and a leg-up before they start an apprenticeship and we expect the demand to be huge from this training sense. It will help the younger generation into the workforce and make them aware of the technology that will be in their future workplaces,” Mr Bajema said.

The collaborative team is developing a prototype of the machine and will then seek feedback from local industry.

NQSBDC chief executive officer Brian Arnold said it was exciting to see how the residents of Little Silicon Valley (LSV) – the centre’s own innovative IT incubator – were mixing together and creating new technology. He said the NQSBDC was always on the lookout for more forward-thinking people with who want to turn their ideas into reality.

“For those people with an innovative or ‘light bulb’ idea, the NQSBDC and LSV are definitely the places to come to get assistance,” he said. “We are creating an entrepreneurial eco-system here and the way these two tenants have managed to combine their talents shows what can happen when you throw the right ingredients into the pot.”

Bajtech directors Casey and Grant Bajema – 0401 162 939 or 0402 723 752
HyCut Australia sales engineer Tony Carty – 0408 756 700
NQSBDC chief executive officer Brian Arnold – 0427 720 121

PO Box 14045
Mount Sheridan Q 4868
Email: linda.soblusky@fifocapital.com
Web: www.fifocapitalNQ.com

Contact Person: Linda Soblusky, Factoring & Debtor Finance Specialist
Phone: 0408 704 870
Fax: 07 3463 7005

IT IS festival time at Mungalla Station east of Ingham next month and the Nywaigi Aboriginal owners have extended an invitation for everyone to share in their pride of ownership and achievement.

The Nywaigi people of North Queensland have owned the land where Mungalla Station stands for 45,000 years, plus an additional 10 more recently. The 2,000-acre cattle station established in 1882 was handed back to its traditional owners in 2000, and from September 3-5 the Mungalla Festival will celebrate 10 years of the land’s return.

It also celebrates a decade of achievement, with Mungalla Aboriginal Business Corporation winning the Indigenous Tourism Award in 2008, being named a finalist in the 2007 Reconciliation Awards for Business and being highly commended in the established business category in this year’s reconciliation awards.

A feature of the festival will be a Master Chef-style kupmurri cook off and banquet. Kupmurri is a traditional form of underground fire pit cooking. Many teams will compete in the cook-off and entry is still open to everyone. At the end of the competition, the gently smouldered meat and vegetables will be served at a banquet.

Other festival attractions include indigenous music, cultural and historical tours, an art exhibition, art and craft stalls, an ‘Elders’ tent’ where Elders from the community are invited to attend, plus the permanent Captive Lives Exhibition in the station’s grand homestead. The exhibition is a reminder of how, in the 1880s, Aboriginal people were captured and shipped to America and Europe to appear in Barnum & Bailey circuses as “human curiosities”.

There is a camping site for tents and campervans and the property also features interesting wetlands with excellent bird-watching opportunities.

“We wanted to host a festival to share this picturesque property that few people know exists and show how we celebrate with music, food and art,” Mungalla Station manager Jacob Cassady said.

“Through these cultural festivities, we are having a lot of fun, but also acknowledging the achievements of the Nywaigi Aboriginal Land Corporation over the past 10 years since our land was handed back.”

Applications to host a stall or register for the kupmurri cook-off are still open. For more information or to obtain an application contact Joanne Cassady at Mungalla on (07) 4777 8718 or balgarra.art@hotmail.

The festival site address is Mungalla Station, Forrest Beach Road, Allingham – 12km east of Ingham. Entry fee is $5 a day or $10 for the full weekend with children under five years of age free. Families of four pay $15 a day or $35 for a weekend pass, and families of four or more pay $25 a day or $65 for a weekend pass. Tent sites are $20 a day and campervan sites $25 a day. The kupmurri banquet costs $20 (single) or $45 (family). The Mungalla Festival opens at 10am every day, except 7am Sunday for the country breakfast, and is an alcohol-free event.

Mungalla Mission Statement: Mungalla is a resource owned by the Nywaigi Traditional Owners for the purpose of fostering Aboriginal cultural values by building economic and cultural opportunities through the careful use of our country as a legacy for our children.

For further information contact:

Joanne Cassady
Festival Coordinator: (07) 4777 8718
email: balgarra.art@hotmail.com
www.mungallaaboriginaltours.com or www.undergroundcooking.com

Contact Person: Daniel Serventy, Business Development Manager
Phone: 07 4721 3044
Fax: 07 4721 3077

Dash Pacific is Townsville’s largest computer wholesaler. We have a fully stocked warehouse located in Hyde Park, and offer a large range of hardware and software products at affordable wholesale prices. Our ability to hold large amounts of stock means you don’t have to.

Buying your products from a local wholesaler will cut down delivery times, and freight costs.

Dash Pacific will also handle all warranty and return authority issues, saving you time and money.

Special orders are always welcome and we aim to stock the computer products that you require.

Please view our website www.dashpacific.com.au , call us on 4721 3044, email sales@dashpacific.com.au or visit us at 1/10 Cottell St, Hyde Park for further information and to open an account.

TOWNSVILLE eco business GreenUrLife is a finalist in the “Best Eco-Friendly Business” category of the 2010 AusMumpreneur Awards.

The only event of its kind in Australia; the AusMumpreneur Awards are coordinated by Connect2Mums – an online interactive magazine that connects Mums around Australia and New Zealand (www.connect2mums.com.au). The Awards celebrate and recognise the best and brightest Mumpreneurs in the industry, acknowledging success in business, product development, services and innovation.

GreenUrLife opened its online doors in 2008 when owner Karen Keynes, who has a passion for all things natural and eco, identified a gap in the niche market of eco-friendly kitchenware.

“The plastic revolution of the 50s has led to large amounts of plastic now being used in the kitchen for food preparation, serving and storage,” she said. “Recent research has identified health concerns with regard to certain plastics and there is also the issue of lack of biodegradability in landfill.”

After Mrs Keynes failed to find somewhere in Australia to purchase her own eco-friendly kitchenware, GreenUrLife was born (www.greenurlife.com.au).

A member of the North Queensland Small Business Development Centre’s (NQSBDC) Home-based Business Network, Mrs Keynes was euphoric when notified that GreenUrLife was a finalist in the AusMumpreneur Awards.

“There are so many fantastic eco-friendly businesses in Australia and a lot of them are run by Mums. It really is a great privilege to be in such talented company and to have my business recognised as one of the best,” Mrs Keynes said.

So what does it take to stand out from the crowd and be selected as one of the top five eco-friendly Mumpreneur businesses in the country for 2010? “Providing high quality, unique eco-friendly products; exceeding customer expectations with regard to service; incorporating eco-friendly practices throughout the business, and actively supporting local community and not-for-profit organisations are all things I believe helped GreenUrLife secure a finalist spot,” Mrs Keynes reveals.

The winners of the AusMumpreneur Awards will be announced at a glamorous Awards dinner at Rydges Southbank in Brisbane on Saturday, July 31.

The North Queensland Small Business Development Centre has made it possible for Mrs Keynes to attend the awards ceremony and help put North Queensland small businesses in the spotlight.

“I am extremely grateful to the NQSBDC for their support – without them I would not be able to attend the ceremony,” an appreciative Mrs Keynes said.

The North Queensland Small Business Development Centre is located at 184-188 Vickers Rd North, Condon. The NQSBDC can advise and assist in most business matters by visiting their website at www.nqsmallbusiness.com or calling the office on (07) 4723 8491.

The Home-based Business Group meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 4pm to 6pm and welcomes new members. Interested parties should contact the NQSBDC directly.

For further information, please contact:

Karen Keynes
GreenUrLife
Ph: 0417 757 977
Email: enquiries@greenurlife.com.au
www.greenurlife.com.au

Contact Person: Susan Mattocks.

Mobile: 0418 184 175

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Financial Management. 9.30am-12.30pm. (Cost $30).
Wednesday, 22 June 2010.

Workshop will be held at

184-188 Vickers Rd North Condon, Queensland 4815

Ring Margaret to book. 47238491

Business Planning. 9.30am-12.30pm. (Cost $30).
Tuesday, 30 June 2010.

Workshop will be held at

184-188 Vickers Rd North Condon, Queensland 4815

Ring Margaret to book. 47238491

Your 1st Step.
9.00am start to 12.00pm. (Cost $30).
Friday, 2 July 2010.

Your 1^st Step” is a comprehensive workshop for people just starting out in business.

Workshop will be held at

184-188 Vickers Rd North Condon, Queensland 4815

Ring Margaret to book. 47238491