Kathleen Cox

Broome’s shire president announced three Premiers’ Active Citizenship awards at Town Beach this morning.

They went to Gwen Knox, Rhiannon Hutcheson and Beagle Bay Women’s Group.

You can read a shire media release here:

25 January 2012 EMBARGO – 10am 26 January 2012 Outstanding locals recognised on Australia Day

Gwen Knox, Rhianon Hutcheson and the Beagle Bay Women’s Group have been recognised with Premier’s Active Citizenship Awards during Australia Day celebrations at Town Beach in Broome.

Broome Shire President Graeme Campbell presented the prestigious accolades and said the State-wide awards acknowledged and rewarded local residents and groups for their contributions to community life.

“Gwen is being recognised for her tireless efforts, creativity and time put into organising some of Broome’s favourite events including Worn Art, Sandfly Circus, Theatre Kimberley and Shinju Matsuri’s Carnival of Lights,” Cr Campbell said.

“She has a natural ability to inspire youth in Broome and its surrounding communities through these projects.

“Rhianon has been awarded the Under 25 Years Award. She is an extremely active member of the community who is always willing to get her hands dirty for a good cause.

“She is studying nursing and fills her spare time by getting involved in many community organisations. She is involved in the Kimberley Regional Allied Students in Health, Headspace Kimberley Youth Advisory committee and represented the Kimberley at the CHOGM youth forum.

“The Premier’s Australia Day Active Citizenship Award for a Community Group goes to the Beagle Bay Women’s Group.

“The group was formed by a number of strong women who came together to improve the lives of Beagle Bay families. They began to meet every morning, talking about what they could do to create work and provide support for the young people.

“They have been engaged by the Red Cross to provide the Breakfast Club for school children in the community, and recognising the need for early childhood services have received support to deliver a playgroup service.

“I congratulate Gwen, Rhianon and the Beagle Bay Women’s Group for exemplifying community spirit and thank everyone who attended the event on Australia Day.”

You can read a shire notice here:

The Shire of Derby/West Kimberley

in celebration of

Australia Day

are giving all

A free community day

@

The Derby Memorial Swimming Pool

Thursday 26^th January

12 noon – 5pm

]]> http://www.kimberleypage.com.au/2012/01/derby-free-swimming-pool-entry/feed/ 0 http://www.kimberleypage.com.au/2011/12/people-dj-helena-heads-to-broome-this-nye/ http://www.kimberleypage.com.au/2011/12/people-dj-helena-heads-to-broome-this-nye/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:05:15 +0000 admin http://www.kimberleypage.com.au/?p=23645

DJ Helena is heading to Broome for a special event this New Year’s Eve – the White Party.

The organisers plan to fill the Broome Convention Centre will people dressed all in white, to highlight a raft of special effects.

KIMBERLEYPAGE caught up with Helena earlier this month as she put the final touches on her new single. She gave us a few thoughts about her music, her image, and working in Australia.

KIMBERLEYPAGE: Tell us about your new single.

“My single’s called Girl from Outer Space,” Helena said.

“Firstly the instrumental will be released just before Christmas and I’m currently working on a vocal version with the incredible Mr Wilson who is the vocalist from All My Friends – Tommy Trash and Tom Piper’s big track of 2011. We’ve got a great idea laid down that we’re currently working on and the vocal version should be released early 2012.

KIMBERLEYPAGE: I was reading somewhere that you’re classically trained.

“I started out playing the piano and the cello from a young age,” she said.

“It definitely trained my ear. I can hear straight away if anything is out of key and most of the time I’m naturally mixing keys because I can just hear what’s going to go with the next track.

“It’s definitely helped with my production, when you’re learning chords and bass lines and you can actually hear it to play it in as opposed to getting on Google and researching the different chords.

“Even though it’s not essential these days to have that background it definitely is an advantage.”

KIMBERLEYPAGE: That lean-and-hungry look, if I can put it that way, in the image you are putting forward – it must be an edge.

“Yes I would say my brand and my look is a bit more edgy, I’m not a particular sort of girly-girl, I’ve probably always been a bit more of a tomboy with that sort of glam-with-a-rock-edge-to-it. My music is up-front with good energy and edge.”

“I’m originally from the UK and I used to work at Ibiza as well. I moved over to Sydney about five years ago. I decided to relocate for my sanity. I moved from Birmingham to Bondi Beach, a bit of a lifestyle change but definitely for the good.

KIMBERLEYPAGE: Is there enough work for a DJ in Australia?

“Of course there is obviously more work in Europe because everything is so much closer. In Europe you could probably clock up more shows per night.

“Say if you were in London you could do a show and then drive an hour and you could do one in, say, Bristol or Birmingham.

“The difference is Australia’s so big. So if I fly to Brisbane for a show that’s it for the night.

“There is more work in Europe of course but I chose the standard of living of Australia.

“But my schedule’s fully locked out. I don’t think I’ve got a spare Saturday until the end of March now. So there is enough work. There’s less work but if you’re one of the top-end DJs you’re doing pretty well and it’s a great place to be.”

KIMBERLEYPAGE Are there as many DJs chasing the work at your level though?

“Of course, there’s a lot of competition. Everybody’s a DJ these days. You have to stay on top of your game. Each club only has so many Saturdays. You have to keep yourself relevant.”

Helena said she gained a lot of attention when she first came to Australia because there were not many female DJs at the time.

“It’s not something I play on too much,” she said.

“A lot of people think you have an advantage, being a girl. In some ways it’s true but in other ways it’s definitely not. You have to work harder, continuously, to prove yourself and to show that you are a solid credible artist.

“I do a lot of bootlegs and edits and all sorts of things to try and make myself a bit more unique.

“Also I’ve been hitting the studios, learning to produce, the last few years, because I know that’s what’s going to take me across to the next level… I’ve got my first track for release just before Christmas, that’s what I’m really excited about.”

KIMBERLEYPAGE: So turning our attention now to Broome and the New Years’ Eve Party, what can the punters expect to see and hear that will be different, that will be new?

“It’s the white party so you can imagine as a spectacle itself, everybody dressed in white,” she said.

She said the organisers are working on a raft of special effects for the night.

“They are really going to town with what they are doing, I think they are getting a snow machine, the lot.”

The White Party featuring DJ Helena will be at the Broome Convention Centre Chinatown 12 Frederick Street, Broome, Australia 6725 on Saturday 31 December.

Kimberley Echo [read this story]

Senior Regional Officer for Consumer Protection Annetta Bellingeri

Consumer Protection’s Annetta Bellingeri sent us this one just before she knocked off work for Christmas.

“It explains about returning unwanted or faulty gifts and also lets consumers know about the brand new Consumer Protection smartphone app,” she said.

You can read her message here:

27 December 2011

Returning Christmas Presents

So you don’t like the t-shirt your aunty gave you for Christmas? If you have ended up with clothing you’ll never wear or a gadget you’ll never use, you’re not alone. Every year after Christmas Consumer Protection receives dozens of calls from customers enquiring about their rights when returning presents, but if you think it’s as simple as exchanging the gift or getting a refund, you’re out of luck.

You actually don’t have a right to return the item and there isn’t any legal requirement for businesses to accept returns or exchange unwanted purchases. Some stores will exchange the gift, but that’s only a gesture of goodwill. Smaller businesses may not be able to afford the luxury.

Refunds are accepted though if goods turn out to be faulty, different from a sample shown, not as described in advertising or not fit for the intended purpose. In these circumstances you are entitled to a refund even if the item was on sale.

If you do end up with a faulty gift that needs returning, you’re going to need a receipt to show the proof of purchase. Without a receipt it is hard to prove where and when you bought the item. This limits your options when returning goods because traders are entitled to ask for proof of purchase when a consumer seeks a remedy for a defective product

Don’t pay any attention to signs that may be displayed in shops like no “refunds” or “replacement or store credit only” – they’re illegal. Retailers who have signs putting a time limit on refunds like “no returns after seven days” are also breaking the Australian Consumer Law

If you’ve thrown away the packaging the item came in – don’t worry. Retailers cannot insist that faulty goods must be returned in their original packaging before they will offer a remedy.

Gift vouchers are also popular Christmas presents and it’s important you check the terms and conditions and redeem it before the expiry date. Gift vouchers are like cash – if you lose it, you can’t claim it so keep it in a secure place until you are ready to go shopping.

If you buy a $40 item with your $50 voucher, the store is also not obliged to give you the change in cash, only in store credit.

For more information on rights regarding returns and other shopping tips log onto: www.commerce.wa.gov.au/shopping or call Consumer Protection on 1300 30 40 54.

A new smartphone app, iShopWA, is available for free download on iPhone, iPad and Android devices.  The app, developed by Consumer Protection, gives you easy access to your rights as a consumer regarding refunds, returns, warranties and lay-bys.  You can also record the expiry dates of gift vouchers and warranties and set reminders, as well as take photos of illegal no refund signs and report it to us.

Annetta Bellingeri

Senior Regional Officer, Kimberley

Kimberley Echo [read this story]

They also send a disposable camera, so Balgo kids can send back pictures of themselves.

North Shore Times [read this story]

Senior Regional Officer for Consumer Protection Annetta Bellingeri

The state government has launched a new gadget for iPhone and Android mobile phone users.

“You can take photos of and store your receipts, set reminders for gift vouchers and layby dates and also take photos of illegal no refund signs to send to the Department,” said consumer protection’s Annetta Bellingeri.

“You will also have accesss to your consumer rights at your fingertips.”

You can read a government statement here:

Simon O’Brien

Minister for Finance; Commerce; Small Business

Thu 22 December, 2011

Free app for shoppers in time for Christmas

Portfolio: Commerce

iShopWA app provides quick access to shopping rights’ information

Users can record expiry dates, receipts, email photos of illegal ‘no refund’ signs

A free smartphone app developed by Consumer Protection called iShopWA is now available for shoppers in Western Australia to easily access information about their rights under the new Australian Consumer Law.

Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien said this would be the first Christmas that West Australians have the protections of the new laws, and it was important that they knew their rights regarding refunds, warranties and lay-bys.

“Many people still don’t know where they stand when it comes to getting problems with products fixed, or what the different types of warranties mean, but now it’s possible to always have this information at hand,” Mr O’Brien said.

“Users can also use iShopWA to store photos of receipts, and set reminders for warranty, gift voucher or online coupon expiry dates, or pick-up dates for something on lay-by.”

The Australian Consumer Law applies nationally and includes consumer guarantees which ensure that goods sold in Australia are safe, durable, free from defects and fit for their intended purpose. These are in addition to the different types of warranties which may be offered by retailers or manufacturers.

Consumer Protection in WA is joining the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and other State and Territory agencies in a pre-Christmas campaign to ensure that retailers are honouring these guarantees.

The Minister stressed that West Australians could contribute to this campaign themselves, as the app allowed users to email photos of illegal ‘no refund’ shop signs directly to Consumer Protection for further action – the only one of its kind in Australia with such a capability.

By using iShopWA, West Australians can ensure they have information about their rights, literally at their fingertips. The app is available for free download from both the iPhone app store and the Android market.

Fact File

More information about the iShopWA app and its download links are at: http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/iShopWA

Minister’s office – 9213 6400

Broome Advertiser [read this story]

The West Australian [read this story]

Artist Adrian Dwyer, whose painting depicts dolphin slaughter and a gas hub, said his painting was intended to create discussion.

ABC [read this story]