January 06, 2015

So you want a nice timber floor…

January 06, 2015/ Everything Geraldton

Perhaps you have a timber floor and want it looking great again.

Or maybe you’ve been daunted by the process of getting and installing a timber floor, but you’ve always wanted one.

We spoke with JB Timber Flooring about installing and caring for a timber floor.

Everything Geraldton - Where do people start if they want a timber floor?

JB - A lot of people want a timber floor, but they just know if they want a "dark” or a “light"timber. People can be assured that our 15+ years of experience will ensure that we can take into account their needs, budget and their lifestyle and make sure they get a floor that will look great and last for years to come. There are different densities or hardness of timbers and that is just one thing to consider when choosing your floor.

We can assist with the supply of wood, the installation, and sanding and polishing. In fact if you contact us, you will be dealing with the expert tradesman from initial decisions through to the finished product.

We can also do a free measure and formal quote so you know exactly what to expect.

Everything Geraldton - If people have an existing floor, what can they do to get it looking great?

JB - Sanding and polishing. We do a lot of sanding and polishing in Geraldton. It will make it look brand new as it removes scratches. Then we reapply new polish which protects the timber for years to come.

There are different types of polish and finishes available - High Gloss, Semi Gloss and Satin finishes, in a solvent or water based polish.

Everything Geraldton - Have you got any tips for caring for timber floors?

JB - Keeping water off it is a big one. A lot of people use water to wash their floors.

It’s best to use a damp cloth to spot clean and use limited water on a mop.

Always use felt protection on the bottom of furniture to reduce scratches.

And never use any chemical cleaning products.

JB Flooring can be contacted on 0417 998 125 for any enquiries.

Click here to view their information in the Everything Geraldton Business Directory.

December 31, 2014

Hungry Jacks on Fire

December 31, 2014/ Jason Smith

Just sent in to Everything Geraldton:

"Hungry Jacks on fire, everyone evacuated outside building."

Update:

The fire appears to have been minor.

A manager of the store has contacted Everything Geraldton and advised the store will be opening tomorrow (New Years Day) at 7am.

A person claiming to be familiar with the matter says the fire started when "a filter in the exhaust fan that fell into the chip fat and burst into flame."

December 23, 2014

Ian Blayney calls on Minister for Commerce to investigate high fuel prices in Geraldton

December 23, 2014/ Press Release

Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney has written to the Minister for Commerce, Hon Michael Mischin MLC, asking him to investigate the high cost of fuel in Geraldton.

“This is not the first time I have written to ask why fuel is so expensive in Geraldton, but I hope this time there will be a full investigation into the matter,” said Ian Blayney.

“The difference between the average prices of fuel in Perth to Geraldton at the moment is 24.4 cents per litre.

“This seems to be inordinately high and I’m hoping the Department of Commerce will thoroughly investigate this matter to determine why it is so.

“While I accept that there may be extra costs associated with the freight of fuel to Geraldton, this appears to be excessive.

“ I am also concerned that the margin between the wholesale cost of fuel and the retail cost appears to be greater than it has been previously, and I would like some answers to these not unreasonable questions’” said Ian Blayney.

“The people of Geraldton and the Midwest are required by the geography of their location to drive long distances; they should not be paying more for fuel than is required.”

December 23, 2014

Geraldton harvest lower than expected

December 23, 2014/ Jason Smith

Rachael Andrews writing for Farm Weekly:

"Geraldton zone manager Duncan Gray said the area took only 1.9mt, which is about 300,000 tonnes less than expected for the region."

Click here to read the full article.

December 19, 2014

Tackleworld Country Christmas ideas and opening hours

December 19, 2014/ Jason Smith

Tackleworld Country is known for its fishing & hunting but it also has the biggest range in the Midwest of Archery & Home Butchering Supplies. We have great Archery starter kits that make great Christmas gifts & the home butcher always loves a knife! If you haven't been in recently then check out our new look and our best team ever.

Our opening hours for this weekend are:

Saturday: 8:30am - 2:00pm

Sunday: 10:00am - 2:00pm

20 Anzac Terrace, Geraldton

December 19, 2014

City of Greater Geraldton calling for tenders to construct final stage of the West End Revitalisation project

December 19, 2014/ Press Release

The City of Greater Geraldton Council endorses a plan to allow the West End Revitalisation project to proceed to the next stage.

At last night’s Council meeting the Councillors authorised a motion to call for tenders for the construction of the Multi-User Facility and Youth Precinct.

City of Great Geraldton Mayor Ian Carpenter said these two elements formed the final stage of the redevelopment of the Geraldton Foreshore.

“The revitalization of the Geraldton Foreshore commenced in the early 2000’s, with the vision of turning an industrial brownfield site into an integrated public space that the whole community could enjoy,” Mr Carpenter said.

“The final stage of the West End Revitalisation project will see the creation of a new Multi User Facility, which will house various community groups as well as having an open stage area and public open space for community events such as the Australia Day celebrations.”

The Multi-User Facility will be home to the Geraldton Volunteer Marine Rescue Group, TS Morrow and the Geraldton and Districts Offshore Fishing Club. There will also be a function room available to the community and three classrooms for hire.

Mr Carpenter said the design of the Youth Precinct resulted from extensive consultation with the City’s young people.

“We held several workshops to find out exactly what should be included in the Youth Precinct. The area will consist of a high level climbing structure and a ‘rage cage’ that can be used for various sporting events and functions, as well as a DJ booth and outside table tennis and foosball tables,” he said.

“This project will see the completion of the redevelopment of the Geraldton Foreshore, activate the West End and help cement Geraldton as a must see tourist destination.”

Mr Carpenter said as part of the tenders the City is now implementing separable portions to the tender process.

“This means that the tender will be broken into sub sections. The benefit of this is that more local contractors can be involved in the work. When the City has received all tenders, the item will then go back to Council to get approval on the final spend and whether the works should be staged,” he said.

December 16, 2014

Opinion: Regarding the current financial situation at the City of Greater Geraldton, and a brief overview of the last 8 years

December 16, 2014/ Jason Smith

For those of you late to the scene, you might wonder why the Geraldton public are so distrustful of the local council.

Flash back to 2006

A recommendation was made to the Minister for Local Government by the Local Government Advisory Board in August 2006 to amalgamate the Shire of Greenough with the City of Geraldton.

At that time the Shire of Greenough had a pretty good reputation in the community. They were fair to deal with and were very prompt when it came to building approvals and the like.

The City of Geraldton did NOT have a good reputation, and many community members feared the mess that was the CoG would become the burden of the residents from the Shire of Greenough.

But the policitians and bureaucrats felt they knew what was best for the simple citizens of the Midwest, and the Shire of Greenough residents had to petition for a referendum to be held.

The Greenough electors managed to successfully petitioned for a referendum to determine whether the amalgamation should proceed.

This was held on 2 December 2006, and of those who voted a majority of around 80% voted against the proposal.

However, the politicians and bureaucrats had a loophole. The Local Government Act 1995 (clause 10 of Schedule 2.1) stated as the vote did not attract 50% of registered voters, it did not meet the requirements for a valid poll.

The referendum only had a participation rate of 28.74% (much like councillor elections which still get counted).

So despite having an extremely clear picture of what a majority of people felt, those in charge at the time found a way to do what they wanted rather than what the residents wanted.

Trust was lost.

Millions of ratepayers dollars was spent on the rebranding. Fancy new number plates were seen around town.

But things weren't smooth in the newly created city. Building approvals banked up. Builders complained. Developers complained.

City staff complained. Some of the good ones left.

The mood in the town was "they don't listen to us any way", and animosity toward the council grew.

GFC

Then after all that money was spent on rebranding and "gaining efficiencies" the global financial crisis hit and it emerged that the city of Geraldton Greenough had invested substantial amounts in sub-prime derivatives through Lehman Brothers Australia.

Why on earth was our rate payer's money being invested in high risk complex securities? Geraldton residents were again furious, and no investigation was launched by the WA Department of Local Government.

Council had invested $2.45 million.

Yes. Million.

Chapman Valley

After this there were discussions between the Shire of Chapman Valley and the City of Geraldton Greenough about merging. But this was under the looming threat of forced mergers from the state government.

As soon it became clear there would be no forced mergers by the state government, the Shire of Chapman Valley said "Thanks, but no thanks".

So like any respectful neighbour, the City of Geraldton Greenough tried to enact an aggressive boundary readjustment on the Shire of Greenough to get a chunk of rate paying land from them and of course the coveted area allocated for the Oakajee Port and Industrial Estate.

The president of the Shire of Chapman Valley, John Collingwood, said the aggressive boundary readjustment would have destroyed the Shire of Chapman Valley, taking around 37% of the rateable income. He also told the ABC that the City of Geraldton Greenough was "trying to destroy us".

Those were his actual words.

So the City of Geraldton Greenough wasn't making any friends.

The community was again in shock. Who ARE these people!?

More trust was lost. More people up in arms. People in Chapman Valley were vehemently against merging with Geraldton Greenough, and they made it clearly known to their council and the State Government.

The border readjustment did not succeed by the City of Geraldton Greenough.

Mullewa

Throughout 2010 and 2011 more negotiations were held. This time between the City of Geraldton-Greenough and the Shire of Mullewa, as to whether the two entities should merge.

After a long period of negotiations they decided to merge.

A poll was requested by both communities and was held on 16 April 2011.

Again, an overwhelming majority of voters said NO to the merger.

In fact, in Mullewa it was 83.24% NO.

And in Geraldton-Greenough it was 72.39% NO.

It did not take a university education to realise once again the people who had actually chosen to make the Midwest home did NOT want this merger.

However, as with EVERY local government election or poll, there was a lower than 50% turnout.

So Mayor Carpenter, CEO Tony Brun and the rest of the team pushed forward with the unwanted merger. Because of that loophole mentioned earlier.

The new weirdly shaped mega region was called Greater Geraldton.

Most people were perplexed by the odd name. Greenough residents felt ripped off that their brand had now been permanently relegated to the annals of history and would no longer be a noun in daily use by the council and its staff. And many residents asked what we were "greater" than?

Surely folk who live in Mullewa don't tell their friends they live in the "Greater Geraldton" region.

It seemed the only thing the unwanted name had going for it was the ability to keep the same initials.

Most of that earlier rebranding was now money down the toilet. More was needed to be spent on the new rebranding.

The citizens of Geraldton, Greenough and Mullewa were told to drink their medicine because the educated bureaucrats knew what was good for us. There would be "efficiencies" and ultimately everyone would get more stuff for less money.

So to restate the obvious, Geraldton residents didn't want to merge. Greenough residents didn't want to merge. Mullewa residents didn't want to merge. Yet it was forced upon everyone anyway.

The final straw

Trust toward the council and the city was at an all time low. No one believed the people at the city really had the interests and wishes of the residents at heart. It seemed like Geraldton was a grand experiment for them all to practice what they'd learned at "City Planning School".

Then the icing on the cake.

The 2012 rate increase.

People were in shock. Their annual rates bill came in at a 27% increase. Some people and businesses saw increases up to 30%.

The line from the city was that this increase was needed to cover the shortfall of rates that had been charged for years. Essentially council wasn't leaving enough money in the kitty to fix stuff, and now they needed to. And the best way to do that was put the rates up 27% in one year.

Businesses were flabbergasted. Home owners were in shock. The Member for Geraldton Ian Blayney said he was speechless (an oxymoron to be sure, but you get the point).

Yours truly at that point had two houses in Rangeway and a block in Wandina. In part because of that alarming rate bills along with the promise that rates would continue to increase by 7.2% for the foreseeable future, my wife and I realised we couldn't afford to keep those properties, and sold them all.

Many residents shared similar stories.

If people distrusted the council before this, they hated them with a passion afterwards.

Community groups formed. The Chamber lobbied. Meetings were held.

And the CEO Tony Brun, who was perceived as the main energy behind it all resigned and went to Perth.

At the next council elections only 6 of the 12 councillors were up for a vote. All 6 were replaced except for Shane van Styn who was endorsed by the community group "CGG Ratepayers Demand Change" as he promised to fight for lower rates and reduced council spending.

The position of Mayor was not up for reelection.

That's a broad overview, but it brings us up to today.

The $25million backlog

Now we're being told that decisions made by past councils and CEOs have left us with bills we cannot afford to pay.

Never mind that the people of Geraldton complained loudly every time money was being wasted and were shut down with intelligent arguments about how necessary that particular piece of artwork or infrastructure was.

The unwanted mergers that were rammed down our throats came with the promise of efficiency gains that never manifested.

Instead the city is going to have to take drastic measures to curb spending. Redundancies will have to be made within the City staff. Every area of expenditure will have to be looked at to remove waste and the reduce rate payer burden.

But this is NOT drastic. It should be standard operating procedure.

Ratepayers money should always be treated with the respect it deserves. It should have ALWAYS been the goal of the council and City staff to find ways to reduce the amount of money they need to take off us each year.

Do we want sealed roads? Sure.

Do we need yet another fireworks display funded by ratepayers? Not so much.

Do we want our rubbish collected each week? Absolutely.

Do ratepayers want to pay for free wifi for backpackers at the library when there's a perfectly good Internet cafe two doors down? Maybe not.

The current financial situation

CGG CEO Ken Diehm (if you're not paying attention the CEO is the person who the councillors and mayor employ to run the city) understands this thoroughly.

His media briefing regarding the CGG's current state of affairs was frank, thorough and humble. He should also be commended on the obvious care he has for the wellbeing of the employees of the City.

It was clear that he understood that the proposed rate increases for the coming years of 5.2% are too high. He, the city staff and the council say they're going to do everything in their power to get them below that number.

But he didn't over promise either. He was frank about the fact that there was no way future rate rises would be kept as low as the CPI (consumer price index), as the major costs incurred by the council, like power, were generally rising much more than the CPI.

Moreover, Ken and his team had commissioned auditors to physically go out to the roads and parks, the highways and byways, to inspect all of the assets of the City.

What they came back with wasn't pretty.

There's essentially a $25 million backlog of urgent maintenance work that needs doing. That's not the kind of news a CEO who's inherited a position following a 27% rate increase wants to hear.

Worse than that is the projection for the future. In 2027 and 2028 there will be a spike in road infrastructure expenses that the current CGG budget simply doesn't accommodate for. It might seem like someone else's problem because it's so far away, but kicking the can down the road is what has led to the problem we have now.

So they're facing the music. Which is something. It could all be buried in an obscure public notice full of technical terms that would cause anyone other than an accountant to glaze over.

But to Mr Diehm's credit they've chosen to let everyone know the actual state of the union.

He also explicitly pointed out that every time we build something new, we inherit the costs of maintaining that item and that is hurting us. Even if the funding to build the new hotness comes from another agency, Geraldton ratepayers still bear the burden of maintaining the infrastructure. For every $10 million in new infrastructure, operating costs increase by around $300,000 a year.

(Yes, this is logical and many of you have been pointing this out for some time.)

Crisis

I don't think this demonstrates a "crisis" like other media headlines have read.

I think this actually represents a positive turning point in Geraldton's timeline.

A "crisis" is having leaders who don't or won't listen to the public they're supposed to serve.

What Ken is doing is showing he has been listening, and is prepared to make the changes needed to help relieve the burden on the ratepayers even if it makes his job a lot harder and a lot more stressful.

The "crisis" is what would happen in 10 years if we don't make some changes now. What the City is doing by offering its staff voluntary redundancies, going over expenditure with a fine tooth comb and aiming to keep rate increases as low as possible is not a crisis.

It's good news.

For the first time in a while it feels like Geraldton is in good hands.

So what's going to happen?

There will be cut backs at the city. Staff are going to be offered voluntary redundancies. Ken says these will only be granted where the job can be done by someone else, and won't be granted to poor performers. They're looking for at least 20, and will assess the situation in the new year. (To their credit, the city acknowledges this could be an anxious process for some staff members, and has a free employee assistance program in place. Also credit for announcing now and not a post Christmas shock.)

Then the city directors and managers are basically going to look at all the services that ratepayers currently fund. From the Aquarena, to the Queens Park Theatre, to your rubbish being collected, roads built and maintained etc etc. Everything.

These services will be categorised into "mandatory" and "non-mandatory" services. Expect things like your bins being collected to be mandatory. But things like free wifi at the foreshore isn't exactly a mandatory service.

Once it's clear what is mandatory, a budget will be done based on these services.

Then non-mandatory services will be rated in order of priority. The city says it will look for input from the community and city staff to do this.

Any available funds, less around $7.5million needed to fill the gap immediately, will be applied to the non mandatory services in order of their priority.

This is where it could get messy. One man's mandatory service is another man's waste of money. You might want more shows at the QPT. Another person might prefer more books at the library. Getting a cohesive list of priorities for non-mandatory services might be a challenge, but at least it's being addressed.

Any services that are unfunded basically don't make the cut, and will be recommended to council for discontinuation.

The city is also going to look at the "level" of services it offers. For example (and this is our own example, not a prediction) the city might deem the tip is important to keep running, but might reduce the number of hours it is open.

In addition to this, the city will be assessing what it does with its current assets. In early January it will be reviewing all its assets to determine if they need to be replaced or can be sold or disposed of.

New capital works (that's code for "building new stuff") will also be reduced, unless a prior community commitment has already been given.

Revenue

Other non-rates revenue streams will be looked at.

There are lots of services that rate payers are essentially subsidising at the moment which might be able to be charged for, and these potential streams of income will be looked at.

So what does this all mean?

For most of us, we won't notice a thing. The services we know and use will carry on, and hopefully any future rate increases will be reasonable and bearable.

For some of us there's a chance a beloved ratepayer funded service may reduce or disappear. That seems to be the reality of the financial situation we currently have.

But long term what would be most exciting is if a culture of genuinely listening to community feedback and acting on it becomes the pillar of how the City of Greater Geraldton operates.

December 15, 2014

Today is the last day of the West Coast Bioregion Demeral Ban

December 15, 2014/ Jason Smith

Today is the last day of the West Coast Bioregion Demeral Ban.

Craig Wise from Tackleworld Geraldton confirms that the ban is in place each year from 15th October till 15th December inclusive.

Demersal fin fish generally live on or near the ocean floor, usually at depths of more than 20 metres and include our most popular fish here in the Midwest of Dhufish, Coral Trout & Snapper.

The bans form part of the Dept of Fisheries strategy for sustainable fishing for the future. The opening of the season is a great chance to checkout your fishing gear and the boys at Tackleworld Country are ready to help you stock up and save at the same time. There is a huge range of lures and soft baits on clearance, plus the new range of fishing clothing from Pelagic & Tackleworld are now in stock.

Spotters latest range of sunglasses is also in store with bargains galore across the store. Get in now to make sure you are well stocked and we look forward to sharing fishing stories and Christmas stories over the coming weeks.

December 12, 2014

Shop owners "not impressed" with tagging

December 12, 2014/ Jason Smith

The street down the west end of Marine Terrace is looking fantastic. Everything Geraldton has been getting heaps of great comments about it.

But some shop owners have also reached out expressing their disappointment with tagging that's been occurring in town.

If you spot anyone defacing the shopfronts please contact Geraldton Police on 9923 4555.

December 11, 2014

Northgate extended trading hours + free Christmas activities

December 11, 2014/ Promoted Content

Northgate extended trading hours + free Christmas activities

Looking for some fun Christmas activities that the kids can enjoy? Then look no further!

Northgate Shopping Centre have a range of FREE Christmas activities including Christmas craft activity, face painting and gift wrapping.

Below are Northgate's extended Christmas trading hours, along with the Christmas activity schedule:

Free Christmas Craft Activity
– in the Food Court
Saturday, 13 December 10:00AM – 1:00PM
Sunday, 14 December 10:00AM – 1:00PM
Saturday, 20 December 10:00AM – 1:00PM
Sunday, 21 December 10:00AM – 1:00PM

Free Face Painting
– near Wendy’s
Sunday, 14 December 11:00AM – 2:00PM
Saturday, 20 December 11:00AM – 2:00PM
Sunday, 21 December 11:00AM – 2:00PM

Gift Wrapping
- Gold Coin Donation to the Salvation Army
Saturday, 13 December 10:00AM – 2:00PM
Sunday, 14 December 10:00AM – 2:00PM
Thursday, 18 December 10:00AM – 2:00PM & 4:00PM - 7:00PM
Friday, 19 December 10:00AM – 2:00PM & 4:00PM - 7:00PM
Saturday, 20 December 10:00AM – 2:00PM
Sunday, 21 December 10:00AM – 2:00PM
Monday, 22 December 10:00AM – 2:00PM & 4:00PM - 7:00PM
Tuesday, 23 December 10:00AM – 2:00PM & 4:00PM - 7:00PM
Wednesday, 24 December 10:00AM – 2:00PM

Extended Trading Hours SHOP WHEN IT SUITS YOU!

Coles & Target will be trading these hours!
We have extended trading from 14 December*, please refer to the extended hours below.

Sunday, 14 December 10:00AM – 4:00PM
Monday, 15 December 8:00AM – 6:00PM
Tuesday, 16 December 8:00AM – 6:00PM
Wednesday, 17 December 8:00AM – 9:00PM
Thursday, 18 December 8:00AM – 9:00PM
Friday, 19 December 8:00AM – 9:00PM
Saturday, 20 December 8:00AM – 5:00PM
Sunday, 21 December 10:00AM – 4:00PM
Monday, 22 December 8:00AM – 9:00PM
Tuesday, 23 December 8:00AM – 9:00PM
Wednesday, 24 December 8:00AM – 6:00PM

Smile With Santa Have your photo taken with Santa in his throne outside Target.

Santa will be sitting in his chair EVERY DAY FROM 10:00AM to 3:00PM.
Every child who visits Santa will receive a special gift.

Please note that Northgate Shopping Centre will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day & New Year Day. Normal trading commences from 27 December 2014.

Visit our website www.northgateshoppingcentre.com.au or call Northgate Centre Management office at 08 9921 6975 for more details.

December 11, 2014

If you have an idea for something cool, you need to talk to these guys

December 11, 2014/ Pollinators 184 Marine Terrace/ Jason Smith

You may have heard of Pollinators. They have a building in Marine Terrace called CityHive. But not everyone in Geraldton knows exactly what Pollinators is.

Why I joined Pollinators - by Jason Smith

One day in mid 2012 I was on Twitter and came across some odd organisation that had mentioned Geraldton. It was called Pollinators.

They seemed interesting so I did a google search to find out why this group was visiting Geraldton.

To my surprise their website claimed that this group was actually BASED in Geraldton. I was a little puzzled. These guys seemed quite innovative and socially progressive. Why were they in Geraldton? I hadn't even come across anything like this in Perth or the Sunshine Coast during my time there.

I jumped in my car and headed down to what I learned was their pilot "coworking" space called CityHive. I met the founder Andrew Outhwaite and he gave me the tour and explained what they did, but truthfully I was sold before I got there. Here was a collection of people trying new and innovative things and they offered different training groups, meet ups, and a place to park my laptop and work that wasn't your lonely home office.

I joined Pollinators even though I had no business or even an idea for my next business. I just knew I wanted to be around folks like that. People prepared to take a risk to try something new.

I would use the coworking space from time to time, mostly just to sit and blog or play with new software I had found. I got to meet a bunch of interesting folks I would never have met otherwise, who were working on creative businesses or in the digital tech space.

After a few months the idea for Everything Geraldton slowly formed in my mind, and I set about building the platform, sometimes working from home, sometimes heading in to CityHive.

After our launch, Pollinators helped Everything Geraldton with contacts for all sorts of things. They helped me meet potential investors, gave me sounding boards to bounce ideas off, introduced me to people that could give appropriate advice, and of course offered facilities I could use like an office and coworking space.

Two years on and Everything Geraldton has grown a lot, and we still get great value from being involved with Pollinators.

If you have an idea, or you have an existing business or organisation that you want to see thrive, I personally recommend becoming a member of Pollinators.

Today they're more or less the hub for everything innovative happening in the Midwest, and the future is very exciting.

Why would I need Pollinators?

Maybe you've been sitting on a sweet idea for an app but you don't know how to code and don't know where to start.

Perhaps you have a great idea for a business that's never been done in the Midwest before but you feel like you don't quite have all the skills you need to make it successful.

Maybe you see a need in the community for a service, program or venue and would love some people around you for inspiration and advice.

Or perhaps you just want to start making friends and contacts with folks who think a little outside the box.

You should talk to Pollinators. Essentially, Pollinators is a community of entrepreneurs and innovators.

But it's also driven by an overarching mission, which is to help make the Midwest a thriving, resilient and vibrant place to live.

What’s the difference between Pollinators and the Chamber of Commerce?

In a lot of ways Pollinators is like a Chamber of Commerce for people and organisations that are creative, socially focussed or involved with digital technology.

They explicitly emphasise support and direct efforts to organisations that are more focused on community benefit than purely profit.

But of course they support anyone who comes to their door.

They tend to attract creative, social, and digital technology organisations, especially early stage organisations and those deliberately investing in innovation.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by Pollinators, the Midwest Chamber of Commerce and Instusty and Arts and Cultural Development Council (ACDC) that recognised each organisation's main areas of influence. The Chamber being business, ACDC the arts, and Pollinators being social.

What does Pollinators offer its members?

There's three main tangible things Pollinators offer.

Space, learning and community.

Space

Pollinators run a "coworking" space called CityHive, it's their home on Marine Terrace. CityHive includes

private offices you can rent
a permanent coworking area
a casual coworking area
board room
meeting rooms
kitchen facilities
restrooms
printers, scanners etc
very fast internet

Learning

Throughout the year Pollinators runs different programs that help you get your idea off the ground, or develop your existing organisation. There's also guest speakers on a myriad of topics, and many of these events and courses are free for members or very affordable.

Community

Bouncing ideas off others, sharing advice, making connections with people who can help each other, and just generally being inspired by likeminded people is hard to put a price on. Sometimes our well meaning friends and family are the last folk we feel like running our ideas past because we know they'll shoot us down.

Being part of the Pollinators community gives you an instant network of people trying new things, taking risks, and trying to make the community a better place.

Why is coworking a good thing?

It's a more flexible and affordable way to have an office.
It gives you acess to people, resources and ideas that you wouldn’t know about otherwise.
In many ways entrepreneurship and innovation is a team sport. Sitting alone at home makes it harder.

How many members does Pollinators have?

150 and counting.

Can anyone join?

Yes, anyone can join.

What if I don’t have a startup or organisation or even an idea but I just want to start hanging around innovative and entrepreneurial types of people?

Lots of people do that actually. They love it and get a lot out of it.

Pollinators have a building at 184 Marine Terrace called CityHive. They don't mind if you just drop in and have chat. A host will show you around and answer any more questions you might have.

Call them on (08) 9965 5371

or visit their website: pollinators.org.au

December 10, 2014

Why I love Orana Cinema

December 10, 2014/ Jason Smith

There was a time in my childhood, perhaps around age 12, when it dawned on me that every movie I ever saw at the cinema was great. I didn't understand the need for movie critics. The entire experience of going to the movies was magical, especially compared to my tiny 34cm tv at home. No matter what was showing I enjoyed it.

Sadly, those says of being easily pleased are gone. But I still love the experience of going to the movies. Even by myself. Actually, preferably by myself.

It wasn't all that long ago that Geraldton didn't have a proper cinema complex. I recall coming often to Geraldton as a kid and the movie going experience being less than quality.

But our current complex of four screens in our humble town of 40,000 has quickly become taken for granted, as though it were a community service funded by tax payers.

But I think we should be grateful for businesses like Orana in Geraldton.

The truth is I wouldn't be opening a movie theatre in today's economic climate. Illegal downloads of movies are on the rise, great quality TV shows that never hit the silver screen are more common, Netflix is set to hit our shores early in 2015, and with the roll out of NBN it's becoming easier and easier to just stream a high definition movie of your choosing without leaving the couch.

But I still love heading to Orana. They're always friendly. The place is kept very clean. The cinemas and sound quality is great, and they even went to the trouble recently of adding the much requested eftpos. Moving the ticket booth to the snacks bar makes the purchase experience quicker too.

They even have a wheelchair/pram friendly screen that allows you to enter the theatre at the top of the stairs rather than the bottom.

Orana also go to the trouble of hosting charity events, special arthouse screenings and other events throughout the year. It's likely these aren't big money earners, but it's great to see they're trying to play a role in the community beyond just selling movie tickets.

They also made a small change recently that you may not have noticed; starting the movies after the scheduled time.

This might not make sense if you're not from Geraldton. Because everything is so close here, we usually know exactly how many minutes we need to get to places on time. However, this doesn't result in us getting to places on time, it means we're always two minutes late... church, movies, whatever.

Orana used to schedule the movies so the ads played before the stated start time, then the movie started dead on the scheduled time. This meant I was often missing the first two minutes of a movie. But they changed that and now I happily waltz in in the middle of the ads, find a seat and start eating popcorn.

I would hate to see the Orana building empty like so many others at that end of town. And I would REALLY hate to not have a top quality cinema in Geraldton. I just reckon there's nothing better than sitting down to watch an engrossing story with too much sugar and salt on a massive screen.

Thanks Orana.

December 09, 2014

Hounds Hilton are very much open for business

December 09, 2014/ Jason Smith

Hounds Hilton is a dog boarding kennel located in South Greenough and run by Todd and Bernadette.

If you're wanting to reach them you can ring 9926 1194

Everything Geraldton had a chat with them today as there were some rumours going around on social media that they had closed their doors.

"That's definitely not the case," Todd tells us. "We're very much open for business."

This is the busiest time of year for Hounds Hilton, and although they're booked over Christmas, they say they have bookings available from Jan 5 2015.

It's actually quite affordable to have your dog cared for by Hounds Hilton. Depending on the size of your dog you'll pay around $17 to $20 a day.

And that includes food! And of course the dogs get exercised.

Todd and Bernadette have been running their business for 12 years now. Todd says it's a great lifestyle business for a family with young kids.

If you're planning a holiday and want your best friend well cared for while you're away, call Hounds Hilton on 9926 1194.

December 08, 2014

Rogue Pony is a retailer Geraldton can be proud of - Here's some gift ideas for horse lovers this Christmas

December 08, 2014/ Rogue Pony/ Jason Smith

Everything Geraldton had a chat with Lauren, one of the owners of Rogue Pony about the store, its Christmas offerings and what the future holds for the popular retailer.

So what have you got that's popular as gifts for kids?

The Schleich figurines. Kids are mad for them.

We also have plenty of kid's clothing, boots, and toys we get in especially for Christmas.

Check out the video below of the flashing boots :)

Check out these kids boots from Rogue Pony

A video posted by Everything Geraldton (@everythinggeraldton) on Dec 12, 2014 at 12:17am PST

What about gifts for ladies?

We've got HEAPS of clothing. Brands like RMW, Wrangler, Thomas Cook and others.

What's popular for men?

The belts fly off the shelf at Christmas. The Drizabones are popular, and we sell oodles of Akubras. Oodles.

If you aren't completely sure what to get someone, Lauren says gift vouchers are useful.

And most of Rogue Pony's clients are in their database. So if you ask the helpful staff they should be able to point you in the right direction if to get your giftee something appropriate.

Rogue Pony are a little unusual in this day and age too. Lauren tells us they're often ringing customers reminding them they have gift vouchers about to expire (a service which customers love unsurprisingly.)

Online shopping on its way

With the rising popularity of online shopping Rogue Pony are in the process of building an online store, giving Midwest (and Australia wide for that matter) residents the convenience of online shopping along with the reassurance of a trusted store with a bricks and mortar premises.

Expect the new online store to be ready around Feb 2015.

If you want to check out Rogue Pony head to Shop 1, 176 North West Coastal Highway (next to Video Ezy.)

December 05, 2014

3 awesome gift ideas for the bookworm in your life

December 05, 2014/ The Book Tree - 170 Marine Terrace/ Jason Smith

I love to see people doing things that they're passionate about. And Marianne Bell from The Book Tree LOVES reading books.

Tomorrow marks the 12th year The Book Tree has been in Marianne's care, and she's developed quite a tight community of book lovers who buy and trade in their reading material.

Everything Geraldton popped in to find some gift ideas for the bookworm in your life and here's three of Marianne's suggestions.

1. Sci-Fi and Fantasy

The Book Tree has a massive Sci-Fi / Fantasy collection which has been steadily built up over the years. Readers of this genre are spoilt for choice.

2. War books

Marianne tells us that the military section is very popular. "Guys LOVE war books, gentlemen adore military," we're told. For the war history buffs in your life there's a great selection to choose from.

3. Marianne's favourite: The Thriller Corner

Watching Marianne drape her hands over the books in the Thriller corner while she named her beloved authors was akin to watching my 7 year old browse through Minecraft videos on Youtube. "I could LIVE in this corner," says Marianne. There's a heap of Thrillers from well known authors, and if you need some advice picking a title, Marianne will steer you in the right direction.

A lot of the books are in great condition, you can hardly tell they've been read. And some haven't been read at all.

The Book Tree is located at 170 Marine Terrace opposite The Provincial.

Get in touch through Facebook

Marianne doesn't have the phone on or EFTPOS, this keeps prices down (so bring cash). But you can ask questions about book titles etc through The Book Tree's Facebook page. Send a message with a title you're looking for or general question and Marianne will be able to help you out. Click here to visit the Facebook page.