HOT Cleaning wins national award

An unwavering dedication to quality and team work has seen local business HOT Cleaning Services win the Services category award at the Australian Small Business Champion Awards 2014.

The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is the only national recognition program for Australian small businesses.

HOT Cleaning Services Managing Director Charity Mezger, said it was not only a big win for the business but a big win for the community.

"HOT Cleaning Services have come a long way and it proves that there is truth to doing ordinary things in extraordinary way," she said.

"It not only benefits the company but the whole community where the company operates."

The aim of the national awards is to recognise outstanding Australian small businesses and encourage high standards of excellence in small business practice. Small businesses from across Australia delivered an impressive array of entries, with winners representing a broad range of industries from all states and territories.

The company competed against 7 other finalists under the Services category to be awarded the prestigious win.

Companies were invited to submit an application for their respective award category and among the submissions, a short list of finalist were identified and invited for the awarding ceremony in Sydney earlier this month.

When HOT Cleaning Services were informed that they had made it to the short list, Mrs Mezger, was already satisfied of the result and wasn’t expecting to win.

"To be a finalist was already a big achievement but we were crossing our fingers and believed we did all we could to prepare for the submission," Mrs Mezger said.

"The award put Geraldton in the map of the small business and cleaning world."

John Laws of Australian Cleaning Contractors Alliance based in Sydney sent a congratulatory advise to all members of the alliance that their industry was well represented during the national awards as a small cleaning company, the only cleaning company in the short list, from a “lesser known” Western Australian place won the national award. According to Laws, the win was a source of pride for the cleaning industry.

The national award is the third award obtained by HOT Cleaning Services in the last 12 months. In May 2013 the local business was awarded the best small business award by the MWCCI in Geraldton followed by a state award in November 2013 in the same category.

Speed Camera NWCH north of 440

Speed Camera NWCH north of 440

Overtaking manoeuvre gone wrong

Police at the scene of a car accident this morning said it was caused by an "overtaking manoeuvre gone wrong".

The accident occurred around 11am this morning on Northwest Coastal Highway just north of the Coronation Beach turnoff.

Police said the car was travelling south when it went to overtake as another car did coming the other way, causing the car to swerve off the road.

The driver and passengers of the car were not seriously injured.

Coast impacted by 3.4m swell

A 3.4m swell on Good Friday has caused major erosion along Geraldton's coastline. Drummond Cove was hit hard with the powerful swell causing extensive damage to trees, exposing roots and the tide swept over Whitehill Road.

Seating and undercover areas along the beach also look as though they will soon be damaged.

The swell is set to peak at 2.9m over the weekend.

Consultation process for 'Student First Approach'

Federal Member for Durack Melissa Price is encouraging relevant Durack stakeholders to have their say on putting students first and creating excellence in teacher education.

Minister for Education, the Hon Christopher Pyne announced the public consultation and said lifting the quality, professionalism and status of the teaching profession is at the heart of the Government’s Students First policy and the reason for establishing an expert Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group.

Ms Price said under the Students First approach, the Australian Government would work with the states and territories to focus on four key areas that will make a difference to students, including:

• Teacher quality
• School autonomy
• Engaging parents in education
• Strengthening the curriculum

“The public consultation process will include meetings with representatives from a range of education bodies including teacher employers, the Australian Council of Deans of Education, Universities Australia and the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership,” Ms Price said.

The Advisory Group will seek submissions from interested parties in response to the Issues Paper, and will conduct a benchmark study of world’s best practice in teacher education programs.

“Strengthening the curriculum also forms part of our Students First policy, but just as important as having a robust curriculum is having teachers who can deliver it effectively,” Ms Price said.

“These consultations will help the advisory group put together strong, evidence-based recommendations for improving teacher education.

“I encourage all relevant Durack stakeholders to contribute to the public consultation process, which will be accepted from Thursday 17 April 2014 until 5:30pm (AEST) on Friday 13 June 2014.”

Any interested party is eligible to make a submission, as an individual or on behalf of an organisation (where authorised to do so). To find out more, and to read the Issues Paper, please visit www.studentsfirst.gov.au/teacher- education-ministerial-advisory-group 

Commonwealth Bank system outage causes glitches for customers

Commonwealth Bank experienced a system outage on Tuesday with customers unable to access their funds and causing glitches. Everything Geraldton user Simon sent in a warning urging Commonwealth Bank users to check their accounts.

"Withdrew some cash this morning from the ATM at the front of the branch in town and apparently the banks systems were playing up. I got home and was just going through my transaction history and the bank had logged a DOUBLE WITHDRAWAL at the SAME TIME from the SAME ATM!" he said. 

"I promptly rang the service number and they could see the mistake and said the mistake will be corrected overnight. But at least it's sorted now. So IF there's money missing from your account then that's probably why."

If you have experience problems contact Commonwealth Bank.

The LEGO Movie - Review

[tentblogger-youtube fZ_JOBCLF-I] If you plan on spending some of these school holidays entertaining your little ones at the cinema, you won't go wrong with this installment from Warner Bros.

If you played with Lego as a kid, this movie will touch a nerve deep in your soul that few toy movies can.

The movie centers around a regular guy named Emmett, who is super ordinary and follows all the rules.

Through a series of amazing circumstances, coincidences and humourous dance numbers Emmett finds himself as the hero of the movie, and indeed the Lego world.

The movie is extremely rich in animation. It appears no expense was spared in creating an extremely elaborate and colourful Lego world.

Previous Lego movies have always been ok-ish but felt like they were made for TV, on a budget, and not something Mum and Dad could really tolerate sitting through.

You'll recognise more than one of the character's voices in this flick, included a fantastic Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman.

All your favourite Lego characters are here too. Batman is hilarious, the 1980's random space guy complete with broken helmet (hey, we all owned that guy) is gold, and without spoiling anything, I'll just say the ending is more surprising and touching than I would have ever expected.

If a trip to the cinema is a bit rich, be sure to catch this one on DVD, but it's screening at Orana these school holidays.

[gallery ids="20367"]

Top 5 Geraldton photos shared with us this week

Joel Mason shared this awesome view of Geraldton with us.

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Fiona Wauhop shared this pic of St George's in the Everything Geraldton app. Sadly, erosion problems around Geraldton persist.

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Shared by Leigh Riley, another great lighthouse image.

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Josh Melling sent this one in to Lost Geraldton. It's circa 2004, in front of Mitchell and Brown. Moving that railway line was a good idea!

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Jane Cooper sent this lovely sunset pic in.

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Post your pics in the Everything Geraldton app, and we'd love to share them. Available for free for iPhone and Android.

Woman's body found after Utakarra fire

A woman's body was found badly burned after a fire that occurred in a duplex on Devenish St, Utakarra.

The fire occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The arson squad has travelled to Geraldton to investigate according to reports from the ABC. Anyone with information on the fire is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

WA police spokeswoman Susan Usher said police and arson officers are trying to determine both the identity of the victim and how the home went up in flames, according to WA Today.

Another house fire also occurred Wednesday morning in Spalding. Police have not reported any fatalities from that fire.

Community Question: Looking for a camping spot next week good for 3 little kids on their first camping trip. Must have a toilet of some sort any suggestions would be great.

Community Question: Looking for a camping spot next week good for 3 little kids on their first camping trip. Must have a toilet of some sort any suggestions would be great.

-Tracey

13-year-old charged in relation to burglaries

As part of continuing inquiries into Operation Night Hawk, officers from Geraldton Volume Crime Team conducted further inquiries in relation to reports of burglaries and stolen property last weekend.

Officers arrested a 13 year old male from Waggrakine, which resulted in the following charges being preferred:

2 X Agg Burglary and commit place 1 x Agg Burglary W/I place 1 x Criminal Damage 2 x Stealing 1 x Receiving

The male will face Geraldton Childrens Court at date yet to be determined.

Further inquiries were conducted in relation to separate offences. Police attended in Drummond Cove and a stolen boat and trailer was recovered from an address in Windward Way. Officer also seized a motorbike which had been reported stolen from Dampier in 2009, from an address in Spindrift Vista, Glenfield.

Property recovered to the value of $9000. Inquiries are continuing in relation to this property.

Midwest Fishing Report by Tackleworld Geraldton

LOCAL ROCKWALLS Mulloway are running hot along the back of the live Cray factory with fish to 15kg best times is the run out of high tide and after dark, with a few tailor mixed in as well, yellow fin whiting to 30cm and a few Skippy and yellow fin bream.

NEW MARINA & FISHERMEN'S HARBOUR

Squid have started to show up in the Marina, Skippy and pinkies are also of plenty.

You can find black bream at the Fisherman’s Harbour.

BEACHES

Mulloway have been caught at Southgate’s point Moore and Drummond’s car park as well as Buller River.

Yellow fin whiting are also getting caught at these locations.

RIVERS

The mouth of the river has fish well for bream up to 37cm and mangrove jacks these fish are not the healthiest at the moment so please remember to wet your hands before handling all fish and get them back in the water as quick as possible.

 THIS WEEK'S VIDEO HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR REEL

FISHING REPORT WRITTEN BY

TACKLEWORLD COUNTRY GERALDTON

20 ANZAC TERRACE GERALDTON WA

08 99216822

Scam alert: Phone calls purporting to be from Qantas

SCAMwatch and Qantas are warning people about automated calls from scammers posing as Qantas staff claiming that they’ve won a credit towards their next holiday. If you receive this call, hang up.

Reports have been received from both consumers and businesses about these scam calls, where the recipient picks up the phone and hears a recorded message that claims to be from Qantas. The message will claim that because the person has recently booked a flight with Qantas, they have won a ‘travel prize’ or ‘credit points’ – typically $999 – towards their next holiday.

In order to redeem the credit, the person is directed to press ‘1’. At this point, the person is put directly through to a scammer, who will then state that in order to be eligible for the prize, the person has to ask a few questions first. The scammer may ask whether the person is aged over 30, whether they have a valid credit card, and finally ask for their credit card details so that the prize can be processed.

If you hand over your credit card details, you will find that money has been taken rather than deposited from your bank account.

These scammers appear to be persistent, with some consumers and businesses reporting that they have received several of these calls in one day. Unfortunately scammers pay no heed to private phone numbers or numbers listed on the Do Not Call Register, so if you have a number like this, you can still expect to receive this call.

Qantas have responded to the issue on their website warning people to be wary of the scam and that authorities were currently investigating.

"We are aware that some customers are receiving automated phone calls purporting to be from Qantas. These calls are not from us, and can easily be identified as unauthentic. Qantas consultants will always call customers directly to discuss their bookings and do not use an automated phone system when contacting customers proactively," the statement said.

"Recipients are advised not to provide personal details or respond to the automated prompts.

"Scammers use a range of mechanisms, including “harvesting” programs that scour numerous sources on the Internet, to look for customer information. It is also often the case that the recipients of the scam are not customers of the company purporting to make the phone call – which is why individuals who are not necessarily Qantas customers might have also received a phone call.

"Authorities have been advised of the scam calls and are investigating.

"We are aware that some customers are receiving automated phone calls purporting to be from Qantas. These calls are not from us, and can easily be identified as unauthentic. Qantas consultants will always call customers directly to discuss their bookings and do not use an automated phone system when contacting customers proactively.

"Recipients are advised not to provide personal details or respond to the automated prompts.

"Scammers use a range of mechanisms, including “harvesting” programs that scour numerous sources on the Internet, to look for customer information. It is also often the case that the recipients of the scam are not customers of the company purporting to make the phone call – which is why individuals who are not necessarily Qantas customers might have also received a phone call.

"Authorities have been advised of the scam calls and are investigating."

You can report scams to the ACCC via the SCAMwatch report a scam page or by calling 1300 795 995.

Find out more information about the Qantas scam here.

Rangeway, Utakarra and Narngulu get NBN

NBN Co have today announced the roll-out of high speed internet to more Geraldton suburbs.

Rangeway, Utakarra and Narngulu are the latest locations to be hooked up to the NBN with fibre to the premises (FTTP).

The City of Greater Geraldton welcomed NBN Co’s announcement with Mayor, Ian Carpenter, saying it is good news and he hopes to see more suburbs come online in the near future.

“It is good to see NBNCo continuing to connect Geraldton suburbs and I’m pleased to see the areas of Bluff Point, Spalding, Strathalbyn, Webberton and Beresford are listed on the latest NBN construction map,” he said.

“Having the NBN rolled out in Geraldton will be a great boost to the region after lobbying the Federal Government hard to leverage off the NBN required to support the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.

“I only hope the government will continue to roll out the FTTP and not continue with its decision to pull out of this type of connection,” said Mr Carpenter.

Speed camera NWCH Glenfield.

Speed camera NWCH Glenfield.

Door-to-door sales hours cut

The days of door-to-door salespeople disturbing Western Australian families in the evening are over, with unsolicited visits after 6pm on weekdays banned from tomorrow. Unsolicited sales - where the seller approaches the consumer uninvited at a place away from their business premises - had previously been allowed from 9am until 8pm on weekdays.

Already, Australia-wide, receiving unsolicited visits at the door are limited to between 9am and 5pm on Saturday with a total ban on Sundays and public holidays. This will not change.

Although this change does not affect telemarketing calls, which can still be made until 8pm, householders can protect themselves from unwanted sales calls by signing up to the Do Not Call register http://www.donotcall.gov.au

A 10 business day cooling off period will apply to all unsolicited sales, including telephone calls.

Commerce Minister Michael Mischin said the State Government had amended the Australian Consumer Law (WA) following strong support from the community.

“There are few greater nuisances than sitting down to a meal with family after a long day at work and having your personal time interrupted by a knock on the door from a stranger trying to sell something,” Mr Mischin said.

“A public consultation undertaken by Consumer Protection showed WA wanted to follow the lead of other Australian States and Territories in limiting hours in which salespeople can knock on your door.  Many respondents expressed concerns about being visited after dark, especially during winter.

“Now door-to-door sellers of goods and services can only doorknock between 9am and 6pm on weekdays in WA, a reduction of two hours on the previous 8pm limit.

“WA now has the same rules as the rest of Australia, which should avoid confusion for both industry and consumers.

The Minister said WA consumers who did not want any sellers to call at their home uninvited should display a Do Not Knock sticker which can be ordered from Consumer Protection by calling

1300 30 40 54 or emailing consumer@commerce.wa.gov.au

Fishing for the future with local fishing clinics

Tackleworld Geraldton in conjunction with Recfishwest have presented fishing clinics over the last 3 days with over 100 local kids getting involved.

The clinics involved education across a number of fishing aspects and was held at the Geraldton Marina.

Alan from Recfishwest said the education was about fishing for the future as well as teaching youth the proper way to fish.

“These clinics are to teach kids about the basics of fishing and about having fun as well,” he said.

“We reiterate that safety is number one and teach them how to fish for the future.”

The amateur anglers were taught everything from rules and regulations, catching and releasing, handling fish, how to be sun smart, pollution and they loved getting onto the jetty and catching some fish.

Wendy from Tackleworld Geraldton praised Recfishwest and said the clinics would be back.

“I am really impressed with the format of these clinics and the kids have absolutely loved it.”

Vandalism and graffiti costing ratepayers more than $110,000

The City of Greater Geraldton has spoken out about vandalism and graffiti which has cost ratepayers more than $110,000 in the last financial year.

The cost of a maintenance shed break in and graffiti attack on Queens Park Theatre and the Queen Elizabeth II Seniors and Community Centre on Sunday night is currently being assessed by City officers.

The shed that houses equipment for the care and upkeep of the City’s grounds was broken into. The offenders sprayed graffiti on the QPT and QEII walls and also on the windscreen and bonnet of a vehicle parked in the City administration offices car park.

The City  have also had to remove graffiti from the Esplanade after vandals took to the attraction last night.

City Director of Community Infrastructure, Neil Arbuthnot, said senseless acts of vandalism have cost the City thousands of dollars to repair.

“Infrastructure is provided to the public so it can be utilised and enjoyed by all, it’s very disheartening when a small minority ruin it for the rest of us,” he said.

He said he is particularly disappointed with the speed in which The Esplanade (formerly the Eastern Breakwater) was vandalised.

“Since its opening on December 20, 2013, The Esplanade has had two major vandalism incidents totalling $35,000 of damage," Mr Arbuthnot said.

“The first occurrence saw 11 LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights worth $33,000 broken, and the second act of vandalism, which happened recently, of seven bollard lights costing $2,000. Graffiti has also been found on the walls and seating."

Mr Arbuthnot said the City’s building maintenance and sanitation departments look after most of the vandalism and graffiti clean ups.

“This takes resources away from the departments’ core responsibilities of keeping the City’s assets maintained and clean, and the cost is passed on to ratepayers,” he said.

“Although the City is mostly responsible for cleaning up after vandals, outside contractors are brought in for specialist repair work of an electrical or mechanical nature which adds to the cost.”

The City urges the public to report vandalism and graffiti to the police immediately, call the Graffiti Hotline, or download the free mobile phone application, Snap Send Solve, to report such issues.

“Working together with the community to tackle the minority responsible for vandalism can ensure a better amenity for our community, and less cost to ratepayers,” Mr Arbuthnot said.

For more information on graffiti reporting, removal or prevention, visit the Goodbye Graffiti website on www.goodbyegraffiti.wa.gov.au. To report an incident call the Western Australia Graffiti Hotline on 1800 44 22 55, or report an incident on Snap Send Solve.

Man charged with attempt to supply drugs

Police have charged a 29-year-old Geraldton man after he was in possession of approximately 3.7 grams of  a substance believed to be methamphetamine.

Officers from Geraldton Police Station conducted a vehicle stop on a suspicious vehicle on North West Coastal Highway at around 2am yesterday morning, 

The vehicle was searched and police will allege that when the occupant of the car was found to be in possession of the substance as well as other items associated with the supply of this particular drug.

A 29 year old Geraldton man has been charged with possessing a prohibited drug with intent to supply and was bailed to appear before the Geraldton Magistrate’s Court on May 15th 2014.

Speed camera NWCH opposite rouge pony

Speed camera NWCH opposite rouge pony