Q1 in Surfers Paradise is currently the world''s tallest residential tower.
Luxury high-rise lifestyle at Q1
By RAMA GAIND
There’s nothing ordinary about Australia’s Gold Coast … it’s vibrant, impressive and it’s where high-rise living is being redefined.
The Gold Coast – has joined Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – in showcasing residential towers which have dwarfed surrounding buildings to produce ‘vertical villages’ that are in high demand.
Currently the world’s tallest residential tower, Q1 in Surfers Paradise, is 80 storeys high and 327 metres above ground level. Inspecting this residential village lifestyle was an eye-opening experience for me recently.
Surrounded by a bustling retail and shopping precinct, the Q1 Resort and Spa has 528 luxury one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments featuring chic and modern designs. Spaciousness is the key to their layout.
The high rise also has a two-storey glass-enclosed lobby and Australia’s only beachside observation deck on Levels 77 and 78.
While the price tag of these apartments are six figures and above, the 250-degree views (especially from the higher levels) of the ocean, beach and city are simply stunning. If you want to go further up the scale, then Australia’s most elevated penthouse address offers 360 degree views over golden beaches, waterways, city towers, mountains and the blue Pacific Ocean!
Q1 has many distinguishing features including the fact that the elevators are the fastest in Australia, travelling at 9.0 meters per second (1772 ft/min) and Q1 boasts the highest swimming pool in Australia (15m x 6m), located in the penthouse on level 74, 217 metres above ground level.
These inner city developments, where space is at a premium, is also following a popular lifestyle trend interstate.
Vying for the tallest residential building title, at 92 storeys, will soon be the Eureka Tower in Melbourne which is 300 metres above ground level.
In Sydney, there is World Tower in the southern CBD, a 79-storey, 234-metre development. Another is the 59-level Lumiere @ Regent Place (which includes a building of serviced apartments) that’s due for completion in 2008.
Brisbane’s new ‘iconic’ building is the mega high-rise called Vision which will have 79 storeys and stretch up to 287 metres high and is set for completion in 2010.
Defined as being a major status symbol for owner-occupiers and investors alike, Q1 apartments not only offer killer views, but tight security and close proximity to every desirable facility. As well, health, recreational and conference facilities inside the complex will ensure that residents enjoy every conceivable comfort.
This type of high-rise standard offers luxury living at its finest – and for some of us – that’s the lifestyle of which dreams are made!
Looking down from the high rise Novotel into downtown Broadbeach.
Sample the diverse offerings on the Gold Coast
BY RAMA GAIND
With over 500,000 residents, the Gold Coast is one of the fastest growing communities in Australia – and it’s easy to see why.
Its strong, deep-rooted economy is equipped to support a booming tourist industry.
When it comes to enjoying yourself here, your imagination will be the only limit. Here is a place not only of diversity, but contrast where entertainment meets relaxation and nature happily agrees with sophistication.
With more than 70km of pristine beaches and waterways surrounding a city teaming with culture, fashion, food and fun, the Gold Coast is just minutes from lush rolling hills of hinterland mountains capped with tranquil rainforests and bushland of world heritage stature. There’s a diverse choice of natural and man-made wonders from spectacular cliffs, gorges and waterfalls into the 100,000 hectares of national parks and reserves
In contrast, the Gold Coast’s manmade attractions and experiences will get the blood
racing with excitement. For the young or simply the young at heart the Gold Coast
hosts Australia’s largest theme parks where you can swim with dolphins, stroll with a
Bengal tiger and defy the laws of gravity on the longest, the highest and the most
exciting thrill rides in the country.
If being active is not on your agenda, then be pampered with a massage: just the therapy you need to unwind and relax.
That’s exactly what I did. Alison Shaw from Ripple Massage worked wonders on my stressed, tired frame … afterwards I felt like a new woman!
Ripple is a mobile massage business that comes to you on the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Tamborine regions of Queensland.
Like a drop splashing in the water, a great massage or beautiful body spirit products send a lovely ripple through your day.
A wide range of styles, together with the little extras, do turn a good massage into a sensational one.
There are a variety of Ripple body spirit massages: bliss, scent, thrive, Shiatsu, sole, hot stone, Russian, cupping and the Ten for Ten where you get a seated chair massage in your workplace. Now, that’s a great idea.
Alison Shaw can be contacted at [email protected] or phone 0438 567 906.
Gold Coast Tourism is adept at what it does and has taken the best of international culinary styles and served them up in an easily accessible smorgasbord of dining options. Walk down any main street to find Indian, Thai, Italian, French and Japanese or Australia’s world-famous distinctive cuisine which fuses European influences and Asian infusions capitalising on a rich bounty of raw produce.
Then by night, romantics can watch the sun set on the beach over cocktails before
catching a spectacular stage show and thrills and dancing at Jupiters Casino.
Having recently renewed my acquaintance with the Gold Coast, imagine my surprise when I realised that the Gold Coast was ‘very active, very natural, very exciting, very indulgent’.
You, too, should check out www.VeryGC.com for some creative holiday ideas.
Image (left to right): Paul Bywood (the Department of Health and Ageing), Nathan Edwardson (Centrelink) and Kate Lord (ABC Fitness)
Centrelink’s Nathan Edwardson undertook a bike ride with a difference on Thursday (30 October), to raise money for children’s cancer research through the Olivia Lambert Appeal.
Nathan rode for 7 hours and 21 minutes on a stationary bike at Centrelink’s National Office to raise money for children with cancer.
“I started the ‘Standard Hours Ride’ because I thought it was something a lot of Canberrans could relate to, as 7 hours and 21 minutes is a standard work day in the public service,” Nathan said.
Nathan cycled to raise money for the Olivia Lambert Appeal, a Canberra-based group that raises money for research into treatments for Neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer that only targets children. The Appeal has been inspired by the journey of Olivia, a local child with Neuroblastoma undergoing treatment at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick.
“Very little is known about Neuroblastoma, and the Olivia Lambert Appeal supports research undertaken by the Sydney Children’s Hospital that aims to rectify this and find better treatment options,” Nathan said.
“The Standard Hours Ride was my way of contributing to help children with cancer, because I’m passionate about supporting causes like this. Each year I donate the proceeds to a different local appeal and I’ve found my colleagues are always happy to dig deep for a good cause.”
Nathan was joined by Paul Bywood from the Department of Health and Ageing and Kate Lord from ABC Fitness, and was cheered on by more than 2,000 Centrelink staff in the building where the ride took place.
“Part of the culture of working at Centrelink involves getting behind good causes like the Standard Hours Ride,” Nathan said.
“I invited all staff in the building to donate money and guess how many kilometres I would cycle in the time – after a couple of hours on the bike, I needed all the extra support and motivation I could get!”
Media contact: Siobhan Dillon, Centrelink Media, Ph: (02) 6155 2776 or 0411 670 958
With only 7 weeks left until Christmas, Vision Australia is once again looking to the community to find volunteers to support the annual Myer Christmas Gift Wrap. Selected Myer stores across ACT, NSW and Victoria work in partnership with Vision Australia to encourage shoppers to make a small donation and have their Myer-bought gifts expertly wrapped. Christina Tay is one of many Myer Gift wrap volunteers who, over the years, has selflessly given up her time to help Vision Australia raise essential funds to provide services to thousands of clients who are blind or have low vision. “By chance during Christmas 2004, I was queuing at Myer to have my gift wrapped. To save time I asked the volunteer if I could wrap my present and still pay for the service! As I was wrapping, I realised how important and how fantastic the service is. It not only raises funds for Vision Australia, it also saves the shoppers time and hassle,” said Christina. “Helping Vision Australia makes me very happy – knowing that I am contributing something back to society. The people I meet and work with are absolutely wonderful. Gift wrapping with them is always an amazing experience. The smiles on the faces of satisfied customers make me want to keep coming back,” added Christina. Trish Egan, General Manager Marketing at Vision Australia said, “The gift wrap program at Myer is a great way for the community to support Vision Australia. The money raised will allow us to continue to make a difference in the lives of thousands of children and adults who are blind or have low vision.”
Valeria Sole (pictured) received a wildcard into the Movistar Classic Mancora presented by Rip
Valeria Sole (pictured) received a wildcard into the Movistar Classic Mancora presented by Rip
Curl after winning the trials yesterday. In Round 1 Valeria was against national favorite and local hero Sofia Mulanovich who won the heat sending her to Round 2 where she was eventually defeated by Silvana Lima (Bra).
Event No. 6 of 8 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Movistar Classic Mancora Peru pres. by Rip Curl is expecting a full day of competition as event organizers and competitors take advantage of the swell on offer. The Movistar Classic Mancora Peru pres. by Rip Curl is a crucial stop in the hunt for the ASP Women’s World Title. Sofia Mulanovich (PER), 25, former ASP Women’s World Champion, is the new frontrunner on this year’s ASP Women’s World
Tour following a solid result at the last event in Sydney. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, reigning ASP Women’s World Champion and defending event champion, follows closely behind Mulanovich and will look make ground here in Mancora.
I first got into making my own aromatherapy based products after venturing in and out of many Health Food Stores and not finding what I wanted so I would buy a variety of different oils and base products and mix to create my own blend.
I would also write down the ingredients I found in many so called ‘natural’ or ‘aromatherapy’ products and research them to find out what was actually in the product – this is when I realised people were not getting what they bargained for. I found many of the products contained chemicals and alcohols that dry out the skin or cause skin rashes.
This is when I decided to do something about it & create my own. It started just for me, then for family and friends but I kept getting orders for more so Avalon Essences was created.
All of my products are derived from plants, antioxidants, herbs, fragranced oils and essential oils for their therapeutic values; and do not contain harmful ingredients. Avalon Essences is Australian owned and operated. My unique boutique aromatherapy products are hand-made fresh in small batches without harmful chemicals, animal derivatives, harsh detergents or petroleum by-products.
I am always creating and adding new exciting products to my boutique range – I am currently working on a creamy, silky smooth Body Mousse just in time for the Australian Summer and Christmas BUT in the meantime we have a Great Special on our fabulous, deeply moisturising Body Balms available in Frangipani & Lime, Coconut & Vanilla and Lemongrass & Patchouli – NOW ONLY $5
I love this market with its true community atmosphere, all the stallholders are friendly and the location is fabulous with the Main Hall over-looking Lake Tuggeranong – Support Local and pop down and say hi
Rhiannon Leetham To Be Featured In International Book
Canberra Girl, 12, wins global recognition and will be featured in an upcoming book about young entrepreneurs.
Kids Money Book To Help Break The Cycle Of Poverty By Raising Funds For Microloans.
12-year-old Rhiannon Leetham, of Canberra, has been recognised for her excellent entry in a global video competition for young entrepreneurs. Not only has Rhiannon started her own business, her video about the business has been publicised as a high-quality entry into the Cash-Smart Kids YouTube Video Competition. See the video here
The global competition has been launched by Australian financial educator and mother of three, Jenny Ford, to find two young entrepreneurs to feature in her new book. Creator of the award-winning Cash-Smart Kids program, recently voted “Web Site Most Likely To Change The World”, Ford says the winners of this competition will have a myriad of opportunities.
“This book will be released globally by a major publisher,” she says. “The two winners of this competition will be profiled alongside famous young entrepreneurs like Ben Casnocha.”
Casnocha launched a software business at the age of thirteen which went on to become a Silicon Valley success story. He is now a full-time college student, but maintains what he calls “a light hand” in the ongoing operations at Comcate.
“My generation, in order to compete in the future with increased global competition, we need to be thinking creatively and entrepreneurially,” says Casnocha “Its no longer enough just to get a safe corporate job. At a young age, people are going to have to be creating businesses or thinking creatively about their careers.”
“The publicity from a presence in this book will open many doors,” says Ford. “Even just putting in a good entry will result in priceless exposure and contacts for any young entrepreneur.”
The book will help parents to teach their kids about money – saving, investing, and business. The two winners will be profiled in the book, and runners up will be mentioned, with their web site address, if they have one.
Other entrants also benefit from exposure during the competition, as does 12-year-old Rhiannon Leetham, of Canberra, whose video can be seen at the Raising Entrepreneurs blog – http://raisingentrepreneurs.org/blog/2008/04/21/cash-smart-kids-youtube-video-competition-the-entries-are-coming-in/
Rhiannon and her brother, Morgan, are participants in the Cash-Smart Kids program, which they pay for with money they earn for themselves through their business activities.
San Diego based business writer Peter Economy will co-author the book, and all proceeds will be donated to microfinance charity, ACCION. By simply registering your email address at www.raisingentrepreneurs.org, you can help Peter and Jenny to leverage the best possible deal from a publisher, and increase the dollars that flow to the charity.
The more people have registered interest, the bigger percentage the publisher will be willing to give away. Register now, before reading on .
About The 2008 Charity Book Project
After a distinguished writing career, authoring dozens of books, including more than 10 of the world-famous “For Dummies” series, Peter Economy decided it was time to give something back.
Starting in 2008, he would co-author a book a year, and donate the proceeds to the charity of his co-author’s choice. “I promise to write one book each year — for free — until I can no longer write,” he says. “I am 51 years old right now, so I think I have got at least 30 free books in me. Maybe more.”
A worldwide search commenced in August 2007, to find Peter’s first co-author. Dozens of illustrious applicants from many different nations were winnowed down to 12 finalists, and a selection panel of three distinguished American citizens chose the winner, Jenny Ford, a financial educator from Australia.
The 2008 Charity Book will help parents to teach their kids about money and business.
Raising levels of financial literacy is now a focus of government programmes in countries including Australia, Japan, the United States and the UK. The OECD started an inter-governmental project in 2003 with the objective of providing ways to improve financial education and literacy standards.
The 2008 Charity Book Project aims to educate families in the wealthy nations, and empower microbusinesses in the developing nations, at the same time.
More about the 2008 Charity Book Project
About Peter Economy
Peter Economy was a featured expert for the AllBusiness.com small business Web site, and he was selected by Time magazine to be its staff management expert for the TIME Vista Boardroom website (along with such business luminaries as reengineering expert Michael Hammer, marketing gurus Michael Treacy and Jack Trout, and others), where he fielded hundreds of questions from managers all around the world (and a few who appeared to be from some other planet altogether!). He has also done live online chats as a management expert for America Online, iVillage.com, Inc.com, Costco.com, and TalkCity.com. Peter has written more than 35 books, including Managing for Dummies, which has been translated into more than 17 languages.
More about Peter Economy
About Jenny Ford
Jenny Ford is an expert in educating children about business and wealth creation. She is one of the founders of the award-winning financial education site www.Cash-Smart-Kids.com, and her blog can be seen at www.RaisingEntrepreneurs.org. She holds an Honours degree in Psychology, a Diploma in Training and Assessment Systems, and an Advanced Diploma in Business Management. She is the mother of three young entrepreneurs, all of whom started successful businesses when they were nine to twelve years old.
About ACCION
ACCION International is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission of giving people the financial tools they need – microenterprise loans, business training and other financial services – to work their way out of poverty. A world pioneer in microfinance, ACCION was founded in 1961 and issued its first microloan in 1973 in Brazil. ACCION International’s partner microfinance institutions today are providing loans as low as $100 to poor men and women entrepreneurs in 25 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and in the United States.
More about ACCION
The 2008 Charity Book Project will aid microfinance charity, ACCION. Co-authors Peter Economy and Jenny Ford are donating their time to write and produce a book for parents who want their kids to grow up financially secure. Register your support now at Raising Entrepreneurs. No donations required – just your email address!
On November 7, Canberra’s own Dr Rick Kuhn will be awarded the Isaac and Tamara Deutscher Memorial Prize in London for his book Henryk Grossman and the Recovery of Marxism (University of Illinois Press). This prestigious prize is awarded annually for a book “which exemplifies the best and most innovative new writing in or about the Marxist tradition.”
A reader in Political Science at the Australian National University, Dr Kuhn is a long-standing political activist, member of Socialist Alternative and contributer to the magazine Socialist Alternative (www.sa.org.au).
His book tells the story of the Polish Marxist economist Henryk Grossman, whose life unfolded against the backdrop of key events of the 20th century – world wars, the rise of Stalinism and Nazism and the Cold War. While best known today for the theories of economic crises he developed at the Frankfurt Institute of Social Science, Grossman began his political life as an activist. He was a key participant in Jewish workers’ strikes and demonstrations and in the development of the socialist movement in Poland. After World War I he was often arrested and jailed as a member of the illegal Polish Communist Party, eventually leaving Poland.
As Dr Kuhn says: “Today, as the world economy dives into recession because of the stagnant rate of profit in developed countries, Grossman’s experiences and work are more relevant than ever.” He added that workers need to fight to defend living standards and jobs now, and in the long run build a party that expresses their interests. Dr Kuhn said: “It is no good only analysing the world; the point is to change it.”
Henryk Grossman and the Recovery of Marxism is available from Socialist Alternative. (See www.sa.org.au or email [email protected])
The Canberra branch of Socialist Alternative meets every Thursday night at 6 pm in room G 52 of the Haydon Allen Building at the ANU. The meeting on Thursday 30 October will discuss Race, Class and Struggle in the US today. (See www.sa.org.au or email [email protected])
Peter Quinn is a practicing CA and licensed financial planner with five offices in Sydney and more than 20 years’ experience in the industry. Amongst his specific areas of expertise are strategies for minimizing tax, planning insurance, managing superannuation and navigating the money markets. In this article Peter Quinn looks at the benefits of taking a long term perspective rather than hoping for speculative wind falls, and spreading your risk through dollar-cost averaging and diversification based on quality information.
LOOK BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN…
Why did you invest? What were your goals and the time horizon of your plans? For example if you are a share trader, then the current market volatility is of serious concern. However, if you are investing in a superannuation fund and you are unable to access your super until retirement (which is not for another 5 years or so) then the daily volatility is of less concern.
During periods of volatility some people panic and are tempted to move their money out of the share market. It is important to remember that markets move in cycles. Peaks and troughs are an intrinsic part of investing. While the cycle is unpredictable, it’s important to reflect and understand that history has shown us downturns are followed by recoveries and vice versa. If you move out of the market during volatile times, then you will not be there for the recovery, which can sometimes arrive unexpectedly and take off quickly.
REFLECT ON WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED
The 1990s provided a period of stability and sustainable growth for investors, yet by the end of the decade, a series of events that were largely unpredictable had taken their toll on investment markets. The ‘tech-crash’, September 11, corporate corruption, the global economic slowdown, and the war in Iraq all contributed to volatile conditions in the markets.
From 2003 the global economy started its recovery and conditions stabilised, giving markets the opportunity to respond favourably. At the beginning of 2007 the ASX was 83.1% higher than it was at its highest point in the 1990s*.
Throughout any market cycle, those people who remain focused on their long term goals and resist making snap decisions, are likely to be the winners.
PLAN ON TIME IN THE MARKET RATHER THAN TIMING THE MARKET
Remember you are investing to meet long term goals. The cyclical nature of investment markets make it impossible to predict their rise and fall. However, by looking at the past we can observe how markets usually perform, which will help get a perspective of potential future market movements. Here is a snapshot of major historic events which serves as a reminder of events affecting markets and the upward swings which followed:
• The 1974 OPEC oil crisis sparked a 50% drop in the market. Four years later, the market had recovered its value, and continued to climb higher for the next two years.
• On 20 October 1987, the All Ordinaries index fell 25% in one day and continued to lose ground over the next five months. It took six years for the market to regain its value, but since then the All Ordinaries has risen more than 200%.
• In 1997, the Asian crisis resulted in a 10% slide on the market in a single month. One year later the market returned to its original value and gained an additional 10% the following year.
Please refer to the attached graph highlighting other significant market movements over the last 30 years.
DOLLAR COST AVERAGING
This is a strategy to invest into the markets at regular intervals, regardless of the market conditions. Given that it is difficult to predict the future, averaging your investment into the markets reduces the risk of investing at the top. Committing to follow this strategy strictly will help remove emotional decisions, making it easier to stick to a long term investment plan.
DIVERSIFICATION
As the saying goes “don’t put all your eggs in the one basket.” Minimising your investment risk is very important and diversification should assist. Where appropriate, we encourage our clients to invest in different asset classes such as property, shares and cash across a number of countries in Asia, Europe and America by using a number of different fund managers with different expertise.
Type of Diversification Achieved by
Across asset classes Including a range of asset classes in your portfolio. For example, your investment portfolio may contain shares, property, fixed interest and some gold bullion.
Within an asset class Within Australian Shares for example, you may buy shares in
companies that operate in different industries, such as mining,
retail, banking and biotechnology.
Across countries Reducing your exposure to a single country or region. You may
wish to have investments in Australia, the US, Europe and
China.
Managed funds provide an easy route to diversification. Through a single managed fund it is possible to diversify across asset class, company, industry, sector, country and even fund manager.
Diversification means you do not need to pick the performers each year!
AUS Property AUS International
Year End Cash Bonds Trusts Equity Equities _____________________________________________________________________
30-Jun-97 6.77% 16.76% 29.29% 26.56% 29.11%
30-Jun-98 5.11% 10.88% 10.21% 1.64% 42.68%
30-Jun-99 5.04% 3.28% 3.11% 15.34% 8.54%
30-Jun-00 5.58% 6.17% 16.62% 15.06% 24.17%
30-Jun-01 6.08% 7.42% 13.90% 9.11% -5.67%
30-Jun-02 4.66% 6.21% 14.85% -4.54% -23.21%
30-Jun-03 4.97% 9.78% 12.15% -1.61% -18.15%
30-Jun-04 5.30% 2.33% 17.24% 21.73% 19.90%
30-Jun-05 5.66% 7.93% 18.10% 26.03% 0.53%
30-Jun-06 5.76% 3.41% 18.05% 24.02% 20.44%
30-Jun-07 6.42% 3.99% 25.87% 29.21% 8.27%
30-Jun-08 7.25% 7.81% -37.7% -13.7% -21.3%
Note: ASX 300 Industrials was down 27%.
Source: Cash: UBS Warburg Bank Bill Index, Australian 90 Day Bank Accepted Bill; Australian Fixed Interest: UBS Warburg Composite Bond Index; Property: S&P/ASX 200 Property Trusts Accum Index, Australian Shares: S&P/ASX 300 Accumulation Index; International Shares: MSCI World ex Aust. Acc Index with Gross Div. reinvested (A$)
The table shows how returns vary widely between asset classes, and within a single asset class. You will also notice that the asset classes with the greatest positive returns are also the ones with the larger negative returns.
Peter Quinn B.Bus CA ACIM CFP FAICD
Director, Quinn Consultants
http://www.quinns.com.au/
Athletes’ success in their chosen sport is the result of passion, hard work and skills. Passion drives them to continually work hard at keeping fit, training and improving their skills. Their passion for their sport is manifested not just on their actual performance in competitions but also in other things they do related to it.
For instance, reporting on Australia’s participation in the recent Junior Women’s World Championship held in Macedonia was made possible with information submitted by a handballer who has all the three attributes referred to above. The athlete is none other than Cathy Kent, who is the Goalkeeper of the Australian Women’s Team. Cathy who was on a competition season break attended the Junior Women’s World Championship to support the Australian team and to double up as a member of the Publicity Team. We received positive comments on the Team’s collaborative effort as well as a number of emails enquiring about Cathy. Hence, it is with delight that we acquaint you with one of Australia’s leading female handballers.
Cathy, who hails from Queensland, has been with the Australian Team since 2001. She has represented Australia in a total of 39 matches, which included international tours, tournaments and three World Championships – Croatia in 2003, Russia in 2005 and France in 2007. She relishes as her greatest moment playing against Macedonia in the preliminary round at the 2007 World Championship and receiving the ‘Best Player’ award. This award is usually given to a player from the winning team but was awarded to Cathy to acknowledge the brilliant saves she made.
Cathy was first introduced to handball when she was seventeen years old during a school sporting tour, while she was playing touch football at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. Handball was something she had never seen before and straight away she fell in love with this relatively unknown sport to Australians. What made it even more appealing to her besides the fact that handball is incredibly fast and takes a lot of talent to play, was that handball is an Olympic sport and that it is a Professional sport for women in many European countries.
Cathy has two older sisters and one younger brother. They do not play handball but they have represented Australia in Ju-Jitsu. Before getting involved in handball, Cathy also represented Australia in Ju-Jitsu and was involved in other sports – enjoyed a stint in Queensland Rugby, was Captain of u16 Brisbane Basketball, MSN Cricket Captain, Regional Touch Football and Brisbane Futsal.
It was after an Australian Women’s Handball tour of Hungary in 2002 that Cathy was given the opportunity to stay on and play with the u21 Junior Cornexi team in Szekesfehervar. After only four months, she returned to Australia to play in the Oceania World Championship Qualifying Tournament which Australia won to compete in the 2003 World Championship held in Croatia. She was then contacted by a Hungarian/Danish lady, Hanna Menzi, and asked if she would like to play in Denmark.
Cathy played handball in Denmark in 2003-2004 for GOG Gudme. When she was not training nor playing, she was studying Coaching at the Sports School, Oure, and was Assistant Coach to an u15 junior Danish girls team.
After difficulties with getting a Danish visa for her second year, Cathy contacted a past Australian trainer, Niklas Harris who coached and lived in Sweden. He organized a trial for Cathy with a Swedish 1st Division women’s team called H65, Höör. She lived and played in Sweden for three years [2004 – 2007], part of that time was with two other Australian players, Raelene Boulton and Katia Boyd. She worked for the club as a cleaner before deciding that was not where she wanted to be in her handball career.
Cathy was given the opportunity to trial with a ‘Professional Team’ in the French League in La Rochelle. This was where Cathy signed her first fully paid Professional contract. Cathy considers her first year in France [2007-2008] as the best season she had ever had playing in Europe. She was named the Best Keeper with the most number of saves in the Division 2 French League, saving over 304 balls for the season.
Then in early 2008, Cathy signed up for a team in Paris called Cergy-Pontoise. Out of a number of clubs which offered her a contract, she accepted Cergy-Pontoise’s offer as she felt it is a great team with lots of potential and has an experienced Romanian/French Coach to train her and the rest of the team. Cathy also enjoys the excitement and the challenges in playing in the team with four Romanian and three Junior French national team player.
Since she was seventeen, Cathy had dreamt of playing professional handball so she is ecstatic that this dream had come true. She is also grateful that all her hard work and determination got her at the level she is now. These days, she loves the fact that when she wakes up in the morning, her job is to train and to play handball. When asked where she sees herself in the next 5 years or so, Cathy said she sees herself still playing handball overseas and hopes to play for Australia in two more World Championships. She thinks that she may stay overseas and be a goalkeeper trainer for a European team after her handball career. She also has a desire to come back to Australia and help develop handball further as she dreams that one day Australia would have a really strong handball league.
We are confident that in due time this dream will come true as Cathy’s passion for handball and strong determination are shared by many of the Aussie handballers. We are also hopeful that Cathy’s stellar handball story would inspire more girls to get involved and excel in the sport.
– Article by Violi Calvert
AHF Media & Public Relations
The majority of the Tuggeranong Indoor Community Market stalls are indoors within the Tuggeranong Community Centre but we also have space for a couple of outdoor sites.
One permanent outdoor site is the Sausage Sizzle that raises money for local Tuggeranong Girl Guides plus we have other outdoor community spots available from time to time.
BUT what we are looking for is a Plant/Flower stall to be set-up out the front of the centre next door to the BBQ (every month we are asked about having plants and flowers available at our market from both visitors and regulars to the market)
SO this is YOUR opportunity to join our growing community market with a product that is wanted
Contact us ASAP with your details
Our next market is
Sunday October 26
10am – 2pm
Tuggeranong Community Centre (next door to McDonalds)
Local businesspeople can speak to the experts about how the latest communications technologies can improve their bottom line when the Telstra Innovation Expo arrives in Canberra at the National Convention Centre at 7am on 21st October, 2008.
Telstra Country Wide® Area General Manager, Michael Sharpe, said Telstra was committed to improving services in regional Australia and the Innovation Expo was an opportunity for local business decision makers to speak face-to-face with technology experts from Telstra and its suppliers about how they can make the most of recent service improvements.
“Staying in touch with the latest technological advances can be daunting and tough for time-poor businesses. With that in mind the Expo has been designed to provide people with a means of getting the latest information, but to also demonstrate how Telstra’s end-to-end business solutions can take the hassle out of managing a business’s IT requirements.
“Beyond that, people can get their hands on some of the latest gadgets, like new Blackberries,” said Mr Sharpe.
Other small-and-medium business-ready technologies on show at the Expo will be Telstra Mobile Payments (T-Pad) services and Xora™ TimeTrack.
Michael Sharpe said Telstra Mobile Payments enabled small business owners to take credit card payments direct via their mobile phone or PDA.
“For smaller businesses, this is a double bonus for their bottom line, providing immediate, secure payments and less time spent in the office.
“Xora™ TimeTrack is an especially exciting system for companies with multiple representatives on the road.
“Xora™ TimeTrack can improve the visibility of your field staff and enhance their ability to communicate with you. Businesses can deploy their staff more effectively, and deliver their customer services more efficiently,” Michael Sharpe.
Chris Peters, Chief Executive of the ACT Chamber of Commerce Businesses in Canberra, urges business to attend the Telstra Innovation Expo.
“Businesses in Canberra are amongst early adapters to new technology and the Telstra Expo presents an opportunity to see the latest in communications technology to help their business grow and prosper,” Mr Peters said.
“Businesses can not only view the technology at the Expo but they can touch it, examine it, and play with it to see how it can best benefit their business.”
“They can find new ways to accept credit cards in the field, to roster staff, to communicate with their staff, their office and their customers – Not only is it vitally important to help them better manage their business, but it will also help the bottom line.”
