Archive for January, 2009

NT Funny woman, Fiona O’Loughlin was announced as the 2009 NT Achiever by the Chief Minister  Paul Henderson, at the Australia Day Gala Ball.

“Not only is Fiona a world class entertainer, she also contributes to the Territory community in so many ways from being a foster mother to performing at countless charity functions.” Said Heather Sjoberg, Chairman of the Australia Day Council NT.

“The 2009 NT Achiever Award has been presented to Fiona O’Loughlin for not only her achievements as a performer but also as a recognition to the time she gives back to the community.” Heather Sjoberg concluded.

A distraught mother arrived to pick up her son only to find the place locked and with her child still inside.

Yula Williams, 31, of Wagaman, had been scouting around the centre at 7.30 last night, trying to find an after hours number on the building, when she heard her baby screaming.

“I looked through a window,” she said.

“I couldn’t see anything, it was just really dark – but I sang out my son’s name and he was screaming in the room.”

She then smashed a square paver through the bottom glass section of the front door, and kicked it twice to get rid of most of the glass.

After crawling through, she found little Xavier in a cot.

“I got to my son and just held him … I was really, really upset and just thinking of his wellbeing.”

Continued here

THE world’s biggest lead and zinc mine closed yesterday despite a promise that its $120 million expansion will be allowed to go ahead.

More than 300 workers were laid off at the operation near Borroloola.

The closure is believed to have nothing to do with the controversy over converting the mine to an open-cut operation.

China is the mine’s biggest customer and its economic slowdown has led to vast stockpiles in the country.

This means McArthur River can save money by closing down until China uses its reserves.

The mine’s Swiss owner Xstrata yesterday said that the operation had now been placed in a “care and maintenance” mode.

It said McArthur River would be ready to restart mining as soon as the Federal Government gave final permission for the expansion.

Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union secretary Matthew Gardiner accused Xstrata of holding jobs to ransom.

He said the company had promised to stick with McArthur River “through the good times and the bad”.

“Now we know that was blatantly untrue,” he said.

Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said the mine expansion can proceed.

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A spokeswoman for Rio Tinto Alcan says all staff at the company’s Gove refinery in the Northern Territory aren’t affected by the latest job cuts.

Rio Tinto Alcan has announced it will shed more than one thousand positions worldwide because of the global economic slowdown.

The company’s Dianne Collier says most of the cuts will happen in Europe and Canada, and the number of workers at the Gove refinery will remain the same at this stage.

The Chief Minister Paul Henderson says he’ll speak with Rio Tinto representatives this afternoon to confirm that no Territory jobs will be cut.

The Chief Minister says he doesn’t think the Territory will be affected.

“There isn’t intended to be any job losses here in the NT … but I will have a discussion with Rio Tinto people this afternoon and confirm that.”

Source

I was just sitting here at the computer (5.50 am)and felt my chair moving, then the windows started rattling. I am guessing there was an earthquake somewhere (probably hundreds of kilometres away) I’ll keep you updated if there is something on the news later.

Update:  Still not seeing anything reported. Feel free to leave a comment if you were up and around before 6am (NT time) and mention which area you live in. I am in the Rapid Creek/Nightcliff area.

Further update, ABC News makes a brief mention of today’s earth tremor in Darwin:

An earth tremor has been felt in Darwin this morning from an earthquake in the Banda Sea off Indonesia.

Geoscience Australia says an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the richter scale happened about 5:45am (ACDT).

The quake was also felt in the Kepulauan Barat Daya region of Indonesia.

It was centred 590 kilometres north-west of Darwin at a depth of 141 kilometres under the sea.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage and no tsunami warning was issued.

Here are some of the activities for Territorians for Australia Day January 26 2009

• Australia Day Fun Run/Walk
  Mindil Beach
  6.00am – 8.30am

  Start your Australia Day fit and healthy and register to be a part of the Australia Day Fun Run/Walk. There’s 3km and 5km options, and a free sausage sizzle for all participants. There’s also the chance to win a handcrafted pendant worth $1,000.

• Variety Australia Ute Run – Do up your cars, selves, and dogs in Australia Day attire and support Variety, the children’s charity. $5 registration/donation per vehicle. Departing at 12:30pm from the Hidden Valley Motor Sports Complex.

• Australia Day Breakfast and Activities Tennant Creek – Starting with flag raising in the town of Tennant Creek and then activities such as egg racing, thong throwing and sack races at Mary Ann Dam Recreational Lake. There is also a raft race and a barbecue. For more information visit NT Tourism.

• Flag Raising & Citizenship Ceremony
  Darwin Entertainment Centre, Mitchell Street, Darwin
  10.00am – 11:30am

  The Lord Mayor’s Flag Raising and Citizenship Ceremonies will be followed by a 21-gun salute at midday from the 8/12 Medium Regiment at the Cenotaph on the Esplanade. For more information, contact Maxine Dowley on 08 8930 0684

• Australia Day Sports Carnival
• 6.30AM – 11:30AM Trek Around Australia Palmerston Pool – Cnr Bonson Tce & Tilston Ave.“Walk around Australia”, breakfast, games, sausage sizzle
• TIWI ISLANDS -9.00AM – 6.00PMAustralia Day Games Stanley Tipiloura Oval, Bathurst IslandIsland of Origin Football Match, activities for children & adults, award presentation
• Meet Australia Day Ambassador Actor, Musician and fundraiser Steven Hunt 9:00AM – 11.30AM
  Australia Day Ceremony – Katherine Town Council Civic Centre
  Flag raising ceremony, citizenship ceremony, presentation of local government awards, light brunch.
  Contact: Dallas Panoho – Phone: 8972 5500
• 12.00PM-7.00PM  Australia Day Family Day – Katherine Sport and Rec Club, 40 Giles Street
  Fun family day, 8 Ball competition, Jack Russel race, cricket, fun and games for all ages, prizes, sausage sizzle.

  Contact: Kim Oliver – Phone: 8972 1646
  

DARWIN’S Jessica Mauboy says she will celebrate with a fishing trip after her single Burn hit No. 1 on the national charts.

This week’s Australian Record Industry Association charts, released yesterday, saw Mauboy become the first Territorian since Ian Moss to claim the top spot.

The 19-year-old from Wulagi – who performed at the start of the Australian Open tennis tournament yesterday – said she celebrated at home with her family after finding out on Saturday night she would top this week’s hit list.

Watch Jess perform Burn at the Twenty20 at the MCG

“It’s really massive – I’m over the moon about it,” she said.

“We sat around and chilled out and told funny stories about when I was little and standing around in front of the mirror wanting to be a star, be a singer.

“Now it’s all happening – the world’s turning for me.”

Pics: Jessica Mauboy photo gallery

The singer said her chosen celebration was to go out fishing with her dad Ferdie, but they put off the trip as she had to fly to Melbourne to perform.

Mauboy shot to fame on the 2007 series of the television talent show Australian Idol.

But after a failed stint with the Idol spinoff band Young Divas, Mauboy has gone her own way, co-writing eight of the songs on her album.

With a sexy new image to go with her new approach Mauboy said her passion for music was bearing fruit.

“It’s so freaky,” she said.

“Being an Indonesian Aboriginal Australian and a 19-year-old girl and already hitting No. 1.

“I think it’s my passion for the music.”

Born and raised in Alice Springs, Moss went to No. 1 with his single Tucker’s Daughter in 1989 and his album Matchbook also took the top spot.

He enjoyed several No. 1 albums with legendary rock band Cold Chisel. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu has reached No. 1 on the iTunes roots chart with his album Gurrumul.

Mauboy’s other single, Running Back, is now sitting at No. 20.

Source

A ROGUE crocodile has rocked a dinghy in a Territory river, frightening the daylights out of the boat’s occupants.

Kakadu park ranger Matt Dunn, his girlfriend Sarah Bentley and her sister, Megan, were left shocked by the killer reptile’s random attack.

The trio were out in the dinghy in a small tributary of the East Alligator River known as White Lady in Kakadu National Park when the monster saltie attacked at about 4.45pm on Wednesday.

Mr Dunn said the 5m croc attacked their boat from underneath.

“I knew he was around but he must have been sitting right underneath the boat,” he said. “He gave it two big whacks with his head on the side. He worked his way out and just sat up looking at us.

“Then he just slipped back into the water.”

Mr Dunn said Megan – who was on just her second fishing trip – was petrified.

“She was screaming and jumping all over the boat,” he said.

“It was a bit of a shock.”

Continued

The Health Department says two people in the Top End have died this wet season because of a bacteria that lives in the soil.

Meliodosis (Nightcliff gardeners disease) bacteria lives below the soil’s surface in the tropics and can cause pneumonia and blood poisoning.

It’s prevalent during the wet season and usually enters the body through cuts and sores that are exposed directly to the mud.

People with health problems, or who drink large amounts of alcohol, are the most vulnerable to the bacteria.

A Millner man is all too familiar with the disease after contracting it recently for the second time. He spent two weeks in hospital and has a nurse visit daily to give him intravenous injections.

THE lack of wild buffalo is not behind an increase in woody vegetation in Kakadu National Park, researchers said.

They blame “larger issues” such as increased rainfall and CO2 levels.

It has been assumed the eradication of buffalo has played a major role in the thickening of woody cover in the world heritage-listed park.

But researchers from Charles Darwin University’s School for Environmental Research found that while the density of wooded vegetation on the floodplain is up, the removal of buffalo is not a major cause.

Published in the Journal of Biogeography, their study examined the ecological effects on Kakadu over four decades.

“We wanted to see what has happened with woody vegetation in Kakadu over the last 40 years,” Dr Lynda Prior said.

“It has increased significantly since the 1980s and the obvious conclusion was that it was the effect of removing the buffalo.”

Wild buffalo built up to high densities in Kakadu until 1985, after which a control program almost eliminated the animals.

A buffalo farm was established at Kakadu in 1990 to supply meat to traditional owners.

Continued here