Put some sparkle on your life! At our Gem Show stalls feature gems and jewellery, crystals, rocks, minerals, fossils and opals direct private mines. We have a display of members work, a raffle of handcrafted jewellery and fossicking for the kids. Our Soft Rock Cafe' and club table offer a range of home cooked goodies. Take a tour of our club workshop and learn more about the fascinating art of lapidary and history of the club.

Come by train – the hall is just across the road from Hemmant Station. Entry is $4.00 for adults, $3 for seniors and under 12 free.
Enquiries 0407266281.

Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michael McCormack this week visited the intersection of Newnham Road and Wecker Road to talk with locals and see firsthand the hazards present at the intersection.

Member for Bonner Ross Vasta said his petition to fix the intersection had reached almost 1500 signatures.

“Every day I hear from locals about another crash or near miss at this terrible intersection. I’ve been fighting hard in Canberra for funding and I’ve taken Minister McCormack out to inspect the intersection to see for himself the dangers it poses to commuters,” Mr Vasta said.

Minister McCormack and Mr Vasta stopped by Lorenti’s Fresh Food Market near the intersection to discuss the intersection with owner Carlo Lorenti and other locals.

Mr Lorenti thanked Mr Vasta for taking action and gathering community support to fix the intersection.

“I’ve seen crashes over there. There are accidents just waiting to happen. It’s really worrying, and I’ve got customers here who tell me the same thing,” Mr Lorenti said.

Mr Vasta urged local residents and business owners to sign and share his petition. The petition can be accessed at https://bit.ly/2rnVnUP or by calling 3893 3488.

Member for Bonner Ross Vasta has called on local service providers to apply for funding to help them support financially vulnerable Australians access critical services in Bonner.

Mr Vasta said the Turnbull Government was providing $328 million in grant funding for community organisations to administer financial crisis assistance and education programs.

“Programs funded through this grant round will help people in Bonner to navigate financial crises and build financial wellbeing, financial capability, and resilience,” Mr Vasta said.

“The Turnbull Government’s investment in these grants acknowledges the central role of grassroots services in helping financially vulnerable Australians transcend issues and strive for a better life.

“Only because of our stronger economy and by keeping spending under control can the Government guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on, like financial crisis funding.”

Under the Financial Wellbeing and Capability grant round:

• Up to $200 million will be provided to Emergency Relief;

• $80 million will be for Food Relief, Commonwealth Financial Counselling and Financial Capability and the Financial Counselling Helpline services;

• $48 million in funding will be available for further services such as Financial Counselling for Problem Gambling, Money Support Hubs and Financial Resilience.

Applications for the Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activity open grants round close on 22 August 2018.

New grant agreements will be in place from 1 January 2019. For more information including eligibility criteria or to apply for a grant, go to GrantConnect.

Construction of the Brisbane Metro is a step closer with more than 200 business leaders from local and international companies expected to attend a special industry briefing today (Wed 25th) to hear about the construction and employment opportunities expected from the $944 million project.

Acting Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who will address the briefing along with Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher, said the specially convened briefing at City Hall would outline key milestones and opportunities and Council’s contracting model. 

“We are gearing up to start procurement for the Brisbane Metro project that will cut travel times, unlock bus congestion in the CBD and improve services to the suburbs,” Acting Mayor Schrinner said.

“Brisbane Metro services will commence in 2023 and will revolutionise the way we travel, getting residents home up to 50 per cent faster on a high-frequency service, reducing bus congestion in inner-city streets and ensuring our city continues to thrive as a great place to live, work and relax.

“This briefing will provide local, national and international firms with the opportunity to start thinking about the skilled teams and innovation they could bring to the Brisbane Metro and kick start the delivery process of significant new infrastructure and a fleet of up to 60 Metro vehicles.

“Following the briefing, Council will commence the Expression of Interest phase for the main Inner City Infrastructure package including a new underground station at the Cultural Centre precinct and a new tunnel beneath Adelaide Street, as well as commencing an international Registration of Interest process for the fleet of 60 high-capacity Metro Vehicles.”

Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher said the Turnbull Government was investing $300 million in the transformative Brisbane Metro project as part of its record $75 billion investment in key infrastructure.

“This project is a great example of how the Turnbull Government is investing in vital infrastructure designed to make our cities more liveable,” Mr Fletcher said.

“We are investing more than $20 billion in Queensland infrastructure which is possible because of a stronger economy.

“Whether it’s a tradie able to get to four jobs in a day instead of three, or a parent trying to drop the kids off at school on time, we want to ensure people are spending less time stuck in traffic and more time doing the things they’d rather be doing.”

Federal Member for Brisbane Trevor Evans said the project had been assessed as a High Priority project of national significance by the federal government’s independent advisor, Infrastructure Australia, in its 2018 Infrastructure Priority List.

“With two metro lines operating every three minutes in peak periods, Brisbane Metro will deliver a network of turn-up-and-go services linking the suburbs with the inner city and fixing major bottlenecks in the inner city that cause daily congestion,” Mr Evans said.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta said the Brisbane Metro would deliver a high-frequency metro network across 21 kilometres of existing busway linking the Eight Mile Plains, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and University of Queensland Lakes busway stations and all stations in between.

“This congestion-busting project is great news for our community and shows the Turnbull Government is planning for and investing in the future of our city,” Mr Vasta said.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta has welcomed a further one million dollar funding commitment by the Turnbull Government to continue the national Dob in a Dealer campaign run by Crime Stoppers Australia, benefitting communities across Bonner.

The funding will be provided from assets confiscated as proceeds of crime, meaning the program will be funded by money that was once destined to line the pockets of our most serious criminals.

Mr Vasta said Dob in a Dealer is a call to action to the Bonner community to provide Crime Stoppers with information to assist law enforcement disrupt the import, manufacture and supply of ice and other harmful illicit drugs.

He encouraged local residents to anonymously contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestoppers.com.au to ‘dob in’ people profiting from the use of illicit drugs in our community.

“Drugs such as ice can have a devastating impact on our local communities,” Mr Vasta said.

“The Turnbull Government recognises that police can’t fight this alone, and that our community can play a strong part to undermine any criminal business models operating in our local area.”

The last Dob in a Dealer campaign, which ran between February 2016 and March 2017, saw an average national increase of 95 per cent in drug-related information reports, including an increase of 143 per cent in the number of amphetamine-related reports from the public.

During 2016 in Queensland, Crime Stoppers received more than 17,000 drug-related information reports, including more than 5200 amphetamine-related reports. This led to more than 600 arrests and the seizure of more than $1 million worth of drugs.

The Turnbull Government is absolutely committed to tackling the scourge of ice and other drugs impacting our local communities.

Dob in a Dealer builds on the work this Government is already doing to address the impact of drug and alcohol misuse in our communities through an investment of more than $685 million over four years, and the establishment of the National Ice Taskforce.

In contrast, the Labor Government raided the accounts of our law enforcement agencies to prop up their budget bottom line. At the last election, Labor committed just $32 million to tackle ice and illicit drug use.

Bonner businesses are reaping the benefits of affordable high-speed broadband thanks to the Coalition’s National Broadband Network rollout, with local business owners joining a roundtable discussion with Minister for Communications Senator Mitch Fifield and Bonner MP Ross Vasta.

Local business owners had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with the Minister about how affordable high-speed broadband is helping them grow their business, with the NBN rollout continuing at pace across the electorate.

“When the Coalition came into Government in 2013, not a single home or business in the electorate of Bonner was connected to the NBN, despite Labor being in Government for six years,” Minister Fifield said.

“Today, the NBN is available to around 25,000 homes and businesses in Bonner and close to 20,000 premises have an active connection. A further 27,000 premises will be able to order a service in the near future.”

Mr Vasta said it was great to bring local businesses together with the Minister to speak about the positive impact the NBN rollout was having across the electorate.

“So many businesses in Bonner rely on fast, affordable internet for everyday activities. That’s why today’s roundtable is so important,” he said.

“More than half of the electorate is now able to connect to the NBN and the rollout will be complete nationwide in 2020. With so much activity happening across Bonner, we need to make sure that our small business owners are making the most of this great opportunity – that’s why we’ve got Minister Fifield here to answer their questions and provide an update on the progress of the rollout.”

Construction is currently under way to 23,000 homes and businesses in Bonner and planning is already well progressed for the remaining 18,000 premises in the electorate.

Commsync General Manager Chris Boyle thanked Mr Vasta for giving them the opportunity and said as a business owner the roundtable meeting was invaluable.

“The internet and broader communications portfolio is essential in my business, especially when it comes to making sure the right messages get sent through and in a timely manner.

“It was a hugely useful session and I left the meeting far more informed than I would have otherwise been which is going to make for an easy switch onto the network for us at Commsync.”