Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

We’ve re-designed the magazine this month, hopefully to make it a more pleasant read. We are ever mindful that the balance of advertising and editorial content is important and while we need advertising income you, the reader, want to be informed and entertained.
We have a couple of new columnists in April  - Hanrahan, with his often wry look at ourselves and a professional gardening column from the talented Sarah Stirling.
Our cover story on the Conondale rodeo  reminds us of our  Hinterland rural traditions and  there’s nothing quite like climbing onto a bull to bring us back to earth… literally.
The thought-provoking piece by Dr Kate Crawford looks at our defence force undergoing change, but set against digger courage and ANZAC initiative that never seems to change.
In the year of Queensland’s 150th birthday we’ve all been asked to nominate our favoured icons. Our own Blackall Range and painter Rex Backhaus-Smith is on the shortlist as well as thongs and lamingtons!
I was interested to see that in a large Sydney department store display recently, Easter was all about chocolate. Not so shocking to we chocoholics, but what was intriguing was that the chocolate bilby is now a serious challenge to the traditional bunny. That’s encouraging given our bilby is nearing extinction, and it needs all the help it can get.
There are more talented achievers in this issue - Maleny Gym trainer, Ray Louden has just won gold in the national Masters Weightlifting Championships in Victoria, and fresh from hanging in the Archibald Prize in Sydney, painter David Paulsen has a major exhibition at the Fireworks Gallery in Brisbane.
We have details too about the Wood Expo in May and our usual wide coverage of Hinterland arts, performance and places to eat. 
Enjoy the April edition of the Hinterland Times. 
Michael Berry