Michael Berry
This issue brings good news and sad news. The sad news is the passing of an outstanding Maleny resident – Jill Jordan. Her contributions on several
levels of the community, from seeding co-operative ventures to stimulating employment, business and youth projects will go down in the social history of the town. The Hinterland Times provides its own tribute to this remarkable woman.
Another prominent Maleny person with a keen involvement in community was Grant Hammer who also passed away recently. His passion and input to TS Centaur, and the mentoring of young people is well documented.
The good news is the exciting business development being initiated by the Maleny Credit Union – one of the ventures Jill Jordan helped to create more than 25 years ago. MCU is launching a new brokerage company which will extend the borrowing reach of Credit Union members. MCU Financial Services will be headed up by Marlene Jackson, a woman with strong international experience in the property, financial and management sectors.
This magazine is always looking for ways to improve the quality content for its readers, and so we’re constantly checking out what others are doing. For example, we are fortunate in this edition to be publishing extracts from the latest Griffith REVIEW on The Food Chain. This refreshing collection of essays and articles is essential reading for the widening group of producers, growers and activists in our local food industry. We thank the editors of the REVIEW for letting us pick out a range of views from its contributors.
We’re always keen too, to reach out beyond the Hinterland to find out what our locals are up to interstate or overseas. For the past 12 years Maleny Hospital nurse Bernice McLennan has been managing a surgical team that spends two weeks in the Philippines each year repairing the palates and lips of dozens of impoverished children. On the other side of the world Emily Berry has been producing a video about the children of Burkina Faso who get new sight through a spectacles collection scheme in France. As Emily notes, a little help goes a long way.
We received more than usual response to our story last month on the Parrots in Paradise story. Residents simply didn’t know this ‘bird circus’ at Glasshouse Mountains existed. This month we visited another little known venture – Nambour Museum – a wonderful volunteer effort with Council support. If you like the idea of stepping into rooms of 19th century homes, then this is the place for you. More good news this month – we’re 48 pages for the first time. So plenty more to read. We hope you enjoy it.
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