HOW CAN YOU have fun with a car and be kind to the environment at the same time? Get yourself a classy Peugeot 207 5 Door Touring XT -that’s how. The Touring is available with a 1.6l naturally aspirated petrol engine or our favourite the 1.6l HDi Turbo Diesel.

This slick little European diesel is only available with a 5spd manual gear box (the petrol version only comes with a 4 speed auto) and the very lively engine has a Variable Geometry turbocharger providing that extra bit of power for swift acceleration. 80kw of power and 240Nm of torque gives you what you need to get around town or country with a full load.

Peugeot’s special diesel particle filter virtually eliminates all diesel particles from the exhaust. Great fuel economy – 4.7lt per 100kms combined city/freeway cycle – is the other bonus, with up to 1,000kms on a tank.
Peugeot have been producing diesels for many years and a pair of diesel powered Peugeot 908s took first and second places at the Le Mans 24 Hour Race in 2009. Australian driver David Brabham was one of the three driver team who took victory last year.

The 207 HDi is ideal for a range of applications and is equally at home driving in heavy city traffic as a small commuter or as a smooth quiet traveller out of town for the weekend. The split tailgate of the Touring allows you to simply open the glass without lifting the whole door - perfect for casually stowing small items in the back. Split rear seats and pull-down boot tray adapt in seconds to reveal a flat bed 1,433 litre storage area.

Peugeot is no slouch in the safety department either with 6 airbags, ABS brakes with the now usual electronic assistance combined with ESP – Electronic Stability Program.

The chic European styling includes a panoramic glass roof with an electric sunblind. The Touring is packed with most modern conveniences – the only things missing are parking sensors, satellite navigation and Bluetooth – all available as options.

With a 3 year/100,000km warranty the Touring starts around $30,500 for the petrol version and $31,500 for the diesel.

Auto Notes… What is ESP?

It stands for Electronic Stability Program. Initially developed by Mercedes-Benz to maintain stability on its S-Class, ESP is now on most cars. Some auto industry types don’t believe it works but numerous studies prove otherwise. ESP is undoubtedly of greater benefit to larger cars. Studies have shown that sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with ESP are involved in 67 percent fewer accidents than SUVs without the system. The system works by measuring many variables in real time and provides additional control and stability when cornering and braking suddenly.

Yvonne and David Williams www.wheeldestinations.com

Comments: www.hinterlandtimes.com.au (Click: columns)

IT’S ELECTION YEAR, so our politicians are all getting really patriotic. They love their sunburnt country, the sweeping plains, the ragged mountain ranges.

The droughts and flooding rains aren’t bad either, providing multiple photo opportunities and the chance to look compassionate while handing out the bribe money. The far horizons, the jewel seas – yes, the environment’s a political must.

Don's View... Parlimentary Patois.

And of course there’s the beauty; but then there’s the terror. Ah, yes, the terror. There’s something we can really get patriotic about.

Kevin Rudd did so last week with a statement which was dismissed by some in the opposition as merely a distraction from pink batts, themselves no more than a sideshow, albeit one to which we shall return. But in fact the opposition had been demanding it for quite a while, and would have complained loudly if it had been delayed.

The white paper had been commissioned back in 2008, after the Mumbai attacks, so it could have been expected to be rather more substantial than it was; its essential message was that there was a fair bit of terrorism about, and that the government was against it. And so was the opposition, insisted Tony Abbott in a rare moment of bipartisanship. But he was more against it than the government, so there.

Terrorism, we were warned portentously, had emerged as a permanent feature of Australia’s security environment. Well, in an election year it would, wouldn’t it? But here is the switcheroo: it’s not just suicide bombers, and it’s not just from overseas.

Now the danger is far wider, and the perpetrators are likely to be amongst us – not just maddened jihadists, but the absolute scum of the earth, the vilest form of people on the planet, traders in human misery who should rot in hell —yes, people smugglers. In a spectacular piece of political sleight of hand, Rudd has conflated the threat to national security posed by organizations such as Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah with the challenge to border security posed by asylum seekers in boats.

Yes, really; our top counter-intelligence agency, ASIO, is now to be unleashed against the wretched of the earth. ASIO, it will be recalled, was originally set up to investigate the espionage activities of foreign interests in Australia. Over the years it was expanded to deal with what was loosely described as internal subversion, which generally meant lefties. In intellectual circles in the 60s and 70s, not to have an ASIO file was to be seriously socially disadvantaged.

But the essential criterion remained: ASIO dealt with perceived threats to the nation’s security. It was expressly forbidden from investigating criminal activities, or if it ran across any by accident, from passing the information on to the police forces. Now Rudd has broadened its powers dramatically; ASIO and the other spy agencies will target the people smugglers and their accomplices, both in Australia and overseas, with the aim of securing criminal convictions under new and draconian laws.

This will be time consuming and expensive, so yet again the ASIO budget will be increased, as it has been every year since the organisation’s formation in 1945. The political aim is to show, yet again, that Labor can be just as tough on border security as the coalition, and to take the heat off the accusation that the government has lost control of the influx of boat people. And who knows, it might even reduce the numbers a bit — although that would be an unexpected bonus. As long as the policy generates the right headlines it will be seen as a success. And so far it has; even The Australian’s Greg Sheridan gave it an A plus, thus proving it can satisfy even the most devout paranoiac in the industry.

It did not, however, satisfy the Liberal senator Simon Birmingham, who called it a diversion: “The greatest threat to the safety of many Australian families over the last 12 months has been the home insulation program and Peter Garrett’s mismanagement of it and tragically that’s an ongoing threat to safety,” he proclaimed and was promptly slapped down by his leader.

This was a bit unfair; after all, it was Abbott who had talked of Garrett being charged with manslaughter, and who had hammered away at him for three parliamentary weeks to the exclusion of any other topic. Clearly he was not against a touch of hyperbole if there was political mileage in it. But that particular juggernaut had obviously ground to a halt.
Garrett’s defence had held up surprisingly well. The opposition had thought it had finally found a smoking gun in the Minter-Ellison risk assessment report, which had been stuck in the bureaucracy for none months; the fact that Garrett had not even been shown it smacked of serious maladministration.

But it turned out that the report was a pretty Mickey Mouse affair, just one of a number of sources the department had received and its serious recommendations had already been acted on. And most importantly, in spite of what the opposition and the media had claimed, it had not warned of deaths, fires and other disasters at all.

Ironically the main warnings had been about the political problems associated with the scheme, and these had proved all too correct. As Rudd finally admitted, the program had been implemented ineffectively and a fair bit had gone wrong. He took personal responsibility and would go about setting things right. By the end of the week Garrett was off the hook and was even being applauded in the party room. He had lost some of his old portfolio, but he remained a cabinet minister. By any normal measure he’s still a winner. Rudd’s position is more equivocal: if Garrett was worth supporting and preserving, why was he demoted?

It proved a point Abbott, as a veteran of the Howard years, should have known: ministers are sacked not because of negligence or incompetence, but because they have become a political embarrassment; when the cost of losing them becomes less than the cost of hanging on. Rudd did not believe Garrett had reached that point so end of story – for now. But Garrett has been shown to be vulnerable. The opposition will not give up the chase, and could have better luck next time.

Helen and David Crewe moved to the Hinterland only ten months ago. Their treechange was seeingly huge – from the small Mediterranean island of Gozo to the Blackall Range. However, this English pair are used to regular moves. Now in retirement they are building their first ever home in Maleny.

Why did you come here?

HELEN: Well, we had never thought of coming to Australia but my daughter has settled here. She is the director of marketing for the National Trust in Sydney and we decided to come out to have a look.

DAVID: We like getting in a car and driving and so we travelled around Australia -went to Alice Springs, Uluru, the Great Ocean Road -all those major tourist places. Someone suggested that we have a look at Maleny which we hadn’t heard about. We looked at properties here but I think the decision to buy the land here in Maleny was a spur of the moment decision.

HELEN: Since we’ve been together we’ve moved 17 times. We lived in a Georgian townhouse in central London, a cottage in Kent, a cottage in France and a four hundred year-old fortified farmhouse in Malta. We are very much people who get on and do things. So when we went to see that lovely piece of land with its lovely rainforest the creek is lovely, the waterhole is lovely -we said, where are we ever going to do better than that? So we bought it and settled here in May. In coming to Maleny we are also surprised at the number of English people here. I’m a great mimic and I thought in no time we would be talking like Crocodile Dundee. But it’s quite the reverse. We’ve sat around this table with all English people. I certainly didn’t think Australia had many people who weren’t Australian.

What have you had to change in coming here?

DAVID: Well, we lived in the Mediterranean so one big adjustment for us is the non-existence of night life -the fact that everyone gets up early, entertains early and goes to bed early. We’re not used to that. We’re used to having people around for drinks at about eight o’clock, going out to eat about nine, getting back about half past eleven. So, I suppose it’s getting used to that different social time clock that we were used to in Malta and in London as well.

Helen: We are delighted with all the services here, and the shops, with just about everything that you want. And the politeness of 99 percent of the people has been quite staggering.

DAVID: We are certainly used to change. We were living in the centre of London and then we moved to this tiny island of Gozo, the sister island to Malta. We had moved from a very urban existence into the country really. So it’s not such a shock moving here but on the other hand it is different to what we have experienced. The weather and environment are certainly different to England and of course Malta is just a rock basically. Building our first house at our age is a big change.

HELEN: We got the idea for it when we were in South Africa in the January before we came here. We saw the design in a magazine and we both fell in love with it. We both liked the blue and the grey because we thought that reflected the sky. So, we thought we’d put the sky colours onto the green. It’s kind of like a low-set Queenslander.

What would keep you here?

HELEN: Well Victoria is my only child so it’s quite nice for me to have her here. For her to come to see us, at least she is in the same country. Generally though we are quite independent of family. So, it’s very much the here and now for us. If we decided we wanted to do something else, I’m sure we would do it. But there is so much we want to do in Australia. There is a great deal here in Maleny that will meet our needs and I think we have only just scratched the surface so far. My mother used to say, see the seasons through before you get committed, and I didn’t want to get involved until I was ready for it. Like David I am very interested in plays and singers, and I would quite like to do some voluntary work. But I need to be available on a regular basis to do that and I am not quite there yet.

DAVID: We had a public relations company in London I was always writing things for clients. But when I retired and we went to Malta I wanted to write more creative things. So I wrote a musical with a friend about the siege of Gozo by the Turks and it’s been performed three times and was very successful. Coming here I thought let’s see what I can do. I was under pressure really to write The Trial of Millicent Malville and being a journalist you’d understand that deadlines are always a help. I’m now under pressure writing a Cinderella pantomime.

DAVID: Just in the short time we’ve been here we’ve got involved with the Maleny Singers and the Maleny Players. The fact that people were prepared to put ‘The Trial’ play on even though we’ve only been here a few months, I think is very special.

HELEN: they didn’t know you from Adam but they trusted you.

DAVID: Yes, that said a lot about the nature of this community. People are very welcoming and that’s something that’s quite important. If you want to join something, you can easily be a member of ten organisations here. So I think you have to be careful to ration your time.

If trees fail to set fruit, then seed is not available and the seedling you want when you visit the nursery won’t be available either. We can, however, help out by collecting seed from fruiting trees on our own properties. Rules apply to seed collection and one definitely does not collect in national parks, forest reserves and similar places. Some species are rare or endangered and seed should not be collected from those either. Nature needs to have a chance to use it sown dispersal mechanisms to increase the local population.

Some species are popular with birds and they get there first, or seed dispersal is random or happens over a period of time, which can make collection difficult. Fragmentation of vegetation can restrict the number of seed bearing trees available. Barung can help you with advice on what is needed and what can be collected. The nursery has a propagator’s licence.

Try to match the environmental conditions at the planting site with those of the collection location and if you are able to take seed into Barung, make sure you make a note of where you collected it. Take a specimen of the plant with you, a twig or small branch with several leaves so that its identity can be verified. Good advice relating to seed collection and storage can be found on the FloraBank website.

BARUNG NATIVE PLANT NURSERY
Nursery opening times:Wednesday, Thursday, Friday-9am-3pm
Riverside Centre office hours: 9am to 4pm.
Next to Maleny Post Office, Riverside Centre
Phone 5494 3151

I recently tracked vacant Rural Residential land values in Flaxton over a period of twenty years from 1990 to 2010.

Whilst the annual gain wasn’t consistent, over that period the average was between 10% and 11% per annum.

During the last ten of the twenty years (1994 through 2004) values flat lined and prices did not change, and taking into account inflation property values effectively decreased.

But like the stock market, a correction eventually occurs and with increasing activity from the period 2003 through 2005 it culminated in a doubling in value in the last six months of that previous ten year period!

So, as you can see from this somewhat radical example, in the past, if you held property long enough the gain would occur, if not annually, at least over a period of time.

What will it do in the future?

Who can say, but I believe property on the Range is very well placed to experience continuing capital gain.

We have a finite land supply on the Range with an area approximately 25kms north to south and an average 10 or so km’s west to east, with escarpments on three sides and 10,000 hectares of National Park controlled land to the north.

Add to this the scenic attractiveness, the climatic advantages, the rural amenity – and – the biggest one of all – the growing desirability to those “trapped” in the ever growing “urban jungles” off Range both locally and elsewhere in Australia.

To establish just where your property stands in relation to capital gain – just ask a reputable Agency for a Market Appraisal which they must complete in writing as a Comparative Market Assessment.

Next month I’ll address this appraisal process in detail.

John Taylor (23 years Range Real Estate experience)

Montville Real Estate
200 Main St,Montville
Phone 5478 5478

An example of where an easement can benefit a property:

John owns a tract of land that borders a national park which is a popular area for bushwalking and fishing. Ruth lives next door to John, but her land does not adjoin the national park. To avoid tresspassing, she must access the national park by walking or driving to a public entry point. Instead, John grants Ruth an easement allowing present and future owners of Ruth’s property to cross John’s land to access the national park.

How does an easement affect the person who grants it? The landowner who grants an easement usually cannot build structures within an easement area or use fencing that would hinder access. Other activities might also be prohibited. Before you purchase property you should know where all easements are located and what restrictions are associated with them.

Can easements affect property values?

Yes it is possible.

• Several easements on a tract of land might seriously limit the choice of building sites.
• High tension lines running through an easement near an otherwise great building site can be unsightly. Resale values may be affected since many people feel that living too close to power lines is a health risk.
• Buyers may simply not like the idea that others have a right to use the land in some way.

Don’t assume that because an easement is not currently being used it will never be used. As long as an easement is registered on the title of the property there is always a possibility that the individual who benefits from it will decide to enforce it.

Easton Lawyers

62 Maple Street, Maleny Ph 5494 3511

6b/3 Obi Obi Road, Mapleton Ph 5478 6500

tove@eastonlawyers.com.au

This is a large genus of over 150 species of herbaceous shrubs, some of which are vine like and epiphylic. They are naturally occuring from tropical Africa to southern Asia to the South Pacific.

Medinilla magnifica is native to the Philippines, growing both terrestrially and as an epiphyte in tropical rainforests. Plants grow to 2.5m in height with succulent four angled stems.

The large foot-long lanceolate leaves have a distinct midrib. It blooms on and off throughout the year having pendant inflorescences that have pink leaf-like bracts with small coral red flowers.

A very unusual and attractive plant, the Medinilla grows well in high humidity and in partial shade, and is ideal in tropical to subtropical Queensland.

An ideal environment is good drainage with plenty of moisture in a rich compost. Avoid areas that are subject to frost. It can be grown in containers in a compost-rich medium.

Loors Landscaping

Garden Design, Construction and  Consultancy
Phone: 5445 7615 Mobile: 0412 680 801

Did you get to nibble on a bunya nut or two this year?

These delicious nuts are a great bonus to our diet and potentially free if you have one on yours or a friends block. Free food is always great and food that literally falls from the sky is even better – but then again you don’t want to be waiting under a Bunya tree to catch these babies as they weigh in at, up to 10kg and then add gravity!

The Bunya Tree (Araucaria bidwillii) is one of the truly ancient members of our local forests. They hark back to the age of dinosaurs and were once widespread across the Australian continent and are part of a family of trees that extends across many of the southern land masses and includes Hoop Pines, Norfolk Pines and Monkey Puzzle Pine.

The Bunya Pine is now found naturally in one tiny patch in north Queensland and more locally as scattered populations between the Sunshine Coast and Kingaroy. Not only are these trees ancient, but quite exclusive about where they live – so we are lucky to share their neighbourhood with them!

As you may be aware the Bunya Pine was an important part of the traditional owner’s culture and economy and provided a huge crop every 3 years. This bumper crop provided a great excuse for a big party, family reunions, making of law and so much more. It’s great to see the revival of the Bunya festival under the stewardship of Beverly Hand, a great opportunity for us newcomers to learn about the traditional owner’s culture, a time for reconciliation and also to learn more about this ancient and beautiful land we now call home… also a chance for a good feed and good fun!

Bunya Trees are a Blackall Range icon and easy to grow. The starchy Bunya nut sends a root deep into the ground where it forms a thick tap root (like a radish) from which the tree shoots. They are a little bit slow to start off with but once they get going can grow a metre or two per year and can be fruiting at 12-15 years. Just don’t plant them -near your driveway, garage, shed, water tank, house etc. for what I hope are obvious reasons…

Cooking with Bunya Nuts: boil for twenty minutes, then let them cool down enough to handle, the next bit is tricky and very, very important -don’t cut your fingers off! The husk on each individual nut is quite tough and requires a sharp knife and an equally sharp operator. Once you get the knack you’ll get a taste for bunya that’s hard to match with your cutting abilities!

h 0428 130 769

spencer.shaw@brushturkey.com.au

www.brushturkey.com.au

In the busy world of business there is a long-standing axiom that, ‘Nothing happens until someone sells something to somebody’.

To effectively engage consumers you have to understand their needs and wants.

That’s what this new column is about.

We will help you develop insights into consumers’ shopping and behavioural patterns so that you will be able to style your product or service to meet their needs and wants, and how you can best market to them.

Understanding consumer behaviour takes time and you need to be patient. It involves a few crucial stages:

1. Defining your target audience and how to talk to them effectively
2. Correctly positioning and presenting your business offer to them.
3. Commit to an ongoing strategy of advertising and promotion to communicate with your target audience through your chosen medium. There is no secret here except to rely on consistency and repetition.
4. Actively develop and constructively use your customer data base

With this in mind here are 10 basic strategies that are important for any consumer advertisement, brochure or flyer. These strategies will help grow your customer base and hence your business.

1 -Keep your ad SIMPLE and EASY to read.

Less is always more

• A headline should dominate the top of an ad
• It should be quick and easy to read
• Customers are exposed to hundreds of messages each day so your ad may only have their attention for a matter of seconds.
• The quicker and easier you get your message across, the more chance you have of engaging them.

2 - Your headline should contain a real single BENEFIT

• E.g. ‘Buy one… get one free’ …rather than ‘ Buy one and save’
• Give them a tangible message that they can understand …quickly.
• Do not play with words…your credibility is on the line
• Remember trust is hard to earn…easy to break.

3 - Include a RELEVANT VISUAL

to complement your offer

• E.g. Whatever you are selling or promoting, show it in its best light.
• It is worth spending money up front on quality photography or illustration. Remember it’s a one-off cost and can be amortised over the life of the advertisement.

4 -Keep body copy SUCCINCT.

• Bullet point the product/service benefits unless you have a large ad with the luxury of space

5 - Use of colour

• Some products are more eye-catching when presented in colour……e.g. food, fashion or toys
• This achieves maximum impact for the appropriate category
• Remember we largely buy with our eyes.

6 - Mono colour ads also have their place

• Retail ads can also be very effectively presented in mono or single colors.
• Tried and tested retail colours of red, yellow or black and white can be powerful if correctly used.

7 - Size does not always count

• Having a big ad does not ensure it will automatically be better, or engage the consumer more effectively, than a smaller ad
• Always remember it is the content and tone of the message that counts.

8 - Innovative use of space and design

• Experiment with ad space and design
• Discuss options with your media representative
• An innovative approach can add interest not only for your customer but also for the medium you are using

9 - Consistency and repetition

• Getting your message across takes persistence
• Repetition and consistency give your communication a greater chance of cut through.
• It sometimes takes courage and commitment to walk this path.

10 - Deliver the brand promise

• Always under promise and over deliver.
• Make sure the customers shopping experience with you is a positive one in every respect
• What your ad promises must be followed through in-store and with the after sales service.
• Do not underestimate the importance of your staff and staff training in meeting your business goals.

In summary:

Aim for a strategic position in the market place.

Create a brand name/logo to reflect this position.

Get to understand your customer base.

Keep your communication simple and understandable

Deliver your brand promise with each consumer shopping experience.

Try to be innovative in your use of media.

Consistency and repetition wins out in the end.

Develop and work your data base.

About Eddy Odden

Eddy Odden has enjoyed a long and successful career in marketing and advertising here and overseas. As managing director of the Leo Burnett advertising agency in the 1990s and early 2000s he worked with some of Austalia’s largest and best known retail brand names. In Sydney he managed the retail division of M&C Saatchi and held senior management roles on the client side before returning to Queensland. He now runs a retail marketing communications consultancy based in Caloundra. Contact: odden@idx.com.au

Miranda’s world is turning upside down: her best friend Sal gets punched by a new kid for no reason and he shuts her out of his life; her mother wants to become a contestant on a TV game show; and the apartment key they keep hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:

I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realises that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.

Making The Rounds With Oscar David Dosa

Oscar is a tabby cat who resides on the third floor of the

Steere House Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Adopted by the nursing home as a kitten, Oscar has lived his entire life on the advanced dementia unit. In time, staff at the nursing home began to rely on Oscar as an “early warning system” announcing to those present that it was time to notify family and increase hospice services for those close to death. In July 2007, David Dosa garnered international attention for an essay on Oscar that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. David decided to write a book about his experiences with Oscar.This touching and engaging book is a must-read for more than just cat lovers.

The Long Song Andrea Levy

The follow-up to Andrea Levy’s award-winning Small Island is a set in early 19th Century Jamaica and is a tale of the end of slavery. The novel takes the form of a memoir of an old Jamaican woman, July, who was herself once a slave, she is now living comfortably with her son, a printer, who intends to publish her story. Set against turbulent times of oppression and rebellion, July’s story is a personal chronicle of the lives and struggles of individuals, which is at times both heartbreaking and uplifting. Despite the seriousness of her subject, the narrator’s voice remains charged with humour and insight and she is able to delight and move us with her story telling.

ROSETTA BOOKS

12/43 Maple Street Maleny ~ Ph: 5435 2134