December 6, 2023

Mayor Mark Jamieson and Sundale Community Foundation Chair Caroline Hutchinson present a $5000 cheque to Anglican Parish Nambour’s Friday Night Burgers coordinator Coral McVean, centre, part of the total of over $68,000 given by the foundation. by Janine Hill The Sundale Community Foundation has put its money where some hungry mouths are. The Foundation recently presented a grant of $5000 towards Friday Night Burgers, which has provided reliable meals for the homeless and needy in Nambour for more than two decades. Every Friday night, a team of volunteers gather at the Nambour Anglican Church to cook free hamburgers for members of the community who might struggle to get a decent feed. Coordinator Coral McVean said between 75 and 90 burgers were served up every Friday between 6pm and 7pm. Coral said the Anglican Church had hosted the weekly free feed for years. But the burger night’s origins began with another church. “It was started by a youth group at the Baptist Church in Nambour. They saw a need for the homeless to be given some assistance with a meal,” she said. “This was long before The Shack. They were very forward with their thinking.” The Friday night burger event has […]

Lyn Mills trains with Charlie Wetere. by Janine Hill BOXER Lyn Mills did not get a win when she flew to Melbourne for her first fight last month but the consolation prize was not too bad. Lyn, 71, went home with the record for being the oldest female boxer to fight in a competitive bout in Australia. “Unless someone else comes in who is older than me, I’ve got that,” she said. Lyn was beaten unanimously at Ferntree Gully on 25 November by Victoria’s Karen Watts, who at 62 had youth on her side. Until then, Lyn had only ever fought in an exhibition match at the PanPacific Masters and was approached to take on Karen, who had been unable to find anyone in her age group to fight. Lyn, who trains with Charlie Wetere at the OneHeart gym, Nambour, ramped up the running and dropped cake and biscuits to shed 9kg for the bout. Although Charlie had schooled her up for the fight, she found Karen difficult to match. “She’s got an unorthodox style,” Lyn said. “She was doing jabs but all over the place.” “I got on top of her in the last round but it was too

8 Ball Aitken and drummer Jon Coghill will entertain the crowd at Tramfest on Saturday December 9. Jon has only played one gig since Powderfinger’s finale in 2010.  Homecoming Beat  by Janine Hill A TWIST of fate will see Powderfinger drummer Jon Coghill play a rare gig in his hometown of Nambour this Saturday (December 9) with swamp-blues-rocker 8 Ball Aitken. Jon and 8 Ball have agreed to team up for the Tramfest Christmas Festival, a community event and fundraising for the Nambour trams project, in Mill Street from 4-9pm. The pairing came about after Jon found himself within arm’s length of TNTCo chair, former Sunshine Coast councillor, hot-plate ace Greg “Rogo” Rogerson at a Sunrise outdoor broadcast from Nambour on Father’s Day.  Jon, Sunrise weatherman Dan Anstey, and reality TV producer Dan Munday – all Nambour High students made good – had just been crowned Nambassadors on TV and Mr Rogerson had the sausages sizzling on the barbecue when his phone rang. “I had a pair of Ansell gloves on and was covered in grease from my armpits to the tips of my fingers when my phone rang in the back pocket of my Levis,” Rogo said. “I’d had

Nicole Hoffman: “I want to be a part of the regeneration of Nambour. I thought, ‘I know what I’m good at and I’ll give it a good go’.” by Janine Hill NICOLE Hoffman finds the hospitality business as irresistible as coffee drinkers do the aroma of fresh roast. After 17 years owning and operating cafes, Nicole sold out and took a break but two-and-a-half years down the track, has been drawn back into hospitality.  She will open Banksia Espresso, on the northern corner of Ann and Lowe Streets, Nambour, in December. If Nicole’s background in cafes is anything to go by, Banksia should be a resounding success. With her husband, she established the Café Envy at Cotton Tree and Mooloolaba. A resident of the Nambour area for 25 years, she thought it was the logical spot for her next venture. “I have always loved Nambour and always thought it would be a great spot for a café,” she said.  “I want to be a part of the regeneration of Nambour. I thought, ‘I know what I’m good at and I’ll give it a good go’. “I feel that there’s some traction in Nambour, there’s some quality businesses opening. I feel