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June 27, 2024 14 mins

In today's episode, 

The research project focused on improving opportunities for local South Sea Islanders.

Find out about whale snot as we preview the start of the whale watching season in Hervey Bay. 

An Aussie-first medical program extended in the Wide Bay.

And future country music stars fine tuning their craft in Gympie.

 

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ihab White Bay Bonnette.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Welcome to Iheartlied Bay Burnett, your local news vix. I'm
Taylor Larson, joined by Bruce Atkinson.

Speaker 3 (00:09):
I had today whale season officially underway and the program
keeping doctors in the region.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Our first story. Those centers on culturally significant research. Traditional
storytelling methods will be relied on in a new study
to better advocate for Australian South Sea Islanders. Took story
is a powerful way to share experiences over generations, especially
when trauma has been suffered.

Speaker 4 (00:31):
You know, we aus train South The Islanders have a
culture with regards to how we were brought here to Australia.
So we're the descendants of the blackburning trade from eighteen
sixty three to nineteen hundred and four in bringing labor
into Queensland to cleave the land for the sugar industry
and then also our contribution in the pastoral and vi

(00:53):
samir and pearling industries as well. So yeah, those stories
is how I learned about my history and they form
a major part in how I act as an Australian
houseland so yeah, it's important the information can be garnished
from those stories that we need with regards to what
the culture looks like in twenty twenty four.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
That's President of Queensland United Australian South Sea Islander Council,
Clacy Fatanouna. Researchers from James Cook University will be speaking
with community members to get a better understanding of health,
education and employment outcomes. Their responsors will be cross examined
with data and used to advocate for improved programs and
government intervention. Bunderberg is one of the initial sites for

(01:38):
the study because of the large Australian South Sea Islander population.
Principal research fellow Michelle Redmond McLaren says it will work
through a series of interviews.

Speaker 5 (01:48):
Approximately sixty or even a little more people and this
will be through multi generational talk stories, So this will
mean there might be four or five people from multiple
gen so an elder, maybe parents, and the young person
or young people, so that we can get those multiple
perspectives or witnessed by the multiple generations. If a young person,

(02:11):
for example, wants to be involved in a talk story
but doesn't want to talk in front of their elders,
then Zia will also be available to talk with them separately.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
An assistant who's part of the culture will be conducting
the interviews. Clacy hopes it encourages people to open up.

Speaker 4 (02:27):
We're a kind of people who just want to get
on with life. We're a kind of people who have
suffered hardship. We're no one in the community as hard workers.
We were not one to protest or to lobby. But
like I said, what we do need is hard based
evidence to support issues there with regards to health service,
with regards to education, and that's what I believe that

(02:50):
the project that's been appointed to James Cook University will
assist us with. There will be key areas where we're
told not to do something, not necessarily told why question
and the Hols is a bit of a man even
for me when I was growing up and we just followed.
Now that sort of advice from our elders can actually

(03:10):
hampers the service or health service that community needs. And
yet we need to talk through that.

Speaker 6 (03:17):
We need to work out why.

Speaker 4 (03:20):
And then we need to work out how we can
get that service, especially around chronic disease and mental health.
To me, the needs of the community.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
Michellesea's work should start soon, with the project to be
complete by mid next year.

Speaker 5 (03:33):
We're just going through ethics applications. We've had the Queensland
United Austrains House on the Council review our proposal. We're
working closely with Mrticultural Affairs Queensland as well, so we're
just preparing it so that it's a safe and respectful process.
And as Clasey said, the community engagement will be led
by Strain, the leaders in those communities, in partnership with

(03:55):
the Queensland United Austrains our cyunder Council and from the
James Cooking Vessy Sides. Missus the Use will be at
the front of that and I'll be supporting her in
that work along with some of our other team.

Speaker 3 (04:09):
Ever heard of whalesnot head out on a whale watching
tour at Harvey Bay this humpback whale migration season and
you might find out the season has started, but the
whales won't return to the bay for another couple of
weeks when they head back to Antarctica. Harvey Bay Whalewatch
owner Sam Peker says Gari funnels the marine mammals into
the bay and they stop to rest with their calves

(04:30):
for up to twelve days, making it the perfect place
to see them up close, exhibiting behavior you won't see
anywhere else in the world.

Speaker 7 (04:37):
In total, we'll usually get around fifty to sixty thousand
people that come through the Fraser Coast and come out
on the whale watching boats and tours. Obviously spread through
quite a few operators there. There's about ten of us now,
but on average, you know, we sort we all get
you know, that's five to ten thousand people that come through,
depending on vessel capacities and what tours they're offering. Some
boats to two trips today, some extended and just do

(05:00):
the one trip, and then of course there is the fast,
shorter tours in between, so there is really something there
for everyone.

Speaker 3 (05:06):
It's a big part of the local economy, I imagine massive.

Speaker 4 (05:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (05:09):
Yeah, So Harvey Bay is on the map because of
the whales, and our tourist season does revolve heavily around
the migratory passes the whales, so it indicates and it's
pretty significant for the bay because it's literally the green
light for tourism sort of brings everyone in the local accommodations,
restaurants and then of course us as operators, we all
benefit from it and it is a massive thing that

(05:30):
comes into the bay. It's the backbone, I guess everyone
Previously before it's sort of kicked off along the East
coast in other destinations, it was purely known as Harvey
Bay as the whale it's in destination. But we've sort
of over the years we've set ourselves apart. We were
the first World Whale Heritage listed site so worldwide.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
And I think we tried to wipe them out not
that long ago.

Speaker 7 (05:51):
Yeah, up until the late seventies with the whaling stations
even you know pretty close by Tangloom are there out
of Brisbane. That was one of the last whaling stations
in operation that we did. We've virtually nearly pushed them
to extinction. Having said that, now numbers are in excess
of forty thousand and increasing around ten to eleven percent
every year. So the mothers will bring the calves into
the bay because it offers so much protection for them,

(06:13):
shallow waters, complete stand bottom, so it really gives them
a chance. We'll get to see newborn calfs hang around
and get fed, and we'll see all the different behaviors
that mum then goes on to teach the calf to
ensure that they're strong enough and fit enough to go
back down south to the Antarctic waters.

Speaker 3 (06:29):
Take us on board in a few weeks. Time you're
out there on the boat. What's it like? Describe what
you average day would be like, what you'd see.

Speaker 7 (06:37):
It's hard to even put into words. It's something that
you want to experience yourself. But honestly, we have completely
protected waters so Gari Fraser Island, we can be within
one hundred meters of the beach in complete glass off water,
out of the wind. We're not out in the open ocean,
and that's another thing that steps us apart. So you're
cruising the coastline looking at white, sandy beaches, colored cliffs.

(06:57):
All of a sudden, the whales turn on the action
and unfolds, and early on in the season it's not
uncommon to be completely covered in whale snot because they're
that close to you that you could almost touch them
if you leans over the side of the boat. They
find the significant interest in the boat, and as I said,
it becomes a case of them watching us instead of
us watching them.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
They're that inquisitive what's wild snot?

Speaker 7 (07:19):
So when the whale comes up beside the boat, they've
still got a little bit of water left around their blowhole,
and of course as they exhale and shoot that shot
of steam, you get a little bit of mucus and
then all thoughts the goodies that comes out of the
blowhole along with that mist of water. And yeah, you
really know about it when they're right alongside the boat
and they decide to take a deep breath because you'll

(07:40):
be covered in it.

Speaker 3 (07:41):
So is that a badge of honor? Yeah, it's a
good thing to experience, or you want to try and
avoid it.

Speaker 7 (07:45):
Well, there's two ways of looking at it. You're that
close that you'll listally be blown away. But of course
we always urge not to breathe it in because it
can contain a bit of bacteria. But it's completely harmless
for the whales to come up. It's mainly salt water
that they're binding with a little bit of oxygen as they.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
XL stay with us coming up. Songwriters try to break
into the country music scene.

Speaker 5 (08:10):
I Herb Widet, I herb Whitet.

Speaker 3 (08:18):
You're listening to iHeart White Bay Burnett. I'm Bruce Atkinson
joined by Taylor Larson. Extra speed cameras are set to
be used on roads around Gimbei, with special trailers to
be deployed in the region from next month. Joseph Price
has the details.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
The equipment is used on roads mainly outside urban areas,
where there are a disproportionately high number of fatalities and
serious injuries. The speed camera trailers have been used since
twenty seventeen and have revealed excessive speeding behavior. Hundreds of
motorists are found to be going over the speed limit
by more than forty ks an hour and numerous drivers
caught traveling double the limit. The cameras have been successful

(08:54):
at deterring motorists from speeding, with more than ninety nine
percent of drivers passing them doing the right thing. Last
in the Gimpee region, there were more than sixty crashes
where speed was a factor and over eight hundred people
seriously injured from twenty eighteen to twenty twenty two.

Speaker 2 (09:11):
Hopes more doctors will be sticking around the region as
an Aussie First partnership is extended. The Regional Medical Pathway
program allows aspiring clinicians to complete all seven years of
their study regionally. It's a partnership between the White Bay
and Central Queensland Hospital and Health Services as well as
c q UNI and the University of Queensland ceqused doctor

(09:32):
Andrew Fenning says it's been designed to build retention as
the area's both battle health staff shortages.

Speaker 6 (09:38):
Our course allows the students to come from the region.
They understand what rural and regional medicine and healthcare and
living in a rural community is like. Not only that,
they then have better connection with their country, with their
area and their community, so they're more likely once they
have trained to stay and practice. We're obviously cognizant that

(10:02):
they might want to move, but the likelihood because they've
been trained in a regional location, that they would then
be likely to be familiar and perhaps practice in another
regional location, which is the essence of this whole course
and programs.

Speaker 2 (10:17):
It's not just a win for the health sector. It
saves students from having to relocate, most often at Brisbane
for their studies. Up to sixty people are eligible every year,
studying at either Bundenberg or Rockhampton. They'll spend three years
doing a Bachelor of Medical Science through cqu then the
next four completing uq's MD program. The health services offer
internships and postgraduate training places.

Speaker 6 (10:40):
Our first cohort are just about to finish the third
year of their studies, so they started in twenty twenty two.
They will move into the UQMD component of the course
next year, so they'll be our first pipeline into that,
and then we will have graduated doctors at the end
of twenty twenty nine from our first which started in

(11:01):
twenty twenty two. So that's been our journey for our
first group. There's been obviously increasing interest after our first
two cohorts, where our applicants and student numbers, particularly from
our regional footprints, has increased for our first year culbort
this year. So I think that shows how much of
an embedded community and I guess the message that's getting

(11:24):
out there about this exciting program and how cool it
really is.

Speaker 2 (11:28):
This week and you memorandum of understanding has been signed
extending the program for another five years. Doctor Fennings says
it's a milestone for regional medicine.

Speaker 6 (11:37):
The original agreement obviously was around setting up the course,
setting up the integration between the two hospital health services
and the two universities and how that would play out,
and then also having our two regional locations. I must
mention that our hubs, our teaching locations for this are
in Rockhampton and Thunderberg. That's where we intake our students

(11:59):
into our So having all of that be established was
part of the first memorandum of understanding and then our
follow on now is obviously to grow that further and
also further embed our overlaps between all four of the
entities that are involved.

Speaker 3 (12:21):
Aspiring country music singers and songwriters have been busy this
week honing their craft at a workshop in Gimbi. Over
the past four days, established artists as well as young
and more mature performers have been writing songs and sharing
their experiences at the Song Muster conference. It's a collaboration
between the Australian Institute of Country Music QUT and the
Gimpie Music.

Speaker 8 (12:41):
Muster and that's what Apex, who run the Muster, has
always done. It's always nurtured and developed people and young
business people, young musicians. That's the whole ethos of the
Muster is to give people an opportunity and really help
people develop their talent.

Speaker 3 (12:57):
Must see Greg Kavana there. He says, the artists will
write a song and perform it together at the Muster,
which is just another two months away now.

Speaker 8 (13:05):
I think it's really important that we give these young
musicians an opportunity. It's a hard enough industry to break through,
so we like to nurture and encourage young and emerging
artists and that's especially Australian acts. So that's what we
do at the Muster.

Speaker 3 (13:18):
Greg says experienced performers have acted as mentors this week.

Speaker 8 (13:22):
Yeah, so we've got our own link Phelps, our local
gimpy musician who's just released a single. He's involved with it.
Jen Myers who lives on the coast, she's up as well.
She's an American artist who lives on the coast, marriage
in Australia. And then we've also got Gavin Carfoot from
the queens And University of Technology here to help.

Speaker 3 (13:39):
Last year, four day tickets to the Master, which has
held at mm or State Forests, sold out. This year's
a vendors shaping up as another blockbuster.

Speaker 8 (13:47):
We've really spent a lot of time and effort and
improving the site, so we've spent a lot of money
on infrastructure this year, so the site's really good. The
ticket numbers are great, so we're really happy where we
are with that the weather's looking good, so I think
everything's shaped up for another cracking year. So we've had
two really good musters since COVID, and you know, we
had to keep that momentum rolling, and I've deliver another

(14:07):
great festival this year.

Speaker 2 (14:09):
Tickets have once again been in high demand, that's no surprise,
so these songwriters will most likely be performing in front
of a sellout crowd and I.

Speaker 3 (14:16):
Might be there, Taylor. That's all for this week. If
you want to hear this episode again or search for
previous ones, look up iHeart White bay Burnett on the
iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Tune in
again next week for more local, trusted and free news
Ihard Wide bay Burnette
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