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Enjoy Guilt-Free Sweets at Buderim’s Soul Kitchen Bakery

Satisfy your sweet tooth and fill your cravings without feeling guilty by visiting Soul Kitchen Bakery at Buderim.

Are you worried that your cravings will ruin your current diet? No need to worry because Soul Kitchen Bakery has you covered.

Located at Buderim’s Middy’s Shopping Centre, Soul Kitchen Bakery is a colourful and cosy cafe that offers a variety of sweet and savoury pastries that are as tasty as they are nutritious.

*Photo credit: https://www.soulkitchenbakery.com.au/*

Soul Kitchen Bakery prides itself on being a plant-based bakery that offers organic, gluten-free, and vegan baked goods.

This cafe is ideal for those who have food allergies or dietary requirements, such as those with nut allergies and other food-related sensitivities. All items are handmade from scratch, and many of the ingredients used are locally sourced.

It’s also good to know that all their products are available to both retail and wholesale customers.

Their Story

The idea behind Soul Kitchen Bakery’s guilt-free offerings and quirky interiors came from its owners—Hugh and Shirley Forster.

Both Hugh and Shirley are gluten-free and plant based experts. More specifically, Hugh is a graphic designer, an environmental scientist, an avid meditator, and a Qi Gong enthusiast; whilst Shirley is a certified holistic nutritionist and an elite master in the kitchen.

Together, Hugh and Shirley have created Soul Kitchen Bakery as a vehicle to express their love for fresh, clean, and allergy-friendly food to the world.

Must-Try at Soul Kitchen Bakery

Having trouble deciding what to eat? Check out these must-try options at Soul Kitchen Bakery.

Raw Oreo “Cheesecake”

Raw Oreo is a healthier version or the classic cookies and cream cheesecake. It has a creamy white filling with a crunchy and crumbly raw chocolate topping and crust. Cheesecake lovers will definitely enjoy its right blend of smooth and crunchy texture on each bite.

White Chocolate Raspberry Muffin

A super moist and luscious muffin packed with lots of raspberries and pure white chocolate on top.

Classic Lemon Meringue Pie

Soul Kitchen Bakery’s Classic Lemon Meringue Pie has been a crowd favourite because of its mouth-watering taste of the classic American pie with a twist. This pie has a rich almond crust, gorgeous lemon centre, and a whipped cream topping made from aquafaba.

Want to know more? Visit Soul Kitchen Bakery’s webpage and Instagram for updates and full menu list.

Soul Kitchen Bakery is open from Tuesday to Saturday starting at 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Buderim Educator Named 2020 Queensland’s Australian of the Year

Photo Credit: Stymie/Facebook

Rachel Downie, a social entrepreneur and educator from Buderim, has been named Queensland’s Australian of the Year for 2020. She got the recognition, along with three other Queenslanders who will join the national awards ceremony in Canberra.

Ms Downie founded Stymie, an anonymous online reporting system that enables children experiencing bullying or other mental health challenges to seek support. Following a student’s death by suicide, Ms Downie decided she needed to find a way to support young people to say something when things are not right.

“After this boy died, the students came forward with what we believed was life-saving information. They told us he was bullied and excluded, that he was experiencing family violence and that he had been talking about not wanting to be ‘here’ anymore,” Ms Downie said.

She said the boy was too frightened to tell them what was happening despite checking in with him every day. “I know that if we had the details of this harm, we could have helped him,” she said.

Ms Downie with the Stymie team (Photo Credit: Stymie/Facebook)

Stymie (old word for stop) works with school communities both nationally and internationally, to connect students with their empathy and conscience so that they can, in an empowered and courageous way, enhance or change the culture of care in their school.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk commended Ms Downie for making a stand against bullying, which is a significant national problem. The latest survey revealed three in five students have experienced bullying.

“Last year she spoke to more than 83,000 students about creating a culture of care in their schools, conducting workshops with students, staff and parents covering topics such as eSafety, cyberwellness, personal safety and boundaries,” said in a media statement.

Australian of the Year Awards

The Australian of the Year Awards is a program of the National Australia Day Council, managed in Queensland by the Queensland Government. The other recipients of the award are:

Peter Dornan AM (Toowong) – 2020 QLD Senior Australian of the Year
Ashleigh Barty (Springfield) – 2020 QLD Young Australian of the Year
Adjunct Assistant Professor Nick Marshall (Mermaid Waters) – 2020 QLD Local Hero

Ms Downie, along with three other Queensland recipients will be joining those from the other states and territories for the national awards ceremony at the National Arboretum in Canberra on 25 January 2020.

Help Save Lives By Being A Blood Donor Today At The Maroochydore Donor Centre

The Maroochydore Donor Centre, together with the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, is looking for volunteers who are willing to come and donate blood for those in need.

Did you know that one in three Australians will need blood or blood products in their lifetime—may it be due to an accident, difficult pregnancy, cancer, or other medical conditions, and yet only one in thirty Australians donate blood each year?

Australia is in need of more than 29,000 blood donations each week in order to supply the growing demands of patients and hospitals. Given these general statistics from the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, more and more accredited donor centres are now seeking volunteers who are willing to donate blood.

*Photo credit: Australian Red Cross Lifeblood/ Facebook*

By donating blood, you get to help save the lives of those in need. A single blood donation can save up to three lives.

Blood Donation

There are three types of blood donation. These include blood, plasma or platelets. Each type of blood donation is used for different medical treatments, and a person’s blood type determines the best donation for him/her to make.

How does it work?

Blood is simply collected straight from a donor without anything taken out first. After the blood is donated, the manufacturing team separates it into three components—red blood cells, plasma and platelets—inside the laboratory.

The team also tests samples from every donation to ensure patients are receiving high-quality and safe blood products. After completing the entire testing process, donated blood products are then delivered to different Australian hospitals.

Thinking of Donating Blood?

If you’re interested in being a blood donor, here’s a checklist guide for eligibility:

Feel fit and healthy
Age must be between 18 and 75
Weighs over 50kg

You may be temporarily unable to give blood if you:

Are on certain medications or antibiotics
Have a cold or are feeling unwell in any way
Have certain medical conditions
Changed medications
Recently had surgery
Have had recent dental treatment
Recently travelled
Had a piercing

Click here to view the full list of guidelines for eligible blood donors.

Donating blood is simple and easy. Make your appointment now at the Maroochydore Donor Centre, one of Australian Red Cross Lifeblood accredited blood donor centres.

Maroochydore Donor Centre is open from Monday to Sunday. Click here to view the centre’s complete schedule and Holiday period open hours.

For more information and bookings, please call 13 14 95.

Synthetic Track of Sunshine Coast Turf Club Is Soon to be Replaced

The Palaszczuk Government has approved $2.5 million worth of funding for the replacement of the Sunshine Coast Turf Club’s synthetic track.

Since April 2008, the Sunshine Coast Turf Club has been the home of the first synthetic racing and training surface in Queensland.

The track consists of a formulated mixture of long and short synthetic fibres, rubber, silicon sand and wax. This synthetic track was also made and specifically designed for Queensland’s weather conditions and in particular Corbould Park.

Having synthetic surfaces at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club for more than a decade has resulted in a handful of benefits for both the club and its users, including minimal irrigation, low maintenance costs, all-weather surface use even in the most inclement conditions, and improved rider safety and substantial reduction in soft tissue injuries in horses.

race track — *Photo credit: Sunshine Coast Turf Club/ Facebook*

Synthetic Track Replacement

With the synthetic track showing its age, the Sunshine Coast Turf Club has presented plans for track replacement, which is estimated to cost $7 million.

The State Government has approved funding coming from the Racing Infrastructure Fund (RIF) to be invested in the club’s track replacement project, in the hope of contributing to the growth and sustainability of Queensland racing. It’s also aimed at helping the industry generate income as well as lasting community benefits.

According to Racing Minister Stirling Hinchliffe, replacing the synthetic track would result in having wider benefits for the racing industry throughout southeast Queensland.

“By working together with SCTC and the Sunshine Coast Racing Unit Trust, this investment will improve safety for horses and riders alike,” he said.

“A new synthetic track can stand up to a heavy workload than is possible on turf tracks, able to deal just as easily with too much water or not enough.

“That means we will be able to lean on the Sunshine Coast to carry more meetings when renovations are being undertaken at other tracks, or when meetings might otherwise be abandoned due to weather.”

Peter Boyce, Sunshine Coast Turf Club’s chairman, said that the new track would give the club a different stance from other racing venues.

“We have 400 horses using the track every day, so this is funding for an essential upgrade and most appreciated,” he said.

“The surface needs to be replaced urgently – it’s a racing track as well as a training track so all participants will benefit from it.

“The important thing is that it’s not just a track for us – it’s a track for the industry as well.”

Red Rooster Stores Across Sunshine Coast Reopens

A week after its sudden closure, six out of seven Red Rooster stores in Sunshine Coast are back and running, thanks to the combined effort of their head office and their administrator.

Last 15 October 2019, the owner of seven franchised Red Rooster stores—Sunstate Foods Pty Ltd— went into voluntary administration due to insufficient funding, according to administrator Robson Cotter Insolvency Group.

The company’s voluntary administration resulted to the sudden closure of these seven stores—Sunshine Coast at Buderim, Currimundi, Sunshine Plaza in Maroochydore, Noosa Civic Centre and Mary St, Noosa, and in Moreton Bay at Burpengary and Deception Bay.

In light of this unfortunate situation, Red Rooster’s parent company, Craveable Brands, immediately began working with the administrator and landlords of the temporarily closed stores.

Craveable Brands’ aim was to reopen the stores as soon as possible with all staff entitlements fully settled.

Reopening of Red Rooster

Red Rooster was able to negotiate successfully with the administrator and multiple landlords of the six out of seven Red Rooster stores within the Sunshine Coast area. Employees at these stores resumed work again after having been temporarily closed for four days.

Likewise, stores at Moreton Bay and Deception Bay are back on its day-to-day operations as well.

Red Rooster’s main approach in reopening its stores were to stabilise jobs for all affected workers and also to have little to no impact on other Red Rooster outlets within the region.

Red Rooster team members — *Photo credit: https://www.redrooster.com.au/*

It was indeed a successful community-focused initiative in re-opening these six Red Rooster stores within less than a week after its sudden collapse.

At present, Red Rooster is continuously working with the administrator and landlord of the remaining closed Red Rooster at Sunshine Plaza, with high hopes of reopening soon. The team members for this branch have been offered shifts at other Red Rooster stores for the meantime in order to ensure continuity of work for everyone.

Live Sustainably One Purchase at A Time at Maroochydore’s The Source Bulk Foods

Switch your grocery shopping habits into a more sustainable one by visiting The Source Bulk Foods at Maroochydore.

Going zero waste or ‘greenifying’ your grocery shopping practice is now made easier thanks to The Source Bulk Foods— Australia’s largest specialised bulk food retailer that is 100% waste-free.

Located inside the Big Top Shopping Centre at Ocean Street, The Source Bulk Foods Maroochydore has more than 450 amazing varieties of bulk products at this health food store. With items such as oils, nuts, seeds, grains, herbs, flours, spices, dried fruits and more, it is no wonder that The Source Bulk Foods Maroochydore is considered as a foodie haven by many.

But of course, more than just being a health food store, The Source Bulk Foods aims to provide the entire community with fresh and wholesome ingredients that will nourish their families and our planet as a whole.

Buy as much or as little as you want

Customers of The Source Bulk Foods can choose how much of any product they want to purchase.

Shopping at the store allows customers to only buy what they need—for a recipe, a day or two, or even a week— instead of ending up having to throw away all the excess food they had purchased.

The store is properly arranged with huge tubs with lids and handy scoops per container. Each container also has written instructions and information about the product.

The Source Bulk Foods highly recommends that customers bring their own reusable containers and sturdy reusable bags so as to avoid package waste. In case customers do not have any containers with them, the store can provide paper bags for small items. Containers and reusable bags are also available for purchase at the store.

Apart from offering healthy food options, The Source Bulk Foods also hosts regular workshops about food, diet, zero waste, sustainability and more. Visit The Source Bulk Foods Maroochydore to know their latest deals and workshops.

Opening Hours

Monday- Wednesday	9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Thursday- Friday	9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday	9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday	10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Is Coolum Beach the Location of Kelly Slater’s Next Surf Ranch?

Photo Credit: World Surf League/Facebook

The World Surf League has been on the lookout for a location for Kelly Slater’s next surf ranch and it appears the Sunshine Coast is under serious consideration for the $100-million development, specifically Coolum, the “surfing mecca” of the Coast.

If approved, the proposed multi-million dollar surf ranch is going to be the first of its kind not just in Queensland but in Australia. There are talks that the artificial wave pool will have the same features as Slater’s first surf ranch located in Lemoore, California that comes with tourism facilities.

Coolum Beach, Sunshine Coast (Photo credit: Michal Hope/Wikimedia Commons)

Having Slater’s surf ranch in Coolum is also expected to be a huge attraction in the coastal suburb. The beach is only a 10-minute drive from the Sunshine Coast Airport at Maroochydoore and only half an hour away from Brisbane. In the coming weeks, WSL is planning to talk to the Coolum community to discuss the concepts of the surf ranch, and to get to know what they think of this project.

Slater’s surf ranch in California has proven to be a success as it was chosen as the venue of the 2018 WSL Founders Cup. The $30 million surf ranch counts on hydrofoils to make artificial waves rise up over the rectangular pool.

The surf ranch is a hundred percent solar-powered, which is an environment-friendly way of building man-made waves. It’s just one of the many ways the legendary surfer has shown his concern for the ocean and beaches. In June 2019, he took part in the WSL “Stop Trashing Waves” campaign to raise awareness of environmental issues.

In addition to the surf ranch in Australia, Kelly Slater Wave Pool Company is planning more man-made wave pools in the years to come, with Brazil and Japan as the possible locations.

Sippy Downs’ USC Saves $100 Million with Renewable Energy Revolution

Clean and sustainable energy isn’t just a topic inside the classrooms of the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) at Sippy Downs. The University also shows its commitment to sustainability by practising it through the use of solar-powered rooftops and a newly installed giant water battery.

Having these two cost-saving technologies hand in hand will allow the University to significantly cut its energy consumption.

“USC has calculated that this system will reduce their electricity use by 40 per cent and save the campus $100 million over 25 years,” Energy Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said.

Dr Lynham, who turned on the switch the solar-battery facility with USC Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill and Veolia Australia and New Zealand chief Danny Conlon, also praised how the scheme helped boost employment in the state.

“This $12 million project has created 80 local construction jobs and adds to more than 42,000 rooftop solar systems on the Sunny Coast, and the 520,000 residential solar systems across Queensland,” Dr Lynham said.

*Photo credit: USC: University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia/ Facebook*

A first of its kind

So how does this energy-saving scheme work?

The USC has about 6,000 solar panels installed on rooftops of all its buildings and carparks. Having this much amount of solar panels would generate about 2.1 megawatts of power, thanks to the abundant supply of sunshine that Australia receives each day.

The power collected through the solar panels will then cool the 4.5 megalitres of water inside the three-storey water tanks. These water tanks serve as a thermal energy storage tank or what USC calls “the giant water battery”.

The cooled water will be stored and used for air conditioning, which is currently the single biggest user of electricity at the campus.

According to USC’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill, having this kind of renewable energy system will result in a massive leap towards the University’s bid on becoming carbon neutral by year 2025.

“For a regional university to be leading the way on this is proof that we don’t need to be in the big cities to be taking big strides in new ideas in renewables, and for us that’s very exciting,” Professor Hill said.

“The team behind this are already sharing the technology with schools, universities and companies around the world.”

Partnership with Veolia

This renewable energy project of the University of the Sunshine Coast would not have been a success if it wasn’t for the fruitful partnership between the University and Veolia, a global company that is known for delivering renewable energy solutions.

Water Tank — *Photo credit: https://www.veolia.com/*

Veolia’s partnership agreement with the USC is comprised of installing and delivering infrastructure, namely the solar panels and the water tanks. Veolia will also operate and maintain the infrastructure for 10 years, and after this period the ownership of the infrastructure will be transferred to the University.

As for the collected energy from this energy-saving scheme, Veolia will sell the energy generated back to the University of the Sunshine Coast at a rate cheaper than electricity from the grid.

Increased Residential Dwellings Approved at New Maroochydore City Centre

The State Government has approved up to 4000 residential dwellings to be constructed at the new Maroochydore City Centre.

Maroochydore is being fast-tracked to become the business, community, and employment hub of Sunshine Coast. In 2013, the State Government declared that the new Maroochydore City Centre as a Priority Development Area, considered to be a ground-breaking city-making project that will strengthen the entire region by providing sustainable infrastructures for the purpose of commercial, retail, residential, and civic uses.

In August 2019, the State Government approved increasing the number of apartment units to be built from 2000 to nearly 4000. Maximum building heights have also been increased. These changes were generously approved by the State Government in order to accommodate the speedy growth of the city centre.

However, development of these residential buildings must still meet the design requirements relating to residential privacy and natural light access, as stated in the regulatory document of the development scheme.

This latest approval by the State Government is seen to eventually be beneficial as it addresses the future need of the Sunshine Coast’s urban areas. The South East Queensland regional plan revealed that there will be a need of extra 53,700 dwellings within the urban areas of Sunshine Coast by 2041.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson supports the given changes by stating how “Maroochydore is ideally placed to deliver more apartment living options for the region, and these changes will enable the city centre to grow.”

About the Maroochydore City Centre

The construction of the first commercial building at the core commercial area of the Maroochydore City Centre site kicked off last July 2019. It is a $30 million Cottee Parker-designed Foundation Place to be constructed by local developer Evans Long.

This privately-owned eight-level building will accommodate various offices and retail stores.

The Cottee Parker-designed project is expected to be opened by mid-2020.

Another first that will soon be constructed at the city centre site is a nine-storey 167-room hotel. The country’s leading hotel investment and development company, Pro-Invest, has announced its plan of developing and operating Holiday Inn Express & Suites hotel right at the heart of the new CBD.

The hotel is scheduled to open to the public by late 2020, and it will coincide with the launch of the new airport runway that will enable direct flights to and from Asia on the Sunshine Coast for the first time.

Retired Buderim Couple Wins $1 Million at the Saturday Gold Lotto Draw

A retired Buderim couple has become part of the line-up of Lotto millionaires, after winning the Saturday Gold Lotto draw 3971 last 10 August 2019.

The couple, who wishes to remain anonymous, held one of the four division one winning entries at the Saturday Gold Lotto draw⁠— allowing them to take home a total of $1,017,643.37. The other winners for this draw were from Victoria (2 winners) and from South Australia (1 winner).

The winning numbers in the Saturday Gold Lotto draw 3971 were 39, 9, 6, 37, 1 and 38, whilst the supplementary numbers were 11 and 45.

Even after checking and confirming their winning ticket through a Golden Casket official, the retired Buderim couple were still in shock over their new millionaire status.

Still overwhelmed with joy, the couple expressed how much this win would change their plans for retirement. According to the woman, “It’s turned our lives upside down and inside out. This is fantastic. Unbelievable. It’s sinking in very slowly.”

When they were asked about how they are planning on using their lotto prize, the couple mentioned on travelling the world, doing some charity work, and sharing their win with their family.

Winning Streak

The couple purchased their winning entry at the outlet of Wurtulla Newsagency.

Wade Broderick, owner of the said outlet mentioned how they have been on a winning streak recently.

Just a week before the Saturday Gold Lotto draw 3971, Wurtulla Newsagency had just sold a division two winning entry. And upon knowing the news that the new millionaire also came from a Wurtulla Newsagency entry, they were all shocked and super excited about it.

According to Broderick, “they have been eagerly waiting to sell a division one winning entry since taking over the outlet 18 months ago.” He further mentioned how all their customers were extremely happy for the outlet and of course, for the lucky winner.