Club president Nigel Grey said the initiative had tapped into a local need, with many stallholders participating in all the events which have been held to date. He said the money raised would go to local and overseas causes.

From left, Nigel Grey, Margot Patten, Gemma Hine, Ross Gillespie and Richard Horswill at Lindisfarne Rotary’s trash and treasure.

Lindisfarne Rotary is aiming to conduct two trash and treasures a year with the second for 2012 to be held in November. Trash and Treasure convener, Maree Godleman, said that trying to identify a date which did not coincide with major events in the state or the local area was always a challenge.

Both Nigel and Maree were delighted with the day’s events and the money raised for Rotary.

Now in its 13^th year, primary school children learn about pedestrian safety and the importance of regular exercise by participating in the national awareness-raising day.

• The Pedestrian Council encourages regular physical activity because active kids are healthy kids.

Pedestrian Council of Australia chairman Harold Scruby said National Walk Safely to School Day promoted the vitally important message that “Active Kids are Healthy Kids.”

“The event encourages parents, carers and their children to build regular walking to and from school into their daily routine, because children need a minimum of 60 minutes exercise per day,” he said.

“It also encourages parents to drive less and walk more, aiming to decrease dangerous vehicle congestion around schools and reduce carbon emissions from idling cars.”

Mr Scruby said National Walk Safely to School Day asked parents and carers to walk their primary school aged children all or part of the way to school.

“Those who can’t walk the whole way are asked to combine a walk with public transport or to park the car a good distance away from the school and walk the rest of the way,” he said.

“It also encourages regular physical activity because active kids are healthy kids, and it helps to reduce hazardous traffic congestion in and around schools, creating pedestrian-safe areas for children entering or leaving school.”

Mr Scruby said Walk Safely to School Day taught children healthy lifestyle habits from a young age.

“Walking is the best form of exercise,” he said.

“It’s easy, free and almost anyone can do it at anytime. And these habits tend to last a lifetime.”

For more information please visit www.walk.com.au.

The season began in October with 146 senior teams competing across 22 divisions in men’s, women’s and mixed competitions together with 81 teams in the primary and secondary divisions of our junior competition.

Lauderdale, the Southern Touch champions for 2012, pleased with their achievement.

Southern Touch general manager Matt Phillips said he was pleased with the growth seen in junior participation.

“Junior team registrations rose by 18% over the previous two seasons with entries received through schools, clubs and other sporting groups”.

Matt Phillips  said he was extremely pleased with the involvement of Lauderdale Football Club that entered five teams into the summer competition, integrating Touch to form part of the club’s off season training regime.

“In the past we have seen teams coming from alternative sporting codes however, this is the first time an entity such as the Bombers have used our sport by entering multiple teams as part of their own development,” he said.

“We hope it will encourage others to follow.”

One Lauderdale team capitalised on its experience taking out a men’s division 1 premiership.

Southern Touch showcased the sport through its club-based premier league competition grand finals with four clubs represented across five divisions.  Phantoms Touch Club victorious in the men’s and women’s division 2 competitions.

Condors Touch Club took out the women’s division 1 roster, taking its teams tally to four premierships, while Pirates Touch Club, the Association’s newest addition, held aloft the trophies for both the mixed and men’s division 1 competitions, the club’s first Division 1 silverware since forming in 2004.

The Association is now preparing for the coming winter season, catering for juniors and seniors with rosters beginning on April 23.  More information and details of the winter season competitions can be found by visiting the Southern Touch website at www.southerntouch.com.au or by contacting the office on 6244 1130.

Southern Touch is a community-based sporting organisation which relies heavily on the involvement of community volunteers and local businesses to evolve.  If you would like to know more about the sport or are a local business with an interest in supporting local sporting Associations, Southern Touch has several sponsorship packages available, please e-mail Southern Touch at sthtouch@southcom.com.au.

WE have had some very enjoyable meals on the Eastern Shore this month and two experiences I would like to share.

Cugini Italian Restaurant and Takeaway 34 Cambridge Road Cambridge Tel: 6244 2727

THE first was trying Bellerive’s newest eatery, Cugini for the first time.  You would know the Cugini location, formerly Jean Pasqual overlooking Kangaroo bay. Cugini opened its doors only a few months ago, and it’s a family collaboration between cousins, therefore the Italian translation: cugini.

Owners Marco and Alfonso Giusti work together to create an authentic Italian experience for the diners of Cugini.

Cugini offers traditional Italian dishes, pizza, home made pasta, calzone, veal and more. As well as having a standard menu Cugini also offers weekly special dishes. Cugini also caters for  children which is handy for parents who find it difficult to get into many child-friendly venues.

Our friends decided to celebrate a birthday and wedding anniversary and went on a Saturday night.  It is fair to say that the place was ‘rocking’ with a full house and therefore quite noisy. However once you get over the fact that everyone else is having a good time too, the service and food quality was exceptional.  Despite the fact that the restaurant was at capacity and that the takeaway area had people lined up out the door, there were not delays in service and in taking our orders.

Our friends and hubby started with bruschetta with marinated roasted capsicum and the traditional tomato bocconcini and fresh basil.  I had the calamari with aioli, lemon, fennel and rocket salad.  For mains, the courses we chose were chicken rigatoni, salmon rigatoni and the seafood marinara in an angel hair pasta.  The pasta was topped by a fresh green salad.  Two desserts were chosen, the pana cotta with caramalised banana  and strawberry sorbet.  Wine of choice was Burchino, an Italian Chianti from Tuscany.   The food was scrumptious, service delightful (one of the head staff came to check on our food and wine requirements regularly, and to see that we were happy with the service) and the timing incredible. Prices range from around $20 for entrées, $30 for mains and $15 for desserts.  We were in and out within two and a half hours. All in all a great night, and we will be going back to ensure we support this wonderful, new local eatery.   Don’t forget you can order takeaway and the pizza selection is amazing.

Bellerive Oval, 15 Derwent Street  Bellerive Tel: 6282 0400

WHILE I know that this is not a restaurant as such, you really should consider using the catering services of the Mellers family, Ken, Di and now the head chef at Bellerive, son Oliver.  This paper has written about Oliver’s return to Tasmania after some years away learning under top chef Heston Blumenthal at his renowned Fat Duck restaurant in Bray in Berkshire UK, and also working at Lord’s Cricket Ground for some years.

Now with Oliver on board, under the Mellers’ guidance, you can organise your special function at Bellerive, from weddings, to birthdays and any other special celebration, the venue areas at the oval cater for all types of occasions.

Our most recent experience was actually on our wedding anniversary which was fittingly, during the last Sheffield Shield home game for the season.  The meal that Oliver prepared was perhaps one of the finest we have eaten, and that is a big call when hubby and I have been fortunate to eat in some extremely good restaurants  in other parts of the world.   Entrée was a stripy trumpeter ceviche with a baked corn, avocado puree and tomato salad.  Divine.

Stripey trumpeter ceviche

I know a number of colleagues who have had their special event at Bellerive or who have had the Mellers cater for them.   Trust me, you will not be disappointed. Phone Oliver direct at Rhubarb Catering on 0417 120 857

IT seems that the ‘cost of living’ pressure we hear about every day is something that is concerning  many households, and quite rightly so. The increase in essential items such as water, power , petrol is obvious and when combined with  increasing government regulation of life and business,  this is causing other staples like food to increase in cost at a fast rate. This is putting pressure on all of us to make ends meet and to have a little left over for recreational or social activities or even a holiday.

While the growth in the public service as a whole plays a part in this, it seems obvious to me that  the disproportionate  growth in health care costs  is the single biggest driver of this cost of living increase. If health makes up around 40% of government expenditure and is going up higher than any other government  services,  we need to ask the question,  is this a good thing? Or is it improving outcomes?

It seems that the universal view is that it is! When we have elections, the common  priorities are always health and education. While I would fully support increases in education within reason as long as it is not just growth in bureaucrats and paper pushers, I would really like to know what the average  person means by “do something about health”! I think we all need to  think about what would this health system look like and just as importantly, what would it cost us? Also we need to think about this as a whole not just about our own personal needs or in terms of our current circumstances.

Does that simply mean more money on the same old stuff even if it is going to lead to further cost of living increases as governments try and recoup that cost in higher taxes and a reduction in other services,  or no infrastructure projects going ahead which add costs in other ways. The reality is that cost of living pressures and health care cannot be separated and it is high time that we took our heads out of the sand and realised that the utopia of unlimited free healthcare at no cost to society is never going to happen.

When you combine this with an aging population, a generation of young people who have spent far too much time in front a of a screen, food that is high in calories but low in value and then the growth in the medical “business” with new drugs, treatments and procedures,  how   are we going to pay?

At a political level we are more focused on climate change that may happen and seem unwilling or unable to deal with the financial and social implications of something that is happening right in front of our eyes. If we do not rein in healthcare costs we are going to have nothing left over to pay to protect our environment.

Now I know that some will say that they have paid their taxes for years and it is their right to expect health care, but the bigger issue is if the healthcare we are being provided with is cost effective and delivering  results?

We need to start asking ourselves and more importantly  debating the tougher questions like: Are we  spending too much on people who cause the illness through their own choices and also do we spend too on prolonging life in some situations. I don’t have the answers and I am sure that our attitudes to these issues will change depending on personal circumstances, but the fact is we need to debate the issues openly and as part of the wider debate on what we expect governments to do for us.

Personally I would love to see much less spent on drugs to treat blood pressure and much more spent of things to keep us active and healthy like better parks, gardens, playgrounds and sport fields. Also more allocated to teaching people how to exercise safely and effectively and less on  all the treatments that are provide once you get sick.

I don’t think in theory that anyone can disagree with this paradigm shift and we have heard plenty of rhetoric about the need to focus on prevention, but the reality is that nothing has changed and it is unlikely to unless we as a society ask for tat. And to not  do so and  leave the mess to our kids would not be the right thing to do either. So let’s have the debate before it’s too late!

*Dean Ewington is the president of the Tasmanian regional council of Fitness Australia and managing director of Oceana Health and Fitness.

A spokesman said the work would include removal of some vegetation, gravel and soil to reduce the height of the roundabout.He said there would be some replanting with shrubs in the centre and grass across the main part of the roundabout.

DIER is currently scoping and planning the work to be done and the aim is to have the work finished mid-year.

A number of residents pointed to the difference between centre median strips and verges leading up to the Tasman Bridge on the Eastern Shore from both the Tasman and South Arm highways, and the entrance to Hobart on the western shore which, by contrast, are neatly maintained.

The DIER spokesperson told this newspaper that responsibility for the Hobart entrances had been taken over by the Hobart City Council because it wanted to maintain a particular standard leading into the city.

The spokesman said that because of the resources needed to maintain so many areas in the State, DIER would welcome other councils taking similar action to maintain verges and median strips along main highways in their own local municipalities.

CLARENCE residents have expressed unprecedented criticism of the state of road verges and maintenance and safety issues surround the Mornington roundabout.

It is fair to say that this paper has not received a response to an issue anything like what we received following last month’s article on the state of the Mornington roundabout. Most of the comments were either by telephone or email related to the Mornington roundabout but extended generally to the issue of grass and bush maintenance on Eastern Shore roads.

While we understand that there are far more pressing issues for our community than what was highlighted in the March edition, it is obvious from the response that there are some very concerned residents who believe that some areas on the Eastern Shore are an  embarrassing eyesore.

We were staggered with the response which we believe demonstrates the concerns that residents have with the state of their local environment. Many of the comments criticised the Department of Infrastructure Energy and Resources (DIER) and the Clarence City Council whose collective responsibility it is to ensure that these areas are maintained responsibly.

Mayor of Clarence Doug Chipman said that the March article implied Council was responsible for the roundabout itself.  While this was not intended, this reporter had seen council workers attempting to clean up the area and reported that activity.  Perhaps this was an isolated instance.

Ald Chipman said:   “The roundabout including road verges, forms part of the State arterial road network and the State Government through DIER is responsible for its maintenance, as it is for maintenance of the highway between the Hobart Airport and the City,” Ald Chipman said

“Council has, on a number of occasions, asked DIER to improve the presentation of both areas,” he said.

However it seems that residents are concerned about the widespread grass maintenance issue and the generally poor state of streets and roadways on this side of the river.

One of the first concerns was raised by Bellerive resident, David Harcourt who said:  “I’ve written countless letters regarding the issues raised by your headline story in the March issue and am concerned at the state of the Eastern Shore grass maintenance in general.”

Mr Harcourt said he believed a ‘name and shame’ list and photos should be a regular inclusion in the paper.

Another contributor Erin Wiss said: “On reading the editorial about the embarrassing state of the Mornington roundabout I thought it would be remiss of me not to include some shots of the equally embarrassing state of the area just before the  Tasman Bridge.

“One can only wonder why this area is always left to become an absolute eyesore before any work is done to maintain it, primarily as it is the first and last impression that visitors of the state are left with.

“The contrast between Eastern Shore and Western Shore could not be greater as upon exiting the bridge on the Hobart side, one is confronted with a perfectly clipped and groomed series of garden beds and grassed areas very pleasing to the eye.”

And yet another contribution from D Driver:

“I have just read your article on the Mornington roundabout and totally agree with your comments. But why stop there?

“Travelling around our municipality the roundabout is only the tip of the iceberg.

“I have been lead to believe that the Council no longer does roadside reduction, but has let it out to contract.

“If this is the case it is closing its eyes to the out of control grass and weeds that cover the areas between the road and adjoining fences.

“I have been away this week travelling the Midlands, Conara to St Helens roads and returning via the East Coast Highway and without too much exception Clarence has the worst kept edges.

“Clarence is a major Council, but our areas are an eyesore compared to lesser and poorer councils.

“Considering also that Clarence is the airport gateway to Hobart, and has tourist arteries to major visitor destinations including the East coast and Port Arthur it should be paying far more attention to the upkeep of its surroundings and the value for money it is handing out.

“Mornington roundabout took years to arrive at its present unkempt condition, including dangerous intermingling of the traffic flow, so how long is it going to take to rectify the rest of our municipality’s woes? Like recurring potholes in all our street, footpaths cracking and collapsing and poorly constructed streets and roads.”

Again, this paper points out that DIER is responsible for the major highways as has been reaffirmed by the Mayor of Clarence but it seems that residents believe Council should be overseeing responsibility in a range of areas.  Residents who rang said they were very concerned about areas that actually come under Council’s jurisdiction and are angry that little had been done to clean up their areas.

Another contribution from Beth Rees suggested a community group that could undertake a ‘coastcare-type’ operation by cleaning up some of the offending areas.

“There are a couple of options:

·        You could use your editorial space to stir up righteous anger until the authorities are forced to do more maintenance, which may achieve your purpose, but may also force a rise in rates to cover the cost; or

·         You might do a spot of community-building, encourage people to understand their responsibilities as well as their rights, and direct some energy into forming an adopt-a-highway group (similar to Landcare and Coastcare groups).

“A couple of hours every month would see the roundabout well
maintained, contribute towards a more involved community, and share some of the satisfaction and well-being that comes with volunteering,” Ms Rees said.

While Ms Rees has some valid comments, this paper believes that we pay our rates and taxes, and these are not areas that we would expect the community to take responsibility for.

Just standing and taking photographs on the highway is a frightening experience, and I would not want to advocate for community members to be so exposed to potential danger.  When this work is undertaken, personnel should be properly equipped with safety jackets and other similar equipment including witches’ hats as well as other warning signs to slow traffic and ensure that noone is in danger.

For this reason I would be extremely reluctant to have a ‘call to action’ for the community to take it upon themselves to do the clean up.

SORELL on Stage has started rehearsals for its next production to be held at the Sorell Memorial Hall in early May.

The Sorell on Stage cast is having a ball during rehearsals and relishing their respective roles.

The Family coffin is definitely a farcical comedy and presents a very unlikely scenario but who knows, it could happen!

It’s a funny lively jaunt and a little bit crazy but thoroughly entertaining.

The cast is having a ball during rehearsals and relishing their respective roles.

A pushy mum, a hard working dad who likes a beer, a surfie son, a career oriented daughter, an ex Army aunt, mum’s emotional sister and a somewhat erratic interloper make up this slightly dysfunctional lot.

They are not a very close family but nevertheless have been summoned to come together for the weekend and for a reason!  None of them know why. They really don’t want to be there but find out soon enough that they must take part in a bizarre request regardless of how they feel about it. They have no choice in the matter. Mum sees to that!

May 10, 11 and 12 are the performance dates. Pop them in your diary and come to the show, have a good laugh and hope this never happens to you!

THOUGHT I would check out some local eating establishments, now that I have more time to get around the wonderful Eastern Shore, with an aim to support our local restaurants and encourage others to do similarly.

Three Little Ducks, Bellerive

Phone 6245 0566 for bookings especially for lunch and dinner

FRIENDS and hubby decided to check out Three Little Ducks for an evening meal recently.  We were greeted by our waiter who happily said he would be looking after us for the rest of the evening. However apart from a couple of fleeting visits, it was the last time we saw him as throughout the evening two other young women took over. Can I suggest that staff are allocated sections of the restaurant rather than everyone doing ‘something’ on each table   While staff were extremely friendly, the service was a bit up and down as a result, as was the quality of some of our food.  So my review of the restaurant is mixed.

Unfortunately it took an hour for entrée and when it did come the plates were taken to the wrong table so by the time we finally received our food, some of it was cold.  Those who ordered the Pan Fried Scallops & Chorizo on a Celeriac Puree were disappointed because we received half scallops which is a sad reflection on the quality of our State’s beautiful shellfish.  If they were in short supply then perhaps serve fewer of them, or don’t have them on the menu.  Half scallops don’t do the dish justice. The soup of the day, a Roasted Capsicum with sourdough was delightful and hubby’s Three Ducks (three types of duck) was the best choice for entrée.

The Trevalla (Blue Eye) with King Prawns for mains was tasty and hot but note to chef: it’s not easy to peel prawns that are part of a hot dish and there was no bowl provided for the prawn shells.  The Fillet Steak with Mushroom Jus was done perfectly and voted best of the main dishes chosen.

Importantly, the restaurant was buzzing with clientele, but so were the flies.  The restaurant’s front door is left open to attract custom, and while it wasn’t a hot night, the place was full of flies which is disconcerting for diners when food is being served.  If there were so many flies in the restaurant, how many made their way into the kitchen?

All in all a pleasant night and Three Little Ducks is a delightful restaurant with friendly staff, however a few of these issues need to be addressed particularly as comparisons are always made with other venues on the western shore and interstate.  Local restaurateurs need to ensure they maintain high standards particularly if they are charging similar prices to their competition either here or interstate. Prices in this restaurant were comparable to Melbourne suburban restaurant prices.

The Fish Bar, Bellerive 51 Queen Street  Bellerive TAS 7018
Phone 6244 1074

THIS is a great little café on the beach behind Bellerive Oval and if you are in a hurry or want to sit down to a meal of great seafood, then the Fish Bar should be your first stop.  We have a great lunch recently and we all agreed that café had not lost its touch.  The three of us ordered Trevalla, Calamari and Scallops with a generous serve of chips, One serving was a grilled Trevalla while the other two were done in a light beer batter (I know, naughty but nice).

Consistent quality has served this café well over the years.  It is a popular venue for beach lovers during summer and is frequented by retirees regularly through the year.  Local tradespeople and site workers are often in the café either getting takeaway or meals at tables.

If you’re after fresh fish, there is a huge array to choose from.  We took some ‘just in’ flathead fillets which I quickly grilled in olive oil and served with lemon and a fresh salad that evening. Beautiful and so easy to prepare.  The young chefs and waiting staff are delightful to talk to and very helpful, despite a very busy lunch period.  If you haven’t been there yet, which would surprise me, then take a look.  You’ll be very pleasantly surprised and I am confident you will go back for more.

Great fresh food shopping

IF you haven’t yet paid a visit, there are two excellent fresh food stores on the Eastern Shore worth a visit

Hill St Grocer Lauderdale, 528 South Arm Road, Lauderdale, Phone 6248 6221

HILL St West Hobart is an institution and its Lauderdale equivalent is quickly becoming so.  There is plenty to choose in the deli section, from a huge array of fresh salads, pre-prepared meals, from Australia, Greek and Italian cuisine to cold meats, cheeses, olives, pickled octopus, semi-dried tomatoes and much more.  The fresh vegetable section is massive, and the large selection of grocery items which take up the centre aisles means you have a one-stop shop for all your food needs.  The Lauderdale store has been well-arranged so that you have a choice of checkouts which cuts down waiting time.  That is the beauty of this site compared to the ‘mother’ shop in West Hobart which is much more cramped.  Definitely looking forward to its move to a nearby former service station site which will make shopping in the West Hobart Hill St much ore enjoyable.

The Food Store Bellerive 19 Clarence Street, Bellerive  Phone 6244 292

ANOTHER great place to stop for everything you need such as pre-prepared foods such as quiche, lasagna and meatballs, cold meats, hot roasted chickens and other delicatessen musts including fresh pasta, salmon and cheeses.  The Food Store also has a great selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, a gluten-free section, nuts and cereals, and plenty of specialty Tasmanian-made products such as relishes, jams and other goodies under much sought after local labels, ready to go.  Great wine selection and fridge section with local meat providores, cheeses, smoked salmon and much more.

Both Hill St and The Food Store (which has just opened its latest shop in Queen St Dynnyrne next door to Green’s Quality Meats) offer Eastern Shore residents a full range of fresh and pre-prepared produce so that you don’t have to make a trek to stores on the ‘other side’.  It’s right here on the sunny (and best) side of the river.

*Ingrid Harrison is editor of the Eastern Shore Sun.  For inquiries relating to food and dining contact editorial@easternshoresun.com.au

OVER the past 10 years or so there has been a  major shift in exercise programming  where the use of  functional or total body  exercises is  being given far more importance than the old machine-based or isolation exercises that made up the majority of training programs.

A functional exercise is one in which the movement performed replicates one which we do or need to be able to do, in normal daily living.  So a squat is something we need to do daily, so this is a one which is very important to do. Compare this to a leg extension (in a seated position where you extend  and flex the leg  from the knee) and is perfumed on a  machine,   which works  the thigh muscle in isolation of the rest of the leg and in a movement that the leg never does.

A chin up  is a ‘pulling’ movement that is something we need to be able to do and once again uses a lot of muscle groups. An isolation exercise such as a bicep curl only works the biceps and  this movement is not one that we  really need to  do in daily tasks.

The other aspects of this is that a total body movement  develops strength in the whole body including the core, but trains movement patterns that  provide you with greater postural stability and overall muscle control.

This type of training will also burn more energy  than  a  program that broke your strength exercises up into  a series of isolation or single muscle movements. This is obviously going to assist in weight loss   by burning more calories at the time and also after you finish.

Everyone needs to have  endurance, strength training and flexibility components in their exercise program for it to produce the best outcome. So just going for  daily walk is not really going to be enough to stave off all the things that either kill us or slow us down. But with functional training you can include all  of these components in one workout.  A circuit of functional exercises combined with endurance training is  a time efficient way of doing things.

A simple  session that does no require any equipment is:

Walk 100 m then  job back to start, then in  between each repetition,  do the following exercises:

• 20 step ups  alternate between left and right leg (step height between 200 – 500 mm) .
• 10 push ups,  on knees if needed.
• 10 jumps  -  double feet .
• 10 squats – use a chair as a guide for depth.

If you did  this two or three times through each exercise with the walk/jog in between you would get a great workout that will produce far better results in terms of fitness, strength and weight loss than just going for a walk.

Obviously, if you have any pre existing   injuries or  any recent illness,  get  checked out by  your doctor or see a registered exercise professional to guide you through the exercise.  I would always recommend that you get some expert help when first starting out to ensure you know correct exercise technique.

Other activities like a ‘quick step’ up a flight of stairs in between walking/jogging intervals or using  weights like kettle bells  or sandbags ( heck these out on the internet) can be used to develop a simply functional circuit program that can suit everyone.

So even in the fitness industry we are  moving away from using machines to do strength training and starting to focus more on using body weight for squats, step ups, and then doing a range of whole body movements rather than a series of isolation exercises that don’t  replicate what we have to do to move the body in normal daily movements.

Have a think about what you do and get some help to introduce some other activities into your routine. But what ever you are doing you need to regularly change to make sure that your body has to adapt to a range of different activities. Walking is just not enough.

*Dean Ewington is the president of the Tasmanian regional council of Fitness Australia and managing director of Oceana Health and Fitness.