The Sunshine Coast Literary Association is calling for enthusiastic community members to join its Executive Committee for 2011-2012.

The AGM will be held on Tuesday, 30August at 6.30pm in rooms DG.47 and DG.48 at the University of the Sunshine Coast and will discuss upcoming events and elect the new committee. The AGM is open to all current committee members and anybody who wishes to join on the day; refreshments will be provided.

Nominations can be made at the meeting or beforehand. Online nomination forms are available in the AGM event listing at www.scliterary.org.

While some members of the committee will nominate again for their current positions, Vice President Andrew Thelander, Treasurer Graham Paterson and Secretary Andrea Storey are standing down due to work, family or travel commitments.

SCLA President Bryan Ward said the meeting will give community members the opportunity to get more involved in the association by joining the committee.

“The leadership committee plays an important role as they are responsible for organising all of the association’s events and activities,” Bryan said.

“The SCLA committee is vital to the future of the association and without their dedication it will cease to exist,” Bryan said.

Formed in 2005, the SCLA provides a pathway for the Sunshine Coast’s aspiring writers and enthusiasts to explore their interests, develop skills and showcase their work.  It allows like-minded individuals to exchange ideas and seek advice to develop their abilities.

The association offers regular literary workshops, seminars and events, awards programs and monthly Front Write Up literary performance evenings that provide an opportunity to showcase the talents of members. The SCLA also promotes other state and national writing competitions that offer successful applicants great prizes and recognition.

For more information on beginning your journey as a writer and becoming a member of the SCLA, to RSVP or to make a nomination for the executive committee, please email info@scliterary.org, visit www.scliterary.org or phone 07 5450 2690

A unique business philosophy and approach to digital marketing, has seen leading Internet marketing firm, Traffika attract great staff and achieve big results for its clients.

Now in its second year, Traffika continues to attract and maintain ‘major players’ from across Australia and worldwide with their growing reputation for excellence and the fresh way they approach business driven by their somewhat unconventional core values.

Traffika’s Managing Director, Matt Forman said Traffika’s business practice was guided by their eight core values which demonstrated their commitment to education, improvement and growth, shared knowledge, pushing the boundaries, challenging the ‘status quo’, giving and providing a superior client experience.

Traffika’s Social Media Specialist, Chris Pahor said the core values influence all parts of my role at Traffika, acting as a helpful motivator and helping bring tasks back on track from time to time.

“Traffika is the most dynamic company I have ever worked for, and this is driven by the people in each team being given the freedom to pursue ideas and take projects in their own direction,” Chris said.

“When I was looking for a company to work with, Traffika was very attractive because of its dynamic approach and core values.

“The whole team is wildly passionate about what they do which makes for an innovative and creative culture and a fantastic working environment,” Chris said.

“Everyone at Traffika applies an ‘always learning’ attitude to their jobs and are encouraged to embrace new things, an essential quality in an industry that is constantly changing,” Chris said.

“I love this about my job because it is a changing industry and the team is always learning from each other and also take part in industry education opportunities.”

Emily Vernon joined Traffika two years ago as their Business Growth Strategist after years of experience working in Online Marketing at companies Hitwise and Wotif.com.

“Traffika is unlike any company I have worked for before, because we, the staff, actually wrote the core values and agreed on them together,” Emily said.

“They ensure we are all working under the same vision and provide the foundation for our unique culture, what we strive for with our clients and how we interact with each other,” Emily said.

“Our team are really smart, intuitive online specialists with a real depth of experience and we all believe that you can never claim to be an expert because our industry, platforms, tools and technology changes so quickly,” Emily said.

Bond University, Lorna Jane, Sunsuper and Alibaba.com are just some of the companies reaping the benefits of Traffika’s ‘results driven’ approach.

Testament to their winning ‘business formula’, Traffika received the main prize for overall business excellence at the 2011 Sunshine Coast regional Westpac Business Excellence Awards, which recognises excellence and contribution in customer service, community involvement and employment.

Driven by one of Traffika’s core values, to ‘give and empower to receive and achieve’, the company has nominated to give 1% of it sales (not just profits) to charities and worthy causes around the world through the Buy 1 Give 1 program and aims to improve the lives of five million people by 2014. Since starting the program only five months ago, Traffika has already reached 5 per cent of their target, improving the lives of 232,095 people.

“Our core values shape who we are as an organisation and team by setting clear benchmarks for what is acceptable behaviour within the company and to our clients, suppliers, partners and the broader community, ” Matt said.

For more information about Traffika, visit www.traffika.com.au.

Bloomhill Cancer Help will hold their second annual Support Walk this Sunday, 7 August with hopes to double the amount raised last year.

The aptly named Support Walk will raise funds for the local charity so they can continue to offer valuable services across the Sunshine Coast region to those who are living with cancer and their families.

Walk Co-ordinators, Kerron Bromfield and Terry Bailey said as a non-profit organisation, Bloomhill relies on the money raised from the Op Shops, donations, grants and fundraising activities such as the Support Walk.

“Last year’s walk a great success with 200 walkers participating to raise more than $3,000 and we are hoping we can exceed that amount this Sunday,” Kerron said.

“Reaching this target will make a real difference in what Bloomhill can offer in the local community,” Kerron said.

Bloomhill patron and former Olympian, Raelene Boyle will lead the walkers at 9am which will follow the picturesque 2.5km walk from La Balsa Park on Harbour Parade to finish beside the Kawana Surf Club where a free sausage sizzle awaits to revive participants.

“The Support Walk is a great opportunity for families to spend time together, enjoy the great outdoors and support a worthy cause,” Kerron said.

A donation of $10 per person or $20 per family is requested to participate in the walk.

This year all sponsorship and registrations will be collected through Everyday Hero. Simply visit the website, www.everydayhero.com.au and search for Bloomhill under the ‘Heroes’ tab. If you wish to register, click on ‘Join the Team’ and follow the prompts or to make a donation or sponsor a family or friend, click ‘donate’.

For more information or to participate in the walk, please call Kerron Bromfield on 0438 322 098 or visit Bloomhill Cancer Help at 58 Ballinger Road, Buderim.

Funding to commercialise new needle-free vaccine delivery technology

BRISBANE, QLD, AUSTRALIA – One of Australia’s largest ever investments in a start-up biotechnology company – AU$15million – has been made with the aim of developing a revolutionary new needle-free vaccine delivery system.

The investment led by OneVentures, with co-investors Brandon Capital, the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF), and US-based HealthCare Ventures in the new company, Vaxxas Pty Ltd, will enable Professor Mark Kendall of UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) to continue his pioneering research and development of the Nanopatch™.

The Nanopatch™ has thousands of small projections designed to deliver the vaccine to abundant immune cells in the skin, whereas the traditional syringe hits the muscle where there are few immune cells.

Early stage testing in animals so far has shown that a Nanopatch delivered flu vaccine was effective with only 1/150^th of the dose compared to a syringe and that the adjuvants currently required to boost the immunogenicity of vaccines may not be needed.

In addition to improving the efficiency of delivery, the Nanopatch has the potential to dramatically improve patient convenience and reduce the complications associated with needle phobia, needle stick injuries and cross contamination, which are key global health issues.

The Nanopatch™ is designed for thermostability and to not require refrigeration, making transport much cheaper and easier, particularly to developing nations around the world.

Professor Kendall said in the developed world about 14% of a vaccine’s costs were attributed to maintaining the cold chain and in the developing world, the cold chain impact on vaccines is even greater.

“In Africa about half of vaccines aren’t working properly because of a breakdown in the cold chain”.

“The Nanopatch™ also offers a way to stop needle-stick injuries during vaccination – which again is a particularly important problem in Africa; with a third of vaccines affected by other complications brought about through cross contamination needle stick injury,” he said.

OneVentures General Partner Dr Paul Kelly said the significance of this investment was not just in its size.

“This investment syndicate includes both local and international investors which is a real vote of confidence in the Nanopatch™ approach and an appreciation of the potential of the technology to revolutionise vaccine delivery worldwide,” Dr Kelly said.

“This is a great example of OneVentures’ strategy of identifying game changing Australian technology with global market reach and relevance and putting the resources together to enable that to happen.  These resources are not just financial but expertise, networks and the experience in building high-growth companies and taking novel technologies through to innovative products. This is akin to the traditional model of venture capital of recycling proven entrepreneurial expertise.”

As part of this strategy and in connection with the investment, Dr. Paul Kelly of OneVentures, Dr. Stephen Thompson of Brandon Capital Partners, and Douglas E. Onsi of HealthCare Ventures will join the Board of Directors of Vaxxas, along with Dr Dean Moss, General Manager of Life Sciences at UniQuest.

The investment was negotiated on behalf of the University of Queensland by UniQuest Pty Limited, The University of Queensland’s main commercialisation company, UniQuest, has led the commercialisation of the Nanopatch™ technology to date, and will hand over the responsibility to Vaxxas following this investment.

Dr Stephen Thompson, Managing Director of Brandon Capital Partners, said launching Vaxxas as a company was a critical next step for the Nanopatch technology.

“In Australia, we invest heavily in our excellent research and development capability but have a relatively poor record of taking those technologies to world markets. The syndicate’s investment in Vaxxas is consistent with its willingness to work with Australia’s leading research institutes, including the AIBN, to transform this exciting research effort into a commercially useful product.  We need to convert the promise of the technology into a reality,” he said.

Douglas E. Onsi, Managing Director of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based HealthCare Ventures, commented on the importance of and the breadth of the opportunity for the Nanopatch™-technology.

“We believe that the Nanopatch™ has the potential to transform vaccine delivery for the pharmaceutical industry and for patients around the world.  HealthCare Ventures searches globally for the most promising innovations in life sciences, and we are very pleased to make our first Australian investment in Vaxxas,” he said.

Auzion, a leading Queensland renewable energy company, will be representing the Queensland solar industry at the 6^th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) this week.

The Congress will be held from Tuesday, 19^th to Saturday, 23^rd July at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre and will offer field trips, workshops, social activities, expert speakers and plenty of interesting environmental exhibits.

Auzion founder and CEO, Mark Leckenby said Auzion is an active supporter of education particularly surrounding environmental and sustainability issues and solutions.

“This is the first time the WEEC has been held in Australia, providing us with a unique opportunity to showcase Auzion’s capabilities in the innovation space and network with a wide range of delegates and international representatives,” Mark said.

Earlier this year, Auzion took their commitment to education one step further, becoming a silver sponsor of this year’s WEEC event.

“We are incredibly proud to be a associated with the WEEC and help drive industry education and improvement,” Mark said.

“I see sponsoring a global event like the WEEC as a sound investment in the future of environment,” Mark said.

First held in Portugal in 2003, the Congress was created to provide a forum for discussion, learning and unity among environmental educators. Since it’s launch, the Congress has attracted thousands of environmental stakeholders from over 100 different countries. The theme for this year’s congress will be Explore, Experience, Educate and is expected to attract 500 to 750 delegates from all around the world.

Mark will also be making a short presentation at the Congress, discussing Auzion’s ‘Sustainable Homes Project’, which aims to help building owners to reduce energy consumption through the use of solar power and other energy saving features.

“This project was launched in 2008 with the goal of providing 50 homes with at least 25% energy savings and payback within 5 years,” Mark said.

“The results of the project led to the development of our AuziMax Energy Maximiser, which is a device that allows households to have better control over their energy usage,” Mark said.

The AuziMax is Auzion’s own customer-designed revolutionary energy management system that enables the user to monitor energy in the home or business through a secure web portal and potentially save up to 20% more energy. The system won the Living Smart Solution award at the Glossies last month and is set to hit the commercial market in August.

For more information about Auzion and its energy solution products, visit www.auzion.com, or for more information about the WEEC, visit www.weec2011.org.

Photo: The Auzion team getting ready for the WEEC

Time is running out to apply for the Buderim Foundation’s 2011 Grants Program.

Applications close on Friday, 29 July so get in fast to ensure you don’t miss out.  Those eligible include any local non-profit organisation that is able to provide services to the Buderim Community.

Chair of the Buderim Foundation, Paul Clark said the grants program offered the opportunity for worthwhile community initiatives that benefit Buderim and its residents to receive funding.

Buderim Foundations Grant Committee Chair, Leanne Evans said, “we have been heartened by the responses to this year’s program having received 12 responses so far from worthy Buderim organsations. My Committee are on stand by to help anyone with a last minute enquiry and to help with the application process”.

Last year the foundation made available a record total of $17,500 for its grants Program. Recipients of the 2010 Grants were Fusion Community Care, 4 Paws Animal Rescue, Buderim Craft Cottage Assoc., Martins Creek Headwaters Action Group, Sunshine Coast Bushwalkers and Sunshine FM Radio Assoc. Inc.

“Every year as our grant total amount reaches record highs, more people become aware of the Foundation and our role within the community,” Paul said.

The Buderim Foundation aims to enrich and enhance the quality of life for Buderim and its residents, past and future. Since starting its Grants Program in 2008, sixteen local organisations have received grants totaling more than $44,000.

“As a not-for-profit public company, the foundation relies on the generous contributions of local businesses and citizens in order to continue providing grants to quality local community projects and groups,” Paul said.

Application forms and grant guidelines can be found on the Buderim Foundation website. Successful applicants will be announced at the annual 2011 Good News Night on 16 September, with more details available closer to the date.

For more information on the Buderim Foundation or the 2011 grants program, please visit, www.buderimfoundation.org.au.

Bloomhill Cancer Help will hold its annual Support Walk for the second year running on Sunday 7 August, following the success of the event last year.

Organised by Walk Co-ordinators Kerron Bromfield and Terry Bailey, the 2.5km walk will raise much-needed funds for Bloomhill and will start at La Balsa Park on Harbour Parade, winding its way to the park beside Kawana Surf Club, where a free sausage sizzle will await to revive participants.

“We received a great response last year with 200 walkers participating to raise more than $3,000 and we hope that this year we can double that amount,” Kerron said.

“The Support Walk is a fun and healthy way to spend your Sunday morning and support a worthy cause at the same time,” Kerron said.

The walk aims to generate awareness and raise much-needed funds for this local charity. All the money received from either donations or sponsorship of walk participants will help Bloomhill to continue providing valuable services to those living with cancer and their families throughout the Sunshine Coast region.

Bloomhill Cancer Help is a Sunshine Coast based charity and provides support and assistance to those affected by cancer. Operated by a team of dedicated staff and hundreds of volunteers, Bloomhill offers counselling, transport to appointments, respite care and a range of complementary therapies and other practical help.

“As a non-profit organisation, we rely on the money raised through our Op Shops, donations, grants and fundraising activities, like the Bloomhill Support Walk, for us to continue to offer our support to the Sunshine Coast community,” Kerron said.

Registration and donations begin from 8am with Bloomhill patron and former Olympian, Raelene Boyle leading the walk promptly at 9am on Sunday 7^th August. A donation of $10 per person or $20 per family is requested to participate in the walk.

This year all sponsorship and registrations will be collected through Everyday Hero. Simply visit the website, www.everydayhero.com.au and search for Bloomhill under the ‘Heroes’ tab. If you wish to register, click on ‘Join the Team’ and follow the prompts or to make a donation or sponsor a family or friend, click ‘donate’.

“All those participating in the walk will be seeking sponsorship, so please give what you can,” Kerron said.

“No matter what fitness level you are, come walking, running or jogging, anyone and everyone can join in,” Kerron said.

For more information or to participate in the walk, please call Kerron Bromfield on 0438 322 098 or visit Bloomhill Cancer Help at 58 Ballinger Road.

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association will host its next quarterly discussion and presentation evening on Tuesday, 19 July with local author and guest speaker, Andrea Storey.

The evening will be held at the Buderim Mountain State School Conference Room, 8-42 Main Street, Buderim (opposite St Marks Church) at 6:15pm for a 6:30pm start.

SCLA President, Bryan Ward said the discussion and presentation evening, as always, would be a stimulating and interesting night with great and inspiring company.

The evening will feature an author talk from SCLA Secretary, Andrea Storey about her new fantasy novel, ‘Heaven’s Gate Secrets Revealed’. The novel, the first in a series, is about the roller coaster adventures of the Thomas family as they travel the globe encountering quirky people and events along the way.

Andrea said she was keen to share why and how she writes and also her journey through the self-publishing maze.

“I have loved books and the written word for as long as I can remember,” Andrea said.

“So, having my own book in the National Library is a dream come true,” she said.

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association (SCLA) is a not-for-profit association dedicated to nurturing, showcasing and celebrating literary talent throughout the Sunshine Coast region.

The night will begin with nibbles at 6:30pm followed by the discussion and presentation at 7:30pm. Entry is free for SCLA members or $2 for non-members.

Members and guests are welcome to attend for the opportunity to talk and network with other writers and participate in discussions on the Association program.

The SCLA will also hold a half-day workshop for aspiring children’s book authors – ‘Writing and Illustrating Picture Books for Children’ at the Buderim Mountain State School on Saturday, 16 July.

Please RSVP to the Discussion Evening (to help with catering purposes) or the Writing and Illustrating Picture Books for Children workshop via email info@scliterary.org or phone 07 5450 2690. For more information or to become an SCLA member, visit the website www.scliterary.org.

Good Concepts in Brisbane’s West End is on a mission to help people live more sustainably and offers a wide range of products suitable for all living situations and budgets.

To accommodate for their expanding product range, Good Concepts has moved to a new location at 58 Vulture Street.

The owner of Good Concepts, Mark Pelmore said, “We are really excited about the move,”

“The new store is in a great location and will provide better exposure and setup, allowing Good Concepts to offer a comprehensive range of Eco products under the one roof”.

Mark also added that green products were becoming more innovative, allowing people to benefit from ‘going green’ without compromising their lifestyle.

“Being environmentally friendly shouldn’t be difficult and shouldn’t cost you the earth, so our focus is to provide quality, affordable products that will fit easily into people’s everyday life with minimal impact on our environment.” Mark said.

“Whether you live in the city or the country, in a unit or house, there is always a ‘eco’ product that will suit your needs,” Mark said.

Good Concepts brings together a comprehensive range of eco, ethical and sustainable products using the latest in environmentally friendly technologies. These include water purification and filtration systems, electric-bikes, low energy lighting, worm farms, odorless composting systems and even eco-system homes.

“Our electric-bikes are a fantastic way of getting around the city. For only $1 worth of electricity, you can travel for up to 600km,” Mark said.

The newest product to hit the shelves at Good Concepts is LED and SMD lighting. This low energy lighting uses less electricity, saving you money on your power bill and is more environmentally friendly as these lights contain no mercury. “We have a large range of lighting on offer to suit both residential and commercial requirements,” Mark said.

For more information about Good Concepts or their range of environmentally friendly products, please visit www.goodconcepts.com.au or see Mark in store at 58 Vulture Street, West End.

Photo: Good Concepts new store at 58 Vulture Street, West End, Brisbane.

Sunshine Coast based business LED Light Works – an innovative, energy efficient lighting business – is the latest company to join the growing hub of over 30 knowledge-based technology businesses the Innovation Centre supports.

LED Light Works, specialists in the production and sale of LED lights to the corporate, commercial, mining and industrial, and government markets, offer lighting solutions that use up to 90% less electricity and last up to 17 times longer than traditional lighting and in addition are fully recyclable.

LED Light Works Director and CEO Kevin Day said cutting-edge LED lighting represents the latest revolution in lighting technology since fluorescents were introduced nearly 70 years ago.

“A surprise meeting with a former colleague on a business flight sparked the idea to fill a niche in the market and offer a green, efficient alternative to traditional lighting” Mr Day said.

“The challenge is now to continue the development of LED technology and educate the engineers, architects and end users on the benefits, applications and implementation of this emerging technology.”

Mr Day said the company’s distribution model enables the corporate headquarters, R&D and design to be carried out in Australia with international distributors, manufacturing and quality control in South East Asia.

“This model allows us to maintain strategic control while accessing markets in countries such as Canada, the US, Chile and the United Arab Emirates” Mr Day said.

Queensland’s diverse cleantech industry generates more than $3.1B annually in revenue, employs over 12,500 people and exports over $125M worth of cleantech products and services annually.

The emerging cleantech sector, which includes energy efficiency, renewable energy, water & waste management and environmental services, is one of the Innovation Centre’s key focus sectors along with ICT, health technology and creative industries.

Innovation Centre CEO Colin Graham said “the Innovation Centre supports the creation of new jobs in new industries aimed at diversifying the local economy. Since 2002, we have assisted the start-up and growth of over 78 businesses, creating over 350 new jobs for the region.”

“The Innovation Centre offers an attractive location for innovative cleantech firms and is designed to provide business development support, connect like-minded entrepreneurs and promote valuable connections with the University of the Sunshine Coast” Mr Graham said.

Mr Graham said LED Light Works joins an impressive list of dynamic, entrepreneurial cleantech firms based at the Innovation Centre; including Auzion, sustainable energy management; Aquiba, water efficiency and Future-Plus Environmental, environmental management consultants.

“Locating to the Innovation Centre allows us to connect with the University with the potential to develop research partnerships, and with the opening of the new Engineering Training Facility this offers exciting opportunities for practical research capabilities and testing” Mr Day said.