A
weekly re-cap of the events that have made news in Cairns over the
past week.
Monday
August 13, 2001 27th Edition
The biggest
news of the weeks has been the death of failed business entrepreneur
Christopher Skase. The high flying businessman had a big effect
on Cairns and in particular Port Douglas, with high profile property
developments. His death has been met with mixed reactions, especially
as he never faced the Australian Courts to answer police charges
concerning the failure of his company, Quintex.
Mixed
response to Skase's death
Failed businessman Christopher Skase, had a major impact in the
development of Port Douglas. Many people attribute Skase with putting
Port Douglas on the face of the international tourism scene with
the building of the Sheraton Mirage and Marina Mirage. Many local
businesses suffered with the collapse of Quintex, Mr Skase's company,
and there are mixed emotions in the wake of his death. Some members
of the community feel that he should be honoured as a visionary
whilst others feel that he was a criminal who should have returned
to Australia to face police charges.
It is estimated
that the collapse of Quintex empire left approximately $5 million
unpaid to local building subcontractors in Cairns and Port Douglas
according to the National Sub Contractors Association, Queensland
Vice President, Mr Ron Crew.
A
lucky escape as light plan crashes at Cooktown
Four people escaped injury when the light plane they were travelling
in crash landed into forest as the Cessna 182 tried to land at Cooktown
Aerodrome. The cockpit of the plane was badly damaged and one wing
was torn off in the crash, which saw all of the four men on board
receive relatively minor injuries. The plan came to halt a few metres
from the crocodile infested Endeavour River.
James
Cook University tops list in research
North Queensland based James Cook University has been graded the
top regional Research University in Queensland in the nationally
distributed "Good Universities guide". The book is used by prospective
students to help choose a place to study and it identifies the strengths
and weaknesses of all Universities in the country. James Cook University
has a campus in Cairns and Townsville.
Duty
Free businesses set to expand
Duty free of tax free shops are traditionally only found in international
airports. Following a recent trial at the Cairns domestic airport
by duty free operator, Downtown Duty Free, these types of businesses
will soon start to appear in domestic airports around the Country.
The trial was very successful, with the large number of international
tourists travelling on domestic sectors considered a key factor.
Cairns
Taxi Company releases new look
Cairns local taxi company, Black and White Taxis, has unveiled new
look vehicles promoting a national telephone number for ordering
taxis - 131 008. The concept allows taxi customers to dial the same
number anywhere in Australia to order a taxi, eliminating the need
to look up taxi telephone numbers when travelling.
Ergon
Energy to improve work
The leading energy provider in North Queensland, Ergon Energy, have
announced plans to improve training and staff briefings before commencing
any work in environmentally sensitive areas following a number of
problems associated with land clearing in the area. Ergon Energy
Regional Operations Manager, Geoff Bowes, said the briefings would
be based on information contained in new environmental management
plans developed for fifty locations where electricity infrastructure
was located in Wet Tropic land.
Cairns
Cup kicks of the racing season
The Cairns Cup, held on Friday and Saturday (11th and 12th of July)
marks the official launch of the spring racing festival in Cairns.
This is the premier horse racing carnival in the Tropical North
and it also begins a festive period for Cairns with the Reef Festival,
which is held in September.
Dry,
cooler weather has its problems
Cairns has had an excellent winter, even if it has been a bit cool
for the locals. The down side to the cool days and clear nights
has been the increased risk of bush fires in the area. Back burning
has commenced in some of the more high risk areas, particularly
on the hill slopes. The bureau of meteorology has warned that the
clear weather is set to continue and they have encouraged home owners
to take extra precautions by clearing any vegetation that could
pose a fire risk.
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