Evelyn Bury awarded OAM for service to music

Georgia Neville

After working in music for the past 60 years, Evelyn Bury has been awarded an OAM for her service to the industry.

The Bundaberg country music singer has received some of the highest honours awarded to the Australian country music fraternity, now adding an Order of Australia Medal to her list that already includes a Golden Guitar.

The award came as a surprise to Evelyn, who said at first she thought the email was a joke.

“Wow, I mean at first when I saw the email I thought it was someone having a laugh but being recognised with this award means a lot to me,” Evelyn said.

“I have been in the music business for almost 60 years and so to get an award for something you love is amazing, I was blown away.

“Looking at the list, I am in some amazing company; I don’t quite feel I fit in with the crowd to be honest.”

Evelyn said she had called Bundaberg home for many years now and was not able to ask for a more supportive community.

“Bundaberg has always been such a supportive community and I wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else,” she said.

“I want to thank everyone for the wonderful response they have given to my music and since the OAM award has been announced.

“I also want to say thank you to my friends and family who have supported me every step of the way, even when my ideas may have been a bit out there.”

Connections and Golden Guitar highlights for Evelyn Bury

Evelyn said she has had many highlights during her time in the music industry and said that it was hard to pick just one standout.

“It is hard to pick a highlight as a lot of it has been the people that you work with and the people you meet,” she said.

“I was lucky that I was in an era where I was working with people like Smoky Dawson and Chad Morgan and that was quite surreal because I had looked up to them since I was a kid.

“I am going back over a long period of time but the Golden Guitar was a major highlight for me, as well as the song writing awards.

“They are also very nice to get because I recorded 40 of my own songs but for someone else to pick them up or get an award for them.”

Having entered the industry when she was just 16 years old, Evelyn said she had played across a number of genres with a wealth of experience behind her.

“I started when I was 16, mainly back then it was the local dances or the jazz clubs so you sang a variety of music like the wool shed dances it was always country,” she said.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed every part of the journey though.”

Evelyn said the recent Covid pandemic and the change to digital music streaming had changed the way the music industry operated.

“Once Covid hit, it made it very hard to tour as once you left one state, you couldn’t get back in and vice versa,” she said.

“It has forced me to start to put my feet up, but I feel for the younger generations who are trying to make a living.

“I feel blessed that I was in that era that I was in, as it is getting harder and harder.

“For example, there are hardly any record shops that sell CDs these days, instead you now put a single up on iTunes for $1.69.”

Evelyn Bury had one piece of advice for those who were trying to make it in the music industry with all the challenges in today’s world.

“My advice would be to hang in there,” she said.

“If you have that talent, you will get through.”

The Barn Wholefoods focused on healthy organic food

Emma Turnbull

The doors of Bundaberg’s newest health food store, The Barn Wholefoods, have opened with a focus on organics.

The Barn Wholefoods offers an organic and healthy range of food, including fresh organic produce and pantry items along with takeaway organic coffee.

Shaylea Small and her dad Brendan Coan came up with idea to open The Barn Wholefoods during a family dinner, and they’re excited to share the healthy new business with the community.

Born and bred in Bundaberg Shaylea said opening a small grocery store was something new for them both, and the local support they had already received had blown them away.

“As a nutritionist and a bit of a foodie I noticed that Bundaberg didn’t have a large range in the way of healthy, plant based and organic products,” she said.

“So, I really wanted to be able to bring that here.

“It was a bit of a leap for us – as neither of us have done this before.

“It was actually a bit of a shock to see the interest on Facebook before we’ve even opened.

“I worked at Woolies for a couple of years, and I’m really excited about this new venture.”

The 24-year-old said as the doors opened for the first time on Friday, 28 January, they served takeaway coffee and they would add smoothies and cold-pressed juice in the coming weeks.

“We will be offering a variety of products which are focused on organic, and supportive of specific dietary requirements,” Shaylea said.

“People can expect a friendly and helpful environment, we have a large range of products to suit a lot of individual needs.

“As well as a coffee window serving takeaway coffee and clean treats, with plans for cold press juice and smoothies also.”

Shaylea said anyone with an interest in both health and retail could drop their resume in.

“We are always open for anyone who has a passion for health, organics, or sustainability to apply or come in for a chat,” Shaylea said.

The Barn Wholefoods will be open seven days at 62 Takalvan Street.

Tattersalls Hotel award recognises inclusive hiring

Contributed

Tattersalls Hotel, or Tatts as it's known locally, has recently been recognised for its commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace through Epic Assist's Supportive Employer Recognition Award.

The award comes after director of the business Rohan Hill worked with the disability employment service provider to hire three staff members with disability, making equal opportunity employment a priority.

“It started off in cleaning. That was where we were looking, for cleaners in the accommodation business,” he said.

“From there we moved to maintenance and found a guy and it just kept going. We haven’t looked back.”

Working with a DES provider to hire staff with disability was something Rohan had never considered before taking over Tatts Hotel but since making inclusion a priority, he said he had found lifelong staff members that were proactive and independent.

“It’s been fantastic,” Rohan said.

“The staff are very well mannered. They put more effort into their work. I feel they actually want to be here.

“At first, they were very nervous, they didn’t talk much but now they think for themselves and will come up to me and say I can do this or that.”

Like many businesses, the hotel has had a rough trot over the past couple of years.

In July 2020 a tragic fire ripped through the corner pub, destroying the old hotel’s upper level in one clean sweep.

Rohan was determined to support his staff and keep them on the books during the hotel’s closure.

He scavenged up any work he could find so they wouldn’t be left behind – whether that be painting or doing general tasks.

Now, the team are back at work in the newly renovated pub and backpacker’s hotel.

“We’ve kept the same people on that we started with and they’ve just transitioned into our new business,” Rohan said.

For Rohan, he said one of the biggest advantages of working with EPIC Assist had been the personalised support.

“They are very supportive. They come around, visit us at least once a week, if not at least once a fortnight,” he said.

“They talk to the guys out here then come back to us if they have any problems.

“Or if we have any problems, we can ring EPIC and they’ll come out and solve the problem if there is one.”

Rohan said there were many benefits in working with a disability service provider.

“Inclusive hiring is good for every business,” he said.

“There’s a lot of roles you can use for people with disability. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. There’s lots of different jobs around.”

EPIC Assist helps businesses to prioritise diverse and inclusive hiring.

Culture blooms in Chinese Gardens

Morgan Everett

With Chinese New Year celebrations just around the corner learn more about the cultural elements showcased within the region’s Chinese Gardens.

Located in the Bundaberg Botanic Gardens,  it was established in 2008 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the region’s sister city relationship with Nanning.

Local resident Enya Xu has been visiting the Chinese Gardens since its beginning and highlights the elements of cultural significance.

The significance

Enya said a love of gardens came from the representation of harmony and balance between nature and culture. The aim is to create a beautiful garden highlighting the wonders of nature with a human touch.

The lotus flower

The lotus flower is important to Chinese culture as it represents a lady’s pure character.

“This is because lotus seeds will fall into the bottom of the river and go into the mud and although it’s very dirty in the mud, when the lotus flowers, they’re just so pure and beautiful,” Enya said.

The traditional gentleman

Carvings can be seen on each side of the bridge when entering the Chinese Gardens.

“These carvings represent four types of plants that traditionally resemble traits of a typical gentleman, which include honesty, being pure and not showing off,” Enya said.

“The plants featured include the chrysanthemum, bamboo, orchid and peach blossom.”

We are united

The large rock originates from Nanning and was split in two so that each side could feature the same inscription in both languages.

“It’s meaning is that we came from two continents, different cultures, but basically we are the same,” she said.

“We are united.”

The dragon and phoenix

The top of the gate at the entry of the Chinese Gardens represents the dance of the dragon and the phoenix.

“Looking closely, you can see the dragon and phoenix facing each other doing a dance because they are so symbolic in the Chinese culture, it’s like a totem for us,” Enya said.

The river of Nanning

“As you go through the gate, there's a really big red Chinese character on the floor,” she said.

“It says Yong, which is the name of the main river that goes through the city of Nanning.”

Lady of the garden

“There's a really, really big rock at the end of the bridge and it was selected by one of the officials for Bundaberg,” Enya said.

“It is one big piece of rock, and it resembles a beautiful lady looking over the whole Chinese Gardens.”

The sounds of hope

During Chinese New Year Enya said people would go to the temple and ring the bells 100 times to make the sound of hope.

“I think the resonance of the bell is kind of like the history and the past and as the sound goes further away it also carries the meaning of future and hope,” she said.