commercial and retail bindi’s future secure...important part in the australian story’’ over...

10 — Centralian Advocate, Tuesday, July 31, 2012

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YEAR OF ENERGY CHAMPIONS

2012

Energy champion

of the week:

Centralian Records

Management

What’s your Energy

Champion story?

2/82 Todd St

Ph 8950 4350 alicesolarcity.com.au

Nominate to share it on our website.

“We’ve reduced our power bills by 60%”

After their energy survey

in December 2011,

Centralian Records

Management actioned

the following measures

with the aim of a net

zero energy building:

Installed a 10 kW

rooftop solar power

system, generating

up to 80% of their

energy needs

Installed voltage

controllers on

lighting circuits

Replaced their old

staff fridge with an

They expect to save over

$4,000 in electricity

costs this year � that�s

around a 14 tonne

saving in greenhouse

gas emissions.

COMMERCIAL AND RETAIL

Bindi’s future secure

Bindi Inc’s Norman Eastwood, Sandra Brown, Mel Henderson, Ollie Durnin, Dani Fizard,Paddy O’Donnell and Rodney Ingrim . . . merging with Lifestyle Solutions

Picture: COREY SINCLAIR

Mluleki Moyo

BINDI Inc, an Alice Springsinstitution, has been takenover after facing financialproblems, and its board ofdirectors has been dissolved.

This move by Lifestyle Sol-utions has been welcomed byBindi Inc employees, whobelieve it will give them skillsthrough training as well asmore control of their day-to-day work.

The merger is expected tocreate 17 more jobs at theBindi workshop, which cur-rently employs 17 peoplewith varying levels of dis-ability.

Lifestyle Solutions generalmanager Tony Still said theorganisation made the decis-ion to take over Bindi’s oper-ations after it was ap-proached by the board ofdirectors.

‘‘Bindi has been support-

ing people with disabilitiesfor 34 years. We have theability to support the busi-ness, to put in revenue toimprove the business and tobe a valuable part of thecommunity,’’ he said.

‘‘We will keep all existingstaff. The only two positionswe could not keep were thatof the chief executive andchief financial officer.

‘‘We also hope to openmore businesses to helppeople with disabilities getjobs. People with disabilitieshave abilities, and it is a caseof tapping those abilities.’’

Mr Still said they want toupgrade operations at Bindi.

‘‘We run a metal and wood-work workshop. We havehorticulture projects and anarts studio,’’ he said.

‘‘Apart from these up-grades, we will also give ouremployees a lot of training toimprove their careers.’’

Mr Still said Bindi wouldcontinue to trade under thesame name because ‘Bindi’had become an integral partof Alice Springs culture.

Bindi Arts co-ordinator

Mel Henderson welcomed

the move: ‘‘Merging is to our

advantage because we are

now under a national body.

We will also have access to

more training opportunities.

‘‘The focus on Bindi socialenterprise means each co-ordinator or staff memberhas more control of theirarea of responsibility.’’

Lifestyle Solutions oper-

ates in all states and territor-ies and employs more than1900 people.

Mr Still said they wereworking on overseas projectsas well.

View worth his SaltB E S T - S E L L I N Gauthor and demogra-pher Bernard Salt willshare his views on AliceSprings with businessand government at adinner on August 14.

Mr Salt, whose booksThe Big Shift, The BigPicture and ManDrought have at-tracted global mediaattention, says Aliceand the Outback will

play an ‘‘increasinglyimportant part in theAustralian story’’ overthe next decade.

‘‘But in order to bepart of that story, it iscrucial to develop skillsthrough further levelsof education,’’ he said.

Bernard’s views areregularly sought by thebusiness communityand media, and he’s acommon fixture on

radio and televisionprograms includingS u n r i s e , T o d a yTonight, A Current Af-fair, 60 Minutes andABC’s 7:30.

The dinner is at OurLady of the SacredHeart College’s MarionCentre at 6.30pm for7pm. Tables of 10tickets are $85 throughDymocks, or email

caef.info@gmail.com

Truck industry awardNOMINATIONS forthe trucking industry’sC r a i g R o s e n e d e rAward are now open.

The award recog-nises technical andmaintenance excel-lence in the workshopby an individual, andcelebrates the profess-ionalism of the menand women who workin trucking workshops.

The award will bepresented in Mel-bourne on October 15.

The winner will re-ceive a trip to theAmerican TruckingAssociation (ATA)’sTechnology and Main-t e n a n c e C o u n c i lannual meeting andTransportation Tech-nology Exhibition inFlorida.

ATA chief executiveStuart St Clair saidnominees would needat least five years’ ex-perience in the fieldand a high level of skilland dedication to theindustry.

Nominations must bereceived by September17. Visit the website

w w w . t r u c k . n e t . a u /

public/national-awards.

Spirit at heartof new spaceSteve Menzies

THE tapestry of lifeis a fabric woventhrough with a beautythat expresses itselfthrough art, craft, soul— and a communalspirit that celebratesindividuality.

A new shop, DiamondHeart Spiritus (DHS) inthe Yeperenye Centre,sets out to promoteexactly that — a spacefor communal con-nection, wellbeing forsoul, mind and bodyand an opportunity forl o c a l a r t i s t s a n dcraftspeople to promotetheir expressions ofindividuality.

Owner Felix Ezrahelsays visitors to the shopcan stop in for a tarotreading during whichthey can gain ‘‘revel-atory insights about(their) destiny’’.

‘‘You can receive ahealing that will freeyour soul to achieve itspotential and sootheyour heart for mind,emotion, body harmonyand wellbeing,’’ he says.

Enjoy a complimen-tary herbal qualitytea with every healingor reading.

Or wander throughthe colourful shop thatsells handmade crafts,beanies, jackets, bags,pois (glow sticks), devilsticks, paintings and in-

digenous art. Or ordery o u r o w n c u s t o mcrochet beanies andjackets; unique for youor a great special giftfor a loved one, familyor friend.

DHS seeks to pro-mote local talent, so ifyou would like to dis-play your crafts, arts ordesigns, contact Felix tomeet and discussyour creations.

On Sunday at 6.30pm,the shop will host ashamanic meditationjourney where youcan experience drum-ming and harmonicovertone chanting.

‘‘Join in an illuminat-ing experience, stayback for tea and a chatw i t h l i k e - m i n d e dpeople,’’ Felix says.

‘‘The shop is on tem-poral lease, so come infor a cuppa and let thecards reveal what isinfluencing your life,attain a state of well-being through a gentle-energy healing or graba unique garment thatis made from the heart,for your heart.’’

D i a m o n d H e a r tSpiritus is oppositethe Dick Smith storei n t h e Y e p e r e n y eShopping Centre.

It is open from 10amto 6pm. Contact Felixon 0402 721 757.

RFDS flying highon cups of coffee

RFDS general manager Michael Toomey and barista Tabitha Ruigrokjoin Commonwealth Bank branch manager Geoffrey Faulkner to try out

the coffee machine the bank donated

Mluleki Moyo

THE Alice SpringsRoyal Flying DoctorService has received acoffee machine worth$1000 from the Com-monwealth Bank aspart of the bank’scentenary year cele-bration.

Alice Springs Com-m o n w e a l t h B a n kB r a n c h m a n a g e rGeoffrey Faulknersaid the bank hadchosen the RFDS toreceive the gift to markthe 100th anniversaryof the first Common-wealth Bank branch’sopening in July 1912.

‘‘The Royal FlyingDoctor Service is avalued part of the localcommunity,’’ he said.

‘‘It is one of thelargest and most com-p r e h e n s i v e a e r o -medical organisationsin the world. Using thelatest in aviation,medical and commun-ications technology, itdelivers extensive pri-mary health care and24-hour emergencyservice to those wholive, work and travelthroughout Australia.’’

Mr Faulkner said thebank was now focusingon another 100 years of

community support.‘‘This is a fantasticinitiative that hasenabled us to make adifference to our localcommunity,’’ he said.

RFDS general man-ager for tourism andretail Michael Toomeysaid the money raisedthrough coffee saleswould be put back intothe organisation tohelp in its community

work. ‘‘It is a goodcause,’’ he said.

‘‘The money we raisethrough selling coffeewill help keep the fly-ing doctors flying.’’

R F D S b a r i s t aTabitha Ruigrok saidthe machine had comeat the right time andwas already making adifference.

‘‘We will use thedripolator to make

coffee for functions,’’she said.

‘‘This new machinehas come at the righttime because the onewe had didn’t work.

‘‘We have tour com-panies making book-ings here, coming tohave lunch here andwe cater for them all.

‘‘We make between150 and 200 coffeesa day.’’