8 July 2010…

The 2010 Port Douglas Carnivale advertising campaign, Taste.Watch.Dance.Play, has won a statewide award.

The campaign’s television commercials have won the SEVEN Queensland monthly production award.

Written and directed by Mia Lacy of Libra Communications, the commercials were produced at SEVEN Cairns in April 2010.

“We’ve received great feedback on the advertising campaign this year, with people telling us they enjoyed the theme Taste.Watch.Dance.Play. The commercials feature quality photography by Martine Cotton and graphic design by Chris Cotton, and a soundtrack song by Omid Master

They have really captured the spirit of Port Douglas Carnivale in each of the three 30 second advertisements,” said Mia Lacy.

Mia Lacy and her virtual advertising agency colleagues Richard & Sandy Chapelle and Willi Schultz jointly won the Queensland Multi Media Award 2009 for best overall campaign for ‘Which Way Our Way’ for Queensland Health last year

“A PIECE OF PARADISE – VINTAGE DOUGLAS SHIRE” EXHIBITION at the COURT HOUSE MUSEUM for PORT DOUGLAS CARNIVALE 2010 OPENING DAY THURSDAY 20TH MAY

The Douglas Shire Historical Society is proud to be part of the Port Douglas Carnivale 2010 and the very special “A Piece of Paradise – Vintage Douglas Shire” photographic exhibition opens this Thursday, 20th May, at the Port Douglas Court House Museum in Wharf Street.

Over 30 historic photos, many of which have not been exhibited before, will give a taste of the former Douglas Shire in its prime vintages. Ranged along the verandah of the Australian Heritage-listed Court House Museum, pictures showing times of wealth and times of disappointment, people at work and people at play will feature in this unique exhiition.

In keeping with the vintage theme, Society members Vicki Thomas and Ken Keith went in search of photos from the district covering the 1920s to 1950s. This presented some challenges for Port Douglas because these were years of reduced activity and declining numbers – there were only 100 residents by the end of the period. It was a place sometimes called ‘The ghost town that refused to die’. Gone were the days being of a busy port for the hinterland and yet to come was tourism’s discovery of this piece of paradise.

In keeping with the local theme, Vicki and Ken have even arranged for special local ‘sandbags’ to hold the display boards against the afternoon breezes on the verandah – Mossman Mill sugar bags filled with local sand will make sure the exhibition stays firmly in place.

The Museum will be open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 2pm. Volunteers from the Historical Society will be on hand at all times to welcome locals and visitors.

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS IN PORT DOUGLAS

The celebrities are coming to Port Douglas Carnivale. A very familiar blonde has been sighted on Four Mile Beach and at the Sugar Wharf. ‘Marilyn Monroe’ aka Natalie Boyd said she was enjoying the balmy weather and looking forward to meeting the locals over the weekend.

“I’ll be attending a few events this weekend, I hope to meet some locals while I’m here and maybe add to my diamond collection. I’m very fond of diamonds, you know,” Miss Marilyn said.

Miss Marilyn will make her first special guest appearance on the red carpet at the opening Hollywood Gala at the Sugar Wharf on Thursday night. Event organisers are transforming the heritage-listed building into a movie world fantasy where Miss Marilyn will feel right at home and are expecting to draw a good crowd.

“The gala opening is being staged by the award winning team at Port Douglas Catering Events who are well used to doing highly glamourous events for the meetings, incentives and conference industry here. This is a chance for people to attend a high end event first hand without the usual price tag that corporates pay for such an experience,” said Ken Dobbs.

The Sugar Wharf will also be used during the 10 day festival as the official Carnivale Club venue where nightly entertainment will appeal to all tastes.

“We know there’s a demand for a venue where people can kick on, so we’ve set up Carnivale Club to be the zone – it will start with nightly Sunset Sessions between 5 and 7pm and then be used for different events such as the Carnivale Food Fight where eight local chefs will battle it out. We think that one might get quite heated!” said Ken Dobbs. “Each night there’s something different on at Carnivale Club – from acoustic sets to jazz caberet with the 1RAR band to the songwriters challenge to a wine tasting by Stuart Blackwell, the chief winemaker from St Hallets.”

On Friday, Miss Marilyn will join other visiting celebrities Mark Waugh, Libby Tricket and Karl Stefanovic at the Sheraton Mirage Longest Lunch. “I’ve heard this year’s theme is to lunch like a celebrity, and I’ve had some practice at that, you know. I fondly remember one wonderfully long lunch with a chap whose initials were JFK,” she said.

Come and kick off Carnivale 2010 in style. The Sugar Wharf. 6 pm – midnight. $50.00 presold, $60.00 at the door. Tickets include a superb meal. 18 years + only.

Securely buy and print
your tickets for
the Hollywood Carnivale Opening Gala
HERE

Media Release – Port Douglas 16 May 2010

MISS CARNIVALE PAGEANT’S POPULAR WINNERS

Photo Caption: New Port Douglas Carnivale Ambassadors L-R: Samantha Robertson (Miss Charity Carnivale), Sophie Stevenson (Miss Carnivale 2010) and Melanie Boon, winner of the People’s Choice Award.

A trio of local lovelies have been chosen from a field of eight contestants in the 2010 Miss Carnivale pageant.

The three new ambassadors of Port Douglas Carnivale 2010 will be Miss Carnivale 2010 Sophie Stevenson, Miss Charity Carnivale Samantha Robertson, and winner of the People’s Choice Award, Melanie Boon.

Port Douglas born and bred Sophie, aged 19, has worked as a PA to the directors of the LJ Hooker Port Douglas franchise for the last three years. She believes Miss Carnivale has been an excellent opportunity to grow on a personal level and to be recognised as a member of her community.
“I am looking forward to getting out there and meeting lots of new people. I am thrilled to be an ambassador for the Douglas region because I’ve lived here all my life and this is somewhere I’ll always call home. We have such a fantastic sense of community spirit in this town. Everyone is continually showing support to the various organisations and events in the area, and I’d like to think that by participating in Miss Carnivale I am able to help give back a little something to the community in my fundraising efforts by helping promote the local businesses and also the Carnivale festivities,” she said.

The contestants had a fundraising goal during the past weeks, and Sophie conducted cup cake sales, pie drives and raffles. A percentage of the monies raised by the entrants is being donated to raising awareness of breast cancer.

Samantha Robertson, aged 19, won the Miss Charity Carnivale title in a very close contest. Samantha raised over $3,000 on her own by auctioning donated prizes and merchandise. She has lived in Port Douglas for eight years and has worked at the Hogs Breath Cafe for the past three. “To be an ambassador for Carnivale is an honor and is already giving me a fantastic insight into many wonderful ideas that may lead me down future career paths. Most of all, the experience and fun of making great new friends is what I am enjoying,” says Samantha.

The total raised by Miss Carnivale 2010 was almost $10,000, which was an increase of 25% on last year’s inaugural event. Port Douglas Carnivale spokesperson, Ken Dobbs, said the funds would be well used in organisation and entertainment for the Macrossan Street Parade and the Four Mile Beach Day.

“These eight contestants have done the community proud over the past weeks and the substantial financial contribution they have made will be a major factor in the success of these two signature Carnivale events,” he said.

This year’s pageant was judged by Trent Evans, producer/journalist at SEVEN Cairns; Kim Hurley, presenter at Radio Port Douglas; Doug Ryan, executive officer at Tourism Port Douglas & Daintree and Eileen Rothwell, features editor at The Cairns Post.

Miss Carnivale 2010 wins a prize package including accommodation at Thala Beach Lodge, a Sailaway cruise and a pampering rejuvenation experience for two from Hibiscus Spa Resort.

Eileen Rothwell said the Miss Carnivale 2010 winner, Sophie Stevenson, shone during the pageant. “We couldn’t fail to notice that Sophie’s inner and outer beauty really shone through. She has a lovely vibrant personality, and clearly has the ability to engage well across a wide range of people,” she said. “Miss Charity, Samantha Robertson, was very poised and lovely and deserves her title for raising an amazing amount of money in such a small community,” said Eileen Rothwell.

The masquerade ball was held in the Rydges Sabaya Grand Ballroom on Saturday 15th May 2010 and attracted around 100 guests, many of whom took the opportunity to dress in masquerade. Mossman dancers, Bodies in Motion, entertained the audience, and event organiser Corrine Durie and M.C. Dave Evans compered the event. ENDS….

ROCK N BLUES BLASTS TO BEX MARSHALL

Organisers of the Carnivale Rock N Blues Bonanza have just announced UK’s Bex Marshall will take to the stage at Rex Smeal Park on May 23rd at this inaugural event. Kim Hurley from Radio Port Douglas said having Bex Marshall on the bill was a huge bonus, and resulted from a late line up change when Jesse Dean Freeman was unable to attend the gig. “Bex is currently touring Australia and we are smiling broadly that she is onboard!” said Kim Hurley.
Bex has been to Port Douglas once before and is thrilled to be coming back.

“I just visited recently and I played live on Radio Port Douglas in fact,” she says. “I had such a fantastic time in Port that I’m really delighted to be playing Rock N Blues – I was blown away by the whole laid back vibe and the top people I met there – this gig will give me time to rock out a bit longer with the coolest cats in Queensland. I think real roots blues goes down well in Port Douglas; no gimmicks people like the real deal and I aim to give it to em in abundance!” she said.

Described as “an explosion of blue hot acoustic slide roots/rock, poker twisted with a whippin’ of Bluegrass” Bex is a versatile guitarist with a unique earthy melting pot of a voice. Her outstanding virtuoso guitar playing is a mixture of exposed blues and ragtime frails augmented by her stunning whiskey soaked vocals and diverse, but always poignent writing.

A Devonshire lass now residing in London, she is the product of two completely different family’s, one blue blooded landed gentry, the other Irish Romany’s she had a great live musical background growing up, at every family gathering her uncles would play for the family, she was given a 1973 Gibson Hummingbird when she was 11, classical guitar playing was her first passion, she got hooked on instrumentals and classical guitar standards which stretched her fingers and gave her a great basis for her own musical creations to develop, flamenco, ragtime, country chicken pickin, rock and on to blues, roots and slide/dobro which she plays on an Ozark 3515E Electro Acoustic Biscuit resonater, wood body with a lipstick pickup and a cutaway through a Fender Frontman 25R (with reverb).

She always had a passion for travelling, its in her blood and she trainer as croupier 18 and began her travels around the world which inspired her song writing, from dealing illegal poker games in Amsterdam to hitch hiking the coast of Australia alone on cattle trains, always with a guitar on her back. She is an adventuress, a writer, seasoned guitar player and passionate vocalist, her musical influences are varied and many although comparisons have ranged from JJ Cale to Hendrix and Derek Trucks, and her music has been described a….“Bonnie Raitt and Led Zep jamming in an everglade moonshine joint”.

She is a troubadour, telling her tales with humour and wit, honesty and slang, a musical inspiration, poetry to blues, an instrumental turbine of melody, people gawp at her fearless playing.

Bex Marshalls recent Australian release ‘Kitchen Table’ is a mix of roots, rock rags entwined with bluegrass frails and home down blues slide and has recieved stunning reviews to date and has special guest players Don Wayne and Dale Reno from Hayseed Dixie.

Her song writing is highly praised in her latest album reviews….“Touches of genius” “Staggering” ‘Intelligent and interesting’, ‘Timeless’

‘…sounds like a breakthrough album’– Rock n Reel (R2) UK

‘…Marshalls album is of such class and maturity, without an apparent weakness or filler’ – Blues Matters UK

‘…As a writer she’s mastered the art of making new material sound like its been found in long forgotten vaults –Net Rhythms UK

‘..She has harnessed the power of the blues without resorting to cliche or plagarism – – Spiral Earth UK

Live she is outstanding, her solo show has the wow factor as her guitar playing is a totally unique fingerstlye incorporating blues slide, rock licks and bluegrass.

‘..Marshalls competent axework has Mark Knopflers feathery touch’ – LA Weekly US

‘…the blues ‘Black Guitar’ culminates in a slide guitar clamor Derek Trucks would be pleased to call his own’ – Downbeat Magazine US

..a younger version of Bonnie Raitt. Seldom do we hear such blues inflected rawness in female guitar players and its so refreshing to hear it done with such authenticity and assurance’ – Folk and Roots Magazine UK

Then there’s her voice….Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Joan Armatrading, Beth Hart, Bonnie Raitt….

‘…..Bex Marshall’s voice draws up the ghosts of old blues women’s heartaches’, Outlaw Magazine US

‘…the absolute stand out on this album is Marshalls vocals’ – Root of Rock Magazine NZ

‘….She has all those essential vocal frailties that make the difference between soul and soulful’, Folk and Roots Magazine UK

‘..deserves wider recognition for her spit and saw dust vocals and fluid resonator guitar licks…Classic Rock Magazine UK

CHOOSE A WINNING NAME FOR JOEY ’21′

Choosing just the right name for a very new tree kangaroo will win one lucky winner and their family a personal invitation to attend the 21st Birthday party of The Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary ‘Brunch with the Birds’ on Sunday 23rd May.

The baby tree kangaroo, a very vulnerable species, has just emerged from its mother’s pouch at The Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary.

The male Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo joey, which has been provisionally named “21”, is about 8 months old, and is a welcome sibling to his three-year old sister Demi.

The Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary is one of only two wildlife parks in the world to house the rare species, which is native to the region.

The Rainforest Habitat Curator Terry Carmichael said “21” is very important for the sanctuary’s breeding program as he is unrelated to the two other breeding age females in the collection.

“I do feel for the young man, as he has a lot of weight on his very small shoulders already, particularly as he won’t be at breeding age for another 3 years,” he said.

The Rainforest Habitat Curator Terry Carmichael said “21” is very important for the sanctuary’s breeding program as he is unrelated to the two other breeding age females in the collection.

“I do feel for the young man, as he has a lot of weight on his very small shoulders already, particularly as he won’t be at breeding age for another 3 years,” he said.

“The goal of our tree kangaroo breeding program is to increase the genetic diversity in the colony while increasing numbers.”

“Furthermore, we have an essential role to increase the awareness of rare animals such as this amongst the community. I have met local people who have not seen or let alone even heard of a Tree Kangaroo before, so we take our role as advocates for wildlife very seriously.”

The Rainforest Habitat is holding a naming competition for the joey, with the winner announced at a celebratory “Brunch with the Birds” Bash on Sunday 23rd May, as part of this year’s Carnivale celebrations.

The winner and their family will be invited to attend a naming ceremony at the celebration, unveiling a commemorative plaque at the Tree Kangaroo exhibit.

A local photo and memorabilia competition will also take place leading up to the celebration, where photos will be displayed in a collage.

The brunch will feature all of the delicious options from its famous Breakfast with the Birds buffet – eggs, bacon, tropical and exotic fruits, pastries, cereals – as well as celebratory champagne and birthday cake.

ENDS…

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MEDIA RELEASE

PALATES OF PORT – NEW CUISINE EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT…..

Port Douglas’ love affair with alfresco gourmet dining will be extended fully during this year’s Port Douglas Carnivale (20-30 May) with organisers announcing an all new cuisine event for this year’s program – Palates of Port.

Described as ‘Degustation under the Stars’, the event will see eight of Port Douglas’ finest restaurants and their chefs team up together: Bucci Ristorante; Head Chef – Shaun Malone, High Tide Beach Bistro Bar; Head Chef – Thomas Ahsendorf /Sous Chef – Phil Seely, Salsa Bar & Grill; Salsa Bar and Grill – Head Chef  Goran Zonai, 2 Fish Seafood Restaurant; Head Chef – Tommy Young, Bistro 3; Head Chef – Evan Seaward, Harrison’s Restaurant; Head Chef / Owner – Spencer Patrick and Sam Hiroki, Bel Cibo; Head Chef / Owner – Andy Gray, and Sakinah House Restaurant; Head Chef – Anthony Kramer.

Spokesperson Monique Leman said the event will showcase the exceptionally quality and high standards achieved by the restaurant industry in the region and is expected to become a signature event of Port Douglas Carnivale,

“The giant fig in Rex Smeal Park will be come the backdrop, accentuated with fairy lights, lanterns and up-lights of soft, atmospheric colours to create a magical setting for the eight course dinner. The area will be surrounded with white silk screens and at the base of the fig a small stage will provide the setting for each of the eight contributing chefs to demonstrate, in turn, how their dish is prepared and showcases the local produce which it incorporates. All the action will be displayed on a large projected screen so everyone will be able to see the preparation processes involved,” she said.

The climax of each dishes’ demonstration will be the serving of the dish from the on- location kitchen (built close by but out of view). To complete the menu, a team of local food and wine industry professionals will have matched the best of Australian wines with each of the eight courses.

“In conjunction with the theatre that will be created by the eight chefs demonstrating their dishes, the event will also be managed by MC Tammy Barker to ensure nothing is missed and the evening flows effortlessly,” said Monique Leman. ‘The MC will detail the menu’s dishes, conduct interviews with the chefs as they are working, and manage a program of entertainment during the night designed to enhance the atmosphere of celebration surrounding the event”.

Ms Leman said the evening was not about competition but co-operation between all the contributing chefs and their restaurants to illustrate Port Douglas is one of the best food destinations in Australia.

Palates of Port will take place on Friday 28th of May, 2010 at Rex Smeale Park commencing at 7.00pm. Tickets are $160 pp incl GST and available from www.carnivale.com.au.

Publicity:

Mia Lacy
T: 7 40578370
M: 0419771649
E: mia@libracommunications.com.au
W: www.libracommunications.com.au
P: Box 338 Trinity Beach Cairns QLD 4879