In brief
THE Southern Downs has ranked sixth in the state for obese residents, according to research by the University of Adelaide.
There are 3841 obese and 4709 overweight males and 4376 obese and 3360 overweight females residing in the Southern Downs Regional Council area, the study showed.
The Banana Shire was the highest ranking in the Sunshine State.
The information is modelled from data taken from the Australian Health Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics from 2011 to 2013.
It comes as two leading Sydney surgeons on Monday called for weight loss surgery to be taxpayer-funded to help ease the future burdon of obese people on the public health system.
Study support
APPLICATIONS are now open for two $1000 bursaries for local school-leavers heading off to university.
The Queensland Country Women’s Association Condamine Valley Warwick Branch provides the scholarships each year for students who have completed grade 12.
The applicant must reside in the QCWA border division, which includes Inglewood, Texas, Stanthorpe, Wallangarra, Killarney, Clifton, Leyburn and Karara, and Warwick.
Application forms are available from the Condamine Valley Warwick tea room.
Entries close on 31 January 2015.
For more information contact 4661 2966, Monday to Friday, 9am to 2pm.
Learning skills
TENTERFIELD Child Care Centre has been granted $39,592.61 to upskill its child care educators.
The funding is available until June 2017 to support long day care services and educators’ training costs related to National Quality Framework requirements.
New England MP Barnaby Joyce welcomed the funding totalling more the $1 million granted to 26 long day care services across the New England electorate.
“This includes specific support for early childhood teachers and regional, rural and remote services to address respective skill shortages,” Mr Joyce said.
“We want to help as many long day care services as possible deliver high-quality education and care for local families by ensuring they can afford to train and educate staff up to the new national child care standards.”
