Schoolkids Bonus

From January next year, the Schoolkids Bonus will be automatically paid to families in two instalments each year – before terms one and three. It will replace the Education Tax Refund.

Lindsay MP David Bradbury said this will help with uniforms, books, school excursions, stationery, music lessons or sports registration fees.

Eligible families will receive $410 for children in primary school, and $820 for children in full-time secondary study.

Details: www.humanservices.gov.au/schoolkidsbonus or 132 468.

EnviroMentors

Primary schools will be visited by EnviroMentors in the coming weeks in a program for primary schools run by Penrith Council.

The workshops will show children through games and quizzes the steps they can take to help keep Australia beautiful.

Details: www.kabnsw南京夜网.au.

Spelling Bee

A record 120,000 primary school students from 800 NSW schools are expected to take part in the 2012 Premier’s Spelling Bee.

Premier Barry O’Farrell said the Spelling Bee gives students in years 3 to 6 an opportunity to improve their literacy skills by spelling in a fun and educational way.

There are two divisions in which students compete: a junior division for students in years 3 and 4, and a senior division for years 5 and 6.

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There was a strong turnout of youngsters and their families, with Melbourne Victory players having a busy day teaching the up-and-coming junior soccer players a few of their tricks at a soccer clinic held at Valley Road Stadium, Devonport yesterday.

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Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest

Pop Art Printmaking: July 11, 10am to noon, ages 9-12, $15 a student. Experiment with different printmaking techniques then mount your artwork in a cardboard frame.

Magnificent Marbling and Card Making: July 11, 10am to noon, ages 5-9, $15 a student. Discover the art of marbling then make a stationery and card set.

Paper Clay Sculpture: July 12, 10am to noon, ages 5-8, $15 a student. Design a paper clay sculpture to hold your pencils, erasers and paper clips.

Paper Characters: July 12, 10am to noon, ages 5-9, $15 a student. Create a stackable, puzzle-cube character.

Paper-Tile Mosaic: July 13, 10am to noon, ages 8-12, $15 a student. Learn to make mosaics using paper tiles.

Still Life Watercolours: July 13, noon to 3pm, ages 15-18, $35 a student.

Details: 4735 1100.

Penrith Library

Cartooning Workshops, July 2: Stupid Sea Creatures, 10.30 to 11.30am; Gross Cartooning, noon to 1pm; $12 a child, ages 7-13.

Planetarium Workshops: July 3, 10.30am to 11.30am, noon-1pm, $10 a child,

ages 6-12.

GULP!: July 4, Mime, music, and comedy, 10.30am to 11.20am. $5 a person.

Art Boot Workshop: July 10, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, $15 a child, ages 7-13.

Sparkles Magic Show: July 11, from 10.30am to 11.20am, $5 a person.

Teen Origami Workshop: July 12, ages 12-16, make a variety of shapes. 12.30pm to 2.30pm, $15 each. Tickets from the service desk.

Westfield Penrith

Team Looney Live Show: July 9-13, 11am and 1pm, Centre Court, free.

Details: 4721 4354.

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MR White said his journey began in 2002, when he decided to invent a machine that could remove the rust efficiently.

For four years he and his team experimented with different elements.

“In 2007 we made 10 prototypes of the TIG Brush,” Mr White said. “I was making them in my garage in Faulconbridge. We had lots of problems, but customers still liked the brushes which they said were safe and fast.”

However Ensitech, founded in 2006, was still not making a profit.

“In 2008 we put our last few dollars into the annual National Manufacturing Week in Sydney,” Mr White said.

“We ended up with 200 customers.”

He said Ensitech, which now employs nine permanent staff, has never looked back.

“We’re now exporting to Europe, Japan and Taiwan,” he said. “In 2009 we won MyBusiness Magazine’s Small Business of the Year Award.”

Mr White says his company’s success shows that Australian manufacturers can compete internationally, not by cutting costs but by enhancing quality.

“We’re adding value, rather than digging something out of the ground,” he said. “I think Australia could become the Germany of the Southern Hemisphere.”

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EVERY loss hurts, but our loss against Parramatta was especially disappointing.

To be in the lead by so much and then let the game slip away is unforgivable.

We just switched off and let the intensity go and the Eels got the best of us in the end.

It’s unfortunate to lose like that in front of such a great crowd on such a special occasion.

We were the first club to “go pink” for Women in League and it’s something we still love doing.

My beautiful wife took over ground announcing duties alongside Andrew Voss and I think you will all agree she did an amazing job, I’m extremely proud of her.

I’m back in Origin camp and the excitement is building for our Game 3 of the series.

It’s brilliant to have Michael Jennings and Tim Grant back by my side.

The feeling in camp is awesome, there is a real brotherhood here and I firmly believe we can beat Queensland and win the series.

I hope you all get 100 per cent behind the Blues and help cheer us on.

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From humble beginnings: Ensitech’s managing director Clive White with his invention, the TIG Brush, which has become a world-wide export success. Picture: Gary WarrickEMU HEIGHTS-based manufacturer Ensitech started in a garage in Faulconbridge and is now exporting its product around the world.

Its Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Brush cleans rust off damaged stainless steel without using toxic materials.

“We combine electricity with chemistry and heat,” Ensitech’s managing director Clive White said.

“We use a safe fluid as well.”

He applied a TIG Brush to a metal surface and the rust instantly dissolved into a shiny black liquid.

“When they weld sections together on stainless steel, the heat gets rid of the chromium, which is what prevents rust,” Mr White said.

“That’s why on stainless steel objects you’ll see the joints are often rusted.”

He said traditional metal cleansers are acid-based, which are potentially harmful to workers and the environment.

“They usually use Pickling Paste, a combination of nitric and hydrofluoric acid,” Mr White said. “Nitric acid can leach calcium from the bones, so that’s dangerous. People often then just wash the acid away, so it’s bad for the environment.”

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Best yet: Lachlan Coote agreed his performance last weekend was one of his strongest this season. Picture: Gene RamirezTHEY’RE looking to cook up a rabbit stew but Lachlan Coote says the Panthers’ metre-eaters must first devour plenty of distance and resistance before the team can enjoy their desired delicacy.

Ahead of their round 17 clash against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium on Sunday afternoon, Coote said he was “pretty confident” of a victory.

But he added that a win would fall off the menu if the Panthers’ forward pack can’t out-muscle their opposition’s powerful hard hitters.

“We’ve just got to shut their go-forward down because they’re all pretty big dudes,” Coote said.

“Obviously they’ve got plenty of good go-forward and hopefully our forwards can match up.”

While the Panthers will receive somewhat of a reprieve with Rabbitohs’ sensation Greg Inglis and second rower Dave Taylor set to miss the match due to State of Origin duties, Penrith will also be without lock Luke Lewis, centre Michael Jennings and prop Tim Grant for the same reason.

And then there’s absence of injured five-eighth Travis Burns, and injured prop Sam McKendry, while injured halfback Luke Walsh will be given “every chance” by coach Ivan Cleary to prove himself fit before kick-off.

“It’s going to be a tough game,” Coote said.

“As it showed before, we struggled without our Origin players.

“But I think the guys stepping up into their positions are going to do the role for them.”

Recovering from the heartbreak of their golden point loss to the Parramatta Eels on Saturday night, Coote said there was one positive the side would carry into their clash with the Rabbitohs.

“Our attack was good in parts so we’re going to take plenty of confidence off that,” he said.

“I felt that our communication between our halves and all our outside backs was good so we’ve just got to work on that this week, get our attack right, and I think we should be fine.”

As he also bounces back from being temporarily dropped to the Windsor Wolves two weeks ago, Coote said the demotion had been a significant wake-up call. “It was a bit of a kick and I had to turn my perspective on being a first grade footballer,” he said.

“I thought I was doing all the right things but obviously I wasn’t doing enough.

“Ivan’s a different sort of coach than what we’ve had in the past.

“It is a bit of a change but I think it’s a good change for us.”

¦ Kick-off against the Rabbitohs is 3pm.

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THE Liberal Party will not field candidates under the party banner for Penrith local government elections in September.

The move shocked one local Liberal Party member, who wanted to remain anonymous.

“We all have to abide by the decision, but I think it’s a poor decision,” he said.

He said given the high Liberal vote at last year’s state election and current good polling, the party stood a good chance of winning a majority on Penrith Council.

He said he believed Liberal Party factional differences were behind the decision.

“That’s why the Liberals have done themselves no favours federally either,” he said.

NSW Liberal Party head office refused to comment on the decision.

One Liberal councillor the Star spoke to also refused to comment and other Liberal councillors did not return the paper’s calls.

Labor councillor John Thain said he was surprised by his opponents’ decision.

“Why wouldn’t they endorse candidates?” Cr Thain said.

“There’s obviously a lot of ill feeling there.

“If Liberals standing as independents end up a majority on the council, that bad blood could spill over.”

Penrith Liberal state MP Stuart Ayres said it did not matter what brand good candidates used for local government elections.

“I’m confident we’ll see lots of Liberal Party members running for Penrith Council,” Mr Ayres said.

“Local government elections are about who best serves the local community.

“The focus is about providing good services.”

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PENRITH’S Office of the Hawkesbury-Nepean will revert to the NSW Office of Water, which resumes sole responsibility for the river.

And no staff are going to lose their jobs.

Penrith state MP Stuart Ayres said it was the best move because the Hawkesbury-Nepean office had not achieved what it was meant to.

“We saw staff and resources moved from the Office of Water to a new office but I think it was a move in name only,” he said.

“If the previous government had funded it appropriately it might have survived.

“But I don’t think the name Hawkesbury-Nepean means we get anything better.”

Penrith Labor councillor John Thain, who stood for Penrith last year, called on the council to protest against the decision.

“I’m happy the staff haven’t lost their jobs and have been transferred to the Office of Water,” he said.

“But it’ll be the same way of looking after our river as it was before.

“The Office of Water would argue about who was responsible for aquatic weeds.

“They’d say it was the Department of Agriculture.

“They’d just duck-shove it all over the place.

“The Hawkesbury-Nepean office would say they were responsible for the river and bring all the agencies together.”

He said an alternative might be to transfer responsibility to the Hawkesbury River County Council.

He accused the government of seeking cheap solutions.

Mr Ayres said the government aim was unashamedly one of ensuring that funds were properly targeted.

He said it might be better to spend the money saved on the river itself.

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Game on: Michael Jennings is hoping for the first NSW Origin series win in seven years. Picture: Gene RamirezTHE last time NSW won a State of Origin series, Michael Jennings was a St Dominic’s College student still two years away from making his first grade debut.

Next Wednesday night, the now 24-year-old will be trusted to add fuel to the Blues’ merciless assault on Queensland in the landmark Origin decider that can gift NSW their first Origin series triumph in seven years.

Playing under the wrath of Suncorp Stadium spectators, Jennings will be ready to ignite a dream he’s chased since making his NSW debut three unsuccessful series ago.

“It’s been too long,” Jennings said.

“It is going to be tough but it will be great to stick it up to them up there.

“We’ve got a job on our hands and it’s looking good for NSW.”

Joining Jennings in the Origin showdown will be his Panthers allies Luke Lewis and Tim Grant, the latter of whom Jennings has played rugby league with since they became teammates in the St Marys Junior Rugby League under-11s side in 1999.

Having shared the journey from juniors at The Kingsway playing fields in St Marys to Blues representatives, Jennings said it was no coincidence they stood side by side while the pre-game national anthem was sung prior to Grant’s NSW debut at ANZ Stadium.

“It was always the plan for me and Timmy to stick together,” he said.

“I grew up with him and played a lot of footy with him so it meant a lot to get the opportunity to play with him at a high level.

“To see us both up there and to see him succeed in that high level is a great feeling.”

Despite defeating Queensland 16-12 in game two, Jennings said the Blues refused to let the victory blur their focus on the ultimate prize.

They’ve watched the State of Origin shield being raised into the air by their arch-rival like some sort of annual tradition.

“We were humble about the win because everyone knew we had a job in game three,” Jennings said.

Since arriving at the NSW camp on Monday, Jennings has joined the side in training sessions, the customary team photo and a skills clinic with rugby league juniors.

He said the 10-day Origin lead-up was always made great by the company of a playing group who have an extraordinary amount of pride in, and passion for, the Blues’ jumper.

“It’s a close group so it’s always good to go into camp,” he said.

“It’s great to get away and spend some time with the boys.”

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