The founder of a retirement community with a difference near Caboolture has been named as Telstra’s Australian Business Woman of the Year.

Natasha Chadwick is CEO of NewDirection Care at Bellmere which is a real village in the truest sense of the word.

Natasha tells Mark she now hopes she can use the award to drive real and overdue change in the aged care industry.

The passing of Bob Hawke has been met with glowing tributes to a man, who in many ways, was the embodiment of what it means to be an Australian.

Testament to his impact on the country was the almost universal love and respect he was met with in his career after politics.

That was perhaps never more on display than when he became a regular visitor to the Woodford Folk Festival.

Festival director Bill Hauritz tells Mark he had to be dragged to his first festival but quickly became a true Woodfordian.

Tomorrow is National Walk Safely to School Day when children and parents are encouraged to make at least make the last kilometre of the journey to the school gate on foot.

It comes as new research shows only 12 per cent of school children get the recommended one hour of ‘huff and puff’ exercise a day.

Dr Natasha Schranz from Active Healthy Kids Australia tells Mark it is not just about improving the physical health of kids but if they are fitter they perform better in the classroom.

India can be a feast for the sight and the senses with incredible scenery, unfamiliar fragrances and teeming masses.

As managing director of Journey’s Worldwide there are few places and experiences Sean Lues hasn’t enjoyed, but he’s just returned from his first visit to India.

Sean tells Mark it was an experience like any other and sights like the Taj Mahal actually has to be seen to be believed.

Lawns bowls clubs in Brisbane are increasingly on life support as memberships and playing numbers drop and finances tighten.

The latest facing the prospect of closure is the Cannon Hills Bowls Club and if it goes down it will join a growing list of failed clubs in the Moorooka Bowls Club and the Sunnybank Bowls Club.

The Labor opposition on the Brisbane City Council is calling for Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner to step in but he’s dismissed the suggestion as “deluded”.

Labor’s Steve Griffiths tells Mark that many of the clubs are leased from the council and it must share some responsibility to make sure they remain viable.

Peak flu season is yet to officially begin but already this year in Queensland 25 people have died from the virus and that number is thought to be an underestimate.

Medical authorities are concerned 2019 could easily eclipse the 2018 toll of 43 influenza deaths in the state.

Queensland’s chief medical officer Dr Jeanette Young says there are actually four flu viruses in the mix and people need to be vaccinated now.

Social media, especially twitter, is playing an increasing role in election campaigning but not all parties are equal when it comes to attracting eyes.

Researchers at QUT have been tracking twitter use for the last three federal election cycles and since the this election was called have analysed more than 1.1 million tweets.

Professor Axel Bruns from the Digital Media Research Centre tells Mark the twitterverse isn’t as interested in the Coalition as it is in Labor and the independents are getting more cut through than in the past

Southbank is set to cement its reputation as Australia’s premier cultural precinct with the unveiling of plans for a new $150 million theatre as part of QPAC.

The new theatre will offer between 1,500 and 1,600 seats and is expected to be completed in 2022.

QPAC Chair Professor Peter Coaldrake explains to Mark that the theatre will deliver an estimated 260 additional performances a year.

We all have a right to privacy but in the age of drones, biometrics and big data it is increasingly difficult to keep yourself to yourself.

This week is Privacy Awareness Week while 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of the Right to Information Act and Information Privacy Act in Queensland.

Queensland’s Privacy Commissioner Philip Green tells Mark that people need to think before they click if they want to protect their privacy.

Scientists have long understood that some mental illnesses are the result of genetics but the problem has been identifying which genes are responsible.

A team at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane has now identified 70 previously unknown genes linked to conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and ADHD.

Professor Eske Derks led the research and tells Mark the discoveries hold the promise of genetic testing for mental illness.