2 — Centralian Advocate, Tuesday, December 24, 2013 Alice Plaza 12 Days of Christmas Winners! Congratulations to the following winners from our Major Prize Draw conducted on Friday 20th December 2013. Thank you to all who entered. Kate, Tamara and all of the Alice Plaza Traders would like to wish everyone a happy, safe Christmas and look forward to seeing you again soon. 1st Prize – 5 Seater ‘Relaxer’ Spa valued at $8,000. Joan Evans. 2nd Prize – Gold & Diamond Ring valued at $4,415. Steve Cole. 3rd Prize – Pacific Island Cruise valued at $3,000. Sam Day. www.transport.nt.gov.au DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT MVR CENTREPOINT OFFICE CLOSURE TUESDAY 31 DECEMBER 2013 As of close of business Tuesday 31 December, the Motor Vehicle Registry Office located in the Centrepoint Building, Hartley Street will close. Following the closure, all customers wanting to obtain an EVIDENCE OF AGE CARD or DRIVER LICENCE will need to visit the North Stuart Highway Office, where a full range of MVR services are available . To ensure a high level of customer service is maintained in the Alice Springs Region, the following arrangements will be put in place: ĵ $QHZ4XLFNSD\VWDWLRQSURYLGLQJRQOLQHSD\PHQW and phone services will be available early 2014 at the Greenwell Building, 50 Bath Street Alice Springs. ĵ 7KH$XVWUDOLD3RVW5HWDLO2XWOHWVSURYLGHVVHUYLFHV where: - A licence renewal notice with a barcode has been received and a new photograph or eyesight test is not required. - A vehicle registration renewal notice with a barcode has been received and a roadworthy inspection is not required. ĵ &XVWRPHUVFDQDFFHVVDQXPEHURI095 4XLFNSD\VHUYLFHVWKURXJKZZZPYUQWJRYDXRU via phone on 1300 654 628. For more information, please contact the Department of Transport on 8951 5551. Tinh & Lan wish to thank all their valued customers for their patronage in 2013. We wish you all the best for Christmas and The New Year. 1900 Heffernan Rd 8952 8396 Alice Vietnamese Restaurant Fully licensed - Bookings essential Alice Vietnamese Restaurant will be closed 23rd, 24th & 25th December and re-open our normal hours from 26th December. We look forward to seeing you then. NEWS Reaching out to the needy Mluleki Moyo ALICE Springs churches are gearing up for Christmas and have vowed to make it a year to remember for many less-privileged children in and around Alice. John Flynn Memorial Uniting Church leader the Reverend Gerda Olafsen says the congregation has been very generous and that will make this year’s Christ- mas special. ‘‘We started preparing for Christmas four weeks be- fore and we call this the advent period which means waiting for Christ,’’ she said. ‘‘We work with one of Alice Springs’ biggest stores to collect gifts, which we then distribute to children with particular needs whose parents have limited means. ‘‘Well-wishers have been giving donations by placing gifts at Target where we have a Christmas tree. ‘‘Individual members of our congregation are very generous givers, they have supported the tear-fund very well.’’ Desert Life Church pastor Keith Ainge said prep- arations for Christmas were at an advanced stage and more than 40 families were going to get a hand from the church. ‘‘Christmas is a tie to cele- brations for families as well as individuals. ‘‘Given that there are many families that struggle, we endeavour to have mem- bers of the church bring food that is non-perishable. ‘‘We then make those into food hampers which we then give to people, some connected to the church, some not. ‘‘Our target group is any- one we realise needs a hand. ‘‘Usually we help between 30 and 40 people or families. ‘‘On Christmas day we will then hold a service from 9am to 10am.’’ Roman Catholic Father Jan Szweda there was a lot in store this Christmas both spiritually and socially. ‘‘Christmas is a religious event,’’ Father Szweda said. ‘‘Therefore spiritual prep- aration is paramount, the time of preparation is called Advent, and is aimed at preparing Catholics for cele- brating the birth of Christ. ‘‘A Christmas lunch was organised for senior par- ishioners. It was held at the OLSH College Bath Street campus on December 7. ‘‘The parish community raised $2500 to help needy families at the time of Christmas. Food hampers have been donated and the gifts would be distributed to children and families in town camps, as well as in outback communities. ‘‘This is done through the St Vincent de Paul Society.’’ Tellus mining managing director Duncan van der Merwe talks about salt core samples with NT Mining Minister Willem Westra van Holthe Picture: BARRY SKIPSEY They Tellus it’s a goer MINING REPORTER Sasha Petrova THE first exploratory drilling pro- gram in Australia’s largest under- ground rock salt deposit has returned viable edible and industrial salt samples. New player Tellus Holdings’ pro- posed Chandler Salt Mine project, 120km south of Alice Springs, has marked another step in the planning process with managing director Duncan van der Merwe saying he was ‘‘pleased with the results’’. After inspections of the samples, Mr van der Merwe said a leading salt expert ‘‘could spot no fatal flaws and he thinks we have a goer’’. With an exploration target of 4.5 to 5 billion tonnes, extending to 23,000 years of mine life, Tellus Holdings has seen expressions of interest from buyers in China, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. Mr van der Merwe said the company planned to sell mainly industrial salts, as well as high-value edible salts and fertilisers. ‘‘The industrial salts have got a lower sale value but there’s a much larger market,’’ he said. The company awarded the first drilling project to confirm assump- tions and volume of underground salts to local company Mitchell Services in early November as part of of its definitive feasibility study. Mr van der Merwe said the various phases of the project had already injected ‘‘a few million dollars into the local economy’’ and the ‘‘unlimited’’ supply of underground salt meant job opportunities for ‘‘generations’’. Tellus plans on lodging the appli- cation for a mining lease in April 2014. Ride Dr. Elephant into the new year HAVE you made plans for New Year’s Eve? Why not come down to the lawns of the Juicy Rump at Lasseters Hotel Casino and see in the new year the right way. With local musician Gareth Dawkins performing from 6.30pm, followed by Territory favourite Dr. Elephant, this event guarantees a great evening of live entertainment. Lead singer of Dr. Elephant, Damien Wicks said the band was looking forward to the gig. ‘‘I can’t wait, we love coming down to Alice Springs,’’ Damien said. Dr. Elephant first formed in 2000, and Damien who is the original member said the band had since ‘‘been through many incarnations’’. He is now joined by Danny Johnson on guitar, and Ben Robson the on drums. Playing a range of party favourites, this rock cover band is sure to have you on your feet. On the night there will also be fire- works at 9pm and midnight and a live DJ from 12.30am to continue the festivities well into the wee hours of 2014. Sarah Butler, the marketing manager at Lasseters Hotel Casino, and said that the free event would be fun for the entire family. Children are welcome until 10pm. CLARIFICATION AN article in Friday’s Centralian Advocate on a bus crash involving a Wayoutback Tours vehicle raised the point fatigue would be a key consideration in the investi- gation of the accident. Wayoutback Tours manager Don Wait was quoted in the article to say the company was waiting on information from the police investigation. At no point did Mr Wait suggest a possible cause of the accident. The article implies fatigue would be a key consideration in the investigation, as is consistent with such accident investigations.