Flight Centre’s slip and slide party a huge success

IN an age where most businesses won’t even let their staff go bowling without signing waivers, this Brisbane-based company isn’t giving up its famous slip and slide office party.

On the great big slide to Christmas

FLIGHT Centre’s famous slip and slide party was a huge success yesterday, with a record 30 staff launching themselves down the corridor of the company’s Brisbane HQ. Props to Graham “Skroo” Turner’s crew for continuing with the event in an age when most companies won’t allow their staff to go bowling without reading the health and safety handbook and signing disclaimers.Your diarist did however note two safety officers wearing high-vis vests patrolling the slide that was lubricated with soap suds. The wining male slider was Jack Conway, a former Olympic hurdler. Amy Tayt won the women’s slide off.

Ho, ho hamper

IF there is such a thing as a Christmas Hamper Barometer, the economy does not appear to be in too bad shape. We hear hampers of yuletide goodies including champagne, wine, chocolates and fruit are being despatched to corporate clients in larger numbers this year. Rory Boyle, from Melbourne-based Hampers With Bite, says he has already sold out of hampers this year. Boyle says top shelf hampers, costing up to $300, are less popular this year as belts are tightened, but overall numbers are up. He declined to say how many baskets he has sent out. Companies in the finance and recruitment sectors are the most generous while orders from those in the manufacturing and mining sectors are down. Debbie Swalling, from Brizzie Baskets and Blooms, say she got her earliest corporate Christmas hamper order in August, with the most popular hamper being the $200 version. Clontarf-based Gifts to a Door says Christmas hamper orders are up but the trend appears to be away from heavy Christmas cakes and pies and towards lighter fare such as crackers, nuts and cookies.

QUEEN ST STAND-OFF

WE hear Sentinel Property’s Warren Ebert is preparing for a corporate shootout with Unity Pacific Group’s Chris ‘Tex’ Morton. Sentinel quietly snapped up five per cent of UPG in July and this week upped the stakes by announcing an offer to fund a buy-back of all other the shares as part of a backdoor listing by Sentinel. But we hear Ebert is apparently getting twitchy at Morton’s reluctance to support the deal. UPG’s board this week said it would be premature to enter exclusive negotiations with Sentinel but the offer would be considered along with other options. Sentinel and UPG share neighbouring offices in Queen St and our spies spotted Ebert, a former taxi driver turned property mogul, entering Morton’s office late this week, apparently in an attempt to get Tex on board. UPG shares have risen about 22 per cent since the offer was announced on Tuesday.

Flight Centre’s slip and slide party on Friday.

YAK TAT

IF you are in the market for a giant fake yak’s head, you should have turned up at an auction organised by engineering giant Bechtel yesterday. Bechtel, along with resource auctioneers Hassalls, raised more than $100,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation by selling off a range of recreational gear used by workers employed on Curtis Island during the LNG project. Along with the giant fake yak’s head (your diarist is not sure what that was used for), flat screen televisions, sporting memorabilia and exercise equipment were sold off.

RESORT TO COURT

FORMER Couran Cove operator Craig Dowling is being sued in the Supreme Court by beneficiaries of a trust that had a half interest in the South Stradbroke Island resort. According to a claim filed in the court, units holders of the CCH Trust are seeking more than $300,000 from Dowling and his company Couran Cove Holdings for breach of contact.The breach relates to how certain costs and commissions were paid out of the trust fund. Dowling’s defence is yet been to be filed with the court.The litigation caps a troubled period for the resort. Resort managers CCH were last month put in administration and staff laid off.

STAY TUNED

THIS is the last City Beat column until late January but stay tuned for our annual end-of-year award.