Innovation

Impress Media Australia works with a range of innovative Australian companies and individuals. Please read the stories below for details.

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Louise Thompson Irish-born South Australian Louise Thompson may have to kiss the blarney stone if she achieves her goal of becoming SA’s Rose of Tralee on June 1.

Louise moved to Adelaide two years ago after leaving her home in the Irish country Kerry to pursue a career in Human Resources in Australia.

The international Rose of Tralee competition, which originated in Louise’s home county of Kerry, celebrates Irish culture around the world while supporting local charities such as our own Can:Do 4 Kids.

Rather than focusing on looks like a beauty pageant, the Rose of Tralee aims to attract women with “aspirations, ambitions, intellect, social responsibility and Irish heritage”.

Louise, who grew up watching on the Rose of Tralee finals on television, has family form in the competition: Her Aunt Clare was named Kerry Rose in 1986. “It’d be heaps good to be like my aunt and represent my new home back in Ireland,” said Louise, who now lives in Glenelg.

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Kim LockKim Lock’s first novel, Peace, Love and Khaki Socks, has attracted such strong pre-orders that publisher MidnightSun Publishing has ordered a second print run – a week before it is launched.

Set in Darwin, Peace, Love and Khaki Socks tells the story of a young ‘army wife’ who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. The main character’s tumultuous journey explores the patriarchal culture inside the Australian Army and challenges many cultural conceits surrounding pregnancy and childbirth. At the heart of the story is the woman’s controversial choice to homebirth.

Debut author Kim Lock, who has drawn on insights from her own life as an army wife, will launch Peace, Love and Khaki Socks, at the SA Writers' Centre in Adelaide on Friday, April 26.

MidnightSun Publishing founder Anna Solding said the novel, which has been promoted online before its launch, had generated such strong pre-orders that the second print run was necessary. “I’ve never heard of this happening before,” she said.

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Klaus Bartosch with his 36,000-signature paper plane protestA 36,000-signature petition folded into a giant paper plane has launched a credit card charge protest into the headquarters of Australian airline company Jetstar.

Delivered last week, the consumer revolt was kicked off last month on the Change.org website by Gold Coast businessman Klaus Bartosch who said he was sick of Jetstar’s $8.50 credit card surcharge. “These ‘booking and service fees’ are ridiculous,” he said.

“Jetstar is the worst. The airlines adds on $8.50 per passenger per flight to pay by credit card - hitting us with a huge surcharge for using the only real payment option they give us. 

"I posted a petition against what I regard as the latest retail scourge in Australia - credit card surcharges that are unique to this country. Jetstar's surcharge amounts to around 20% of their published airfare price! They deny it is a surcharge because they call it a ‘Booking and Services Fee’ - but it only applies when you pay by credit card.

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