Meet our white knight

Warwick Rule (centre) and his wife Helen have bought several busted companies in recent years, turning them around and employing locals.

A WEALTHY Sydney businessman is breathing new life into struggling Tasmanian businesses in a bid to create much-needed jobs.

Warwick Rule and his wife Helen have bought several busted companies in recent years, turning them around and employing locals.

Their latest acquisition is a linen cleaning company at Goodwood that went into receivership in June, owing more than $1 million to creditors and putting 45 people out of work.

Mr Rule is the founder and managing director of Imatech, a mining tool and product supply company.

The couple restored the old Savings Bank in Murray St and are well known for their battle with the heritage council over striking red awnings they used on the building, some of which were recently ordered removed.

They live in Sydney and spend much of the year travelling overseas, but have fallen in love with Tasmania during the past 20 years.

Mr Rule said they were on a river cruise in Europe when they received an email to say Southern Linen Services had gone into receivership.

He said they had been considering acquiring a linen company after buying a number of accommodation properties in Tasmania.

Mr Rule said by the time they bought the linen company in September it had been shut down and old customers had signed on with new contractors.

It provided linen rental and laundering services to commercial, healthcare, hospitality and food processing industries.

Re-named Linen Services Tasmania and extensively renovated, the business has re-employed 20 staff who had not been able to find work since the company's collapse.

"We've recruited a lot of the labour [force] from the old business," he said.

"They were owed so much money [by the previous owners], they hadn't been paid things like superannuation."

Mr Rule said his Tasmanian businesses now employed more than 50 people and his companies Australia-wide employed more than 200 people.

He owns Engineering Supplies Tasmania and Joinery Supplies Tasmania, and last year bought a second Tasmanian joinery company that had gone into receivership, renaming it Imatech Joinery Services, based in Glenorchy.

Before the joinery business went bust Mr Rule had hired it to carry out detailed woodwork and restorations at his Murray St property.

"I knew them very well [and] when I found out they had gone into receivership I said we can't lose all of those skills," he said.

He went to an auction organised by administrators, bought all of the company's assets and re-established the business.

Mr Rule said he wanted to create new jobs by investing in Tasmanian businesses and considered this more important than donating to charities.

"We would rather put money into businesses that employ people because that's what Tasmania needs," he said.

"We're learning more about Tassie as we go."

The couple are building up a holiday accommodation portfolio and own serviced apartments at Battery Point, historic property Gattonside in Sandy Bay Rd and Amberley House near the casino.

hannah.martin@news.com.au

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Flowing with festive cheer

Revellers packed Salamanca Place last night.

THOUSANDS of Hobart revellers started putting the "merry" into this year's Christmas holiday period last night.

There was a bumper and boisterous crowd at Salamanca for the traditional Christmas break-up drinks.

Police estimated about 10,000 people took advantage of the mild weather and clear skies to converge on the Hobart waterfront.

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The Salamanca lawns were transformed into a street party, with live music, barbecues and vans serving alcohol.

Police Inspector Glen Woolley, officer in charge of Hobart, said it was a lively but orderly crowd.

"Overall the crowd is well behaved, considering the large number of people," he said.

"So far it's a jovial crowd and we just hope it stays that way," he said.

Insp Woolley said the good behaviour was partly because of the strong police presence, with 22 police patrolling the waterfront last night.

Police had made four arrests for disorderly conduct up until 9.30pm.

Insp Woolley said it was the largest gathering he had seen in the three years he had been patrolling Salamanca pre-Christmas Friday nights.

The holiday drinks have been a tradition in Salamanca for nearly 30 years, with thousands gathering on the lawns across from Knopwoods Retreat.

While the outside drinking area was still enclosed by a 1.2m barrier fence last night, the area was less fortress-like than the past seven years when a 1.8m "cage" had been erected.

Knoppies licensee Kate Cawthorn praised the lower barriers.

"It has more of a festival feel, we're really happy with it," she said.

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Snapshot shows healthy state

THE latest snapshot of Tasmania is in, and the news is mostly good.

We are richer and smarter than two years ago. We call ourselves optimists, but we can be a little tight with the purse strings. We don't trust governments, but we reckon we lead full and busy lives.

Every year leading advertising company Clemenger puts together a comprehensive snapshot of the habits and mood of the nation.

Based on quarterly Roy Morgan surveys of more than 50,000 people, it identifies the traits we share and the things that set us apart from each other.

Clemenger's report, The State of Tasmania, reveals locals are generally upbeat about their lives, particularly in Hobart, where the proportion of people counting their glass as half-full approaches 80 per cent. But drill down deeper and the picture becomes more nuanced.

While Tasmanians are more likely than other Australians to feel financially stable and are less likely to have cut down on their spending, a strong and growing majority believe the gap between rich and poor is growing.

And despite the global financial crisis receding in the rear view mirror, the number of people believing the economy is in freefall is growing.

Far more than Australians elsewhere, Tasmanians don't trust governments. Only a small minority in each region report that they trust the current Federal Government and distrust is significantly higher in the state's North-West, something that may spell trouble in the key marginal seat of Bass.

And we are more likely to believe corruption is a major problem, with up to 60 per cent agreeing.

The Clemenger report revealed distinct differences between the state's three regional centres of Hobart, Launceston and Burnie/Devonport.

"The Hobart region showed optimism in terms of the economy and the future of Tasmania, despite a feeling of financial instability. The Hobart demographic is characterised by older households of white-collar workers, managers and professionals who value social interaction, new opportunities and knowledge," the report concluded.

Interestingly, Launceston emerged as a more liberal, health-conscious, environmental hub.

"The Launceston region showed an increase in income and a shift towards a more health-conscious consumer," the report said.

"This involves the consumption of organic and additive-free foods, as well as increasing concern for the environment.

"The Launceston demographic is characterised by the mid-life households of skilled workers who value security, reliability and family.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the state's North-West emerged with its own distinct identity too.

"The Burnie/Devonport region showed increasing disregard for their health, as well as a large degree of distrust and dissatisfaction with the Government," the report said. "[The] demographic is characterised by young-parent households of skilled workers who value security, reliability and family."

READ THE FULL COVERAGE IN TODAY'S SATURDAY MERCURY ...

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Tarkine mine lease approved

ANOTHER mining project earmarked for the Tarkine has moved a step closer to development.

The State Government has granted Venture Minerals a mining lease for its Riley Creek iron ore mine, west of Tullah.

The Riley Creek proposal is one of three major mines Venture plans to develop in Tasmania.

The company has already been granted a lease for its Livingstone project, also near Tullah, and is finalising plans for its massive Mt Lindsay tin and tungsten mine.

All mines would need Commonwealth approval before they could proceed.

The Riley Creek mine, when developed, would create 60 jobs and generate revenue and mining royalties worth tens of millions of dollars.

Resource Minister Bryan Green said the granting of the lease was another sign that mining investment was being encouraged in Tasmania.

Mr Green was heckled when he tried to tell the 3000 people who attended a pro-mining rally in Burnie in November that the government was doing its bit to promote new mineral developments.

"I think people will now realise that criticism of the Government is baseless," Mr Green said yesterday.

"Nothing has changed in relation to the processes for developing new mines and each project will be dealt with on its merits under some of the strictest environmental conditions in the world."

The granting of the lease to Venture Minerals follows news this week that Shree Minerals' $20 million iron ore project had received its final Commonwealth tick of approval.

Development of the open cut mine, near Temma on the west Coast, should begin in March or April.

Conservationists have vowed to blockade the site.

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Abuser's jail term increased

A MAN involved in one of the most horrific cases of sexual abuse to come before the Tasmanian courts has had his sentence increased on appeal.

The Court of Appeal today added another three years to his jail term, describing the initial sentence as inadequate.

The 35-year-old man pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person under the age of 17 years, eight counts of producing child exploitation material and two counts of possessing child exploitation material and a jury found him guilty of three counts of rape.

The offences were committed between 2008 and 2001 when the victim was aged between 14 and 17. She was his stepdaughter.

He made video and audio recordings of the abuse and threatened the girl he would put the images on the internet if she reported him.

Justice David Porter sentenced the man to seven years in jail with a minimum term of four.

But in his decision on the Crown appeal, Chief Justice Ewan Crawford said the sentence was too lenient.

"Rapes on 21 different occasions alone demanded a much more severe sentence," he said.

"Their nature and circumstances cried out for a much longer term of imprisonment by way of general and personal deterrence, retribution and denunciation.

"The gross breach of trust by the respondent and the harm he caused the complainant also demanded a much more severe sentence."

He quashed the original sentence and ordered the man serve 12 years in prison, with a minimum non-parole period of seven years.

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Help at hand for injured boys

A BROAD cross-section of the Tasmanian community has banded together to set up a trust to help two little boys who were severely burnt in a car explosion in Burnie earlier this month.

Family friends, groups of mothers, service clubs and churches have joined forces to form the Fletcher and Spencer Support Committee to co-ordinate fundraising activities and other aid for the eight- and five-year-olds.

Police are still waiting to speak to the boys' father.

He is expected to be charged with attempted murder.

The 49-year-old man and his sons received burns to more than 25 per cent of their bodies in the car fire which happened in the backyard of their Shorewell home a fortnight ago.

The boys remain in a critical but stable condition in intensive care in the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

Their father is being treated in the ICU of the Royal Hobart Hospital and his condition has been downgraded from critical to serious.

However, police expect it will still be weeks before they can interview him about the incident.

The Vice-District-Governor of Lions Tasmania, George Bugeja, will chair the committee, which has already received offers of help from local businesses, individuals, entertainers and celebrity chefs.

Tins will be placed on the counters of some businesses to collect money for the appeal and donations can also be made at the ANZ bank.

The Fletcher and Spencer Trust has been set up to administer the donations received to ensure all money will be spent in the best interests of the boys.

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Movie highs and lows for 2012

The Dark Knight Rises has been rated the best movie of 2012.

MOVIE reviewer Leigh Paatsch looks back at the most exciting, shocking, and awe-inspiring cinematic moments of 2012, as well as those that made audiences cringe.

Best 10 Films of 2012

1. The Dark Knight Rises
Christopher Nolan ended his consistently brilliant, forever game-changing Batman trilogy on sustained notes of elation, exhaustion and deep contemplation. If every blockbuster event picture was a third as good as this, our faith in mainstream filmmaking would be unshakeable. Here's hoping these excellent works were not just an exception to the rule, but an example others will follow.

2. Beasts of the Southern Wild
Not often a film will have you repeatedly thinking "I have never seen anything like this before". Sure, this lyrical, yet cryptic crawl through a community devastated by a hurricane was an acquired taste for many. However, no-one could deny the raw power coursing through every frame.

3. Argo
Less than a decade ago, Ben Affleck was considered a hack actor, and getting hackier by the minute. Now he is one of the best directors in the business. And no-one sledges his performances no more, either. His take on the 1979 Iran hostage crisis was thrilling, funny and flawlessly staged.

4. The Sessions
A disarmingly frank and surprisingly heart-warming tale about a virginal paraplegic poet who just wants to get laid? Could have been a train wreck, yet never once went off the rails. Superb acting from John Hawkes and Helen Hunt revealed an intimate bond between two people that had nothing to do with sex.

5. Looper
An ambitious, adrenalised sci-fi thriller that is all brains and all brawn, almost all the time. An imposing, multi-directional plot about time-travel converges at a place where you will be engrossed and even moved by what comes to pass. Certain to be a big influence on emerging filmmakers in years to come.

6. Moonrise Kingdom
Two 12-year old runaways scamper about an idyllic island, with a cop (Bruce Willis) and a Scout leader (Edward Norton) in not-so-hot pursuit. Look past the enjoyably absurd chase scenario, and there are wise emotional truths and beautifully rendered tinges of sorrow expertly woven throughout.

7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
A rare case of a Hollywood adaptation surpassing the original foreign production. Director David Fincher didn't settle for a mere remake. With the aid of sterling performances from Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, Fincher dragged us deeper into Stieg Larsson's bleak Millennium universe than ever before.

8. Magic Mike
Those who thought they'd be getting an American re-tooling of The Full Monty were horribly wrong. Instead, master filmmaker Steven Soderbergh served up a soulful drama about male strippers where everything went brilliantly right.

9. The Avengers
After many years in the works, Marvel Entertainment's master plan to conquer the world box-office with their stable of thoroughbred superheroes went off without a hitch. A truly epic action picture positively pulses with panache, wit and excitement throughout.

10. The Artist
A French-made silent set in 1920s Hollywood. Starring two actors no-one had ever heard of. A longshot bet that came up trumps, taking our traditional love for the movies and making it feel like a brand new romance. Deserving winning of the Best Picture Oscar.

And the Next 10:
11. Margaret
12. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
13. Skyfall
14. Bully
15. Prometheus
16. Searching for Sugarman
17. Les Miserables
18. The Raid
19. Margin Call
20. Bernie

Worst 10 Films of 2012

1. That's My Boy
If it were possible to contract Irritable Bowel Syndrome from a movie, this bummer of a comedy calamity from Adam Sandler would be the culprit. Contains literally hundreds of jokes that go straight through the bottom of the barrel into an endless void of unfunniness. Out now on DVD, thrillseekers.

2. Mental
In what was hardly a champagne year for Australian cinema, this flamboyantly unamusing comedy about psychiatric illness was the flattest, most tasteless concoction of all.

3. John Carter
It's like Cowboys & Aliens! On Mars! So went the excitable pitch for a botched blockbuster that had audiences yawning before the opening credits finished.

4. Housos Vs Authority
Aussie not-so-funnyman Paul Fenech discounted his cheap laughs more heavily than ever before. Viewers paid the ultimate price.

5. American Pie: Reunion
A final, desperate flogging of a horse that had expired many years ago. Wobbled between the groan-worthy to the grotesque with gormless abandon.

6. Iron Sky
A "zany" sci-fi action comedy about Hitler in space? What could possibly go wrong? Everything.

7. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Sadly, all plans for a franchise end here. Even more sadly, this means the world will never get to see George Washington : Werewolf Whacker.

8. Fun Size
Kiddie-friendly movies haven't been this kiddie-unfriendly since the days of Yu-Gi-Oh. Search party still looking for laughs in comedy about a pre-schooler lost after midnight.

9. The Darkest Hour
This was the alien-invasion movie where the aliens were mostly invisible. Must have saved a stack on special-effects. Nothing off the top on ticket cost, though.

Equal 10. Resident Evil: Retribution and Underworld: Awakening
Who looks more bored, tired and over it all? Milla Jovovich? Kate Beckinsale? Or you?

Top 10 Movie Moments of 2012

1. The bomb blast at a packed football stadium in The Dark Knight Rises
2. Alfred bids farewell to Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Rises
3. The raid in The Raid
4. The Shanghai skyscraper skirmish in Skyfall
5. Veteran superheroes fighting together for the first time in The Avengers
6. The Albanian airport terminal shootout in The Expendables 2
7. The Iranian airport terminal checkout in Argo
8. Brad Pitt's closing monologue in Killing Them Softly
9. Channing Tatum misplaces his clothing to music in Magic Mike
10. Reaching the absolute end of the Twilight Saga in Breaking Dawn - Part 2

Bottom 10 Movie Moments of 2012

1. The 114 minutes and 59 seconds before reaching the absolute end of the Twilight Saga in Breaking Dawn - Part 2
2. Tom Cruise misplaces his clothing to music in Rock of Ages
3. Adam Sandler and Vanilla Ice squabble over the affections of a 93-year-old nymphomaniac in That's My Boy
4. Toni Collette holds a naked flame to her naked bottom in Mental
5. Johnny Knoxville abduct a five-year-old kid for laughs in Fun Size
6. A drug cache is retrieved from the backside of a sheep in A Few Best Men
7. Sharks attack a supermarket in Bait
8. Discovering Nazis are alive and well on the moon in Iron Sky
9. Any instance of vampire hunting in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
10. Billy Crystal is hit in the groin, then vomits on a child in Parental Guidance

Read more of Leigh Paatsch's movies highlights and lowlights at news.com.au

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Man charged over murders

A MAN has appeared in a Hobart court charged with two counts of murder over the deaths of a couple at Mountain River, south of Hobart.

Nicolau Francisco Soares, 27, of no fixed address, appeared before Magistrate Michael Daly shortly before 4pm today.

The West Australian man did not enter a plea or apply for bail.

The magistrate adjourned the case until 9.30am on January 7.

Mr Soares was remanded in custody.

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Two dead on rural property

Dr Del Weston was found dead. Inset: Officers at the scene of the alleged double murder in Bennetts Rd, Mountain River, this morning.

THE nation's leading health economist and his academic partner are dead after being murdered at their idyllic Mountain River property, south-west of Hobart.

Professor Gavin Mooney, 69, and Dr Del Weston, 62, were found dead in their Bennetts Rd home early today after their alleged killer rang 000. They had severe blunt force injuries to their heads.

The 27-year-old man charged with the murders is Dr Weston's son by a previous relationship, Nicolau Francisco Soares. He did not enter a plea when he appeared in the Hobart Magistrates Court today and has been remanded in custody.

Prof Mooney and Dr Weston moved to Tasmania from WA last year to enjoy semi-retirement and were enthralled by the beauty of their new surroundings.

Their alleged killer arrived in the state three weeks ago, sources say, and had been staying at their home.

It is the second double murder in the state's South in four days and the third this year. A Hamilton couple was shot dead on Sunday and a man and a woman were stabbed to death in Launceston in August.

Police say the latest horror was a particularly gruesome crime. A hammer and sledgehammer used to inflict the fatal wounds was found next to the bodies. The alleged killer was waiting in another room when police arrived early this  morning.

"The only person who really knows what occurred in that house now is the man we have in custody," Detective Inspector Peter Powell alleged.

"There was some sign in the room of a disturbance, some furniture overturned.

"But as to who was attacked first or how the altercation commenced, we don't know."

He said there was no obvious motive at this stage.

"We hope to discover it as we go through the investigation," he said.

 "Certainly, we would like to know more about his movements.

"The area where they lived is a remote area and there are no houses close to the location but obviously we're making inquiries in the area to see what people know of this couple and this young man.

"We've been doorknocking down there this morning and making inquiries in the Kingston area too."

Although police asked neighbours not to comment publicly yesterday, it was apparent those living close by were deeply shocked.

Det Insp Powell said it was a terrible thing to have two double murders within days of each other  and both allegedly committed by people known to the victims.

The man believed to be responsible for the Hamilton shootings remains in a medically induced coma in hospital after shooting himself in the head on Sunday.

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My sister didn't have to die

A COUPLE might still be alive today if police had acted to impose a family violence order against their alleged killer, says Melissa Wilton, right, the sister of the dead woman.

The family of the woman slain in a double killing and attempted suicide at Hamilton on Sunday, demanded answers yesterday after they said the dead woman reached out to Tasmania Police months ago.

Meagan Wilton, 31, and popular Ouse cricketer Ben Eyles, 34, were yesterday named as the couple killed early on Sunday morning.

Meagan's sister Melissa, 30, of Claremont, says her much-loved sister, a mother-of-three, went to police late last year after her then-de facto partner, 59, assaulted her, leaving her with black eyes and bruising to her body. Ms Wilton has photographs of her sister's injured face saved to her phone.

"I am very angry," she said. "[Tasmania Police] never put the family violence order that should have been in place through -- and if they had done [the alleged shooter's] guns would've been taken off him and my sister would still be alive. I want something done about this. I demand an investigation."

Detective Inspector Colin Riley said there was no record of any such violence being reported.

"If the sister has any evidence to suggest there was family violence it is recommended she bring that information to police to investigate rather than providing it to the media, and once we have that information we will obviously include it as part of the investigation," he said.

"[Ms Melissa Wilton] was in the presence of investigators yesterday and none of that information was provided to those investigators."

He said this was "clearly a traumatic set of events for the family and extended family" and said if there was any further information that could assist police in "clarifying what has occurred" then "we would appreciate it if they came to police with any such information".

Ms Wilton said her sister Meagan left the older man, the father of her 19-month-old son, in April this year.

"That's why she got out. She didn't want the kids to grow up and see violence," Ms Wilton said.

"She lived for her kids. She was struggling but she lived for them and she was a lovely girl."

Meagan Wilton formed a relationship with Mr Eyles a few months ago and the couple moved into a rented home at Hamilton.

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