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Earsman
NATURE HEALS
“I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.” - Anne Frank
So, my sister and nephew have returned to the other side of the world, and I am sitting with the memories of their threeweek visit.
While they were here we received some shattering family news from the UK, but with the turmoil of the world, the cost of flights suddenly skyrocketing, and no available flights to England, we realised there was nothing we could do but wait for the original return flights.
This was where the Sunshine Coast showed itself in the most beautiful way. Every day we would go for a gentle walk, or swim, or picnic somewhere in nature, to feel connected and grounded.
We went to Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, Mapleton Falls, Kondalilla Falls, Gardners Falls, Mooloolaba Beach, Mudjimba Beach and Kings Beach/Happy Valley, Australia Zoo, various lookouts, cafes, and gentle strolls in Woombye, Palmwoods, Maleny, Montville, Flaxton; a day trip on the train to Brisbane to explore South Bank and GOMA; a day at Eumundi Markets; live music at Maleny Lane and Marshy’s Moonshine Music, and a few decent drives along winding hinterland roads.
Seeing our home through their eyes, it was a reminder of how amazing this area is. I mean, we know it, but it’s lovely to see someone else in a state of wonder, appreciation and often awe at this special part of the world.
My sister said, “I never really thought about Australia when I booked the tickets. I was just focused on coming to see you and spending time with you, but I cannot believe how beautiful this place is. And everything grows so fast! And it’s so green! And the sand is so soft! And the sun! (She’s English…) And the people have all been so friendly and kind.”
My nephew is completely fascinated by nature, in particular reptiles, and he adores snakes, so he was in his element. With his eagle eyes he spotted a snake in a bush at Gardners Falls, met the Monitor Lizard at Kondalilla, saw possums running along power pole cables, wallabies in the bush, and many other creatures, big and small. He loved every minute.
It has made me recall of Anne Frank’s advice when feeling deep sadness. Without thinking, in our state of mourning, we did just what she suggested:
"Go outside to the fields, enjoy nature and the sunshine, go out and try to recapture happiness in yourself and in God; think of all the beauty that is still left in and around you and be happy!"
Sound advice, particularly in these times. Until next month , enjoy your HT.
DELIVERED DANIEL’S LAW
QUEENSLAND SAFER FOR OUR KIDS
In honour of Daniel Morcombe, the new Queensland Government has delivered Daniel’s Law, the State’s first public child sex offender register, available now. This online tool identifies certain reportable offenders living in your local area, or whose whereabouts are unknown to police. Parents and guardians can also apply for a search on unsupervised contacts. Through Daniel’s Law, the Queensland Government is delivering access to vital information to help keep kids safe.
COVER STORY
Photo: Explore the Open Studios Art Trail this May, and see varied styles of work by artists such as Buderim’s Sharon Hegarty.
Photo: Supplied by Arts Connect Inc. Page 17
Rebecca Mugridge
Louise Tasker
Margy makes a difference
by LOUISE TASKER
It was an intermittently rainy day, when I drove down the windy driveway to park up near Mill Hill Manor. The tall trees dripped over me as I meandered around to the front of the house.
The house is 100 years old and beautiful with it and has been home to Margy Henderson who has lived here for five years.
will helped her to cope as a single parent. She said, “The best advice I was given then was to believe in myself. This came from my boss. He completely changed my life. He saw what I hadn’t seen. He believed in me.”
That strong will and a good sense of self has helped her through difficult times.
Margy and her second husband Mark moved to the Range in 2021. They had enjoyed a lunch previously at The Edge, and Mark, completely taken by the expansive view that flows from the ridge all the way down and across to the coast, said, ‘I want to live here,’ Margy told me with a smile.
When they were able to, they purchased what was then known as The Macadamery. If you read the Montville History Group’s published book about Montville Buildings, you will find information about the house itself and also about its various occupants.
Two occupants in the 1950s were the Australian writer Eleanor Dark and her husband, Dr Eric Dark. While living here at the house, then called Bopplenut (after the macadamias that grew in abundance on the property), Eleanor wrote Lantana Lane, a novel based on characters who lived in Montville.
Sitting on the front deck of the house, it’s hard to believe the property fronts a street, albeit a quiet one. It’s utterly peaceful with its huge trees that give you the overwhelming sense that you are sitting inside a very secret garden.
It’s a far cry from her earlier life in Sydney. Margy was born and raised in the Western suburbs. She married and had two children, Rhiannon who is now a singer/ songwriter and has her own band, Merpire, and her son Braden, who is a baker’s assistant.
When this first marriage collapsed, having a strong
Margy said, “I’ve read it and really enjoyed it. It’s very funny. We tried to work out who some of the characters are but we weren’t very successful.”
Previous owners of the property planted an extensive garden and installed a dam to provide sufficient water to keep the gardens thriving. Margy has recently been successful in obtaining a grant from Land For Wildlife, through the Sunshine Coast Council, to plant 300 native tube stock. Her plan is to expand the existing rainforest and reduce the amount of mowing
They also bought fruit trees from Fruit Tree Cottage in Forest Glen and the owner's father, Peter, now in his 80s, delivered them. He had grown up on the other side of the Montville Tennis Club and filled them in on historical information of the house.
Margy says, “Peter had fond memories of playing at our house with Eleanor’s and Dr Dark’s children. All the neighbours played tennis at the weekend, and Peter and his friends would take their racquets in the hope that
Margy on her deck
they'd get a game. While the adults boiled the billy for tea and the ladies brought out their cakes, Dr Dark would usually say, ‘Come on boys, how about a hit?’”
These are the same tennis courts that Margy and Mark joined. And this is the same neighbourhood which enveloped them when they bought the house and a real estate business in Maleny. Margy said, ‘We were really lucky to fall into a great and supportive neighbourhood.’
Margy continued, “Peter told us that, at age 10, he would ride his horse to school in Maleny, down the very steep hill at the end of Mill Hill Road, across the valley that is now Baroon Pocket Dam, and up the steep slope on the other side. A very different life!”
Having a supportive community and being a part of Zonta were a lifeline for Margy. When Mark passed away unexpectedly in early August 2024, she was the President of the Zonta Club of the Blackall Range. She is now in her third year of her four year term. So, this combined with the garden and the house gave her big projects to focus on.
“I liked what they stood for - empowering the lives of women and girls through improved health, education, gender, political and educational equality – all things I could relate to, and I liked the volunteers so I joined!”
Fundraising is a big part of what the club does and with this money they are able to send funds to shelters and other organisations who work in specific areas of domestic violence.
I ask her what drew her to Zonta. She said she had initially attended the Christmas Dinner Meeting where members were also packing parcels for women’s refuges.
Margy shared, “Bob Atkinson, Co-Chair of DFV Prevention Council Queensland gave a talk at our Area meeting. He said there are 900,000 reports of DV each year in Queensland and 70-90% of police work is DV-related.”
Margy is really proud of how “Zonta Blackall Range has grown in that time, from 14 members to 27 members, soon to be 29”.
She has also been kept busy with her little companion, Daisy, a beautiful miniature poodle. Daisy has brought back to the house some of the vibrancy lost when Mark
“The thing with dogs is they are very good at bringing people to you because people automatically want to stop and chat.”
Mill Hill House is having a bit of a second life too, as it is becoming a home away from home for Rhiannon’s musician friends who come to play on the Range or the Sunshine Coast. Instead of having to sleep in their cars or on someone’s floor or couch, they can have a proper bed and Margy loves having all these young people dropping in.
Knowing that the previous owners used to open the garden to the public, I asked Margy if she would consider doing the same and she responded with an emphatic no. But then she says she has been asked by a Zonta member to consider it, so who knows. Maybe with a lot of assistance and plenty of time, this beautiful, peaceful part of Montville will be opened again.
Not long before I left, I asked Margy if she has a particular life philosophy.
“I think we should be kind and honest. Kindness seems to have gone out the window and social media has not helped that. There is so much anger towards unknown people.
“How can people not be concerned about hurting other people, but it seems so much anonymity enables people to be opinionated about things that, often, they don’t know about.”
We both joked that people have too much free time on their hands, and would n’t it be wonderful if they joined Zonta!
Margy and her siblings - Christmas 1958 - Margy on left
Zontians at the DV Forum November 2025
DYING WITHOUT A WILL - WHAT HAPPENS?
In the last two issues of Hinterland Times I have been discussing the requirements of a valid Will I thought it would be a good oppor tunity to continue the train of thought with what could happen should you die without a valid will If a person dies without a valid Will, that person is said to have died “intestate” .
D ying without a valid will or ‘intestate’ can be ver y d e t r i m e n t a l t o y o u r l o v e d o n e s a n d a l s o v e r y expensive. Not only have you given away your ability to decide how your estate is to be distributed and to whom but you also run the risk of the costs of administering your estate increasing drastically and y o u
beneficiar y is an estranged spouse from whom the deceased was not formally divorced That estranged spouse will share in the deceased’s estate under the Queensland intestac y rules despite the deceased and the estranged spouse not being in a relationship at the time of death.
The Succession Act sets out the rules to be applied in situations of intestac y Here are some examples:
Ÿ If you are married/de fac to with no children, your spouse takes 100%;
Ÿ If you are married/de fac to with one child your spouse takes the first $150,000.00 plus the h o u s e h o l d c o n t
re divided equally between the spouse and the child
Ÿ If you are married/de fac to with two or more children your spouse takes the first $150,000.00 plus the household contents Assets after this are divided 1/3 for the spouse and 2/3 equally between the children.
I n s i t u a t i o n s w h e re yo u d o n o t h ave a ny c l o s e relatives the rules provide that your estate must go to relatives that are fur ther removed from you Another problem with dying intestate is the need for cour t approval for the appointment of someone to administer your estate In a will you would appoint a n e xe c u t o r o f y o u r c h o i c
n intestac y, your loved ones would have to apply to the Supreme Cour t for an administrator to be appointed In the absence of a suitable person the Supreme Cour t may appoint the Public Trustee
Commune and Create
How a visit to Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve proved a defining moment for artist Sascha Tillsley.
by TRAVIS EARSMAN
Sitting down to speak with Sascha Tillsley one autumn morning, I was immediately put at ease by her joyful and gentle presence. I’ve known her for years at this point, having been her daughter Willow’s school bus driver. Whilst I got to know Willow quite well amid her matter-of-fact tales of magic and fairies, I never really spoke to Sascha much.
The conversations we did have, however, though limited to a few words through the open bus door, were always rewarding and uplifting. It was good to finally catch up properly to discuss her art.
The love of art and nature seemed destined to inspire a young Sascha, as her father was the superintendent at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. This meant
she literally lived and grew up in a magical wonderland of trees, serenity and nature. It was here, amongst the trees, that Sascha found her deep connection to nature. She’s always ‘had a thing for the specialness of trees,’ and looking at her art now, that is clear.
The depth and detail that she brings to her depictions of nature goes beyond simple lines on a page; she is capturing and expressing something far deeper than surface appearances.
“My practice starts with being in nature, finding an inspiring location, a special tree for example. I like to experience my surroundings, observe and then photograph the subject. Back in the studio the process of drawing begins and the detailed line work brings me into a relaxed flow state which I love. I remember the feeling of the forest and I hope to bring this to the viewer.”
A glimpse of the eternal - Currently a finalist in the Local Contemporary Art Prize 2026 at Caloundra Regional Gallery
In her early twenties Sascha studied archaeology, anthropology and fine art, driven by her fascination with the ancient world and of course, art. She worked as an archaeologist (and chef) in Sydney, before moving to the Sunshine Coast for a country change. Her art making made occasional appearances in her life, but her focus was on bringing up her children.
Two years ago she earned a Diploma of Visual Art, and part of these studies took her to Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve on a drawing excursion. This proved to be a defining moment in her emerging artistic career.
“I was just completely into it, and that's where it began. I just kept going back to Mary Cairncross, and that's where these black and white drawings came from. I did a whole body of work there.”
The drawings that have come out of this phase of her life often combine modern elements in conjunction with nature, which is an exploration of the encroachment of modernity upon remnant wild places.
Over the last few years, after having had her works accepted into several art competitions, Sascha has been treating her art as a full-time job. She literally wakes up early in the morning, filled with enthusiasm to pick up where she left off yesterday on the piece she is currently working on.
“It’s given me a whole new lease of life, a more meaningful experience, one that is deeply creative and rewarding. I am inspired by ancient places, memories of primordial landscapes, and pristine nature, as much as I am by human cities and culture. My work is a deeply personal intuitive expression of my life.”
As autumn leaves fell around us, I asked Sascha what comes next for her and her art. She smiled and calmly stated that she had no idea. And how could she, really? How can any of us know what lies ahead? However, of course she has plans and dreams.
“I'd love to have an exhibition. I'm just sort of organically meeting other artists, and that's what's good about doing the competitions, 'cause you all get together and have an opening night, and you get to talk and meet.”
It seems to me that her art is almost a byproduct of her way of being. She communes with nature in a way that is pure and deep, and when there is a pen in her hand, that connection is simply expressed through her art.
MOVING HOUSE CHECKLIST
Mo ing ho se is e ci ng b t can be e tremel stressf l. We hope this hand list ma help.
C o m p l e t e a n i n e n t o r fi r s t a n d t a k e photographs.
. Book a remo alist and decide ho m ch packing o ant to do.
. No f o r ins rance compan and check o r polic co ers goods in transit.
. Decl er as m ch as o can earl on - sell or donate n anted items.
. Label and record bo es (master list) as o pack i.e. kitchen, main bedroom etc.
. Mark fragile bo es and do not pack an bo es too hea il .
. No f all contacts o r change of addressDri er ’s licence, Centrelink, ATO, electoral roll, e n e
A
Post , doctor.
. Do a floor plan of o r ne home and plan placement of f rnit re.
. Take photos of electronics set ps before npl gging.
. ‘First night bo ’ - toiletries, medica ons, pjs, phone chargers, laptops, torches, linen, to els, pillo s, tea, coffee, ater, c ps, ke le, toilet paper.
. Gather all o r ke s together and label them for the propert o are lea ing to pass on to the ne o ners.
“Love is probably the number one thing in all of this. So I’m trying to just find a pathway to express that. There's no real message other than I want to convey a feeling that somehow moves something inside of people
Sascha is a visual artist living and working in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Apart from the nature drawings, she also paints still life oil paintings which are available online at Stevens Street Gallery, Yandina, or direct through her.
Her piece, A glimpse of the eternal, is a finalist in the Local Contemporary Art Prize 2026. It can be viewed at Caloundra Regional Gallery until May 17 and voted for either online or in person at the gallery.
. Write a note ith hand ps abo t the h o s e to t h e n e o n e rs a n d ga t h e r a n booklets or man als together and keep them in a dra er or bo to lea e.
. Organise a final mo and garden d p so the place is looking fresh for the ne o ners. M a i n i te m s fo r o r m o i n g b d g e tremo alist, storage, li es disconnec ons and reconnec ons, cleaning, cash for incidentals.
. Finall , ask o r friends and famil to lend a hand especiall ith plants and pets.
Foc s on ho good it ill feel once o ’re se led into o r ne place- that tho ght alone can help ease the stress of mo ing.
manner Very knowledgeable and assisted me when needed. I would recommend them highly ed b A Jennings (Seller) TESTIMONIAL:
Very efficient knowledgeable and professional. I want to thank Monica for all she and Roger did for helping with the sale of my property They both o p
Place, Mapleton .
Sascha photographed in Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve by her daughter Willow Tillsley-Milne
Requiem - WInner People's Choice Award at the 2025 Du Rietz Art Awards at Gympie Regional Gallery
Sheila’s Story
The team at Bald in La ers are a do n-to-earth, eas going, general la prac ce ho lo e assis ng people ith their legal req irements. Working from a Nambo r base ith an addi onal office in G mpie, e lo e to ncomplicate the legal jargon for o r clients.
Whether it is e plaining in simple lang age ho a Will orks or dissec ng a complicated famil la ma er. We also make con e ancing as simple as possible.
We're here to help and g ide o . O r fees are reasonable and fair. We do home isits on req est for clients ho cannot come into to n to meet s at the office.
We assist clients ith
Ÿ Wills, End ring Po er of A orne , and Ad ance Health Direc es
Ÿ Con e ancing
Ÿ Famil La
Ÿ Commercial la (leases, sale and p rchasing of b sinesses)
It is important to ha e o r Will c rrent and p-todate ith o r circ mstances. If o need help dra�ing o r Will to make s re it reflects o r ishes, contact s to assist o .
It is also er important to make s re o ha e a alid End ring Po er of A orne and o r appointment reflects o r ishes. We pro ide all o r clients ith a free Ad ance Health Direc e in hich o determine o r medical instr c ons hen o cannot erball pro ide them.
Known by many hinterland locals for making delicious curries and samosas at Shali’s Cafe in Montville (now closed), most of us are unaware of the incredible life story of Susheila ‘Sheila’ Ramanand. It’s truly worthy of a book and a film. This is part one of an account of Sheila’s life, based on interviews with Sheila and her daughter, Shali, July – October, 2025.
by CATE PATTERSON
Susheila Ramanand was the fourth child born to Dr Ramanand and Sumitra Devi Ramanand. Her parents lived in a house rented from an uncle in Port Blair, the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. Sheila arrived on 5th January, 1939 in summertime when temperatures were in the 30°s C.
Dr Ramanand was the first doctor to be appointed to Port Blair and he worked at the hospital.
At the beginning of the war the British established a garrison at Port Blair but were unable to resist the occupation by the Japanese on 23 March 1942.
Sheila was just three years old when her father and mother, uncles and aunts, and her two older brothers aged just 8 and 7 years, along with many other intellectuals (mainly officials, and professionals such as engineers, lawyers and doctors) were imprisoned and tortured allegedly on suspicion of spying for the British.
The home Dr Ramanand and his family built after the war
At this time, the children would stay with different aunties. Sheila’s mother had four sisters, and it was the extended family that helped the Ramanand children survive.
Many members of the family were never seen again. Some of the imprisoned men were forced to dig a long trench and each was asked in turn if they had provided information for the British. When each one denied participating in any such activity he was shot and would fall into the trench he had just dug as the Japanese soldier turned his rifle to the next prisoner in the line.
Sheila remembers having to flee her home at night when the Japanese raided the houses. They escaped into the depths of the nearby jungle with its dense vegetation, twisted roots, thick vines, snakes and centipedes. They would return a couple of days later to find many of their belongings had been taken.
Sheila’s older brother eight-year-old Sharda Anand was a serious boy, who had been cruelly tortured. He was released after being interrogated and returned home with deep cuts on his back from cane whippings.
There were more violent accounts her family and others went through from this period - it was a horrific time for the island people.
The Japanese never did discover who was leaking information about the Japanese plans. In fact, it was
Contact us at or admin@bald insla ers.com.a Visit us at Q een Street, Nambo r QLD Zasco Van Rooyen, Director .bald insla ers.com.a
an Andamanese local from another island, trained by the British soldiers, who inconspicuously moved about, often wearing just a lungi (a loin cloth for men), and even receiving food from the Japanese soldiers, who was the ‘spy’ sending messages to the British using his morse code machine.
In this way he was able to report that the Japanese were planning to force all of the people on the island into the many boats they would line up to take them out to the ships and then throw them overboard shooting any who did not drown.
That plan was ultimately foiled, and the British bombed the boats, effectively ending the Japanese plan to gain access to India via the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and saving the people of the islands from certain death.
Visiting the Cellular jail to visit her father was traumatic for Sheila. The children could only stand on the ground and wave up to the window where their father waved back to them. Sheila’s parents were eventually released after they too had been interrogated and tortured.
Witnessing these atrocities, and being subjected to so much terror and fear during the Japanese occupation, Sheila didn’t speak for the first five years of her life. It was only when her father heard her speaking to her brothers and sisters that he realised she could speak.
Dr Ramanand was not a traditionalist, but rather a progressive and enlightened father. He was very much the patriarch of the Ramanand extended family and highly respected as well in the wider community. He was strict but encouraged his children to develop their own beliefs, although they were a Hindu family. He wrote out a schedule of jobs for the children where they rotated each month through household work, including washing, cleaning, cooking, gardening, feeding animals and so on.
Sheila enjoyed all of these jobs and especially liked learning to crochet and knit with her mother.
After the war, Dr Ramanand was called to give evidence when the British took the Japanese to court in Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma. He was one of the few survivors, so many had been executed.
When school resumed, Sheila’s father, very much aware that his children had missed out on several years of education, accordingly put back their ages by two years in order to ensure they could attend school and then university afterwards.
The Ramanand family produced not only the first doctor on the island, but also Dr Ramanand’s brother was the first lawyer; and Sharda, Sheila’s oldest brother became the first engineer and Vivek became the first
ship’s captain after working his way up from being a cabin boy.
When school resumed in 1946, Sheila enjoyed her time at the elementary school which provided classes up until Year 10. Lessons were taught in English. Badminton was a sport Sheila enjoyed, she became the badminton champion while she was at school.
She remembers the daily lunchtime deliveries by the tiffin boys who were paid to collect the tiffins (usually a 4-stack of metal containers with carrying handle, for transporting and keeping food warm). Sheila’s mother would make the lunches for her children and a tiffin boy would be paid to collect them and deliver them to the school. Tiffin lunches could include roti, rice, dal, vegetable curry, salad, yogurt, and even a small dessert.
The years after the war were happy ones for the Ramanand family. While the hospital was being rebuilt, there was no work there for the doctor and he could devote his time to his private practice, to fishing and hunting deer; and Sheila remembers helping repair the fishing net, scale, gut and fillet fish and hanging and skinning the deer, cutting and preparing the venison.
Dr Ramanand also set about building a home for his family. The house they had been renting from Dr Ramanand’s uncle was sold, and his Uncle gave them the land to build a house. Dr Ramanand secured a disused barracks left over from the war and soon the children were busy carting roofing iron and wall cladding to the site, removing old nails, polishing timber and their father with the help of a Burmese carpenter built them a lovely home.
Japanese soldiers disembarking on Ross Island, March 23, 1942
Sheila’s Story
The year 1954 was a sad time for the family. Sheila was almost at the end of her schooling when her younger sister Leela became unwell – she had suffered what Sheila described as measles pox as a child and at only 13 ½ years old she died from pleurisy resulting from her weakened immune system.
Sheila left the Island to complete her Years 11 and 12. It was a 3-4 day trip from Port Blair to Calcutta (now Kolkata) by boat, so Sheila only returned home at the end of each term.
When she then attended the Handicraft University of Bombay for two years, she stayed in a hostel while she studied. Her workbooks are records of her study, each neat line and hand drawing illustrating the sewing patterns, and handcraft skills the class learnt.
Sheila graduated from her handcrafts course, became a teacher, and returned to Port Blair.
In 1960 when her sister Kanta married a lawyer and went to live in Bombay, Sheila joined the couple. She lived in Bombay for the next four years making intricatelystyled dolls, using traditional fabrics for saris, with her sister to sell to the American market.
Sheila was working in Bombay when her father became unwell. In the following days the operating doctor told Sheila’s mother that her husband was slipping away and there was nothing more that could be done.
However, after the final funeral rites and the Antyeshti (cremation), the family made the horrific discovery that Dr Ramanand’s ashes also contained a pair of forceps. It was terrible to think that the doctor’s death was caused by malpractice and not because of an incurable illness.
When walking home from the market one day with her friend Sheila saw a man walking in the opposite direction approaching them. He stopped and hastened to assure them that he didn’t want any money, but would appreciate some nashta (breakfast).
“I can tell you something about yourself,” he told Sheila. The women, being only two houses from home, invited him to come back for some breakfast. Without touching Sheila, or even looking at her hand, he told her that she should get married within three months or that if she didn’t her marriage line was finishing.
He picked up a moonstone and added, “If you get married, you will go far.” Sheila and her friend gave the beggar an old shirt and a lungi (sarong) and he went
on his way. Sheila thought his words about ‘going far away’ must refer to her going three days by boat to live on the mainland if she married.
Life continued on much as usual for Sheila until the mother of her friend (who Sheila always called Aunty) undid an old paper cone that she had carried home from the market filled with sugar or something similar and read a little ad in the very corner of the paper square.
The ad read that an Australian man was looking for an Indian girl to marry. The address to write to was in Bombay, so mother and daughter together wrote a reply on behalf of Sheila, who knew nothing of the letter.
Seven or eight days later, there was a telephone call at about 9pm from the landlord. “You are going to get a visitor from Australia at about 9am tomorrow.”
It was then that her friend and Aunty had to confess what they had done. Afterall, Sheila was 33 years old and her father was not alive to arrange a marriage for her, so they had taken it into their own hands.
Sheila, seated third from left with teaching colleagues and students standing behind, circa 1959
The next day there was a mad flurry as food preparations were made for the big occasion. Sheila stayed home from work and nervously waited. She waited for hours thinking that the prospective Australian must have changed his mind. Eventually, the landlord sent the houseboy to explain that the visitor could not come today. Disappointed, the women ate the treats.
While getting ready to shower and go to work Sheila’s friend yelled, “He’s here!” Of course there was mad panic – no special food was made; so the Aunty pushed the houseboy out of the window, there being no back door to secretly exit, so that he could buy some treats from the market.
Aunty offered tea or coffee while Sheila didn’t even have time to shower – she rushed to dress and come down the stairs making a gracious entrance.
The first thing Sheila remembers about the meeting is that the visitor winked at her. She was introduced to John Carnevale, a man aged 51 with dark hair and olive skin – he didn’t look so very different from the men she knew, and she didn’t mind his appearance.
Later she learned he had been in a terrible car accident at Mount Isa, hit by a drunken doctor, putting him in a coma for three months and leaving his left side shattered. His broken left leg had been pinned but he was also diabetic which slowed the healing.
John rang to ask Sheila to have dinner with him that night and he would then be able to determine if she was the best choice for him. He was staying with a friend and his wife Gerty. Suddenly it was Gerty who was in a flurry to make a fine dinner for the prospective bride.
John had been married and had an adult son and daughter. Following this catastrophe, he had left his job as Work Study Officer at Mount Isa and divorced his unfaithful wife. He had become an adherent of Meyer Baba and visited the Avatar’s Abode at Kiel Mountain Road, Woombye.
Perhaps it was his admiration for Meyer Baba’s practices, emphasising love and service to others, that guided him to visit India to find a wife.
John said he would let them know his decision about Sheila’s suitability. He had received 13 letters from applicants and had been advised that there would only be one Hindu girl who applied and that John should choose this girl. That girl was Sheila.
John made his choice and Sheila accepted the offer when Aunty acted as intermediary.
The wedding took place at Mangalore on November 17, 1972 with a priest hired, and Sheila’s youngest brother Swastic the only witness from her family able to attend the wedding.
Next month: Sheila comes to Australia to start a new life in
Wedding day at Mangalore, India for Sheila and John Carnevale,, November, 1972
Dolls made by Sheila and Kanta, a Kashmiri girl and a dancer
Community News
Over to you: what do you want to see?
Each month, we share updates on key Council projects, community events and opportunities happening locally and across our region. Now we want to hear from you. Is there something else you’d like us to feature? Or ideas on how we can make this space more useful? Scan the QR code to take our quick survey and let us know.
Protecting wildlife: wild dog program
Council is supporting a community-based wild dog baiting program until 24 May on participating rural properties to protect native wildlife and livestock. Sites will be clearly signed and residents within 1.5 km notified. Roadside signage will also be in place. Pet owners should keep pets contained and dogs on-leash. For details, visit Council’s website.
Do weeds have you in a bind?
If you’re staring at your block wondering where to start, help is here. Council’s Invasive Weeds Project makes weed management easier, with practical guides, real-world advice and smart strategies to tackle the toughest weeds. Save time, money and protect wildlife habitat. Whether you’re a suburban gardener, property owner or just want to give back to the environment, you’ll find solutions to suit you. Visit Council’s website to learn more and take action now.
Watch Council’s next Ordinary Meeting View on Council's website or at Sunshine Coast City Hall Chambers on Thursday 21 May at 9am.
Pensioner rates concession available
Council understands that cost-of-living pressures are affecting many in our community. That’s why we want to remind you Council offers a little extra support through a pensioner concession on your rates for eligible residents. See Council’s website for details. Burn season has begun
Council conducts planned burns across coastal and hinterland reserves between April and September to reduce fuel loads, support ecosystems and improve bushfire safety. Timings may alter due to conditions. See Council’s website for updates and maps. Events to see and do this month
Love live music, dance, comedy, art or performance? Horizon Festival is on now until 10 May, with events region-wide. On 16 May, enjoy a free family-friendly street celebration, marking 50 years of the Landsborough Museum, with entertainment, kids’ activities, farm animals and much more. National Volunteering Week is 18-24 May, a chance to thank the many volunteers who help strengthen our Sunshine Coast community. May is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month. Show that Every Life Matters by wearing a purple ribbon and joining local events. Visit Council’s website for more details.
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sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au 07 5475 7272
Festival of the Year
The Maleny Music Festival has been named Festival of the Year (People’s Choice) at the Queensland Music Awards, announced on the Gold Coast recently, celebrating the state’s vibrant live music community.
The win recognises the festival’s unique community-driven model — one that prioritises musicians, sustainability, and connection — and comes off the back of a standout year, with record ticket sales and a sold-out campground in 2025.
Festival Director, Rachel Clarke, said the award reflects the strength of a grassroots approach that puts people before profit: “We are absolutely thrilled with this award. Our business model is to provide employment for musicians and to ensure live music events continue to thrive.”
Run largely by volunteers, the Festival operates without the commercial pressures that can impact other events.
Held annually each November, the Maleny Music Festival has become a fixture on the cultural calendar, drawing loyal audiences year after year. The threeday event features more than 150 live performances, alongside markets, workshops, jam sessions, open mic opportunities and bush poetry.
The Festival helps boost tourism, supporting small businesses, and creating a strong sense of community ownership. Sustainability initiatives include comprehensive recycling systems, food waste reduction, reusable signage, and close collaboration with stallholders to minimise environmental impact.
The Maleny Music Festival runs from 6 - 8 of November 2026. (Image - Simone Gorman-Clark.)
The Maleny Agricultural Show returns May 29-30, bringing together the best of country life, community spirit and entertainment across two action-packed days.
The Show is a celebration of tradition, talent and connection, from the pavilion to the arena. Livestock
competitions, including dairy, beef cattle and poultry, run alongside two days of showjumping and horse events, while the pavilion features baking, produce, craft and creative displays. Fashion parades, junior judges and grand parades highlight both tradition and the next generation.
The 2026 program delivers a strong lineup of entertainment across the grounds. Expect highenergy arena action with Monster Trucks and freestyle motocross, alongside the elegance of the Cowgirls with Wings. Country Stars brings live music and emerging talent across both days.
There are over 26 free activities included with your entry, and you can enjoy hands-on experiences like circus skills, whipcracking and cowboy hat making, as well as book readings, bubble play spaces and free train rides. Animal experiences, including the animal nursery, reptile shows and miniature goats, remain a highlight.
From food demonstrations and local flavours to pipes and drums, school performances, woodchop competitions and fireworks, there’s something happening across the entire weekend.For more information visit malenyshowsociety.com.au.
Havana Nights
In Palmwoods at the Memorial Hall they are bringing back another vibrant community night - celebrating life and the rich culture of Cuba, on Saturday May 23, 5.30-8.30pm.
Havana Nights! Why not?! There’s nothing like a good dance party to feel truly alive!
Local band, Canta la Tumba's brilliant Latin music weaves Folk, Jazz and Rhythm into the playful vibe of the tropics. Let your feet dance and play!
And if that’s not enough, between band sets, they will also have the Cuban Dance Company leading the way, inspiring us with their amazing dance moves and encouraging us all to have a go or just enjoy watching the dancers.
Immerse yourself in an evening of music, dance and community spirit. Food stalls, refreshments and cash bar. Get your tickets via the ticket link: events. humanitix.com/havana-night
This is a family-friendly fiesta you won’t want to miss. Maybe get into the mood with brightly coloured comfortable clothing and a fedora hat?
Your event hosts are the Palmwoods Community & Business Association team and crew, all volunteers. A big thanks to the generous event sponsors: Sunshine Coast Council, Property Lane Real Estate, and Homegrown Cafe. (Image courtesy of cantalatumba.com.)
Why vaccinate?
by LUCY GARDNER
Vaccines are among the most effective public health interventions, significantly reducing morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases. Despite their proven efficacy, vaccine hesitancy has emerged as a pressing global challenge. Accurate information and open communication is vital to safeguard population health.
Widespread vaccination can produce a phenomenon known as “herd immunity,” which then protects most people. The majority of infectious agents need a decent number of susceptible hosts to maintain their presence in a population. After a threshold of immunized individuals is achieved, generally in the range of 90%, the infectious agent disappears entirely, and even those without immunity are safe.
However, when a sufficient number of members of a community forgo vaccination, the percentage of immunised individuals can fall below the threshold for herd immunity, which gives the infectious organism a chance to reestablish itself.
How vaccines are developed
It can take many years to develop and gain approval for a new vaccine. Vaccines go through many phases of development: research, discovery, pre-clinical testing, clinical testing, regulatory approval.
Sometimes, increased resources and funding, and concurrent clinical trials can fast-track development, such as with COVID-19 vaccines. (For more information on this, visit
Every vaccine in Australia must pass three trial phases before the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) registers it for use.
Phase 1 trials - The new vaccine is given to a small number of healthy adults to assess safety.
Phase 2 trials - If the new vaccine is found safe, it is given to hundreds of people to test: how effectively it stimulates immune responses; how much or how many doses need to be given to protect against the target disease, and whether there are any side effects.
Phase 3 trials - If the vaccine is found safe and effective, it is given to thousands of people to test: if it protects large populations from the target disease, and if there are any uncommon or serious side effects.
Vaccine safety monitoring
Vaccines are like other medicines and can have side effects. However, all vaccines used in Australia provide benefits that greatly outweigh their risks.
All vaccines must be rigorously assessed by the TGA and meet high standards before they can be registered and approved for use in Australia. This includes analysis of: clinical trial data; ingredients; chemistry, and manufacturing.
The TGA also assesses the quality of every batch of vaccine before it can be supplied in Australia.
After vaccines are given to people, their safety continues to be monitored using passive or active surveillance. Passive surveillance requires people to report side effects to the TGA.
Consumers, health professionals, the companies who supply vaccines, and state and territory health departments can report side effects or adverse events to the TGA. (Find out more about this on the TGA website: tga.gov.au/ vaccines-overview)
Active surveillance is done using a system called AusVaxSafety. Participating vaccination clinics send short SMS messages to people after they received vaccines (or their parents or carers) to ask if they had any reactions. Independent experts analyse the responses to make sure that any safety issues are detected quickly. (Read more about active surveillance on the AusVaxSafety website: auxvaxsafety.org.au/our-work/national-vaccine-safetysurveillance)
More information
It’s normal to have questions about vaccination. Misinformation on the internet and social media about the safety of vaccines has also caused concern for some people. Learn more about vaccines and safety by visiting: health. gov.au/resources/publications/questions-about-vaccination)
THE timeless Appeal OF Time
Clock Shop is an Australian owned and operated small family business based in Montville. This German chalet-inspired stone and shingle building has been welcoming customers through its doors since the business was established in 1993. Today, it’s run by Holly and Dan Hoffman, and we caught up with Holly to find out more about taking on such a ‘must see’ business.
Where were you born and raised and what brought you to the hinterland?
I was born and raised on The Sunshine Coast Hinterland, so the area well and truly has my heart.I went to Blackall Range Independent School for my Primary years and then on to Burnside High.
I spent most of my 20s living away and travelling overseas and then came back to settle on the Coast after having my first child and realising it was a nicer place to raise a family than London. My parents still live in my childhood home in Dulong!
When I was younger the Coast felt so small and unexciting, but after being away for so long and seeing so much of the world, you come to appreciate how good we have it here! I love raising my children here - such a geographically beautiful area and such a balanced lifestyle. I don't think I could ever live in a city again!
Please tell us how you came to run The Clock Shop and some of its history?
My husband's parents began Clock Shop 32 years ago and when they were looking to retire about five years ago, Dan and I saw the opportunity to continue their legacy. Throughout my career I had been a secondary school teacher, a personal trainer and then a full-time mum when my kids were little - entrepreneurship was not in my blood!
Being a small business owner was not on my bingo cards! But Dan had worked on and off for his parents throughout his life and he knew the business inside and out.
Although we never aspired to own Clock Shop, it felt like the right time and the right decision for us. It really did just kind of happen and we have not looked back!
What are the challenges involved in running a business like this?
The main challenge Dan and I have faced since owning Clock Shop was when the world shut down because of Covid, just three days after we took over the business! That was an extremely stressful time - like a lot of small businesses at the time we faced huge challenges and wondered what the heck we had gotten ourselves into but luckily we had the foresight to pivot heavily into the online space and invest our time and energy into improving our web store and on-line presence. Ultimately I think that was what stopped us from going under during the Covid years. Now, the greatest challenge is helping educate people about the value of investing in quality, handmade products. We live in a throwaway society where everyone wants a bargain! Importing internationally from Germany always presents its challenges... And also, being a small tourist based town, our business is very seasonal. Although we have our web-store, our store in Montville is the heart of our business and where we love to meet our valued customers.
What can a typical day entail for you?
I love that my role at Clock Shop is so varied and differs from day to day. I balance my work week between days on site in Montville and days working from home.
When I am in store I am serving customers, working on clock/product displays, answering phone inquiries, supporting our wonderful staff, quality controlling our stock, stock counts, cleaning, taking footage for social media content and having business development meetings with various members of our team.
My home days are spent doing staff rosters, responding to online inquiries, troubleshooting clock issues with our customers, hiring/managing staff, and making social media content.
Do you have any special or funny moments at the shop that you’d like to share?
One of the most fun things to ever happen in our store was when we were asked to have a challenge in The Amazing Race filmed in store. We had to close the shop down one afternoon while the challenge was taking placethere were so many cast and crew there!
It was really fun to be a part of and when the episode finally came out it was fantastic to watch our little store on TV! People still come in, years later and say they loved that particular episode and seeing us on TV.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to buy one of your special clocks?
I absolutely love helping customers select a special clock for their home. So many people - especially those with European heritage - have special memories of being in a grandparent's house and hearing the chime or cuckoo of a clock. They come into the store and have a beautiful nostalgic moment.
I think finding a clock that suits the aesthetic of a house design and colour scheme is one thing, but I like helping people determine the feeling they want in their home. Is it the melodic sound of a chiming wall clock, the bold strike of a Grandfather Clock, or the quirky call of the cuckoo that appeals to them?
Do they want to invest in an heirloom that will be passed on for generations? We feel that a ticking clock is like the heart beat of a house - it is both soothing and comforting.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time realistically I am doing kids' school runs, running our three kids around to various lessons, sporting activities and part-time jobs and on the neverending food production cycle! When I am not being a mum, a business owner or a domestic goddess, I enjoy reading, walking, weight lifting, baking, camping, travelling, spending time with girlfriends and my aging parents.
What is a favourite quote or saying that inspires you?
I know it is a bit cliché, but my favourite saying of all time is BE KIND. To yourself and to others. I truly believe if we all could treat one another with the kindness, love and respect we all deserve, the world would really be a better place for us all.
Iam an ‘average joe’ who enjoys good food, not a food critic by profession, so excuse my lack of fancy terminology! I have not been paid to promote anyone – I am simply sharing my opinion on the hinterland eateries I visit, for their service/ ambience and presentation/flavour.
I found myself in the Burnside area of Nambour a couple of times this past month, and decided to give the Cosy Creek Café a try. Part of the shopping centre on a corner lot, it has a patio area with plenty of plants, seating out front, and a comfy sofa and a couple of tables inside – essentially something for everyone.
The menu offers the usual fare of big brekky, wraps, burgers, sandwiches, hot chips, cakes and slices – just what you would expect and hope for in a traditional café.
This is clearly where the locals go. A large group were knitting at a long table, an older couple were playing cards, a group of mothers were laughing over coffee, while their kids managed to get more chocolate brownie on their faces and the floor than in their actual mouths. It was a cheery scene, I have to say.
My friend had the Brekky Wrap, which was toasted and substantial. She wasn’t in the mood for bacon, so a hash brown took its place with her egg and greens and fresh tomato, with relish completing the combo. She said it was very filling, very tasty and great value – you can’t get much better than that!
Having had a decent amount of meat the night before, I opted for the Veggie Burger, and am happy to say it didn’t disappoint. The ‘patty’ was a kind of hash brown of vegetables and potato, flattened and fried, and the burger was packed with fresh salad, including beetroot, as all decent burgers should be!
We washed these down with tea and coffee and watched the world go by. All in all, I’d say this place doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not, which I
like. It’s a little local café, making traditional brekkies and lunches.
The staff were friendly, the food arriving at the table was a little slow, but they were quite busy and perhaps needed one more person in the kitchen that day. I also think the value for money was spot on.
We both agreed we would be back, when next in that neck of the woods, and it seems like a lot of locals feel the same way.
Toasted Veggie Wrap with hash brown
Veggie Burger
CREATIVE CUTS HAVE PATIENCE WITH THE MALENY SINGERS!
Lovers of light opera and musical comedy always await the Maleny Singers season with anticipation, and this year is set to again provide a feast for the senses, with a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience Set in late 19th Century England, the opera satirises the Aesthetic Movement, which was a popular fad of the time. However in Gilbert’s usual style, he takes time out to poke fun at pretty much everything, from military pomposity to romantic love.
The story centres around two love triangles: one involving the Dragoon Guards, who find their high-born fiancees besotted with two aesthetic poets; and the other involving the two poets who are competing for the attentions of Patience, the lovely milkmaid. How these battles interact with each other provides endless opportunity for Gilbert’s comedic wit.
While the two aesthetic poets (Colin Dunn and Rod Johnson) trail hordes of swooning ladies, while reciting their own poems, Patience herself (Vanessa Millar) ponders the meaning of life and love.
Meanwhile, the Dragoon Guards march around in utter confusion, hoping against hope that their beloveds will return to sanity in time for a happy ending.
Despite the tortuous storyline, there are many genuinely hilarious moments, and as always, Sullivan’s music makes this a joy to listen to.
To add a touch of continuity, the Singers Musical Director, Margaret Taylor herself, sang the role of Patience in the English National Opera’s London productions. Her depth of understanding of the opera makes this a musical treat not to be missed.
Performances at the Maleny Community Centre on June 13,14, 20 and 21. Tickets from Trybooking or the Maleny Information Centre. (Image by Marsha Fotogràfiê)
BUDDY WESTON
ACMA welcomes acclaimed veteran country artist Buddy Weston to the stage as special guest artist at their concert on Sunday May 17
Buddy brings decades of experience to the Hall of Fame. Having toured extensively alongside legends like Tex Morton, Gordon Parsons and Chad Morgan, Buddy has built a reputation as both a captivating performer and accomplished songwriter.
A winner of the 1967 Australian Country Music Convention in Brisbane, Buddy has since performed across Australia and the USA, recorded award-winning music, and penned songs for some of the biggest names in country music—including Slim Dusty. With multiple songwriting awards and a career spanning over five decades, Buddy Weston continues to share his passion for country music with audiences everywhere. Guaranteed entertainment!
You’ll also enjoy popular country music and other upbeat, crowd-pleasing favourites from talented local artists backed by a great house band. See you at the Hall of Fame, 24 Steggalls Road, doors open 10am, 11 am start. Raffle and door prizes, BYO lunch/sausage sizzle, free tea and coffee. Entry $15, members $10. This is a not-for-profit organisation and the proceeds will go towards the upkeep of the hall.
CRYSTAL WATERS BLUES NIGHT
On Saturday May 9, from 6pm, the Crystal Waters Music Club presents a night of rockin’ good Blues featuring two Sunny Coast iconic acts: The Charles Camilleri Connection and The Spirits Blues Band. Opening the night will be relative newcomers to the scene: Crystal Waters’ very own Hinterland Daybreakers.
The Charles Camilleri Connection is Barry Charles and Paul Camilleri, two long time Sunny Coast legends performing captivating soulful blues and rock, with Barry’s unique “extreme vocals”. The Spirits’ six talented musos are masters of rhythm and groove with decades of experience to transport you through an electrifying set blending roots, boogie, funk and jazz. You won’t be sitting down. The Hinterland Daybreakers are a seven-piece local Crystal Waters outfit creating an energetic and entertaining set of original and classic covers with their own unique style, blending rock, blues, soul and boogie.
Tickets are $20, with all proceeds going to the performers and the Crystal Waters Coop. The CW Coop will be running the bar and Food Vibes will be serving delicious dinner. Find us at 65 Kilcoy Lane, Conondale, and on the Crystal Waters Music Club FB site. Accommodation available at Eco Park –Village Camping Area | Crystal Waters Eco Village. Tickets: events.humantix.com or at the door.
A UNIQUE ART TRAIL
Open Studios Sunshine Coast, July 17 - 26, is an exciting opportunity for artists living and working on the Sunshine Coast. Held over two weekends in May and bridged by five days of workshops, it offers artists the opportunity to showcase their work and attract sales. Free and open to the public, the annual Open Studios Sunshine Coast showcases emerging local artists and studios in the region with a two-weekend Art Trail. Throughout the week-long event, the community is encouraged to take self-guided tours where they have the opportunity to meet local artists, view artistry in action, purchase art, participate in workshops, and gain a new appreciation for the creativity of talented local artists.
This unique event provides an opportunity for the community to see works of art and many studios that are not normally available for public viewing.
This year, artists include Glenda Borchard, who studied painting at the University of Wollongong, earning her Bachelor of Creative Arts. Glenda’s recent work revisits the images and emotions of times past. Centred on the human figure, these paintings explore relationships, memory, and the quiet elegance of mid-century life. (Pictured: Me,MyselfandtheOcean by Glenda Borchard.)
Sarah Sculley is a Nambour-based mural artist, painter and creative business coach known for her vibrant, nature inspired artworks. She creates colourful murals and paintings that celebrate local flora, fauna and joyful storytelling.
Sharon Hegarty is a Buderim-based artist creating vibrant, uplifting works inspired by coastal life, native flora and colour, across acrylics, watercolour, mixed media and ceramics.
To find out more about these, and many other artists, and where you can see their work, visit artsconnectinc.com.au/aci-events/ open-studios.
OUR AMAZING PLANET ART EXHIBITION
The Buderim Craft Cottage is a renowned hub of creativity. Its heritage is firmly planted in local regional culture and its members are committed to working with time-honoured techniques alongside newer contemporary methods.
The annual Mixed Media Art Exhibition, OurAmazingPlanet, is the culmination of twelve months' work, exploring new ideas compatible with an individual artist’s chosen medium, and runs from May 30 - June 7.
A diverse and interesting variety of original art will be on view and for sale. Each piece is totally unique and handmade by local artists. Browse mixed media pieces, vibrant abstract pieces, landscapes and still life. Artists will be on hand, happy to talk about their art.
The art show will open daily from 9am to 3pm. Pick a gift for someone special or treat yourself to an original piece of artwork. The opening is Saturday May 30 at 3pm and a special guest, Jandamarra Cadd, will open the exhibition. For further information visit the Craft Cottage website: buderimcraftcottage.com.au.
A WONDER-FILLED WORKSHOP
A great event is coming up for children aged between 8-12 years at The Little Book Nook in Palmwoods on Saturday, May 9 at 10am.
Tina Strachan, author of The Wilder Zoo series, will be conducting a free workshop and craft in the lovely courtyard outside the bookshop. Tina is launching the third book in her popular series. We’ve had Neeka andtheStorm,NeekaandtheMissingKey and now, Neeka and the Great Search
Imagine living in your own zoo! Where would you sleep? What would you eat? Who would you play with?
Plot all this and more as you work through a story structure for your own zoo-based adventure, with spectacular scene setting, critter character creation and exciting escapades.
The duration is 45 mins – one hour, and accompanying adults have access to a pleasant garden and courtyard area with café service if required.
You can find The Little Book Nook up the Lane, 4-6 Little Main St, Palmwoods. Please RSVP by email: littlebooknook1@gmail.com or phone: 0412539020.
SINGING UP A STORM
The members of the Mapleton Choir have their fingers crossed that the SongsWeLikeToSing, are the very same ones you’ll love to hear! With their concert weekend on June 6 and 7 fast approaching, they’ve been diving deep into harmony to master an eclectic new repertoire. It’s been a vibrant—and occasionally challenging—journey, but they are finally ready to share the results with an amazing audience. What’s in store? A Choral Thunderstorm: Experience a wall of sound with our rendition of Toto’s 1982 classic, Africa
Sensational Solos: Susanna Colville takes center stage for a sensational solo in Manhattan Transfer’s TheBoyFromNewYorkCity Global Flavors: From a traditional Scottish piece to an Italian melody, there is something for every musical palate.
To keep the energy high, several talented members will step out and deliver special group and solo performances, showcasing the unique individual voices that give this choir its heart.
Join them at Kureelpa Hall for an entertaining afternoon of music, followed by their signature "cuppa" and a delicious spread. The choir can't wait to see you there! Tickets are $25 via trybooking.com/DLPNT.
Letters
Vale Denise Arlette Scott (1941–2026)
We would like to remember a remarkable woman with a remarkable life, Denise Arlette Scott. Affectionately known as ‘Mum’ to many, Denise was known for her warmth, generosity, and vibrant spirit— remembered as a chef, one of the beloved ‘Montville Ladies’, half of the iconic Margaret and Denise Catering Team, the Montville Cake Decorator, an early member of the Montville History Group, and an adventurous traveller with a story for every occasion.
Denise was born in Roma to Flo and Arthur Stehn, who were known for their model railway exhibition in the Montville Dome in the late 1970s. She grew up on a small crop farm in Kingston, helping her mother run the property when her father was ‘called up’ during World War II. It was there that Denise’s love for cooking took root as she made her first ‘mud cakes’ in the fields as a child.
After the war, the family relocated to Rockhampton, where Denise attended high school and, while still a student, won first prize for her cake decorating—a sign of the passion and talent that would shape her future.
Crossword
LETTERS, LEUNIG AND LIGHT RELIEF
Relax, read a few letters, enjoy a crossword and cartoon, and maybe put pen to paper (finger to keyboard) yourself! We would love you to share your thoughts and experiences with us and HT readers. Email: editor@hinterlandtimes.com.au, and please include your name, email/address and location. Letters may be edited a little if space is tight. As we are a monthly, please be aware we are unable to print date-sensitive letters.
After graduating, Denise began her career as an apprentice beautician at Grayson’s Beauty Parlour in Elizabeth Street, Brisbane. It was in Brisbane, through a shared passion for go-kart racing, that she met Ted Scott. They married, and in 1963 welcomed their son Michael.
The family returned to Rockhampton, where Denise became head of the new cosmetics department at Stewarts and earned certification from several leading cosmetic companies. Their daughter Bronwyn was born in 1967, and shortly after, the family moved to Palmwoods to farm strawberries, zucchini, and later avocados.
Denise and her family moved ‘up the hill’ to Kondalilla and established a small café on Kondalilla Road. Over time, they renovated and expanded it to create the Blackall Range’s first licensed restaurant, the Kondalilla Licensed Restaurant. Here, Denise’s culinary flair blossomed as she served an à la carte menu that drew diners from the Coast and Brisbane.
When her marriage ended, Denise sold the restaurant and took a chef’s position in Maleny, moving her family across the valley to settle in Western Avenue, Montville.
During this time, Denise became an active member of the Montville Ladies Social and Benefit Club, helping
Bad Jokes of the Month
What do you call a number that won’t stay in one place?
A Roamin’ numeral
The school called a woman and told her, “Your son has been telling lies.”
You’re right,” she replied, “I don’t have any kids.”
What is Elton John’s favourite salad?
He’s a rocket man.
stage fashion parades and, with Margaret Farmer, catering many community events. Their partnership grew into a thriving business, Mardee Catering, with Denise and Margaret catering for almost every function in Montville and Denise decorating countless cakes.
When her son Mike moved north, Denise worked at several Tableland hotels, concluding her career in Mareeba. She was especially proud when her last apprentice became chef at Government House, Canberra.
An enthusiastic traveller, Denise returned to Montville after retirement, living with Bronwyn and organising memorable road trips for her friends— firstly by car, where she earned a reputation as a fearsome driver, and later by bus. She remained active in the Montville History Group, sharing stories of village life as Montville evolved into the vibrant community it is today.
Although Denise was unable to complete her own story as age limited her energy, her legacy endures. She will be remembered for living life to the fullest and as a cherished member of a remarkable group of women whose contributions helped shape the Montville community.
Doug and Cate Patterson
Across
1 Young horse (4)
3 Showing mettle (8)
9 Arranged neatly (7)
10 Sends out in the post (5)
11 Japanese poem (5)
12 Taller and thinner (7)
13 Inform (6)
15 Boneless piece of meat (6)
17 Coiffure (7)
18 Friend (Spanish) (5)
20 Group of lions (5)
21 Capital of Georgia in the US (7)
22 Making ineffective (8)
23 Address a deity (4)
Down
1 A transient occurrence (5,2,3,3)
2 Excuse or pretext (5)
4 Foot levers (6)
5 Amorously (12)
6 Insignificant (7)
7 Available for use as needed; optional (13)
8 Inadequate (12)
14 Working extremely hard (7)
16 Stress; pull a muscle (6)
19 Opposite of outer (5)
Unscramble the letters in the shaded squares to reveal a themed word:
“I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.”
— Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
Sudoku
Poets
THE NIGHT OF NOAH!
It was the night of Noah, The rain kept tumbling down… The locals we all worried As the floods came to their town…
They found themselves stranded, The beer supply cut short… A dilemma of uncertainty, A travesty to sort…
The locals gathered in a mob, This conundrum that they faced… Must be settled quickly, There was just no time to waste…
A plan was soon devised, To keep the status quo…
To gather more supplies, So that amber fluid would flow…
A shortcut through the back hills, Which was made by cars and boats… Would be the only way,
To quench their dry old throats…
So, this convoy of local legends, Headed off on their campaign, Through the back blocks of Beerwah, Were they brave or just insane…?
After hours of frantic worrying, There was a glimmer of hope… As the first car of many, Made it down that muddy slope…
The local mob were ecstatic, They welcomed them with a cheer… As this convoy of local legends Arrived back with all the beer…
The celebrations lasted long, All was right again once more… And townsfolk all rejoiced, Let it rain, and let it pour…
Poets are illustrators of words that create beauty and intensity, and the HT is proud to give them a platform. Please send poems for possible publication to editor@hinterlandtimes.com.au
The one who, one day, was surrounded by a magic light. His eyes became beaming red and bright when the magic entered him.
He became confused as the silent magic grew within him There was only silence and no understanding, So he took to writing on the wall and drawing circles, ‘Who are you and what are you?’ he asked the magic light.
After a while he heard a voice which said, ‘I am the Magician, I have heard your call And I am here to help you create the world that you have been calling out for.’
The ordinary man listened with curiosity.
‘I am keen to know your magic’ the ordinary man said ‘Follow my instructions,’ the magic light said, ‘and you will come to know.’
So the ordinary man followed the magic light’s instructions closely Until the magic was present within him … eventually he understood.
Others came to know of the ordinary man with the magic light and flocked to his home ‘You must learn the magic,’ he said.
So he started a school and many came, there were some who were jealous of his magic And created many situations to frighten the ordinary man and his followers
Time went by and the school grew and passed through many obstacles Many good souls came along to learn and teach.
As the years passed the ordinary man grew old And eventually passed on to a world of light, to help from up above. His magic stayed within the group and they had a good connection with the magic light. They continued to teach all over the world and many met the magic light. They grew strong as they moved along With different beliefs and lifestyles, They shone with light as they followed the magic light.
Delivering mental health support with endED short-term accommodation in Woombye
As well as delivering mental health support with endED short-term accommodation in Woombye, here are some of the ways the new Queensland Government is delivering for the Sunshine Coast:
• 50c fares made permanent
• Protecting Mudjimba Island Reef
• Delivering lighting for Sunshine Coast sporting clubs
• Delivering long-term protection for the Pumicestone Passage
• Delivering the Sunshine Coast Stadium upgrade for 2032 and beyond
• Delivering generational infrastructure like The Wave
• Delivering a new TAFE in Caloundra
• Delivering a new connection to the Sunshine Motorway at West Coolum Road
• Delivering the Congestion Busting Plan for Caloundra Road
• Upgrading Diddillibah Road and Nambour Connection Road intersection
• Upgrading Mooloolah River Interchange
• Delivering the Nambour Police Beat.
Find out what else we’re delivering for you.
Authorised by the Queensland Government, Brisbane.
Cause Cast for a
It’s time for the MRCCC’s Inaugural Sustainable Fishing Competition!
Join the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee (MRCCC) for a family-friendly morning of fishing with a mission at Petrie Park, Tiaro, Sunday May 17, from 7am to 11.30am!
DThey are teaming up with OzFish and the Freshwater Fish Stocking Association Queensland (FFSAQ) to promote sustainable fishing, protect our native species, and raise vital funds for the critically endangered Mary River turtle.
This isn't just about the catch; it’s about the legacy. By participating, you’re helping to protect the Mary River turtle - all proceeds support the Tiaro Landcare Group’s research.
Entrants will also be helping to remove invasive pest fish and win prizes for catching Tilapia and Grunter that threaten our endangered Mary River cod, and learn to fish smarter through native fish identification, responsible handling, and eco-friendly tackle disposal.
They’re hunting for the best (and the worst!) in the river:
• The Giants: Biggest Fork-tailed catfish and largest Tilapia (size/weight).
• The Pest-Busters: Most tilapia – listed in the top 100 of the world’s most invasive species, most Sooty Grunter, and most Barred Grunter – both introduced to the Mary River system (no catch limits!).
Enjoy a sausage sizzle and cold drinks while exploring educational displays and info sessions on waterway restoration.
In the
Wild
Connecting the Dots
o you remember those join the dots picture puzzles we did as kids - pre-screens. You started with a page full of numbered dots (and no picture) and then you would take your pen or pencil and join them together with a line, to magically reveal an image that was not there before!
Habitat connection is a bit like that, the full picture isn’t revealed until we reconnect the dots (the remnants of native vegetation that are still left in the landscape). Okay, so that’s vastly over simplified for purposes of my narrative – but we can come back to that...
Here on the Blackall Range, the high country that we now refer to as Witta, Montville, Maleny, Reesville and Wootha was once covered in a biodiverse and ancient rainforest, tens if not hundreds of millions of
years in the making. The First Peoples of the range, the Jinibara people had managed and called these forests home for millennia.
The word Jini is for the Lawyer cane which was, and still is, an amazing resource for basket and trap weaving and trading with neighbouring peoples. Jinibara people lived within and harvested from the phenomenal and abundant biodiversity of our region for millennia, in what was, and continues to be, despite the clearing and fragmentation of the last 160 years, part of one of the world’s great biodiversity hot spots.
To extend on my use of games metaphors, lets jump to jigsaws, let’s say we have a 1000-piece jigsaw that represents all the rainforests that once covered the southern Blackall Range. Over 990 of the pieces are now gone and we are left with ten pieces at best, to give us an idea of what was
Make a difference for future generations of anglers. Grab your gear and see you at the river!
Note: All Tilapia must be returned at weigh-in for appropriate disposal.
Entry costs $10 adults (16+) or $5 juniors and all entrants must register via Humanitix by Monday, May 11.
Contact: admin@ mrccc.org.au for more information, register: events.humanitix. com/tiaro-fishingcompetition
contained ecologically and culturally within these forests.
If anyone has ever tried to do a 1000-piece jigsaw with only 10 of the pieces, you may well realise how difficult this may be. However, all is not lost, it only took a few hundred settlers to clear the forests of the Range, but there are thousands of us up here now to help replant, regenerate and restore more of the rainforests of the range over the decades to come.
If you're fortunate to have a small patch of remnant forest in your place, help grow it. If you just have acres of lawn, lawn and more lawn consider returning some of this to rainforest. Forest Heart ecoNursery and Brush Turkey Enterprises is here to help you on that journey, bringing native plants to your garden and rainforest back to the Range, lets join the dots together!
with Spencer Shaw
Life on the Mary - image Aimee Clark
A critically endangered male Mary River Turtle basking - image Marilyn Connell
Below the Surface
by JAMIE WALKER
a mink swam past my float, a dusk-emerging deer sniffed my elbow (frightening us both) and a Common Kingfisher perched on the stem of my rod.
Now I say creek instead of brook, but am still attracted to the waterside in the same way – minus the fishing equipment – and the kingfishers I look at are Sacred, Forest and Azure (what a gem!). And if I no longer catch fish, I am still fascinated by any glimpses I have of them and their cryptic, watery lives.
If you sit still by the water, patience can be a reward. (And polaroid sunglasses and close focus binoculars can be a big help). Most of our creeks carry a diverse fish population.
In the shallows, close to the stream’s bed, you may spot small species like Crimson-spotted Rainbowfish, Hardyheads, the introduced Swordtail and what I think are Smelts, with semi-transparent bodies.
as they move leisurely, using their “cat’s whiskers” to detect food items. They feed mainly on crustaceans (like small yabbies) insect larvae, worms and other small fish.
A Microforest Movement
In October of last year, Barung, partnering with Sunshine Coast Council and Healthy Land and Water, hosted a community planting at a site on Avocado Lane in Maleny.
Prior to planting, the whole area was blanket mulched to a depth of about 300mm, using mulch sourced from local arborists.
Forty keen members of our local conservation community quickly planted 550 local species into a 500 square metre area of former parkland that had been regularly mowed by council parks crews.
Around half of the plants were fast growing pioneer species, chosen to establish a canopy quickly, create a humid micro-climate and allow us to add understorey species as soon as possible.
Catfish lifestyle is fascinating. Males take possession of a territory where the water flows gently over a stony bed. By swimming in a tight circle, the fish’s tail creates a dished “nest” of stones”. Passing females are attracted to lay their eggs in the nest. These are fertilised by the male who then guards them until they hatch.
Afterwards, juveniles are apparently hard to find, but they have been observed in small side channels – some little larger than ditches. Perhaps in those places, they are safer in their infant state.
When, after heavy or prolonged rain, you stand on a bridge and watch a swollen creek’s thundering brown water power through (and often outside) the confines of its channel, you might wonder how anything could survive such dynamic force.
Yet when the spate is over, and calm, clear water returns, all things – fish, birds, damselflies and others –remain like before; essentially sustained by nature, both above and below the surface.
About That Tree
with Tree Surgeon Tony Wootton, our local arborist and author, meeting the Hinterland's tree needs since 1996
’ve been fortunate enough to spend the last few days in Ho Chi Minh City. I was astounded to see massive rainforest trees in the centre of the city. Between 40 and 50m tall and with trunks more than a metre in diameter, these trees were in the middle of a built-up urban environment.
Their roots were lifting the paving, but more disturbingly, one of the locals told me that during the rainy season they lose branches and sections, and sometimes fail completely. This has resulted in the deaths of people and major damage to infrastructure.
The city carries out regular and intensive assessments of the trees, but this is hard and clear evidence of my oft-stated belief that in severe weather events you cannot guarantee the safety of any large tree.
Obviously, the city has decided that the benefits of having these beautiful big trees outweighs the risk involved. Although that would be a hard argument to sell to the family of the person who died in September 2024 when a branch fell on them.
Six months on and this planting already has the feel of a small forest and we’ve been able to add Carronia vine in the understorey, host plant for the vulnerable Southern Pink Underwing Moth.
This microforest features a path through the centre which continues
through an extension we have just added with another community planting, allowing anyone in our community to go and observe and enjoy the area. This is a great opportunity to see what can be achieved with this style of planting and perhaps serve as an inspiration.
Of course Barung’s own microforest, established at the end of 2020 in the heart of the Maleny Community Precinct is open to all to enjoy and learn from.
We see these micro-forests being dotted all over the landscape to provide vital connection and stepping stones to improve biodiversity and repair land. Please visit us at the Barung Community Nursery to chat all things microforests and revegetation.
Disturbingly, I went to the Vietnam War Museum. Initially, I was excited to see the tanks and planes and cannons outside, but when I went inside I was horrified to see the images of deformities caused by the chemicals used, and of people torturing each other, and mass killings of civilians.
What’s worse is that we have learnt nothing from this and these atrocities are still being perpetuated in today’s world. Even as I’m writing this, civilians are being slaughtered in the Middle East for some vaguely defined reason that somehow justifies this horrific behaviour.
Mobile: 0403 467 664 Landline: 54 944 917
Eel-tailed Catfish - image by Hugues Debeyser
HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLBEING
SunnyKids leads call to action
With an average of 500 domestic and family violence incidents reported every day across Queensland, SunnyKids is stepping forward to lead a coordinated community response this May, positioning Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month as a critical moment for awareness, action and impact.
New data from the organisation highlights the growing scale and urgency of the issue locally. In 2024–2025, SunnyKids supported 3,607 individuals - a 30 per cent increase on the previous year - including 1,261 adults and 2,346 children, representing a 34 per cent rise in children requiring support.
The organisation also provided 8,262 nights of emergency accommodation and facilitated hundreds of critical referrals, including 98 to Najidah Refuge and 745 to the Cooroy Family Support Centre, reflecting the increasing complexity and immediacy of need within the community.
SunnyKids CEO, Kathleen Hope, said the data underscores the importance of sustained visibility and community engagement during May.
“Domestic and family violence is one of the most significant social challenges facing our community, and the impact on children is both immediate and longterm,” Ms Hope said.
“The increase in demand we are experiencing is not just about numbers - it reflects the complexity of cases and the level of support required to create lasting change. Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month is an opportunity for the entire community to step forward, raise awareness and be part of the solution.”
Throughout May, SunnyKids will run a coordinated campaign of awareness, fundraising, and community engagement to amplify the conversation and drive meaningful support for local families.
Sunnykids will deliver a diverse program of events across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa region, encouraging broad community participation and support:
A positive turning point
The new Parent to Parent Queensland office in Nambour is open, marking a significant milestone for the peer-led organisation and the local disability community it supports.
Parent to Parent Qld (P2P) is a peer-led, not-for-profit organisation that has supported people with disability and their families across Queensland since 1998. For more than 28 years, P2P has helped people maximise their NDIS funding, plan for a meaningful future, and build a strong voice within their communities.
The organisation is the Queensland State Agency for Inclusion Australia and is home to Loud and Clear Queensland, which supports people with intellectual disabilities to advocate for themselves and others.
Chief Executive Officer, Jodi Wolthers, said the new office represents a turning point for the organisation.
“After many years of instability and working in spaces that weren’t the right fit for us, this new office represents a real turning point for Parent to Parent Qld,” Ms Wolthers said.
“From the moment people walk through the door, they comment on the feel of the space. The energy is positive and welcoming, and it isn’t just us saying it, it’s our visitors too.
“This is our space, and it gives us the certainty and foundation we need to continue the work that matters for people with disability and their families on the Sunshine Coast and across Queensland.”
and Donuts, Kon-Tiki
Ms Hope said community participation plays a critical role in prevention and early intervention.
“We know that real change happens when communities are informed, engaged and willing to act. Every event, every conversation and every contribution helps us support vulnerable children and families and create safer futures.”
SunnyKids is encouraging individuals, businesses and community groups to get involved throughout May by supporting awareness initiatives, engaging with local activities and backing services that provide critical support to vulnerable
SunnyKids is encouraging the community to take action this May. Donations can be made at sunnykids.org.au, with all funds supporting local children and families impacted by domestic and family violence. Comprehensive denture services direct to the public
SunnyKids CEO, Kathleen Hope
Use Your Mental Edge Values and a meaningful life
by JAMIE MILNE
our values determine your perceptions, decisions, and destiny” — Dr John Demartini
The foundation that governs all human behaviour: your values.
Values are not just ideals or things we think we care about. They are the priorities that already run your life, shaping how you spend your time, energy, money, and attention—often unconsciously.
When your daily actions align with your highest values, life feels purposeful, energising, and sustainable. When they don’t, motivation fades, discipline feels forced, and burnout becomes likely.
What Are Values? According to Dr. John Demartini, values are a hierarchy of priorities—from what is most important to least important in your life. This hierarchy determines what motivates you naturally, what feels draining or energising, where you excel or procrastinate, how resilient you are under stress, and how disciplined you appear (or don’t).
Importantly, you already live by your values— even if you’ve never defined them. Your life demonstrates your values more honestly than your words do.
For example, if you say health is important but consistently sacrifice
sleep, training, or nutrition, then health is not yet a top value. If you consistently show up for work, learning, or family without external motivation, those areas likely rank higher in your values hierarchy.
Values are descriptive, not prescriptive. This program is not about judging your values—it’s about clarifying them and learning how to build your life around them.
Over 2,300 years ago, Aristotle taught that everything in nature has a telos—an ultimate aim or purpose.
An acorn’s telos is to become an oak tree, a knife’s telos is to cut well. A human being’s telos is to live in accordance with their highest potential.
Aristotle believed that fulfillment (eudaimonia) comes not from pleasure alone, but from living in alignment with one’s true nature and highest purpose.
Modern psychology and neuroscience echo this idea: People thrive when their actions align with intrinsic motivation.
Meaning and resilience increase when behavior is value-driven. Sustainable habits form more easily when they serve something deeply important.
Your values define your telos. When your training, nutrition, sleep, and mental practices align with your values, they stop feeling like obligations and start becoming expressions of who
Don’t strive, align byKERRIE FRIEND
Is it just me or have you too grown weary of looking at people who seem to have it all together? Truth is most of us don’t (apart from what social media feeds us). Don’t get distracted by doomscrolling other people’s lives, but instead live your life aligned with who you are. Living in alignment is much more powerful than fancifully dreaming about others’ lives.
Don’t just follow others, be the author of your own life and don’t be afraid to grow and change. Even if it requires doing some things afraid, set your course and go ahead and do them anyhow. Progress is always found in the small steps of momentum.
Structure is vital to alignment so start planning your healthy lifestyle including fun, adventure, purpose, creativity, rest and relaxation and so on. There is never a better time than now to begin living your life aligned with your spirit, soul and body. An alignment intervention is the perfect antidote to misguided notions.
Alignment is fundamental for our souls to flourish, so make sure to take some time to get clear about what your heart’s desires are. Journal, pray, and meditate upon your alignment and see what saturates your soul and penetrates your heart.
Positioning with intention will change your life, but remember without change nothing changes.
If you currently feel completely out of alignment don’t try to figure it all out, just start slowly, step by step, moving on what’s on your heart. This creates the flow and creates a map for alignment and a destiny path will begin to emerge.
In its simplest form alignment means putting balance back into our lives. We were created to be love and give love, and alignment is often the missing ingredient to our contentment.
Blessings, Kerrie x
Overcoming Diabetes
Diabetes is a rapidly growing global health challenge, affecting 589 million adults—around 1 in 9 people—with numbers projected to rise by 45% to 853 million by 2050.
In Australia alone, more than 1.3 million people are living with diabetes, with a new diagnosis every five minutes, making it the country’s fastest-growing chronic condition.
The burden is disproportionately higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who face significantly greater risks of developing, being hospitalised for, and dying from type 2 diabetes.
Many health professionals report limited training and low confidence in providing structured nutrition and lifestyle counselling for type 2 diabetes risk reduction. Through Doctors for Nutrition, there is an ondemand course for anyone living with—or looking to prevent—type 2 diabetes. Whether you’re managing existing health concerns or aiming to reduce your risk, this course provides expert guidance, practical tools, and evidence-based strategies to help you make lasting, positive changes.
Developed by expert healthcare professionals, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills to support better health, wellbeing, and long-term vitality. Visit: doctorsfornutrition.org/overcoming-diabetes
Doctors For Nutrition is an independent, registered charity founded in 2018 with the mission to inspire the healthcare sector, policymakers, and society at large to integrate whole food plant-based nutrition and other lifestyle medicine principles as powerful tools for disease prevention and care.
A WELCOME DECISION FOR DIGNITY
Ageing Australia has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to reclassify showering as ‘clinical care’ under the Support at Home program, calling it a win for the dignity of older Australians.
The Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Ageing and the Hon Sam Rae MP, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, recently announced that showering will move from the ‘personal care’
category, which attracts client contributions of between 5% and 50%, to the 'clinical care' category, which is contribution free.
“We commend the Government for listening to the significant concerns of older people and providers,”
Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson said.
“Sweeping reforms will always have unintended consequences, and we’ve been clear from the outset that charging contributions for showering needed to be kept under
constant review to ensure the best possible outcomes for older people.
“Since the reforms were implemented on November 1, 2025, our members have been deeply concerned about those unintended consequences. Particularly alarming has been the increasing evidence that older people were reducing the number of showers they had or forgoing them altogether due to cost. That is the worst possible outcome.
“Showering is not just about hygiene and health, it’s about basic human dignity.
“The Government’s decision to fully fund it as part of the upcoming Budget reflects our values as a society and should give older people greater confidence that they will be able to access the services they need, when they need them.”
Advertise your business in the HT from $63.58 ongoing per month. Book directly by scanning
ASTROLOGY
Heart Mind Astrology with Ruth Donnelly
Explore your life with astrology, bringing you insight at times of turmoil, transition and transformation. Online consultations available. 0409 564 276 astrology@ruthdonnelly.com.au
AUDIOLOGIST
Sunshine Coast Audiology
Emryn and Anita are experienced audiologists who have started a new independent audiology clinic to care for all your hearing needs. Conveniently located in Sippy Downs. Ph. 5378 2226. www.sunshinecoastaudiology.com.au
CHIROPRACTORS
Maple Chiropractic Maleny
Dr. Samuel Lowe, Dr. Catherine Metcalf, Dr. Rebel Hungerford & Nikki Duncan-Exercise Physiologist. Gentle, effective care for the whole family. Concession, family rates & HICAPS available 45 Maple St, Maleny 5494 3322 maplechiropractic.com.au
Advertise your business in the HT from $63.58 ongoing per month. Book directly by scanning
COLON HYDROTHERAPY
Bottoms Up Colonics - Nambour
Time to let your S##t go!
We support the whole body assisting elimination pathways, allowing the body the opportunity to heal holistically. Book now on 5220 8859. www.bottomsupcolonics.com.au
Advertise your business in the HT from $63.58 ongoing per month. Book directly by scanning
Christian Dunham Specialising in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, a combination of clinical hypnotherapy and psychotherapy used to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, phobias and other chronic conditions. Free initial consultation. Ph: 0448 303 013 www.christiandunham.net
AYURVEDIC HERBALS
Eumundi Medicine Man
Advertise your business in the HT from $63.58 ongoing per month. Book directly by scanning
Guaranteed Age Old Natural Remedies.
CHIROPRACTORS
FITNESS, PERSONAL TRAINER ,DANCE
MENTAL PERFORMANCE
Knowledge is the greatest medicine. Potent Vedic remedies that give results when co-ordinated with diet and lifestyle wisdom. Order or email online at www.eumundimedicineman.com
Hinterland Chiropractic
Dr Josephine Sexton. Using gentle, safe and effective techniques to maintain spinal health and wellbeing. Concession rates, Family discounts and HICAPS available. 2/70 Maple Street, Maleny. Ph: 5435 2987
Maple Chiropractic Maleny
Get Active Fitness & Personal Training Beautiful group fitness studio with a variety of classes to suit all ages/fitness levels. A fun supportive environment, fully qualified trainers. Book your first session FREE Ph. 0423 618 945 Bunya St, Maleny.
Advertise your business in the HT from $63.58 ongoing per month. Book directly by scanning
HOME CARE
RangeCare
Jamie Milne Training Jamie Milne SEQ's leading Mental Performance Coach. Finding your Mental Edge is Jamie's specialty. His approach is unique in delivery and the results speak for themselves. Contact: jamiemilnetraining.com or call 0431 339 975.
PHYSIOTHERAPY
Range of Motion Physiotherapy Maleny, Mapleton and Imbil Russ, Karl, and Kathryn. Providing the highest quality care to restore & maintain optimal physical function & mobility. Ph: 5478 6600 www.rangeofmotion.com.au
TUTORING NEW
Dr. Samuel Lowe, Dr. Catherine Metcalf, Dr. Rebel Hungerford & Nikki Duncan-Exercise Physiologist. Gentle, effective care for the whole family.
Concession, family rates & HICAPS available 45 Maple St, Maleny 5494 3322 maplechiropractic.com.au
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Offering in-home and respite care services to support independent living. Our tailor-made services are available to everyone in the community. We can deliver your home care package. Ph: 5445 7044 Visit: www.rangecare.com.au
Alborz Premedical College APC Tutoring Centre Maths, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, English & Social Science. Individual & Group Classes for High School Years 10 to 12 and University Graduates Preparing for GAMSAT & UCAT, Face to Face & Online, Caloundra. Ph: 0448 866 951
CLOCK REPAIR
Montville Clockshop
Repairs for Cuckoo, Grandfather, Mantle, Wall Clocks. Antique clock restoration. We can supply quartz movement and parts, and repair quartz clocks. P: 07 5442 9409. www.clockshop.com.au enquiries@clockshop.com.au
EARTHMOVING
Buckle Earthmoving
Newly established Sunshine Coast business.
All types of Dozer work using a modern Cat D3K2 with LGP (low ground pressure) tracks to tackle all types of terrain with minimal impact. Driveways and access tracks, Clearing, Stick Raking, 6-way blade and rippers, Dams, Site preparation, Lantana removal, Civil, Horse arenas. contact: anthony_buckle@yahoo.com 0415 173 769
GUTTER CLEANING
Gutter Sucker
Gutter Sucker specialises in cleaning your guttering. a unique portable vacuum system for the efficient and effective removal of leaves and rubbish from all types of gutters and roofs. Ph: 1800 558 745 or 0402 456 391
HANDY MAN AND HOME MAINTENANCE
Montville Handy Man
30 years building experience. Available now for carpentry, home mainatenance and repairs, small concreting jobs, Propt and reliable service. Call Wayne 0434 724 030.
JEWELLERY - COMMISSIONS AND DESIGN
Wasshausen Gems + Jewels
LANDSCAPING & DESIGN continue
Stone on the Range Landscapes
Looking for creative ideas from a professional craftsman-then call Jim! Thirty years experience designing/building all aspects of gardens/stonework. Combining skills that utilize timber/stone and steel, as a designer, landscaper, stonemason. It is my passion to exceed your expectations. 0401 308 824 jimrstoneart@gmail.com
MOWING AND GARDENING
Blueys Garden Services
For all your gardening needs. Jobs include but not limited to: Mowing, Whipping snipping, Clear outs, Hedging, Tip runs, Minor landscaping and Weed management give us a call-0481 106 839
PLANT NURSERIES
Forest Heart ecoNursery
The Little Nursery with Big Diversity. Specialising in SE QLD native plants, cultivar native plants and fruit trees. 20 Coral Street, Maleny Ph: 07 5435 2193 - www.forestheart.com.au
Barung Landcare Native Plant Nursery
Your local community nursery stocks an extensive range of species indigenous to the Blackall Range and surrounds. Open to the public WednesdaySaturday 9am–3pm, Ph: 0429 943 152 E: nursery@barunglandcare.org.au
PLUMBING & WASTEWATER
POOL MAINTENANCE
SwimSafe
Mobile pool maintenance & repairs. Swimming pool safety inspections. FREE QUOTES
Roof & Gutter Maintenance Clean gutters, Blocked downpipes, New & repair downpipes, Roof repairs & leaks, Fix leaking gutters, New gutters & fascias, Install & service whirly birds, Skylights & Water Tanks. Free quotes, local bloke, over 20 yrs experience Phone Brad 0419 712 081
TRANSPORTATION
UltiMate Transfers 18 years offering elite chauffeur services. Private airport transfers (Sunshine Coast & Brisbane), cruise terminals, weddings. Impeccable, discreet, and tailored travel. Reserve your experience at ultimatetransfers.com.au.
TREE SERVICES
Anderson Plumbing & Roofing
Fine individually designed and traditional handmade jewellery in a contemporary style with natural Gemstones, Pearls & Opals. Commision & redesign, alteration & repairs. Call Birgit in her Maleny workshop 0490 146 982
LANDSCAPING & DESIGN
Amber Leaf Landscaping
Looking for a landscaper who can deliver?
Tohm Hajncl heads the team that offers you guaranteed quality. Choose from landscaping consultations, designs, construction and planting, pre-sale makeovers and specialised maintenance services. Ph: 5445 9801 www.amberleaf.com.au
QBSA1066328 Plumbing, drainage & roofing. New work, renos, maintenance specialists. Septic systems, blocked drains, high pressure ‘sewer jett’ drain cleaner, drain camera, cable locations, tank installations, roof & guttering. Ph: 5494 3340 or 0409 541 4757
Suncoast Liquid Waste Removal
Local owner/operator specialising in commercial / domestic waste water pump outs- septics, treatment plants, grey water, holding tanks, pond/ pool sludge, drains etc. Avoid costly blockages & system failure with prompt, reliable & expert service. Tank assessments available. EPA licensed and fully insured. Call 0439 646 707
Wootton Tree Surgeon. Dip Hort(Arb) Operating locally since 1996. Tree assessments and advice. Trees and shrubs pruned and detailed. Hazardous trees removed. M: 0403 467 664 Ph: 54 944 917 www.twtreesurgeon.com
Handbuilt Stone QBCC 1235589
Licensed, range-based professional. Traditional rock walls, pillars, steps, paving, entrance walls and all garden features. Visit our website to see previous work for inspiration. Phone Chris on 0438 811 975 – www.handbuiltstone.com
The Plumbing Group NEW
We offer residential and commercial plumbing, roofing, guttering, drainage, maintenance, emergency repairs, leak detection, hot water systems, water filtration, clear blocked drains, and preventative servicing solutions for homes and businesses. Ph: 07 5470 2908 www.plumbinggroup.com.au
GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGN NEW
Seedhead Design Consultancy
Need standout visuals and smarter online presence? Seedhead is a design studio specialising in userfocused brand creation, web design, web effectiveness reports and improvements. Function + Aesthetics + User Experience. Contact Paula on 0418 708 244 www.seedhead.com.au
LEGAL SERVICES
Baker Robinson Lawyers
Sophie Paras - Professional, efficient, relaible and friendly. 5494 2665 Suite 7, 43 Maple St Maleny. Email: sophie@brlawyers.com.au www.brlawyers.com.au
Easton Lawyers
Tove Easton Principal Lawyer
Your Local Lawyers in Maleny
62 Maple St, Maleny. Ph: 5494 3511
Email: tove@eastonlawyers.com.au
LEGAL SERVICES
continue
Horizon Legal Group formerly Lember & Williams Suite 3, Banksia House, 66 Maple Street, Maleny 07 5495 1499
10 years’ experience & multiple RMA awards. Innovative marketing strategies for maximum exposure. Get unmatched results. Blake 0412 266 719
REAL ESTATE continue
We dare to be different! Our results speak for themselves, so if you are looking to sell your property DON’T SIGN ANYTHING .. .Call us. Ph: 07 5478 5288 or check out www.rogerloughnanrealestate.com.au
REMAX Hinterland
Your property is worth more with us! 07 5408 4220, 0447 737 737 sales@remaxhinterland.com.au remaxhinterland.com.au 32 Maple Street, Maleny
Unlock the Potential of Your Property with Marlene Thomas | 0423 850 473 Hinterland Property Specialist Local Expertise. Trusted Advice.
Brant Property continue
At Brant Property we understand that it's all in the attention to detail, even the little things matter. Learn how ‘We Can Sell Yours Too!’ Contact Susan Brant on 0428 573 170
VETERINARY CARE
District Vets Maleny
Veterinarian Susan Portas and her team provide professional, compassionate care for your pets.
Hours Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri 8:30am – 5:30pm Wed 8:30am – 4:30pm Sat by appointment 7 Myrtle St Maleny Ph: 5499 9077
Many people are unaware of the history of the Lord’s church, of how it was begun in Jerusalem in A.D. 33 and has continued somewhere in the world since that time. They do not know how the many divisions among believers in Christ developed, forming the Romans and Greek Catholic Churches as well as Protestant churches, in addition to the original church begun by Christ.
It is our conviction that if more people knew more of the history of the development of so-called “Christendom”, they would be more concerned about Christ’s plea for unity as recorded in John 17:20,21: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me, through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You: that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” Yes, there are currently many hundreds of denominations which claim to be rooted in the Scriptures, through their names and many of their practices and doctrines are not found there. And, yes, that original church of Christ (Mathew 16:18, Romans 16:16) still exists in this world, and has continued to exist somewhere among some people ever since its beginning. Throughout history, it could be identified by the doctrine it taught and by its commitment to God and truth. It exists today, as physical, identifiable congregations of people. Anyone, anywhere in the world, can become a part of Christ’s church by obeying His Gospel, as recorded in Acts 2. God will then add that soul to His church, to the body of believers called the kingdom, which will never be destroyed but will one day be delivered up to God the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24).
WHAT’S THE PROPERTY FORECAST?
by JESSICA LAWRENCE
’ve trawled the internet (openagent.com.au, homescouts.com.au, broker.loanmarket.com. au, housing.id.com.au ,and more) to bring you a condensed viewpoint.
We are seeing sustained, steady growth on the Sunshine Coast with projected 5–6% overall price increases (up to 10% in high-demand coastal areas) driven by high interstate migration, low stock, and infrastructure projects like the rail line.
The market is maturing into a resilient, competitive environment favoring sellers, with severe shortages keeping rental vacancies extremely low.
Key trends and market drivers:
• Persistent Demand and Low Supply: Total listings remain nearly 20% below long-term averages, creating competition for available properties and putting a floor under prices.
• Infrastructure Impact: Suburbs along the future $5.5B Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line, such as Caloundra West and Aura, are experiencing high demand.
• Brisbane’s ripple effect: over $100 billion in infrastructure investment, plus Olympic momentum, is flowing outward to coastal and hinterland lifestyle markets.
143 Reesville Road, Reesville
EMAX Hinterland is celebrating an impressive milestone, marking 13 years of selling property across the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. In a close-knit community where reputation matters, longevity is built on trust - and over more than a decade, the team has established a strong reputation founded on honesty, integrity and consistently delivering results for their clients.
During this time, REMAX Hinterland has grown to become the number one agency in the region for both listings and sales, a position underpinned by deep local knowledge and a strategic, results-driven approach. Their performance has been recognised with three realestate.com.au
Agent of the Year awards, while more than 200 five-star reviews reflect the experience of satisfied buyers and sellers across the Hinterland.
Approaching 1,000 properties sold, the team’s success is a testament to both their expertise and the trust placed in them by the local community. REMAX Hinterland remains committed to delivering outstanding outcomes while staying true to the values that have defined their first 13 years.
Hinterland and Growth Suburbs: Areas like Palmview, Nambour, and hinterland spots like Doonan are attracting buyers seeking relative value and larger blocks, alongside high-growth areas like Baringa. Nambour offers an affordable entry point for investors with strong 4.4% rental yields.
• Investor Trends: Solid rental yields of approximately 4.1% for houses are supported by a critical 1.1% vacancy rate.
• Shifting Buyer Mentality: While demand is high, buyers are now more selective and research-driven compared to the pandemic boom.
Prices are expected to rise, though likely at a more moderate pace than previous years due to interest rates, with units increasingly popular due to affordability constraints in the detached housing market.
Rentals are another story….
Vacancy rates across the Sunshine Coast remain at critical levels, hovering around 1%. For investors, this means minimal downtime between tenancies and strong rental growth potential. Landlords can be selective, and achieve consistent rental increases, due to the undersupply of rental properties.
Tenant preferences are also changing. With living costs continuing to remain high, renters increasingly look for properties with energy-efficient features that such as solar panels, efficient air conditioning and good insulation, which may help their budgets.
Private hinterland estate with dual living
ositioned along prestigious Mountain View Road, this elegant manor-style residence is a private sanctuary where timeless design meets the beauty of nature. Framed by the serenity of Mary Cairncross Park and the gentle rhythm of a flowing creek, the home invites a lifestyle of tranquillity and effortless escape.
Designed for those who value sophistication and comfort, the residence unfolds across a series of beautifully appointed living spaces.
A grand central lounge and formal dining room set the tone for elegant entertaining, while the stunning glass conservatory, bathed in natural light, offers a breathtaking, ever-changing outlook across the forest canopy and stream.
The open-plan family and meals area flows seamlessly from the kitchen to expansive
outdoor entertaining zones, where long lunches, evening gatherings, and quiet moments alike are enriched by the surrounding natural beauty. Every element has been thoughtfully considered to deliver a sense of space, privacy, and understated luxury.
This is a retreat, a place to reconnect, and a rare opportunity to secure an enviable lifestyle in one of the region's most picturesque settings.
Call Susan on 0428 573 170 to schedule your exclusive viewing today!
Agency: Brant Property Contact: Susan Brant Phone: 0428 573 170
Damian Green, Michelle Soper, Michael Reck, Kate Woolston, Melissa Chaddock & Mark Clayton 2026
